Tripminder - Low Fuel Economy Indication
83ford16 Article No. 83-9-2TRIPMINDER - LOW FUEL ECONOMY INDICATION
FORD 1983-1/2 T-BIRD
LINCOLN-MERCURY 1983-1/2 COUGAR
Poor fuel economy indication on 1983-1/2 T-Bird/ Cougars equipped with the tripminder option may be caused by improper wire connection at the tripminder from the 14401 main wiring harness. There are two methods for providing fuel flow data to the tripminder:
1. From the fuel flow sensor on 3.8L non-CFI vehicles.
2. From the EEC module on 5.0L CFI vehicles.
Figure 2:
Each method requires a unique vehicle harness and pigtail wiring connection at the tripminder hard shell connector (C-705, refer to Figure 2). Vehicles with 3.8L non-CFI engines require a pigtail terminal in the harness (near C-705) to be installed in pin 7 of C-705 at the time of tripminder installation (in the assembly plant).
Figure 3:
Vehicles with 5.0L CFI engines require the pigtail terminal remain unconnected and taped back onto the 14401 harness (Figure 3).
Failure to terminate the pigtail jumper correctly for each engine application results in a low fuel economy reading.
If the pigtail is in the correct position for the given application, follow the normal tripminder diagnostics as outlined in Section 33-83 of the 1983 Shop Manual.
OTHER APPLICABLE ARTICLES: None
WARRANTY STATUS: "INFORMATION ONLY