Electrical job - chasing wires and figuring out

[DC_Gearhead]

Just to set the stage...I’ve never seen all of my bronco electrical items work. It was connected well enough to get it started recently, but it sat for over 20 years at a farm. I’m just getting to the electrical now and it appears to be a little jacked up. I am working on it all weekend and I’m hoping to ask some questions along the way. I have the attached docs but some items are not too clear and I’m hoping to get some help along the way. Feel free to jump in and give tips if you have advice or answers.

And this from Viper

'66-'71 Column Connections
Light Blue=12v from turn flasher to turn switch, circuit #44
white-blue=right front turn and indicator lamp, circuit #2
orange-blue=right rear brake and turn lamp, circuit #5
green-white=left front turn and indicator lamp, circuit #3
green-orange=left rear brake and turn lamp, circuit #9
green or red-black=12v brake switch to turn signal switch, circuit #810
yellow=12v headlight switch to horn switch, circuit #460
blue-yellow=horn switch to horn, circuit #482

If the colors don't match you can always trace the wires to the terminal locations on the switch itself using the pics below.

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[DC_Gearhead]

Does anyone know what this should go to?

Black/red wires at driver side fender

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[DC_Gearhead]

And then....just to confirm. These should be wired together and go to the proportioning valve, correct?

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[DC_Gearhead]

Also I have 2 extra wires at the driver side headlight. A green/black and a blue/yellow. No power to them with headlight switch on. The “other” green/black goes to the headlight. All wires were clipped when I got it. I’ve put in new headlight and turn signal harnesses and they work.

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[chuckji]

JBG has a bunch of technical diagrams and schematics that might be helpful.
https://broncograveyard.com/rt-1273-technical-diagrams-archives.html

 

[DirtDonk]

Does anyone know what this should go to?
Black/red wires at driver side fender

Original manual transmission backup lamp switch clamped to the base of the steering column.

Paul

 

[DirtDonk]

Also I have 2 extra wires at the driver side headlight. A green/black and a blue/yellow.

Green w/black is the washer pump.
Blue w/yellow is the original horn wire on '66 to very early '74.

What year is this Bronco again?

Paul

 

[DirtDonk]

And then....just to confirm. These should be wired together and go to the proportioning valve, correct?

Since we can see a new style prop valve and switch there in the background, you are correct. Cut, twist together and connect to the switch.
Do you have the rubber boot and wire pigtail that would have come with the new valve and switch?

Paul

 

[DC_Gearhead]

Green w/black is the washer pump.
Blue w/yellow is the original horn wire on '66 to very early '74.

What year is this Bronco again?

Paul

It’s a 68. I think the wires were harvested from a donor. It had a harness for the side lights.

I don’t have any kind of backup light sensor. It came with the Duff floor shifter kit. How do people modify to add the backup light? Or do they just leave it off?


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[DirtDonk]

It’s a 68. I think the wires were harvested from a donor. It had a harness for the side lights.

It's possible. But it's also possible that Ford was just gearing up for the next year when side-markers were introduced. I believe we've discussed here that most '69's got reflectors and the larger front turn signals, but I've seen enough '69's with side-marker lights to "assume" that at least some got them from the factory.

I don’t have any kind of backup light sensor. It came with the Duff floor shifter kit. How do people modify to add the backup light? Or do they just leave it off?

Some do still leave it off. But that's really not the right way to do it, as you can imagine.
I simply re-used the factory switch by taking if off of the column and making my own bracket to line it up with the proper lever arm on the shifter. Made my own jumper wires utilizing the same style of flat-blade style connector. Basically extending the factory plugs that are in your picture, through the body tunnel and to the shifter. Just a few feet of additional wire and it worked like a treat for twenty five years.

If you don't have any switch on the column at all anymore, and it's not found in a pile-o-parts that came with the Bronco, you can probably find any simple push-on switch and make it work.
Or maybe the Hurst, or Mr Gasket companies still sell switches and brackets pre-made for that setup. It's a Duff shift kit, but the core shift mechanism was from Hurst. Might be worth checking into.

Paul
Paul

 

[DC_Gearhead]

Thanks Paul. Good info as always.

Despite the mess of wires, it looks like all wires going to/from the gauges and column are correctly run. It’s intimidating opening up that spaghetti and seeing crimp connectors all over. Looks like they didn’t have one of those arc style harnesses for the steering wheel wires so they just crimped all of them...but all was right.

I have a couple more questions.

Does anyone sell replacement instrument light “cups”? Mine are in bad shape. See pic

Also do you happen to know what side of the windshield squirter is positive? It could be useful sucking water off the windshield but doubt it. Haha.

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[DC_Gearhead]

Found a loose wire behind the hazard switch and I don’t see a home for it. Any ideas?

