What is this thing?

[KlimFord]

1991 stock Eddie Bauer. Above the starter there is an item that looks like a sensor that is screwed into the trans (?). There is a swivel on the end of it where a wire sheathed in a flex cable has pulled out and is hanging loose. When the item is unscrewed from the case transmission fluid comes out of the hole. What is this item?

 

[410Fortune]

5 speed or automatic?

The only thing above the starter in a Gen I truck would be the hydraulic line for the clutch? When you say trans fluid I think RED but the clutch would bleed brake fluid which is CLEAR

Are you sure its above the starter?
sounds like you are describing the kick down cable for an automatic, but nothing leaks when you pull that

it really sounds like the speedometer cable which attaches to the speed sensor, but that is at the back of the transmission, not at the starter.

Im confused!
Can you get a pic?

 

[KlimFord]

http://www.horsekeeping.com/misc/explorer-part.htm

Thanks for your quick reply,

Actually, I should have said behind the starter, not above it.

The back side of the mystery item, the part that goes inside, which I didn't get a pic of when I had it out (of course), is cyclindrical, about 1 1/2" long and has a kind of metal shroud over it.

 

[410Fortune]

LET ME GUESS RIGHT NOW YOUR TRUCK DOESNT START?
thats the signal wire to tell the starter mounted solenoid to "GO" or spin the starter

starter gets 3 wires
1. big red wire = 12V+ frm battery all times
2. Big black wire = ground
3. little red/blue wire = signal to starter from solenoid on fender

if you dont have a black wire its because your starter gets it ground from the transmission

 

[KlimFord]

The truck starts fine.

The loose wire does not go to the starter, it goes to the mystery item in the side of the tranny or whatever that it next to the starter.

 

[Maniak]

That looks like the oil level sending unit.. It on the side of the oil pan, not the transmission..

You can see it here on the side of the pan (lower big yellow thing )

~Mark

 

[fixxxer]

Do you have an automatic transmission or a manual?

 

[Andy96XLT]

Maniak, shes' beautiful lol

 

[KlimFord]

Maniak, yeah, it looks like the oil level sending unit. The pan, duh. Just needed to know which part to buy. Thanks.

Fixxxer, its and automatic.

 

[410Fortune]

ooops I was turned around! its behind the starter in the side of the engine not the transmission, your pictures appear to be mirrored?

Looks like the oil level sender in your engines oil pan, its not in the transmission????


Your truck needs a undercarriage wash!

 

[Maniak]

Maniak, yeah, it looks like the oil level sending unit. The pan, duh. Just needed to know which part to buy. Thanks.

Fixxxer, its and automatic.

We didn't hook that up when we put in the rebuilt motor (the colorful one ).. It turns on the check oil level light when your 2+ quarts low..

But.. looking at your pics, you have an oil leak and may need that sending unit to work..

Something tells me that its not a normal sending unit that you can easily pull from the outside.. I just can't remember, but I remember thinking "thats odd" when we were putting the pan on the block.. Just look into it before you buy the part.. (its NOT the oil PRESSURE sending unit.. which is what most places will try to sell you)

~Mark

 

[410Fortune]

there is a metal wire clip that holds the wire in place to this sending unit

is the oil light on?

 

[fixxxer]

Ford calls it the low-oil level relay and it does just what Maniak said, it turns on the check oil light when you are 2+ quarts low

 

[fixxxer]

Autozone has it listed as the "Low Oil Level Sensor"
http://www.autozone.com/az/cds/en_us/0900823d/80/0d/46/a2/0900823d800d46a2/repairInfoPages.htm

 

[KlimFord]

I'm thinking the caked on gook will help slow the oil leaks. Our 10 miles of washboard road here is at is annual worst and is beating my truck to death. My starter nearly fell off yesterday (it was so loose the Bendix wouldn't engage), which is when I discovered the loose oil level sensor wire. 170k and hoping for another 30k.

I don't know exactly how the wire connects to the sensor but it pulled right out of the swivel connector. Maybe I can clean up the connector and reattach the wire. Anybody done this or know if it's doable?

 

[Robrt32]

red fluid in the oil pan confuses me

 

[KlimFord]

Robrt32 - Maybe it wasn't red (I'd make a great eye witness, huh?) I was laying in the dirt, snow blowing sideways past my ears, globs of oily dirt falling in my eyes - it looked red but could have been clean motor oil.

Fixxer, thanks for the url.

Maniak, thanks for the answer, and for the pic of your colorful engine.

 

[mikeinri]

Where is the oil pressure sending unit (for the needle gauge) in that colorful pic? Mine's fried...

Mike

 

[Maniak]

The oil pressure sending unit is screwed into a fitting that is screwed into the block.. I don't have the fitting installed in the pic above

I put an arrow on the pic pointing to where it would go..

 

[fixxxer]

Left side front of the engine, below the cylinder head in the engine block