ATX MKIV #9644 Coyote Build Thread (Index #137) - Trickle Charger Port Added

[dbo_texas]

I tried mounting the roll bars today just to get them out of the boxes (and because they look cool!) but I ran into some problems. The primary issue is the the chrome plating on the hoop stud seems to be thick enough to cause an interference with the rear leg going on. I was unable to slide the rear leg onto the hoop stud at all...couldn't even get it started.

Some folks on the Factory Five Builder Facebook page suggested to grind the internal diameter of the leg pipe using a bore hone. I went to AutoZone and bought one, adjusted the tension spring almost all the way up, and went to work. I ground it for about 10 minutes, checking the ID along the way, and unfortunately after almost 10 minutes the ID only opened up about .002" and that's it. The grinding stones on the bore hone tool were just about toast (with the dust everywhere to prove it). So I'm thinking what the hell does it take to open these holes up?


I then tried a regular old sanding drum mounted to the drill. Again, I pretty much wore the sand paper down to nothing (about 5-10 minutes of grinding away).


After this, I was able to install the rear leg onto the stud, but just barely. I had to twist it and it still was extremely difficult. Next I tried mounting the bars to the frame. I was worried about binding since it was still difficult to assemble off the frame, so I added some chassis grease to each part (that's what you see in the picture below). Due to the very slight angle different between the hoop leg and the rear leg, when I try to slide the rear leg up onto the stud, this very tiny angle difference causes the legs to bind up. I got it about 1/4" from all the way home (i.e. flush to the top of the hoop leg) before giving up. I didn't snap a picture of that. I then had one hell of a time getting the rear leg to slide back down and off the hoop stud to take the whole thing apart.


So - what's the trick to getting this to fit? Do I just need to keep grinding that internal diameter on the rear leg? That seems to me to be the solution....to open up enough clearance to allow just a little bit of slip between the pipes and allow a little bit of angular tolerance. I figure .010-.020" of clearance might just be enough. The problem is how to achieve it? Is there a better way to grind away the internal diameter? I don't want to keep buying $20 bore hones...

[Mike.Bray]

Try taking a piece of round bar stock and cutting a slot in the end about 2" long. Then put a piece of coarse (good quality) emery cloth in it to make a simple ID sander. You want to spin it pretty fast, not sure a drill is going to be very effective. Use a die grinder if you can.

Hope this makes sense.

[Blitzboy54]

I used one of these. Worked great and pretty quickly. The 2" roll bar is 10x worse.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0D6YRZC73...n_title_1&th=1

[Jeff Kleiner]

So - what's the trick to getting this to fit?

You gotta' get rid of the chrome on the male stub and all 4 female ends. I can make pretty short work of it using a 40 &/or 80 grit sanding drums in a die grinder---you need the RPMs which you won't get in a drill. Same thing for taking it off of the male end, just work real carefully and maybe run a couple of layers around the larger OD to protect it from a slip

Good luck!

Jeff

[Mike(Ontario)]

I like this! I am building an Mk4 with a coyote + heater + glove box and am looking for a solution to fit it all together. If this worked well, for you, and from what I see it did, could I get the design for the box so I too can send it to a local metal laser cutting shop.

[dbo_texas]

I like this! I am building an Mk4 with a coyote + heater + glove box and am looking for a solution to fit it all together. If this worked well, for you, and from what I see it did, could I get the design for the box so I too can send it to a local metal laser cutting shop.

Sent you a PM & email w/ link to download the heater box files. Fab away!

[dbo_texas]

Haven't gotten back to the roll bars just yet. I bought all sorts of grinders, drum sanding bits, etc and will try those out at a later date. This weekend I had some free time so I went ahead and finished up the last couple of items I needed to complete before semi-permanently mounting the dash.

