Overhead Console Install...BIG COUNTRY!!!

[Hoppy]

Big Country,,,

Can you or anyone else help me out?

I just picked up an overhead console, and the lighted sun visors for my 97 explorer. I got the visors and console from another 97 explorer at the local wrecking yard and also got the wiring harness as well (I cannot beleive that I got all of this untouched by the way! usually guys go into the trucks and just start raping it from ceiling to floor!!!). As you may remember, I had put in the autolamp system in and had to wire in relays to get the lights to work properly. I removed my harness that I fabricated for the original install and hooked everything up that I put in into the new harness. The autolamps still work excellent, as well as the dim function. The overhead console works well too, and unfortunately I ran into the same problem I did with the autolamps where the w/p wire that was already in the truck did absolutely nothing. But this time it is with the blue and yellow, and the blue and white wires going to the sensor. I tried the sensor out before hooking it up and it worked great. The temperature showed around 29 degrees and every couple of seconds changed from ice to the temperature. So, that is ruled out that I have no bad parts. I hooked these wires from the overhead console into the existing wires right at the bulkhead connector on the firewall by the parking brake, installed the sensor down in front of the rad and tried her out. Nothing happened with the temperature. It read 0 degrees C. So, my question is, since my truck is an XL and had a similar problem with my autolamp w/p wire, do I have to run a couple wires up to the sensor, or is there some kind of wiring coupling in the engine bay that may be not hooked up because of not having it installed originally? I did find two wires down just in front of the rad on the drivers side that were b/y and b/w. These are the wires that I used for the sensor.

Then on top of that, I haven't troubleshooted it yet, but the dome light and map lights in the overhead console don't work. I have to check the bulbs and see if I have power there, but that is an easy fix. I will check that in the morning. But any clues here may help me as well...

Thanks kindly guys and I'll be sure to post what I find...

Hoppy

 

[Bottomlesspit]

Hoppy,
I can't help you out a lot, but thought I would chime in. When I installed my overhead console SOME of the wires were installed on the truck already...but did not do anything. I had a factory stock temp sensor plug attached to the radiator support and its wires went up into the firewall in a harness. I could never find where they went beyond the firewall, and they never appeared at the overhead console area. After trying for a couple of days I finally just ran my own wires and it all works great. I just cut off the factory temp plug and soldered in my own wires and ran them to the overhead console. It seems Ford used similar harnesses in different trucks, but left some of the plugs out.
Don't know much more, but hope you have better luck finding a connection. Running the new wires was painless, and at least I knew they were done right. Also, a lot of guys on here said they did not hook up the VSS connection. I tried that too and found my temp would stick on a certain temp for the whole day. After a month of that I spliced in a hookup to a VSS wire near the drivers kickpanel and it has worked great for a year now. I believe the VSS hookup was up above the kickpanel in a large bundle of wires...a thin white with black stripe wire.
Let us know what you find.
Ken

 

[Hoppy]

Is the VSS Wire not Grey and Black? It is on the harness for the overhead stuff.

 

[Hoppy]

UPDATE:

Well, I got it all working. I hooked up the temp gauge in the front and wired it into the wires on the drivers side of the truck. It didn't work, but only had continuity on the blue and yellow wire, Not the blue and white wire for some reason, so I ran one wire to the front and used the b/y wire. Now works excellent.

As for the lighting not working, one of the bulbs had a bad connection and the other was burnt out. So, that was an easy fix.

Hoppy