1974 Bronco - Need Help w/ Lights, Brake, Horn, & Floor Pans

[IVIaverick]

It's dark so my options are limited right now but I took a flashlight and searched up underneath it. I'm no expert, as stated before, but the rear tank is located behind the rear axle and in front of the bumper in the middle, right? The PO installed a skid plate over it that he told me about and it's the only "tank" looking part underneath there.

The only orange wire that I found was connected to a white wire and both were exposed. Aside from that, there is a black wire dangling from the front of the tank with a metal tab on the end. Are either of these what I'm looking for or what is causing the problem?

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[Viperwolf1]

Find out where that black wire is going. It looks like the tank sender ground. It's hard to see your dark pics and I get frustrated trying because of the imageshack persistant popups.

 

[Skiddy]

Find out where that black wire is going. It looks like the tank sender ground. It's hard to see your dark pics and I get frustrated trying because of the imageshack persistant popups.

it does look to be a ground wire. i don't get any popups and i don't even have the blocker turned on

 

[IVIaverick]

I will post more pics of the wires in just a minute. First, I have a few more questions that I'm having a lot of trouble with.

In regards to running and mechanical condition, my Bronco does beyond excellent. It rides perfectly at 55-60 mph on the highway and is nice to cruise around town in. However, I'm having a few problems with it.

- The biggest problem I'm having is a severe shake upon pulling out when I am going uphill or sometimes on level ground. I don't mean a slight vibration or a jerk but so bad that it feels like the axles are shaking and the entire Bronco is going to shake apart. Has anyone had this happen before or know what could be causing it? I'm worried about it and not sure what is causing it. Could it be something I'm doing with the clutch or is it something else?

- The second thing is the occasional dying of the engine when I stop and then it being extremely difficult to restart. It seems to wait until the worst times when I am in the middle of town at a stop sign or at a traffic light with tons of ppl behind me. Today, it died on me at a light that was on an uphill slope and it was trying to roll backwards each time I tried to restart it. It took 4 or 5 cranks to get it going and then it did the extreme shake on me when I pulled out....Not a fun time.


Anyone have any suggestions to fix these two problems? Otherwise, the Bronco is perfect and runs incredible for a 40 year old vehicle. However, these are definitely big deals and it scares me a bit to be out in it when these things are happening.

Thanks guys.

 

[IVIaverick]

Here are pics during daylight of the orange wire in front of the tank connected to a white wire and the black wire w/ metal tab dangling from the front of the tank. Hopefully, these will be a bit easier to see and diagnose.

 

[DirtDonk]

You're going to have to follow that Black wire, but it sure looks like it's intended to be a ground to the body or the frame. However, it does not look to be an original wire. It's got a good "factory-looking" type crimp and connector, but it's too new looking. Is this a new harness, or has any of it been replaced?

Not sure about the other one. Where did you say it went?

Paul

 

[Viperwolf1]

Looks like the orange wire has been cut and a yellow-white wire (maybe the remnants of aux tank wiring) twisted onto it. Follow the yellow-white wire and see if it goes to the tank. Do the same for the black wire. If they do, you need to fix that twisted bare section and you need to ground the black wire.

 

[DirtDonk]

Regarding the shake, assuming it doesn't happen while you're releasing the clutch only, it sure sounds like the DDW's (dreaded Death-Wobbles) to me. Very common, and not just on Broncos.
If it is indeed the Death-Wobbles, try rotating your tires first. With luck you've only got one bad tire and it can be hidden on the back with no ill effects.
If it's more than one, or if it's a combination of tire and steering and front suspension issues, You've got more ahead of you.

Can be loose trackbar or worn bushings, or other stuff. But a bad tire is usually the cause in my experience. Others have fixed it with a simple tightening of the trackbar.
Better get busy! ;D

Paul

 

[IVIaverick]

Thanks guys, I will trace those wires and figure out where they go. I'm reading and learning piece by piece so hopefully I can get this figured out. I'll let you know where they run to.

For the shakes, it is only upon pulling out. It doesn't do it at any other point. That is why I thought maybe I'm not releasing the clutch correctly or doing something else wrong. I have been driving manuals for as long as I've had a license but they were newer vehicles and the clutch in the Bronco is vastly different from the others I've driven. I'm not too proud or stubborn to think it's possible that it's something that I'm doing because the Bronco runs far too well for it to have any serious issues. If I'm riding the clutch too much or releasing it too soon, would that cause "wobbles" that severe?

