It was back in November of 2007 when I bought my Pinto wagon.  I had an '88 Turbo Coupe (5 - Speed) that had been sitting for four years and my wife wanted it gone.  I wanted to swap the drivetrain into something (Pinto, Capri, ). Thus, the reason for my purchase.

I spent the Summer of 2008 doing the swap. Though I got it running, there were issues in getting it to run right. It idled rough and ran really bad at 2,500 RPM. Pulling the Spout helped, but not enough. I spent the next two years utterly frustrated trying to sort the problem out.  I used the resources of the PCCA, Turbo Pinto, Turbo Ford, NATO and the Ranger Station to no avail.  I replaced EVERY sensor and relevant parts (VAM, Distributor, TFI, PIP, Fuel Pump, Computer, etc, etc). I checked out the complete fuel system, chased down the wiring... .

I finally gave up in 2010 and started on a '64 Studebaker Daytona project (350 Chevy/700R4).  The Pinto basically sat, and was rarely driven for three years.  It was always in the back of my mind though.  This Summer I ventured back to hopefully sort the Pinto out.  I repeated the testing I had previously done and after a number of full days was ready to give up again.

One of the last things I was going to try was swapping the coil (even though I had done that before). As I looked over the Schematic I took notice of the wire to the coil that received 12 volts +.  With nothing to lose I jumpered the positive side of the battery to the coil + simply because it only took a few seconds.

  WHOA... The idle smoothed out.  A test drive showed the car was running significantly better!!!  The only difference I found was the coil was getting 13.6 volts un-jumped and 13.8 volts jumped.  Whatever..., I was just thrilled after a five year wait to get the Turbo Pinto to run correctly. There was only one issue.  With the jumper wire the car kept running when the key was turned off.  I remedied that with a relay spliced in the jumper and activated by a switched feed.

I still don't know what caused the problem, but I do know a reasonable  work-around.  I still have things to work out on the Pinto, but maybe I can make Knotts 2014.  Anyway, I just wanted to report my long waited joy and hopefully encourage others struggling with their projects.

Tom

Congratulation s, Tom!!!  Way to go!
 
Dwayne

You know Old Kayaker, it is interesting because I used the harness, fuse box and steering column from the Turbo Coupe.  Thus, engine wise all the wiring was common to the donor engine.  The only thing I recall was that I HAD to cut the resistance wire to remove the column.  As I recall it was even printed on the wire "Do Not cut," but I had no choice.  I never changed its length and soldered the cut point.  Could that make so much of a difference???

Thanks guys for the Con-Grats.

Tom

Frankly I don't know exactly where the resistance wire runs, I only recall noticing it when I adapted the Turbo Coupe steering column. But, I did assume it was somehow ignition related.  As you must know that 87-88 harness (I had ride control too) is a real nightmare to dissect.  Regardless I wanted all the gauge wiring, alternator hook-up, fan/fuel pump relays, cruise control etc., in addition the steering column functions, so that is why I persisted with it.

"My guess now is that your direct battery connection is cleaner with less electrical noise (battery acts like a large capacitor to kill noise).  Have fun driving it with your ingenious solution."

 - I absolutely agree with that.  Though, when I scoped my VAM and TPS I also looked at the alternator output.  I wasn't sure what level of A/C I should see (if any), but compared to the total DC voltage it didn't seem much at all.   I am wondering if the alternator is at issue???

  It is the  Red//light green wire that goes to the coil.  As best I could  trace that wire it came off the alternator (in a larger wire gauge) then stepped down to a smaller wire and went to the Coil, TFI and ride control (maybe elsewhere too).  The other oddity is that with the Spout removed the car idled decent, but was still a bit wiggy - mostly around 2,500 RPM.

If you have the full schematic could I trouble you to let me know where the Red/light green wire goes.  The diagram I have shows most areas around the computer (Coil, TFI etc.), but  then the Red/light green wire goes to  a "H" fusible and I have no idea where it goes after that.

Thanks, Tom

Old Kayaker,

I greatly appreciate all your input. I think until someone has "been there, done that," - especially with an '87-'88 harness it is hard to comprehend the difficulty.

Is it possibly you could email/personal message the image you posted in a higher resolution?  Try as I may, I'm having difficulty reading it under the posting size limitations of the Forum.

Thanks, Tom  (Wittsend)

Yes, thank you.  I have enlarged the image, but the resolution is not high enough that the enlargement is legible  (at least for my eyes). The letters become too blocky when enlarged.  Even "Sharpening" it in Photoshop does not provide the detail I need to read the schematic.

Tom

Wittsend, I scanned that page and few others in higher resolution and emailed them to you.  Have fun.

The issue is that I used the 88 Turbo Coupe harness/fuse box and steering column (where the resistor wire is located).  Therefore everything is common to the stock Turbo Coupe setup.  So, the resistor wire should not be causing issues.

Had I used the Pinto column I could see the potential for problems.  The only thing I'm wondering is the resistor wire says "do not cut" right on it.  BUT, you can't get the wiring out of the 88 harness "twisted spaghetti" wiring without cutting it.  I soldered it and never removed any of its length.

Tom