Page 1 of 3
Engine bay wiring dilema - SORTED
Posted: 07 Apr 2025, 20:33
by Dueller
Been busy with my van conversion, gearbox and engine, see my other threads
Now at the stage where i am connecting up
Have some questions though and can't seem to find an answer, have looked at this post but it's not going in...
My van is a DG automatic, now manual with a Ford v6 fitted so only need the basics, temp, oil and charging lights, the ECU handles the rest
Can't seem to identify which wires I need to keep, asking for your help here
There are 5 wires here coming out, black is live but the others don't seem to do anything, one has to be the temp needle and another the coolant level, but I can't get anything to feed to the front, which is which?
Same for the oil light on the dash, which one is it? When I turn the key it flashes once and goes out, no charging light either, drove me nuts all day yesterday trying to figure it out
These are extra power feeds I belive, can anyone confirm??
Spent 5 mins trying to find my reverse light wires then realised they work off the shifter in an auto, duh, so thinking to use the black live and splice into the wiring harness
Any help welcome
Re: Engine bay wiring dilema
Posted: 07 Apr 2025, 21:17
by davidoft1
Oil light is blue with a black trace
Charge light plain blue
Temp blue with a green trace
The yellow and red is heater plugs I think
Re: Engine bay wiring dilema
Posted: 07 Apr 2025, 21:18
by davidoft1
Big fat red looks like inlet manifold heater , other red is probably carb solenoid
Re: Engine bay wiring dilema
Posted: 07 Apr 2025, 21:21
by Robsey
In one of the white barrel shaped connectors.
Temperature gauge is a yellow wire with red stripe.
Low coolant switch is a blue wire with a green stripe.
Oil Pressure warning light wire is a blue wire with a black stripe.
Buzzer of Doom oil pressure wire is a plain yellow wire (no stripe)
See below for reverse lights.
Some diagrams say that the reverse lights tap into the barrel plug. Others do not. Maybe it is a country or model year dependent thing.
_________________________
The other wires are separate.
Alternator charge light is a plain blue wire (no stripe), should have a single spade connector and runs along side a fat red wire from the alternator.
Reverse wire is a black wire with a blue stripe.
It goes from the junction box (single spade).
Out to the switch on the gearbox.
Then back again towards the main rear lighting loom either to the barrel connector or via a single spade.
Note - some diagrams say Black with grey stripe from junction box to switch, then black with blue stripe back to the rear lights.
____________________
Power Feeds
Plain Red wires are battery live.
Most meet up at the stud in the main junction box.
Plain Black wires are ignition live.
Wired to the coil plus anything ignition controlled.
Fuel cut off solenoid etc.
Plain Brown wires are of course the chassis ground wires.
Re: Engine bay wiring dilema
Posted: 07 Apr 2025, 21:34
by Robsey
Beware - I recall some red wires on the DG (and DF) that are not battery live.
These were wires for the manifold heater and it's switch on the cross-engine pipe.
In answer to your question,
yes you could use a black ignition live feed,
but don't forget to fit an inline fuse just to be on the safe side.
The coil feed wire is not fused, but other items daisy chained off the coil are.
Re: Engine bay wiring dilema
Posted: 08 Apr 2025, 15:26
by silverbullet
Re: Engine bay wiring dilema
Posted: 09 Apr 2025, 09:07
by Dueller
Thanks for the ideas everyone
The book i have found to be a bit confusing when i tried to read it but will try again
I also have a purple wire in the bundle of 5 i see now i know what to look for
The additional pre heat wires etc i forgot about, will probably remove them for a cleaner look
...and why is that black box hinged at the top...blooming thing!
Re: Engine bay wiring dilema
Posted: 09 Apr 2025, 09:08
by Dueller
Re: Engine bay wiring dilema
Posted: 09 Apr 2025, 09:14
by Dueller
So that's
Yellow
Purple
Yellow with red stripe - dash light flashes like crazy and the needle doesn't move at all when connected
Black (live wire)
Brown (presumed the earth)
The oil is blue with black stripe connected
Thin blue for the charging light
With the 2 above connected there is still nothing on the dash
Loose green wire
I'm wondering if there's a fault somewhere else
Re: Engine bay wiring dilema
Posted: 09 Apr 2025, 19:52
by Aidan
continuity testing is so much fun

Re: Engine bay wiring dilema
Posted: 13 Apr 2025, 17:43
by Dueller
Still driving me nuts, oil light flashes when I turn the key on but nothing else
Will have a better look tomorrow
On a good note I fixed my accelerator pedal and tailgate mechanism
Need to find those wins

Re: Engine bay wiring dilema
Posted: 13 Apr 2025, 18:33
by Robsey
Purple with black stripe is your fuel gauge.
