Mystery wire white with pink stripe behind engine

[94sportsedan]

Today I was changing my VSS on a 1993 taurus wagon 3.0, and noticed on the main harness behind the engine there is a seperate wire sprout. It is covered with it's own plastic loom and is about 12-14" long. It has single round circle push on type connector. The wiring code is white with a pink stripe. Does anyone know where this goes or can they look up the wiring harness and point me in to the right direction of where it plugs into? If you can look at your car, it sprouts off the main harness behind the engine about mid exhaust manifold, seems to snake downward.

Thank You

[inafogg]

are you sure it is supposed to get connected?? some cars have a lead like ur talking about for when ur checking timing

[shorod]

When you say a "single round circle push on type connector" are you referring to the type that would connect to an oil pressure switch or the older style Ford starter solenoids?

Any chance you could post a picture?

-Rod

[94sportsedan]

[IMG]c:\wire.jpg[/IMG] cant get image to upload

[mwt47]

Originally Posted by 94sportsedan

[IMG]c:\wire.jpg[/IMG] cant get image to upload

You need to host it somewhere like www.photobucket.com then link it

[94sportsedan]

lets give that a try. It does look like an oil pressure send unit type connector.


http://s230.photobucket.com/albums/e...rrent=wire.jpg

[shorod]

Can you tell if the connector has ever been plugged in? For example, are there score marks on the conductor that are clean, or is it dusty and dirty?

I looked through the Connector Faces section of the Factory service manual and there is nothing that looks like what you show.

Are you sure this is actually a connector? The image is a bit out of focus, so I can't tell if there are any tabs on it, but it almost appears like it might be some sort of sensor that uses ambient air as a reference (the slots around the center area). However, I still don't have an idea what it would be then.

Maybe someone with a similar car will be able to see if theirs has a similar "thing."

-Rod

[94sportsedan]

The connector is quite greasy. It has no hold on clip just a round body. I was reading that the knock sensor is center of the rear of the engine, could that wire be for that? White with pink trace?It's kinda of hard to see back there.

[TaurusKing]

Is the knock sensor still used?? I had one on my 87 3.0 LX, didn't think they still used it..my 94 3.0 doesn't have one.. I remember when running pcm code scan on the 87, had to smack the engine block with a wrench to simulate a knock, to test the operation of the knock sensor.. I looked at the wiring diagram for 93 3.0.. what I'm seeing first off in the wiring section
section 25-1; w\pk from pcm pin 4 to ignition control module
section 21-1: w\pk from pcm pin 4 to ignition control module labeled "idm"
numbers 646 and 395 associated with this.. I'm no circuit pro, others on here can take it further.. this info is on my cd, if anyone else can check these sections.

[shorod]

The white/pink wire (Ignition Diagnostic Monitor) for the ignition control module is part of another multi-pin connector on both ends, so I don't think that would be it.

I am surprised to see that the non-SHO engines don't have knock sensors. Looks like it would be terminal 23 of the PCM, but that's a yellow/red wire....

-Rod

[TaurusKing]

In my 94 book, the knock sensor is listed only for 3.0\3.2 sho engines, some truck engines, and Lincolns w\ 4.6 and 3.9 s\c engines

[TaurusKing]

Before I posted, I hadn't looked at the image of this connector. When I checked it out, I remember seeing that same piece hanging in the back of the engine, I taped it to the harness.. I just went out and checked, same piece.. it has always been there by itself.. I'm wondering if possibly it's a test connector used when hooking up a diagnostic harness used for testing the ignition system..it runs in a single loom into a bigger loom, there is the w\pk wire running into the dist connector

[shorod]

I guess you could disconnect the connector from the ignition control module (ICM) and test for continuity to the w/pk wire at the distributor. If you get continuity, your thought of test connector is probably correct. I suppose that would make sense since the wire in the service manual is labeled as the Ignition Diagnostic Monitor. Strange though that the service manual wiring diagrams would not show the splice and test connector. The diagrams imply that is a single wire that runs between the PCM and the ICM.

[TaurusKing]

Exactly what I saw in the pics of the wiring, one run, no splice, connector, nothing.. looking again some of the push-start systems seems to be wired differently in regards to the idm, pin 4 out of pcm looks to splice into the coil- line out of the icm, I'm rather weak in the electrics department aside from keeping + and - seperate.. I did some more searching, found some mention of this w/pk in section 149-06 ignition switch testing,refering to the starter relay circuit..also I found a cicuit 33, in the autolamp section, which is a bulb prove-out input.. the same color combos are not used for different circuits within the same vehicle, are they??? Section 20-2 shows it running thru the mlps also, w/pk, and section 149-10 starter relay circuit testing. Now I'm really wacked..

[shorod]

The same color combination wires can be used in multiple circuits, they don't have a rule of thumb to use each color only once. They do try to follow a convention on which colors tend to designate ground and power, as well as power and return for one circuit, but even then they can't do it 100% of the time.

-Rod