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[DirtDonk]

Does anyone sell replacement instrument light “cups”? Mine are in bad shape.

I believe you can get them from a local parts supply. Certainly online if they're still available.
There are different designs though, and ours are likely not the most common by a long shot. Having not been in regular use for almost 40 years now.
But they are probably still available, at least as a special order I would think.
Online even more likely too possibly.

Also do you happen to know what side of the windshield squirter is positive?

The Green w/black one?;D
I do not unfortunately. Your old one is already cut off?
Maybe someone with a working one can check it out and let you know. The diagrams don't show the orientation.

Hmm, sounds like something for Steve83 to add to his updated wiring diagrams.
Maybe he already did though, so I'm going to go check them out.

Paul

 

[Blue Bastard]

Not to sure, but I thought that yellow one was a AUX side tank sender wire.


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[DirtDonk]

Found a loose wire behind the hazard switch and I don’t see a home for it. Any ideas?

Good question. No such wire is shown on the older diagrams, but in '73 there is a Yellow w/black wire for the Left Rear Brake and Turn Signal Lamp.
But it would be part of the turn signal/steering column harness, not a stand-alone with connector.
This relationship could mean that it's supposed to be on the hazard switch, but still unlikely. You don't see an empty pin on either of those do you? Back of the dash-mounted hazard switch, or part of the steering column wiring?

There is a Yellow only wire as part of the smaller of the two steering column connectors, but any of those would have a different end termination.

Looks purposeful!
Also does not look faded or discolored, making it easy to mistake for the wrong color. Like so many are when not under harness tape on these old trucks.

Could it be coming out of the radio? Do you have an aftermarket radio installed? Electric antenna wire perhaps?
Granted, usually those are solid color wires, with no stripes. But I'm grasping at straws here.

Paul

 

[DC_Gearhead]

Not to sure, but I thought that yellow one was a AUX side tank sender wire.


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That would make sense actually. The inside looked corroded, like it hadn't been used in 50 years.

 

[DirtDonk]

You could be on to something Blue Bastard, but I'm pretty sure that at least under the dash, the aux tank wire is orange as well. And would be on the left side of the column.

Oh wait! DC, being a '68, is your hazard switch on the left, or right side of the column in the dash? I wasn't thinking of the different layout of the '68 and the fact that '68 may have been the first year for that feature.

Fun stuff, this puzzle solving!

Paul

 

[DC_Gearhead]

You could be on to something Blue Bastard, but I'm pretty sure that at least under the dash, the aux tank wire is orange as well. And would be on the left side of the column.

Oh wait! DC, being a '68, is your hazard switch on the left, or right side of the column in the dash? I wasn't thinking of the different layout of the '68 and the fact that '68 may have been the first year for that feature.

Fun stuff, this puzzle solving!

Paul

On the right side. Just put in a new switch actually.




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[DC_Gearhead]

Good question. No such wire is shown on the older diagrams, but in '73 there is a Yellow w/black wire for the Left Rear Brake and Turn Signal Lamp.
But it would be part of the turn signal/steering column harness, not a stand-alone with connector.
This relationship could mean that it's supposed to be on the hazard switch, but still unlikely. You don't see an empty pin on either of those do you? Back of the dash-mounted hazard switch, or part of the steering column wiring?

There is a Yellow only wire as part of the smaller of the two steering column connectors, but any of those would have a different end termination.

Looks purposeful!
Also does not look faded or discolored, making it easy to mistake for the wrong color. Like so many are when not under harness tape on these old trucks.

Could it be coming out of the radio? Do you have an aftermarket radio installed? Electric antenna wire perhaps?
Granted, usually those are solid color wires, with no stripes. But I'm grasping at straws here.

Paul

So I checked a couple of things under there. No loose connections at the hazards, plus they work fine. No radio or wiring in there. The yellow/black goes directly into the harness. Looking in the end, there it looks corroded as heck and doesn't look used ever. Maybe it was for the radio originally?

I spent the day going through the entire electrical system and everything is now working. I replaced most switches, bulbs, and lots of connectors (i.e. headlights and front turn signals. I verified almost every wire on the diagrams. Everything I checked works perfectly and is wired correctly. I just need to figure out a few things like backup lights, brake warning light, and windshield washer pump. I did verify they are wired correctly and sending power when they are supposed to.

All that being said, I'm not too worried about that "extra wire" if everything works. I'd be a lot more concerned if i had issues. Hahaha.

 

[DirtDonk]

Definitely. Put it on the "ignore for now" list of priorities!
One thing you could do however, would be to verify power is getting to it, and when.
Key on only, or powered all the time? Or with some other accessory turned on. That kind of thing.
But only when you have time and feel like it. Not a priority, just a curiosity.

Paul