Yellow on it's own is the buzzer of doom (0.9bar) oil switch. Only needed if you are using it, otherwise I recall a resistor mod at the back of the speedometer head to 'delete' the buzzer wire.
Or I believe short the sensor wire to ground.
The plain green wire is your tachometer - rpm gauge wire if fitted
Blue / black is your oil pressure [0.3 bar] led wire.
Yellow / red is the temperature gauge wire
Blue / Green is the coolant shortage switch in the header tank.
_____________________________
I presume you are using the correct cluster wiring format?
Early and late dashes have a different wiring order.
If no fuel and temperature, I wonder if your voltage regulator or the ignition live feed to it is working.
______________________________
In the engine bay, all the sensors have two pins.
One to the instruments or ECU.
The other to ground... check your ground links?
Re: Engine bay wiring dilema
Posted: 13 Apr 2025, 19:20
by Robsey
Clarification on Instrument Pin Outs
Just in case you are using a used donor cluster for this set-up.
Pre-1985
Pin # Function Colour
1 Vacant
2 GND (31) Brown
3 Instrument Illumination Grey/Blue
4 High Beam (56a) Blue/White
5 GND (31) Brown
6 Coolant Temperature Gauge Yellow/Red
7 Clock Red
8 Fuel Gauge Violet/Black
9 Ignition 12V (15) Black
10 Oil pressure warning (low 0.3 bar) Blue/Black
11 Glow Plugs (1983 diesel only) Blue/Green
12 Glow Plugs (1982 diesel only) White/Red
13 Alternator (61 or D+) Blue
14 Indicators (49a) Blue/Red
Post-1985
Pin # Function Colour
1 Instrument Illumination Grey/Blue
2 High Beam (56a) Blue/White
3 GND (31) Brown
4 Vacant
5 Clock Red
6 Coolant Temperature Gauge Yellow/Red
7 Fuel Gauge Violet/Black
8 Ignition 12V (15) Black
9 Tachometer (1/W) Green
10 Indicators (49a) Blue/Red
11 Alternator (61) Blue
12 Oil pressure warning high (0.9 bar 1986-87) (vacant 1985) Yellow
13 Oil pressure warning low (0.3 bar 1986-87)
14 Glow Plugs (diesel only) White/Red
All listings care of AngeloEVS and the Club8090 Wiki.
Re: Engine bay wiring dilema
Posted: 13 Apr 2025, 19:36
by Smiffo
Dueller wrote: ↑09 Apr 2025, 09:14
So that's
Yellow
Purple
Yellow with red stripe - dash light flashes like crazy and the needle doesn't move at all when connected
Black (live wire)
Brown (presumed the earth)
The oil is blue with black stripe connected
Thin blue for the charging light
With the 2 above connected there is still nothing on the dash
Loose green wire
I'm wondering if there's a fault somewhere else
Yellow with Red stripe is coolant level sensor. ( Not temp, so needle may not move with that depending on relay type you have in position 3 of fuse box ) What are you connecting it to to make it flash on the dash?
Oddly that should make dash flash when not connected ( I think? )
Re: Engine bay wiring dilema
Posted: 13 Apr 2025, 20:13
by Robsey
Yellow / Red is definitely the coolant temperature gauge wire
Blue/Green is fluid level switch to the shortage indicator module [42] or [43] in the fuse box.
The coolant led should flash for a few seconds when the ignition is turned on.
Plain yellow is the 0.9bar oil pressure switch for dynamic oil pressure circuit
Blue/black is the 0.3 bar oil pressure switch for the dash led.
Black is ignition live to instruments, including voltage regulator.
Brown is the chassis ground.