Solved Ford Explorer 5 speed conversion - Going Full Manual

[gmanpaint]

Iron Weasel,
The wires you have on your trans, do they all meet up into a harness, then up to the engine harness? If you followed your VSS from the T-case, where does it lead to? How about your O2 sensor wire connectors?

I really appreciate your crawling under the rig and taking those pics to help me out here. Very very nice of you. Thanks!

Edit: I see you said a couple posts ago your O2 connectors where at the back of the engine. I take it they are direct from sensor to the engine harness itself if they do not merge into a trans harness.

 

[Iron Weasel]

Alrighty...
The speed sensor runs over and joins into a loom that runs down the driver side frame rail, then up behind the plastic wheel liner and terminates on the wheel well just behind the ABS hydraulic control unit.

Front of vehicle to the left, other components labeled for reference.

The green loom for the transmission connectors is clamped to the body underneath the drivers seat and follow the body line up to the left side of the engine behind the valve cover. Then it is tied to (but not part of) another loom for about 5" before it branches off underneath the intake.

Arrow shows wiring loom, front of vehicle to the right.

Close up where you can see the same green loom.

I followed the green loom as far as I could, but it continued forward until it was well underneath the throttle body. I couldn't reach my hand in there to trace it, nor could I actually see it at that point.

 

[Iron Weasel]

Here's a picture of the rear of my engine and the top of the bellhousing.

The loom that those are plugged into runs between the ignition coil pack and the intake. If you look at the bottom left (next to the spark plug boot) of the middle picture one post up, you can see the CMP connector. It's the one with the red wire. In that picture you can see that the loom comes toward the ignition coil pack.

 

[gmanpaint]

Ok, the harness are completely diff on a 1st gen to a 2nd gen. The ECM is in a diff location, and it just makes sense they are different being OBDI & OBDII.

I was really looking for some similarity on the M5 harness. After seeing these pics and the excellent work Iron Weasel just did, I can say that a 1st gen harness set up is not going to help here with this particular set up. A 2nd gen set up is what I need to be looking at.

Thank you for everything you just did sir! Well done and cleared up a couple things.

 

[Iron Weasel]

Sure.

As I said in the PM I sent You.....it MIGHT be the same. As I figured though, once 95 rolled around and the "second generation" Explorer was launched, a bunch of stuff changed.

If you have the time and a junkyard that lets you wander around, go see if you can track down a 95 or 96 5-speed Explorer and see what the deal is with those plugs. I looked through each and every diagram and connector pinout I had, but couldn't find anything for those two plugs - so everything definitely changed in that production year.

One more thing (third edit ) - the M5OD-R1 was used all the way up until the 2000 model year Explorer, so any second gen up until then with a 5-speed should tell you what you want to know.

 

[Tbars4]

So your 5 speed has no harness on it? :scratch:

The 95 manual harness is off a Ranger. I wouldn't think they would be any different then an Explorer. But , maybe?

..A 95 Ranger is ODBII while a 95 X is ODB1, like an ODB 1.5 as it has a similar plug in test connector like the ODBII minus a few pins in it...honest

...When it comes to matching any ford Harness I always find the ones I need are always different from what I can get on one end or the other and usually wind up making a connector or 2 work as needed or have extra connectors left over...

 

[gmanpaint]

..A 95 Ranger is ODBII while a 95 X is ODB1, like an ODB 1.5 as it has a similar plug in test connector like the ODBII minus a few pins in it...honest

...When it comes to matching any ford Harness I always find the ones I need are always different from what I can get on one end or the other and usually wind up making a connector or 2 work as needed or have extra connectors left over...

True, but the 95 EX is OBDII as far as the trans goes. There is no kickdown cable.

 

[gmanpaint]

Sure.


If you have the time and a junkyard that lets you wander around, go see if you can track down a 95 or 96 5-speed Explorer and see what the deal is with those plugs. I looked through each and every diagram and connector pinout I had, but couldn't find anything for those two plugs - so everything definitely changed in that production year.

I have tried, nothing here locally

 

[Tbars4]

True, but the 95 EX is OBDII as far as the trans goes. There is no kickdown cable.

...Just my thinking but with that being the case I would imagine that the 95 X trans wiring would be seperate from the ODBI X wiring while the 95 Ranger wiring might incorporate some of the ODBII wiring.

...I'm not sure it would help but I'll keep an eye on this and will take pics of my Ranger harness on Saturday if needed...95 is also a transition year besides the ODBI, ODB 1.5, and ODBII, so it is to be expected that wiring connectors will be a pain to match up but I'm rooting for ya...:biggthump

...You might contact Rwenzing as he is a wiz at electrical on these things...

 

[gmanpaint]

Thanks Ted! I am stabbing this puppy in on Sat, so I might ask for some help come wiring time...lol

 

[90ranajo]

I will need a wiring diagram for that, if anyone has one for a 4r55e available.

Transmission Controls 4R44E/4R55E

Connector view 4R44E/4R55E

 

[gmanpaint]

Thanks for posting this Bob.