Heater vents:
I used the vents that came with the FFR heater unit from Vintage Air. I'm doing one vent for each footbox, and also plan on doing the windshield defrost vents. For mounting each vent, I mounted them to the 2x2 frame and they are pointing down. You can angle the baffle in the vent to direct it at your seat. It might not be as efficient as if I had mounted it horizontally, but that would have required the duct hose to exit from the rear of the vent and I couldn't figure out a good way to route the duct. So they point downwards. I mounted using 2 thread-cutting screws into the 2x2 frame tube. Easy.

DS vent (bottom view):


DS vent (top view):


PS vent (bottom view):


PS vent (top view):


Duct Hose Routing
For the duct hoses, for the DS footbox I used the lower port on the heater and for the dash defrost I'm using the upper port. On the PS it's the opposite simply due to how the hose routing worked out.


Here's what it looks like with all hoses routed. I might need to 3D print a right angle elbow or make a fully custom dash vent for the defrost. I don't think I have room to come from below with the hose going into the defrost vent on the PS side. DS looks like it will work...we'll see.




Question: Does anyone make a metal dash defrost vent trim piece? Preferrable chrome? If not I can have my own laser cut but just curious if anyone makes one already (preferred). I don't want to use the black plastic pieces FFR provides in the kit.

[dbo_texas]

The last electrical item that I hadn't completed was the seat heater wiring. The actual circuit is super simple because the seats come with a harness already. You just plug in the two dongles near the relay into the two connectors on the seat (one for the bottom cushion, one for the back cushion), then route it up to the dash where you connect power/ground and the dash button dongle. I figure after adding the heat/sound barrier and carpet, the wires should be pretty well invisible. Anyone see issues with how this is laid out?

Driver side:




Passenger side:




I'm not super happy with how these are passing through the bottom of the dash. I don't think the wires will really be visible unless you look from below, but seems there should be a better way. Running them through the trans tunnel would have been best, but because my engine is already in that was a non-starter as I can't really access that area to get the wires back up into the dash. So I'm going to live with it and see how it turns out.

I plan to use the Breeze seat mounts with my Intatrim Stoneleigh seats. So I'll have to see if the length of the connector pigtails are long enough to plug in. If not, it should be very easy to extend them if needed.

[edwardb]

Does anyone make a metal dash defrost vent trim piece? Preferrable chrome? If not I can have my own laser cut but just curious if anyone makes one already (preferred). I don't want to use the black plastic pieces FFR provides in the kit.

I've used Vintage Air 63100-VUQ a couple of times. They're nice aluminum pieces and seem to be an upgrade over the similar plastic parts. I'd caution against anything shiny or chrome though. I've ended up spraying them black because they reflected onto the windshield directly into my field of vision.

[dbo_texas]

I've used Vintage Air 63100-VUQ a couple of times. They're nice aluminum pieces and seem to be an upgrade over the similar plastic parts. I'd caution against anything shiny or chrome though. I've ended up spraying them black because they reflected onto the windshield directly into my field of vision.

Thanks Paul - so sounds like maybe stick with the black plastic or go with the metal parts and paint them black to eliminate glare. I didn't think about the glare factor but makes sense.

[dbo_texas]

Uhg....one step forward two steps back. After mounting my dash (I had hoped for the last time), I found that what was once working is no longer working. The two items NOT working are:

1. Rear DS tail light --> I'm about 95% sure this is an issue with the ground wire either in the connector at the tail light harness, or inside the light fixture itself. If I touch the threaded mounting studs coming out of the back of the fixture to ground, they work as intended. I'll re-pin the ground wire on the connector and re-try this one.
2. Hazard flashers no longer working --> these were working previously. The turn signals both work, but flashers do not. The relay is clicking, and the button on the dash blinks with the relays, but the 4 lights aren't blinking. So frustrated....hoping it is related to the grounding issue on the rear tail light. If not, I'll have to pull the dash off and start checking all the wires/connections which will be a major PITA.

On the bright side I tested both seat heaters since this was the first time I had those hooked up, and they are working (hi & low).

