In my harness that goes to the TAD solenoids behind the upper intake, at the "Y" of the harness, there's an orange wire there. It looks like it was either cut, or just never was used. What is it for?
year and trim then ill check on shopkey
1988 Thunderbird Sport. 5.0.
Oh, and I appreciate the help.
Looks to me like its a ground coming the ecu on pin #49 same with a gray and red stripe on pin #44
*ground to ecu
It's been like that since I've had it..I can add a wire to it and a ring on the end to ground it. I do wonder why I haven't noticed any bad stuff happening without the ground wire hooked up.
Yeah that is really weird lol might not control anything really important
I've seen that too, but from what I can tell it's left over from 87 when it was used as a HEGO ground. 88 doesn't use it.
That may explain it then.
yeah that might be it haha gotta love 87//88 parts interchange
I was thinking that bolted on the back of the head and was a ground for the HEGO.
Pin 49 is the isolated ground or better known as a CLEAN GROUND for the Oxygen Sensors. It belongs near the DIZZY so the O2 sensors have the same ground potential. I find it hard to believe your car runs correctly with this disconnected. Reason being if not connected it upsets the entire mixture the ECM sees. On the TC that wire goes to the TURBO BELL. If you want to do it correctly install 4 wire O2 sensors and run that wire to each of them. Other wise it belongs near the DIZZY. Just saying!!! Hope this helps!!
Or just ground it to the block somewhere. But the correct location is near the DIZZY.
Tom, every '88 Tbird and COugar I've seen has had this orange wire unfastened. There was a thread about it a year or so ago. People hook 'em up, there's no difference. Non issue, IMO.
OK i wont argue with you it is to early in the morning!! Every TC i have ever worked on has this wire connected to the TURBO BELL. What can i say??
Here is what FORD SAYS~~~ PIN 49 (HEGO GND) HEGO GROUND NEAR DISTRIBUTOR OR TURBO BELL.
Ford hooked it there not me. Every one i have worked on has it hooked UP. Take a look at ALL DATA what can i say!!!
That is probably true of TC's, but that's not what we're talking about. We're talking about how it's abandoned in the harness on our 88 5.0s.
Correct...I seem to recall it IS connected on '87 5.0 cars, but not the '88. This applies only to the V8 cars....3.8 and 2.3 are separate from this ;)
OK WHY!!!!!!! Is it not needed in those cars???? Ford shows it.
All data shows it in several V8 cars including Crowns. Now i grant you it makes no sense to me other than it is a clean ground through the ECM. But i have ran across many that were disconnected on the 2.3 ENGINES and it matters take my word for it. I just jumped mine at the ECM on my 87 TC BRUISER. Just because i hate ugly wiring. But it is needed why i cant figure that out. It is like the fire truck we service. Why does it have a COMPLETELY separate battery for the electronic allison tranny!!!. A Gel Cell battery batterys. But it is charged by the same alternator. Figure that one OUT!!!
Beats me. It's even there and unhooked on my '89 Stang vert parts car...odd, yes.
I found a picture of this on my last '88 Tbird. Same orange wire cut short at the same place. Crazy stuff.
i agree, i think V8Demon started the thread ,, got us all wondering and even back then i think it was solved as a useless dead end wire,, however, iirc, i think it was thunderchicken who expanded the info to point to a series of options that never came to pass on our wire harness(s),, but yes i remember the same thread...not sure its worth digging up or not but it is in here somewhere.
i think for some reason it had to do with a V8Demon thread about the salt and pepper connectors.
It did, he noticed the wire, and wondered where it went.
Basically it comes down to this: on the '88 5.o cars ONLY, that wire is not connected to anything, and it was factory. Connecting it to a ground will not harm anything, either. Do as you wish :)
I was involved in that post also, I couldn't find the post either. But pretty much its not used, It actually just loops around in the salt and pepper shaker to nowhere.
maybe it was some sort of placebo effect, but when I had my 88 Sport, i found this wire unhooked and grounded it and it seemed as though it ran better...