I can now see where the TR sensor is connected at on the PCM. Also, is the BOO is used for the clutch pedal swap? After looking at the clutch pedal assembly, I don't see where it is connected at. However, there is the same mount for the BOO on the brake pedal for it.

What I find enlightening is the 16 pin square connector for the auto functions. I can't wait to see a diagram for the same connector for the manual ECM and M5-R1 trans.

 

[90ranajo]

Also, is the BOO is used for the clutch pedal swap? After looking at the clutch pedal assembly, I don't see where it is connected at. However, there is the same mount for the BOO on the brake pedal for it.

The BOO is located on the brake pedal. As for the clutch pedal, the wiring harness should be tucked up in the dash just forward and above the parking brake foot pedal. It will have a plug/cap plugged into it. Your Chilton's/Hayne's manual will call it Clutch Pedal bypass plug, or something to that effect.

 

[gmanpaint]

Well thats good to know. I haven't stuck my head in the dash yet for the pedal swap. I was scratching my head on this one.

This is a one day, one thing at a time Mod for me. I am learning as I go. I sometimes ask before I look. I guess going at it one thing at a time is how I should be going about this but, I am afraid I will skip something important if I do.

Thanks for all the help with this guys, maybe it will help someone else down the road as well.

 

[gmanpaint]

Another rambling..LOL

After taking the 95 harness to the trans, it seems there is only one connector on the harness that actually goes to it, the 2 pin red connector on the drivers side. This is the back up lights switch.

The pass side 2 pin connector (thanks Iron weasel for making this clear) is the neutral switch. I need a jumper to the pedal switch for it. Positive & ground?

The O2 connectors and the VSS (on t-case) make up the other 3 on the harness.

I will unhook the pass side stock O2 connector (on engine harness) and use both O2 connectors supplied on the 95 trans harness, since the pin out is diff, and the manual ECM should read it.

So after all this, it seems the manual trans harness is good for the reverse light hook up, the VSS, and the drivers side O2 sensor, which was on the auto harness.

 

[90ranajo]

I don't remember seeing a Neutral Safety switch on my '95 M5OD. My trans harness had 3 HSO2 conections (white, green & purple), reverse switch and VSS.

The purple & green HSO2 plugs were left bank/right bank with the white one being the downstream HSO2.

 

[gmanpaint]

I have gray & green for O2 on the 95 harness. I have only two O2 sensors, 2 cats.

Another twist in the plot?

The other 2 pin connector on the pass side of the trans itself has about a 18" long set of wires on it with another 2 pin connector on it, it wont mate up with the one on the harness. The ECM wont let the engine turn over unless the brake is applied AND the trans is in Neutral correct? So this should be the set of wires for it.

Am I thinking wrong here? Does the wires go to something else other than the cpp?

AAAAARRRRRRGGGGHHHH!

The connector I am referring to for the reverse lights is the small 2 pin oval (blue center)in the pic below.

The connector on the trans I am believing to be the neutral sensor is this one in this pic below.

 

[90ranajo]

I have gray & green for O2 on the 95 harness. I have only two O2 sensors, 2 cats.

Another twist in the plot?

The other 2 pin connector on the pass side of the trans itself has about a 18" long set of wires on it with another 2 pin connector on it, it wont mate up with the one on the harness. The ECM wont let the engine turn over unless the brake is applied AND the trans is in Neutral correct? So this should be the set of wires for it.

Am I thinking wrong here? Does the wires go to something else other than the PPS?

AAAAARRRRRRGGGGHHHH!

The starter will engage in any gear with the clutch pedal pushed in. Gear selection does not matter, nor does brake position. On a manual truck the neutral safety is accomplished by the CPP.

At least that is how it worked on my factory manual '90 Ranger and my current factory manual '95 Ranger.

Yes, Gray and green are HSO2 plugs. The oval on the left is back-up light circuit. And the one on the right is the VSS.

My '95 Ranger had 3 O2 sensors and 2 cats, which may be due to '95 Rangers being full OBD-II compliant vice '95 Explorers being OBD-I/OBD-IIA (sometimes refered to OBD 1.5).

 

[gmanpaint]

Well I bet one of the rangers O2 sensors(most likely the pass side), connects directly to the engine harness and the other 2 are in the trans harness then. Since this harness is off a 95 ranger. Now I am going to have to try it both ways and see if any codes for the O2 come up, since I dont know which to use, the extra on the trans harness or the one going to the engine harness. Shouldn't be a big deal, just an elimination thing.

Thanks for confirming the oval connector is for the back up lights, one less thing for me to worry about. So the other connector on the pass side needs to wired to the CPP on the clutch cylinder pedal I take it.

 

[90ranajo]

Like I said, neutral safety/park safety is handled by the CPP for a manual. On a automatic, your park/neutral safety is ran up into your steering column and is tied into your range selector.

The CPP bypass plug on auto's closes the CPP neutral safety circuit. Both neutral circuits are wired in series. So both safety switches must be closed in order to start vehicle. On auto's, the CCP is closed with the bypass plug leaving the range selector active. On manuals, the range selector in the dash is bypassed leaving the CPP active.

The neutral safety circuit is entirely housed inside the dash.