The engine swap I'm doing (Ford 4.0L) calls for a wire that is hot in start and run. I don't see one in the Toyota wiring diagrams for my 88. I don't have a factory book for it though, so I thought I might be missing it. I was wondering if anyone knew where to find such a wire. This wire is for the computer and fuel pump relay, so it does need to be hot on both. It can be low amperage, I'm just using it to trigger a relay.

I am "electrically challenged," but it seems to me Toyota's wiring system for the pump relay and computer couldn't be that much different from Ford's. Maybe it's time to bust out the continuity tester and find your needed wire through the process of elimination. Another idea...Painless Wiring has a four circuit and a seven circuit relay-driven fuse block that you could use one circuit of to simplify your wiring snafu.

What tranny and adapter are you using? Are you staying with the Toy 'case, or putting something else back there?

Thanks for the reply. It turns out that the wiring isn't that much different, but Toyota uses the AFM to tell if the engine is running as well as the ignition switch. So there's a kind of safety system in there I guess. So for those that may come later looking for info, the wire is found on the circuit opening relay. The diagnostic info in the Haynes manual will show you which one. However, you must short the wires on the AFM connector for it to work right. The ones you want are white/black stripe and green. This will do what some people do by sticking something in the AFM. I'm just going to cut that connector off and solder those wires together.

For the trans and transfer case, I'm keeping the stuff from the Explorer I got the motor from. I did use an earlier case though, I didn't like the on demand case the 95 and up uses. No adapters, but no help for anything either. Nobody makes any wiring stuff or adapters for this setup. Not a swap for the "electricly challenged". I know electronics better than I know motors, so it doesn't bother me. I asked on here to avoid probing everything with my testers, lazyness basicly. ;) I happened to find what I needed by accident in the book. Go figgure.

So why would I do this?

1) I'm insane. :flipoff2:

2) Wrecked Explorers apparently grow on trees here. There is a TON of stuff for them and everyone is snapping up the Chev 4.3's and Ford 5.0s. That makes them hard to find and $$$.

3) I didn't want a V8 :nuke: and couldn't find a decent deal on Chev 4.3L stuff.

4) The motor fits in the Toy bay nearly as well as the 22RE does. No need to bash in the firewall or do anything odd with the radiator or exhaust. Clearance is close on the left side where the steering box is if you have the later model motor with the PS pump on that side. A body+drivetrain lift fixes that though. You could also get creative and move one or the other. I didn't want to mess with it. That lazy streak again.

5) The wiring isn't THAT hard, 90% of it is allready on the engine itself, so you just need to deal with the power wires and the sensor outputs so you can connect them to your guages. 95 and down also have a seperate ignition module, easy to deal with though. I just kept the fuse box from the Explorer and cut all the other crap off the harness. I just need to install it now.

6) I like a challenge and to be different. I haven't seen anyone else use this setup in a Toy. I doubt I'm the first, but it's not common. It has the stuff I was looking for, a V6 with decent power, auto trans, and is reasonably tough and easy to get parts for. It also saved me the cost of adapters. Of course, I lose the relatively cheap dual case option. Nothing's perfect. :D

Ah yes, the cheap Ford 4.0. I've seen quite a few on race-dezert.com. I have also heard of adapters to mate a Ford 4.0 to a C-4 tranny--which you can get an adapter to a Yota case for.

What are you doing for a front axle? If you use the Exploder 'case you'll need an axle with a driver's side front output. I think an early Bronco D44 front axle with six lug Chevy knuckles, hubs, and brakes would work great. You could go with some extended radius arms and coil springs, too.

I just finished a 4.3 swap with a painless harness. it also called for a wire like this. I just started checking wires where the stock computer was plugged in and found one there.also tired into the wire going back to the stock fuel pump there also.

you think swapping a 4.0 into a 88 is hard try a 5.9 magnum into a 2000 TJ. now that is difficult. :flipoff2:

Hmmm... An adapter to a C-4 you say? That might be interesting if I blow up the 4R55E that came with it. I'll have to look into that.

For the front axle I went with an 81 Wagoneer. D44, driver side drop and 44044s. I didn't want to fuss with a coil suspension right now. Maybe later. SOA, knuckle rotation, and hi-steer are in the works, ran low on money for now. :rolleyes: Hydro assist parts are here, ARB, 4.88s, and Warn lockouts are installed along with a replacement of all the seals, bearings and U-Joints. The spring hangers are built and installed on the truck. I want to get the drivetrain installed so I know where to point the pinion. :D

blt2rok: You don't happen to remember which wire you used, do you? I'd rather cut one from there than do a tap-splice on the relay. I don't have a battery installed right now, so it's kind of hard to probe them out.

TR: Okay, you beat me. Yours is harder. But I have to wonder, why? A 5.9 in a TJ seems like you would be blowing stuff up left and right. Of course, if you did that, I would guess you put some D60s under there? Very cool. :beer:

Ya we put a tera 50 in the front and a Tera 60 out back 35 spline through out except the stubds which are i belive 32 spline. It runs just gotta wire up the dash and such. BTW you said 4F55E right? what year explorer did it come out of? and i guess the 4.0 whould be SOHC???

Originally posted by TR
Ya we put a tera 50 in the front and a Tera 60 out back 35 spline through out except the stubds which are i belive 32 spline. It runs just gotta wire up the dash and such. BTW you said 4F55E right? what year explorer did it come out of? and i guess the 4.0 whould be SOHC???


Nice.. That's a killer project.

The trans is the 4R55E. The engine and trans are from a 95, the case is from a 94. The 95 still has the pushrod engine, but has electronic shifting in the auto trans, and on demand 4WD. It was the first year to use the odd clutch based transfer case. I decided I didn't like that and used the older shifting case. It's still electronic, but much simpler. I wouldn't have minded the SOHC motor, but none were available at the time. The older style is still plenty of power for my lead foot. I don't want to blow up my D44 stuff. :D