Mystery wire
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Cross-Country
Joined: Jun 2013
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Mystery wire
I just replaced the alternator on my '89 F250 with 7.3L IDI. In the process I found a loose electrical wire that looks like it should be connected to something, but I don't know what.
This wire comes out of the sort of fabric sheathed bundle of wires that runs up to the fuel filter. The loose end of the wire appears to have a push-on connector that looks like it might be designed to push on to the small ground bolt on the alternator. It would reach that bolt quite conveniently. But I don't want to connect it there without knowing what I'm doing.
The loose end looks like about the same wire size as the wire that connects to the sensor or solenoid or whatever it is screwed into the right (as I'm facing it) side of the fuel filter housing. But when I disconnected that wire and checked for continuity between the fuel filter connector and the mystery wire, I got no reading. (What is that sensor or solenoid, anyway?)
The truck has been starting hard and running kinda rough; is this loose wire a possible culprit? Where should it be connected?
This wire comes out of the sort of fabric sheathed bundle of wires that runs up to the fuel filter. The loose end of the wire appears to have a push-on connector that looks like it might be designed to push on to the small ground bolt on the alternator. It would reach that bolt quite conveniently. But I don't want to connect it there without knowing what I'm doing.
The loose end looks like about the same wire size as the wire that connects to the sensor or solenoid or whatever it is screwed into the right (as I'm facing it) side of the fuel filter housing. But when I disconnected that wire and checked for continuity between the fuel filter connector and the mystery wire, I got no reading. (What is that sensor or solenoid, anyway?)
The truck has been starting hard and running kinda rough; is this loose wire a possible culprit? Where should it be connected?
More Turbo
Joined: Apr 2015
Posts: 625
Likes: 13
From: W. of Seattle, Kitsap P.
The component that the wire comes from (which I think it a vacuum switch) is a 'Restricted Fuel Sensor' and when the filter is sufficiently plugged up it will turn on an indicator warning light somewhere near the Wait to Start light inside the truck. I don't know if the wire is supposed to be connected to ground or a voltage source. Ford ground wires in these trucks (from the factory) are supposed to have solid black (with no stripes) wire insulation but sometimes after market parts don't follow that rule and sometimes people change wires without paying any attention to proper color codes.
I don't know where it goes since my 1987 6.9L has a different fuel filter housing than the 88-94 (and power Strokes up to about 1996) and doesn't have that 'restricted fuel' component. WHAT COLOR(s) is the insulation on the wire?
That wire being disconnected should not affect starting (unless the filter is plugging up and you wouldn't know that without the working sensor/sender) but I really do not know the internals of how it works so I don't know the correct answer.
I don't know where it goes since my 1987 6.9L has a different fuel filter housing than the 88-94 (and power Strokes up to about 1996) and doesn't have that 'restricted fuel' component. WHAT COLOR(s) is the insulation on the wire?
That wire being disconnected should not affect starting (unless the filter is plugging up and you wouldn't know that without the working sensor/sender) but I really do not know the internals of how it works so I don't know the correct answer.
I just replaced the alternator on my '89 F250 with 7.3L IDI. In the process I found a loose electrical wire that looks like it should be connected to something, but I don't know what.
This wire comes out of the sort of fabric sheathed bundle of wires that runs up to the fuel filter. The loose end of the wire appears to have a push-on connector that looks like it might be designed to push on to the small ground bolt on the alternator. It would reach that bolt quite conveniently. But I don't want to connect it there without knowing what I'm doing.
The loose end looks like about the same wire size as the wire that connects to the sensor or solenoid or whatever it is screwed into the right (as I'm facing it) side of the fuel filter housing. But when I disconnected that wire and checked for continuity between the fuel filter connector and the mystery wire, I got no reading. (What is that sensor or solenoid, anyway?)
The truck has been starting hard and running kinda rough; is this loose wire a possible culprit? Where should it be connected?
This wire comes out of the sort of fabric sheathed bundle of wires that runs up to the fuel filter. The loose end of the wire appears to have a push-on connector that looks like it might be designed to push on to the small ground bolt on the alternator. It would reach that bolt quite conveniently. But I don't want to connect it there without knowing what I'm doing.
The loose end looks like about the same wire size as the wire that connects to the sensor or solenoid or whatever it is screwed into the right (as I'm facing it) side of the fuel filter housing. But when I disconnected that wire and checked for continuity between the fuel filter connector and the mystery wire, I got no reading. (What is that sensor or solenoid, anyway?)
The truck has been starting hard and running kinda rough; is this loose wire a possible culprit? Where should it be connected?
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Outlaw56
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Mar 16, 2014 02:45 PM
