Can a first gen ex's wiring harness for an auto work in a manual? | Ford Explorer Forums - Serious Explorations

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Can a first gen ex's wiring harness for an auto work in a manual?

Matthew Linsley

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Anza
Year, Model & Trim Level
1993 Explover XL 4x4
I have a short in my wiring harness and after taking my truck to 3 different shops I have decided to replace the whole harness. I can't seem to find a manual trans parts truck but I can find a dozen first gen's with good motors and blown up autos, so my question is can I use the harness from an auto to replace my manuals harness?
 



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The short answer is no. If you can't troubleshoot the existing problem you will not have the expertise to replace an entire wiring harness.

It would be better to rewire just the affected system.

I suspect it keeps blowing a fuse. Which fuse? Break it down to it's smallest part and don't try to see the "big" picture. Just troubleshoot the affected system not the vehicle as a whole.
 






While I appreciate your opinion in my level of expertise I fail to see how I couldn't plug in a bunch of sensors but I can rewire an affected system Thanks
The short answer is no. If you can't troubleshoot the existing problem you will not have the expertise to replace an entire wiring harness.

It would be better to rewire just the affected system.

I suspect it keeps blowing a fuse. Which fuse? Break it down to it's smallest part and don't try to see the "big" picture. Just troubleshoot the affected system not the vehicle as a whole.
 






The short answer is no. If you can't troubleshoot the existing problem you will not have the expertise to replace an entire wiring harness.
I resent this statement. I personally don't have any issues with wiring, but I know people who are on the other end of the spectrum. There are some AMAZING mechanics out there who are great at everything mechanical, with fantastic attention to detail, but don't fully understand electrical troubleshooting. As Matthew said, please don't assume you know someone's abilities. He wouldn't be asking about replacing a harness if he wasn't confident. Even if he was incapable, maybe he's having his mechanic do it. He asked a question that he wanted an answer to.

Sorry for the rant.



Back on topic: I can't say for sure, but I can't imagine why Ford would use different harnesses for the same model/year vehicle. I believe the differences that would have been created by different transmissions was overcome by the addition of the plug near the clutch pedals; the manual incorporated a clutch multifunction switch, and the auto used a plug to bypass that switch.

I am far from an expert. My knowledge comes from my recent 4.0 swap into a 1987 Bronco II. I had to get pretty intimate with the wiring diagrams in the Chilton manuals. If you don't have a Chilton, I would recommend picking one up so you can compare the harnesses among different years.

Good luck!
- Joe
 






Specifically which harness are you planning on replacing? There are several dozen on the vehicle and I can't imagine you would replace all of them to correct a short in one of them.

For example if you plan to replace the engine harness then we can look at the connector wiring views for that harness and see if there are any transmission specific wiring functions (I doubt there are) going through that harness, if there are no transmission specific wiring functions in that harness then you should be able to swap between vehicles with no issues.
 






Just from the standpoint of time and labor... I'd get the EVTM manual first, it shows every connector, every splice, routing, the works. Then, I would start disconnecting connectors until the fuse stopped blowing, and go down that branch, and so on. The book's about $20 on ebay, and it's by far the best investment I ever made for my Explorer.
 






I assumed that the automatic trans in a 1993 Ex would not be electronically controlled but I did not know. My truck has an undefined short somewhere causing no spark I was told it was the computer by the first shop, one of the new oem sensors by the next shop, and told that it is the harness by the next shop I can spin a wrench but I am no electrician
 






It looks like (from the book) the harnesses that you would be interested in are the same between auto and manuals, they just didn't use a few of the wires on the manual harness that were used on the auto for the shift solenoids.

When looking at donor vehicles you will want to make sure you're getting a harness from a vehicle with the same emissions spec as yours (Federal vs California) there might be a sticker somewhere in the engine compartment that will state if the vehicle is one or the other - simply not being in CA doesn't mean the vehicle isn't a CA emissions vehicle and vice versa.

93 was an oddball year for configurations with the various emissions changes and variations between which vehicles got what components so do try to stay with a 93 or maybe 94 if you decide to try the harness swap.
 






I know the 94 has the sequential fuel injection, it probably will make a difference if the ECU harness is part of what you change, best to stay with your year/emissions as close as possible.
 






I get the same problem with my 94 ex. And it is loose connections in the fuse box under the hood. The relay contacts expand over time from heat exposure. What I used to do before I took it apart and squeezed them all back together was turn key on lift hood wiggle relays till I could hear them engage then be able to start my truck. Sometimes it's that simple.
 






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