I've also come to the conclusion that the 3M Dual-Lock solution I planned to use for mounting the top portion of the dash may not be adequate. The concern is that due to all the wiring harnesses and heater ducting pushes with a fair amount of force on the dash. I'm not sure the dual-lock will hold, but we'll see. I epoxied small metal pieces where the dual-lock tabs are located so that they have metal to bond to instead of the carbon fiber. If it isn't sufficient, I'll add some screws instead which I was hoping to avoid.

[dbo_texas]

Uhg....one step forward two steps back. After mounting my dash (I had hoped for the last time), I found that what was once working is no longer working. The two items NOT working are:

1. Rear DS tail light --> I'm about 95% sure this is an issue with the ground wire either in the connector at the tail light harness, or inside the light fixture itself. If I touch the threaded mounting studs coming out of the back of the fixture to ground, they work as intended. I'll re-pin the ground wire on the connector and re-try this one.
2. Hazard flashers no longer working --> these were working previously. The turn signals both work, but flashers do not. The relay is clicking, and the button on the dash blinks with the relays, but the 4 lights aren't blinking. So frustrated....hoping it is related to the grounding issue on the rear tail light. If not, I'll have to pull the dash off and start checking all the wires/connections which will be a major PITA.

On the bright side I tested both seat heaters since this was the first time I had those hooked up, and they are working (hi & low).

I've also come to the conclusion that the 3M Dual-Lock solution I planned to use for mounting the top portion of the dash may not be adequate. The concern is that due to all the wiring harnesses and heater ducting pushes with a fair amount of force on the dash. I'm not sure the dual-lock will hold, but we'll see. I epoxied small metal pieces where the dual-lock tabs are located so that they have metal to bond to instead of the carbon fiber. If it isn't sufficient, I'll add some screws instead which I was hoping to avoid.

Well item #2 is resolved. I was able to tilt the dash far enough away to see the connectors for the hazards. Turns out one of the ground pins has been pushed out of the Molex connector body. Simple fix to clip that back in and now the hazards are working again. Item #1 is still unresolved. I re-pinned both Weatherpack connectors hoping it was just an issue with the connector, but it didn't resolve the problem. I made a quick video demonstrating the issue. The PS works perfectly. The DS brake light doesn't work unless the tail light housing is touching chassis ground. I checked the pin outs going to the DS lights and they match what is happening on the PS (and per the FFR wiring instructions). At this point, I'm thinking I have a faulty tail light. I've ordered a new one from FFR ($26 for the part...and $27 for shipping). Hopefully this will fix the issue but if anyone has any other ideas, I'm all ears.
https://youtube.com/shorts/fonsuZBda...MBWx5Z0CTtpTE1

Also, I removed the clamps from the dash and the 3M dual-lock is holding strong....so maybe those will work out after all.

[dbo_texas]

Well item #2 is resolved. I was able to tilt the dash far enough away to see the connectors for the hazards. Turns out one of the ground pins has been pushed out of the Molex connector body. Simple fix to clip that back in and now the hazards are working again. Item #1 is still unresolved. I re-pinned both Weatherpack connectors hoping it was just an issue with the connector, but it didn't resolve the problem. I made a quick video demonstrating the issue. The PS works perfectly. The DS brake light doesn't work unless the tail light housing is touching chassis ground. I checked the pin outs going to the DS lights and they match what is happening on the PS (and per the FFR wiring instructions). At this point, I'm thinking I have a faulty tail light. I've ordered a new one from FFR ($26 for the part...and $27 for shipping). Hopefully this will fix the issue but if anyone has any other ideas, I'm all ears.
https://youtube.com/shorts/fonsuZBda...MBWx5Z0CTtpTE1

Also, I removed the clamps from the dash and the 3M dual-lock is holding strong....so maybe those will work out after all.

Mystery solved on the electrical tail light issue. I did a continuity test from the connector to the metal body of the tail light and got no connectivity. So this told me definitively there was something wrong with the ground connection, either at the wire or where it terminates to the body. After some investigating I found that the wire INSIDE the tail light pigtail had been soldered together and had broken at some point. Not sure who did this or why...I can't imagine this was done at the tail light factory but who knows. All I know is it wasn't me. Nevertheless, I replaced the ground wire and now everything is working perfectly. Case closed...moving on. Silly how stupid stuff like this can waste so much time during the build.

