Cosmo

Hi all i have come across a few problems building my 3dr cosworth project wondering if anyone can help.

Question 1: Strut tops - i bought a twin bar strut brace which may have come off a sapph (i cant remember it was ages ago) but there's no way its fitting my 3dr, its a good inch too wide? I'm guessing the sapphs and 3dr strut top distances differ??

Question 2: ABS ECU - i am looking to use my old ABS ECU brain out of my sapph cosworth, will it be compatable with the 3dr ABS wiring, also it looks a real tight fit to get the ECU and ABS brain into the gap in the dashboard, i kept them all together from my sapph in the holder that holds them together but it doesnt look like its going to fit???

Quetion 3 (last one) i want to graft my 2wd sapph engine loom into my 3dr internal loom as its a reall good condition loom. Had a look under the dash and have found what i think is the connector but it only has 2 wires in it? Also the red and balck fuel pump wire (i think thats what it is) has previously been cut by the look of things and is hanging loose. Next to it is also a thin black wire also cut and hanging loose - i have no idea whay these have been cut and i can see the other ends?? Anyone got any ideas??

Sorry for writing war and peace but am struggling a bit at the moment

Cheers!!!!

siscossie

iTrader: (4)

I put my strut brace from my sapph to my 3dr no problem and the ecu`s fitted no problem. Had no problems with any of it my ecu plug behind the dash had been cut to take a secs monitor had to fit a new block conector( a decent high quality one)to make sure the conection was sound.

tabetha

Very interesting what you say about the strut/shell dimensions, as I'm looking at a few to see if this is the case, as someone else is having problems that seem to be down to a narrower shell/chassis on some 3 door!!
WIRE COLOURS,
thin green is tacho
red/blue is permanent live
black is SWITCHED LIVE(from ignition)
black/red fuel pump live
brown/white temp sender GAUGE
brown/red air con, this will go to a purple relay holder normally taped to the side of the loom around the relay area
The above is for a 2wd sapphy loom, tacho wire is often in the CAR loom, as ford liked to change thgings a bit.
Just ignore air con(unless fitted)
tabetha

rsnissan

iTrader: (9)

I think its just the tops have come in on the 3dr shells jack the car up from the crossmember under the car and try fitting the brace

Cosmo

Tried that and it didnt do any good, still a fair way off, i even took the strut tops off to see if that helped but it didnt, see the pics below.

Cosmo

Spot on cheers!! Dont suppose you know what colour wires these match with on the 3dr loom do you (are they matching colours?) Just to make sure i get the right wires matching as the plugs are very different on the 2wd loom to the plug on the 3dr loom and they will need joining directly.

tabetha

I went to measure roosie's car this morning but the unit was shut(?), so measured my sapphy, and me dads xr4i(1982) and they were both bang on 1000mm when measured both the same way, between the strut sticky out bit(adjuster).
I would hazzard a GUESS, no hang on I'm phoning a friend who is going to look up, he keeps a record of all the looms he makes, and is phoning me back, as he wants to see if I got his email, as been having probs with plusnet lately,
I'll post up asap, but if not easy to determine anyway.
tabetha

tommeke

I hade the same problem on mine tooo

I have modify the stut brace a little so it fit between it,
mine was a single bar item so it's easyer to push it a little inside out so the length between the 2 stuts was shorter... in dutch they say "buigen" yeah my crappy enlish talk...

some say it's the metal that is tierd and the studt come to the inside... I don't know...

I did a wheel alignement with 3D computer and all camber, caster en steering where good on the car sow...

gtz

tabetha

Having checked the colours seem to be the same in 3 door, maybe there is more than 1 connector ?, but the colours are as listed, some may be in the car loom as opposed to the ecu loom.
You could get away with just having red/blue permanent live, black switched live, black/red fuel pump ecu out to relay, then to rear of car, the others may be in the car loom.
If not just get tester out and determine which is which, won't take long, there is even a mix of colours for oil pressure and coolant temp(gauge) on others.
tabetha

rsnissan

iTrader: (9)

that some gap on the brace!

can you double check it on another car?

tabetha

Managed to measure it on roosie's car tonight and it is exactly the same.
tabetha

Cosmo

I've just been out and taken pictures:



As you can see i've got a connector on the 3dr with a thin red and thin green and brown wire going into it.
I have a thick red and black wire which at ome point has been cut.
I have a thin black wire which has also at some point been cut
I also have a connector with a thin brown and white wire and a thin green wire going into it.

Took a picture of my sapph loom too:



Here i've got some differences, i've got the thick red and blue which i cant find for love nor money on the 3dr. The brown and green wire on the 3dr looks as though its brown and red on the sapph. The black wire is a little thicker on the sapph wiring it seems too. I dont have a thin red wire on the sapph wires like i do on the 3dr - do you think this could be the 3dr's version of the red and blue wire on the sapph (if so its a lot thinner!)

Am i on the right tracks?? Comments/help is welcome at this point!!

Cosmo

Oh and i measured my strut tops and mine also measures 1000mm from the outside edge to outside edge of the sticking up threaded suspension tops. My strut brace must be wrong??

tabetha

Thanks ford!!
The thickness of that black/red would suggest to me it may be main relay/ecu power feeds.
Brown with no stripe is always earth(ground) on Fords, black is always a switched live.
The thin black looks like switched live from ignition.
Thin green is going to be tacho, join to ecu green.
Thin brown/white is temp sender gauge, look on sender to verify.
I would double check everything with a test light(not digi metre), does indeed look like they've been playing pick and mix there with colours.
With the brown/white I would do all the other wires first, then put a GROUND down this wire, one of two things will happen, either the temp gauge will go up, OR the oil pressure warning light will come on.
On a lot of fords the oil pressure warning light and the temp gauge sender are both brown and white!!, but oil pressure onnsome can also be brown/green.
Just work through it methodically, using a test light, and ignition to determine what is what, the ecu gets it's earth from the earth terminals where it bolts on the plenum cover, but when done run a seperate earth wire(only needs to be thin) to the ground bolt on the plenum where the engine/ecu loom bolts and back straight to the battery.
tabetha

BRAMMER

iTrader: (23)

Try this, i might be wrong but anyway - take the bar off the round end pieces - fit the end bit's over the struts and then place the bar down between the two struts.

Mike1

Didn't Turbosystems Tony M say some 3-door shells were modified with a "fletch" panel to help prevent the front-end flexing about? I might have dreamt that though so ignore me if it's rubbish.....

Just wondered if that might account for some "shell difference" on 3-doors?

Char1ie

iTrader: (6)

That worked for me. My other suggestion would be to get an adjustable brace and sell the one you have.

Charlie

Cosmo

I'll check this out mate, i'll have a look to see if the black/red wire goes to the fuel pump, if not then it must be the power source, i'll let you know how i get on

Cosmo

Tried this too - still no joy am afraid!

Mike1

I don't know if this might be helpful on your strut brace fitting on your 3-door ( the comments from Mike R and Tony from Turbosystems )

https://passionford.com/forum/genera...h13-arb-2.html