Blackdog1986Stepside

Will be starting teardown in a few weeks, but I wanted to ask you fellas about the EFI as I have been unable to find much about it in my searches elsewhere. Would it suffice to replace all wiring and connectors associated with EFI or does the EFI unit itself need servicing? While engine is out, I will be replacing all wiring as the previous owner did a bunch of half arsed wacky stuff to wiring, e.g. bypassed horn and botched aftermarket radio and speaker wiring. I will probably buy a refurbished steering column if not run new wiring through it but the shifter lever is quite loose. Anyways, any input on EFI unit would be much appreciated.

Steve83

That would be a neat trick - many of those connectors are not available new anywhere. None of the wiring harness sections are, and the only guy who used to make "PnP" replacements got out of the business due to health issues about a decade ago. So you'd have to build the harness on your own.

But it's not necessary, or wise. The original wires are just as good as when they were new. If they're damaged, just repair those spots - the wire itself isn't hurt, so a butt-crimp or dab of solder is quicker, easier, & better than trying to rip the whole mess out & build a replacement.EFI is a system - not a unit. The system is made up of MANY components, and I assume the one you're referring to is the EEC (Electronic Engine Control). It is not generally serviceable, and generally doesn't require any maintenance or repair, unless it has been physically damaged (by fire, impact, submersion, etc.). Some later EECs exhibit "capacitor plague", but yours should be old enough to predate that problem.I don't recommend it. Have you found any supplier for those wiring harness sections or connectors?That all sounds like body wiring - not EFI wiring. I'd leave that alone until you get the engine working right. If you can't, there's no point wasting the time/money/effort to fix the radio wiring on a truck that will never run.The only wiring in the steering column is the turn/hazard switch, which is relatively easy to replace. Click this & read all the captions in the album:


(phone app link)Some of those parts are still available, but they're VERY difficult to install. Call around to your local used car lots for the contact info to any mobile repairmen who specialize in steering columns.


(phone app link)Buy a Haynes manual & read it cover-to-cover at least once:


(phone app link)

Blackdog1986Stepside

i have a haynes manual, have found a supplier of refurbished/rebuilt steering columns, want to rewire all body wiring in addition to engine compartment wiring. im not doing this as a business like you, so soldering the wiring to just get it out and functional may be quicker and easier, but not "better" for me because i cannot rest assured unless things are just so. that which you and i are in agreement is that those connectors arent available anywhere and an exact harness isnt available. ron francis wiring seems to get me close in some of his harnesses, but none are an exact match. `i am in no rush to complete this build, and would prefer to take my time. from my numerous posts (to which you have been the main replier, and i appreciate that more than i could tell you) you can tell that i am as green as they come. i do, however, complete my research thoroughly and perform my work prudently before acting on the advice of anyone in particular, even if that person is a guru the one harness i have found is the distributor harness. i ought to get my hands on one of the red cover haynes manual for the wiring diagrams, because my blue cover (as learned from you) had left me scratching my head and doubting myself. discovering that the blue cover wiring diagrams were incomplete/inaccurate helped me regain some sanity. i still have to clear out my dads garage, so i havent even taken a look at the inside of the engine yet. there is a 1986 150 "big six" manual for sale near me, which has the original seat and dash/trim all intact (outside is a little rusty), which is what im looking for inside my truck. mine has a dodge durango seat and the dash has holes, door panel missing, cracked trim. i really love this era of ford trucks: tail end of sealed beams and first with EFI, not to mention those sexy square bods. at this point, im just doing research and determining what exactly i want this truck to be. at first, i thought i wanted to make it as if it just came off the line, but through your insight plus my other findings, i feel as though i'm looking for something slightly different now. i'm not as hell-bent on making it entirely stock, although i am set on having the interior seem close to that. i think i would like the engine to pull a few extra ponies without going insane via a new cam and maybe exhaust (?)


anyways, supposing i built the harnesses on my own, could i reuse the old connectors?

as always, thank you for your time and input broncoguru!!

Steve83

Not this decade! I've never run any business, and I'm not even employed right now. Soldering isn't a "quick-fix" - it's among the best ways to connect, splice, & repair wires. But it's not significantly slower than any other decent method. When done properly, solder is stronger than the original wire, and will last longer than any other wire repair. But it's also easy to UNdo & REdo as many times as necessary.Then you should check out:
http://www.garysgaragemahal.com/There is no "extra" power to be had. If you try to get more than stock hp out of a 40-year-old engine, you're only going to shorten its life, increase your cost-per-mile & frustration, and decrease its reliability. If you need more power, toss that antique, and drop in a newer, more-powerful engine. EcoBoosts are becoming available in JYs, and Cummins offers a nice crate TD kit (maybe 3BT?). The options superior to an '86 5.0L are virtually endless...Depends what you mean...
1) Remove 100% of the '86 copper wire, and install the '86 terminals onto new wire? Only if you have about a million hours available to do that.
2) Remove the '86 plastic shells from the terminals, and install new terminals with new wire? Conceivable, but still ridiculously-expensive & -time-consuming.
3) Cut the '86 pigtails off & attach them to new wires, leaving you with old wire at each connector? Much-closer to practical, but absolutely pointless since the old wire by itself is more-reliable than when it's cut & spliced at least 2x per section onto new wire.
4) Something else?