This weekend is dedicated to the Bronco and nothing else. haha I've already got some clothes and such packed and I'm going to head over to my parents' house to really give the Bronco a good inspection and see what I need to order for it and what needs to be tweaked or fixed. I'll have my dad and grandpa who are huge truck/suv/antique vehicle guys and both my brothers who both own and frequently work on their Jeeps (I know, it's far from the same thing, haha but it's better than nothing ;D) so hopefully between the five of us with three days to put into it, we can get it all straightened out. After we can work out a list of everything I need, I am going to try to start getting some of the rust repair done each weekend. I'll start with either the floor pans or door locks and progress from there. Those are the only spots that need to be REPLACED, but there are a few other areas that need repairs. I can't wait to get it taken care of and put a fresh coat of paint on it!

I actually went to get something to eat today and when I was pulling in at my apartment I had a guy pull in behind me and try to buy my Bronco. He looked disappointed when I told him there's no way I was letting it go. lol I've looked far too long to find one, it has all of its original parts, it only has 41,000 ORIGINAL miles, and I love the green/white ranger scheme. This thing is already my baby. haha

 

[IVIaverick]

I traced the wires. The orange one runs the length of the frame which I'm assuming leads to the front where it is connected to the fuel gauge. The black one and yellow one (the one connected to the orange one) both lead to a plug that plugs into the gas tank. So, what do I need to do, now? haha Do I need to connect the metal tab end of the black wire to something or is there another solution? The PO told me that he replaced a lot of the wiring on the Bronco so I'm assuming that's one of the things he was referring to.

 

[Viperwolf1]

Connect the black wire to the frame. There should be a screw on the crossmember in front of the tank. Scrape the connection down to bare metal first. Then fix the other wire.

 

[IVIaverick]

Connect the black wire to the frame. There should be a screw on the crossmember in front of the tank. Scrape the connection down to bare metal first. Then fix the other wire.

Should be able to handle that for the black wire. What do I need to do to fix the other wire?

 

[Viperwolf1]

Should be able to handle that for the black wire. What do I need to do to fix the other wire?

The absolute minimum would be a butt connector with some heat shrink tubing covering it to keep moisture out. A better way to fix it would be to solder it with heat shrink over it.

 

[IVIaverick]

The absolute minimum would be a butt connector with some heat shrink tubing covering it to keep moisture out. A better way to fix it would be to solder it with heat shrink over it.

I'm not sure of the size of the wire, but are these the right things?

Butt Connector

Heat Shrink

 

[DirtDonk]

Other than they both show heat-shrink tubing, they're probably right. ;D

Looks like 14 or 16 gauge wire from here, but it's hard to say for sure. No larger than 12, and no smaller than 16 I would say.
Most butt-type crimp connectors and heat shrink tubing are rated for multiple sizes, so you'd probably go with the (typically) blue colored ones. They're forgiving enough that they should fit the size you have.

As he mentioned, that Orange wire will end up at your fuel gauge. The black wire is the sending unit's ground. And if you're going to hook it to the frame, like the factory had it, you should also make sure that your grounds at the batter are good. Not only to the engine, but to the body and frame as well.

Paul

 

[DirtDonk]

Sounds like your clutch is somewhat glazed or on it's way out. Hard to tell until you've experienced a few. So equally hard to diagnose over the computer.

There are a few things to check though.
1. what is the condition of the engine mounts at the frame, and the trans bushings at the crossmember?
Loose or worn ones can cause the shakes.

2. Go through the clutch adjustment procedure to make sure that you're at least starting from a good place.

3. What are your tire sizes and gear ratios? This second thing may take some checking and explaining, but basically you can put a lot of stress on a clutch by having large tires and tall gearing. Especially on a heavy, hard to get rolling truck like an EB.
If you have say, 35" tires and 3.50 gears (original for most) and an old worn clutch, it might just be beyond the clutches ability to get rolling smoothly. And until you get a real feel for it, it might be awhile before it improves.

4. Try putting it in 4-wheel drive Low-Range and see if it still shakes. In low range you can usuallly just let the clutch out without giving it any gas at all, and it'll roll on smoothly. Leave the hubs unlocked so you don't bind anything up on the street and don't try to get out in traffic(!) because you can only go about 30 mph comfortably. Maybe more though, if you're geared really whacko.

5. Is it leaking oil out of the bottom of the bell housing? If so, you could have oil contamination on the friction surfaces. That'll do it every time!

Good luck.

Paul

 

[IVIaverick]

I will snag a connector and work on the fuel gauge wiring in the morning. It doesn't sound like that will be too bad. So, that Dorman weatherproof connector is all I need for the white and orange wires, right? The only thing I found anywhere near the black wire to ground it to was a hole in the crossmember of the frame as you guys suggested. It didn't have a bolt in it, but the opening was exactly the same size as the opening in the wire's metal tab. All I need to do is clean it up for a good connection and secure it with a bolt, right?

