If you go to my gallery and look in the album titled pictures of question, maybe someone can tell me what it is. I replaced the speedo cable. The one previously on there went to this part and had another cable going from it to the instrument cluster. It has a part nunmber on it: DOAF-9D842: it is a Ford part. Anyone have any ideas? Some of the pictures are a little blurry, I was in a hurry, but, you should be able to see them ok.

 

I think that is part of an early emmissions package - turned something on above a certain speed. I am not 100% sure, it does not show in my 72 shop manual. If I am correct your truck would be a F100 with the California Emissions package.

 

That's a Cruise Control Speedometer Cable Speed Sensor

That's what sends the signal to the brain box to increase the accelerator pedal when the cruise in engaged.

Is there a prize ?

 

Looks like one, doesn't it? However I don't think that was an option in 1970. Cruise Controls are not listed in my 72 manual, and weren't the first ones built with the speed sensor in the same housing that held the vacuum servo?

 

The part shown with that number was originally designed (The A signifies it) for a Large Ford Car.

It doesn't have to be original to the truck.They might have thought they could have cruise since they swapped in a different column /steering wheel.

 

OK, you get the prize!

 

Thanks for your replies WillyB. and Mil1on. I had no clue of it's purpose. Now I do know that the wires enter the firewall but there are no buttons or switches inside the truck except for a pull type switch and a red light above it at the left corner of the dash. Also, there isn't any type of control attached to the carb either. Makes me wonder why it was there at all. Thanks again.

 

Do you have overdrive? There used to be a speed control that would not allow you to engage it below about 30 MPH.

The older Fords had a cable to engage OD, but some of the other companies used an electric switch.

 

Nope! No overdrive. Just your plain old C4. I've been thinking about getting a build sheet for this truck. This may be a good excuse to do it.

 

Maybe he (The PO) just needed a replacement speedometer cable and that's all there was at the wrecker ?

2 piece is better than No piece.

Again.....
That is """""without a doubt""""" a cruise control Speedometer Cable Speed Sensor .

and he took it off a Large Ford Car.

 

Dennis, you are likely right, but what bothers me is that it is wired into the factory wire loom, and the dash has a switch and a light I do not reconize.

It is a speed controller of some sort - but what does it control?

just reread what Van posted, is it wired to the factory loom, or been added by someone? Same with the switch and light - factory or add-on?

 

I found an item just like this on an E-300 1970 long wheelbase van. We decided that it was part of a speed govenor similar to what you might find on an old U-Haul, used to keep heavy feet from blowing motors. Just a guess.

 

Oh gawd....here we go again! Maybe it's time the moderators on this forum take the time to actually familiarize themselves with the subject matter so that they're giving out factual information, instead of just guessing and stating it as fact.

Why would the factory install AND hook up a cruise control component to a truck that not only never had cruise control, but a truck that Ford never intended to put cruise control on?

I see you posted a graphic above. Did you scan that from a factory manual? If so, did you actually take the time to read the information accompanying it on that page? Apparently not, since it would have explained in detail what it was and what it was for. Hmmm....OK, did you look up the part number in a Master Parts Catalog? Again, apparently not.

OK, let's take this from a different angle. That sensor has two wires coming out of it and going into the factory wiring harness, it's not something that was added on by a previous owner. Did you...um...maybe find a factory wiring diagram and follow those two wires to see where they went? Again, obviously not, or you'd have seen this is
...NOT a cruise control sensor. ***** tried to let you know what it really is, but you shut him down pretty fast.

This is NOT, or has it ever been, anything to do with cruise control. It's, as ***** suggested, an EMISSION CONTROL component, part of a setup called the TRS (Transmission Regulated Spark).

I'm sorry if this sounds harsh or if I offend anyone, but this isn't an isolated incident. I don't come here often because of the staggering amount of incorrect and/or incomplete information being presented on a daily basis....which wouldn't be so bad if it weren't the moderators themselves giving it out! If you don't know, just say so....or keep quiet altogether.

Please feel free to edit/delete this post, since I'm sure it'll happen anyway. If you delete it, at least offer the info above to the original poster, so he has a correct answer to his question.

I'm done here....this was the final straw. After posting this I'm out of this wind tunnel altogether.

 

BadCo, back off. Milt1on is right more often then he is wrong - I wonder how many of us can say the same?

First off, he did not post it as a representative of FTE or as a moderator - but a person who has an opinion.. He stated it strongly, but that is his style. If we start jumping on people who provide information (even when they are wrong) on these threads we will lose that source of information.

Yes, you can get bad information off these threads, but if you bother to follow the entire discussion you will find that almost always it is politely corrected by someone else - in the end the correct answer is found, and we all learn a bit more about our trucks.

That is, if someone has not made it unpleasant to read and post ideas. Most of us are not interested in flame wars or arguments on these threads.

And there is no requirement to be right all the time - people are allowed to make mistakes and give wrong answers - no one is perfect all the time.

 

Guys, I am gonna slip a lock on the gate and we'll let this one cool off, without more feathers getting plucked and start raising a stink.

Moderator