As for the shakes, the PO said he just recently replaced the Clutch so that shouldn't be the problem. He was honest about absolutely everything else so I'm sure he did.

The tires are 31x10.50x15 and since most everything else is stock, I would assume the gears are, too. Is there any way for me to tell?

I'll hafta let my dad check it out thoroughly this weekend. He's far more experienced at driving these older vehicles (especially since the first time I drove a 3 on the tree trans. was when I bought this one. haha) and can hopefully figure it out. I hope that I'm just doing something incorrectly and it's nothing wrong with the Bronco. It's much cheaper to fix my own stupidity than a major problem with the vehicle. ;D I will have to trouble shoot the others tomorrow but I'm positive that it isn't leaking anything. I've spent most of my week underneath it checking for such things and tracing wires. haha


Thank You guys for having the patience and kindness to go through all of this with me. I would have been beyond lost without you. I have learned quite a bit of the easy stuff in just a week and it feels great to go fix something myself.

 

[DirtDonk]

As for the shakes, the PO said he just recently replaced the Clutch so that shouldn't be the problem. He was honest about absolutely everything else so I'm sure he did.

Uh-oh! Uh, that's not necessarily a good thing. A new clutch that acts like this is a good sign that perhaps they did not re-surface the flywheel at the same time.
Can you ask the PO if that's what they did? You think he'd give you the straight info if you did ask?

Depending on their knowledge level, a lot of people think that they can tell a good flywheel from a bad one just by looking at it. And even then, when they think they see some little things wrong, but think that it's still 'good enough" to get away without re-surfacing, they'll pass on the slight extra expense.
Bummer for most of them. Sure, some get away with it, but in Broncos I think it's a much bigger majority of folks that regret not doing it right the first time.
An imperfect flywheel with a new clutch can literally shake the chrome off the truck when you just start to engage the clutch! Been there, done that myself. I literally got it to the end of the driveway after a long weekend of fighting the whole thing, and realized I'd made a huge mistake. Had to take it all back out and re-do it WITH a newly re-surfaced flywheel this time.
Worked like a charm for the next 75k miles after that.

So, see what you can find out. But if it's as serious a shake as you say, and it's just had the clutch replaced, that's my guess on the subject.

The tires are 31x10.50x15 and since most everything else is stock, I would assume the gears are, too. Is there any way for me to tell?

Good size for checking things out. No real stresses on the equipment.
Do you have a tachometer? If so, what rpm are you running at 60mph?
If you don't, look for any ID tags on the axle cover bolts at either end, and if you find them, let us know what the numbers are. You can see yourself though, that there are some numbers that will match the original ratios. Like 3.50 or 4.11 and such.
If they've been changed though, your next-best way is to jack it up and count the turns of the wheels compared to the turns on the driveshaft. There are some tricks to this though, so if it gets to that point, just ask and we can run down the sequence for you.

Paul

 

[IVIaverick]

Donk, let me dig up the email he sent me originally and I will post it. He had done quite a lot of replacements and upgrades to the cheaper (I guess?) mechanical components and I'm 99% sure the he said when he replaced the clutch, he also "turned" the flywheel. I'm not sure if that's the same thing you are referring to but I know he at least worked on it.

I don't have a tachometer, unfortunately. It doesn't SOUND like it's running too hard at all at 60 so I'm assuming the gears are stock and not geared too high. Once again, I'm no expert (lol) so this is just my personal, slightly educated guess.

Here it is. I honestly trust this guy because I can tell he loved this Bronco. Everything he claimed or promised was true upon examining the vehicle. I haven't found a single thing that he lied or embellished about.

"As far as mechanical problems, I honestly can't think of anything that is going to surprise you. I've replaced the clutch, turned the flywheel, put in a new timing chain and gears, new intake manifold gasket, new water pump, new thermostat, new spark plugs, new plug wires, new radiator, new hoses, new valve cover gaskets, new fuel tank, new fuel pump, new Optima Red Top battery, new starter, new starter solenoid, ignition module, new oil pan gasket, new master cylinder, new stainless steel hard brake lines, new rubber brake lines, new wheel cylinders, new door locks, new headlight wiring harness, new headlights, new front wheel bearings, repacked the front hubs, new fuel tank and I'm sure there's other things that I'm missing."

 

[Skiddy]

Donk, let me dig up the email he sent me originally and I will post it. He had done quite a lot of replacements and upgrades to the cheaper (I guess?) mechanical components and I'm 99% sure the he said when he replaced the clutch, he also "turned" the flywheel. I'm not sure if that's the same thing you are referring to but I know he at least worked on it.

yes that is what he is referring too. everything that has been done to it will help a lot.
Ok that helps, i would start checking all the mounts to see if any of them are bad or even loose