[Mike.Bray]

Air gap problem!

[dbo_texas]

Air gap problem!

haha yeah electricity doesn't do so well with that.

[dbo_texas]

This weekend I'm shooting to do first start, but before I do that I wanted to document all the electrical wiring. I have a lot of customization in my build, so this guide is mostly for my own reference. I made a PPT of all the custom schematics and/or modifications to the RF Harness that I made. Many of the circuits draw from other builds and I'll try to point those out as I go. I'll include the images here, but in the main power point slides are on my Google Drive if anyone wants to view them here: Cobra electrical schematic modifications.pptx

Planning:
I previously outlined my electrical plans on Post #147-#148.

Power Wiring
I won't spend a ton of time on this one because I basically tried to mimic exactly what edwardb did on his 20th Anniversary build. Other builders have copied this with great success so I didn't re-invent the wheel. I detailed this in my build thread post #162. The main points are:

• Run #2 AWG ground cable from battery to Ø4" frame tube near battery
• Run #2 AWG +12V battery cable from positive battery lead to master disconnect non-switched post (lower post) via the Ø4" PS frame tube
• Run short #4 AWG battery cable from master disconnect non-switched post (lower post) to the 250A mega fuse below PDB
• Run #4 AWG battery cable from 250A mega fuse to PDB front power tap
• Run new #4 AWG cable from master disconnect switched side (upper post) left to the starter on left side of engine (run w/ Coyote harness ground wire & heavy gauge starter wire from Coyote ECU leg of the harness)
• Run #8 AWG cable from master disconnect switched side (upper post) to the right and enter the DS footbox (using same grommet as hydraulic clutch line), then route up to the Blue Seas +12V busbar mounted behind the dash. This will serve as the main +12V feed to the RF harness.
• On the Blue Seas busbar, connect +12V from switched side of master disconnect (per item above), and then connect the three +12V red wires from the RF harness starter leg (Red Battery Feed, Red Alternator Feed, and Red Ignition Switch Feed) - these are on the starter leg of the RF harness and can be shortened and rerouted to the busbar. The blue starter wire in this leg of the RF harness can be capped (you don't need it w/ the Coyote)
• Run #8 AWG for alternator feed from Blue Seas busbar to a 150A Mega Fuse, then back through dash and out the grommet with the sender unit harness. It goes to the same location on the engine as the senders on the engine, so they can all run together.

I made my own custom battery cables, and as mentioned I didn't use the #4 AWG cables provided with the kit. I went with #2 AWG cables and used the solder-style lugs for connection to the battery. Here's a video I made showing how to solder the lugs onto the cable ends:


Here's a video showing the power wiring to the Blue Seas Busbar behind the dash:
https://youtube.com/shorts/9GbCyKHPp-Y?feature=share

Showing the main power cable routing:


Here's a closeup of the power breakout near the firewall:


Showing +12V going into the footbox - this will go to the Blue Seas busbar behind the dash and ultimately to the RF Fuse Panel and other items.


Here's the Ø4" PS frame tube where the starter motor power wire and blue starter cable from the Coyote harness break out:


Here's what it looks like where the start motor wires break out of the loom:


Here's what's happening behind the dash. You can see the Blue Seas 12V busbar terminal strip, along with the 150A MegaFuse for the alternator power:


Here's the same view but with wires installed:

[dbo_texas]

Coyote Harness Modifications
Here are the main details for the Coyote Harness. I made a few modifications listed below:

• Reroute the long blunt cut black #10 AWG ground wire with the main battery feed cable along the frame and terminate at the Ø4" tube ground location (near battery). This should break out of the Coyote harness at the tri-split on the firewall. This wire is hanging out, already split at the firewall breakout --> I had to extend this as the provided wire wasn't long enough to reach my chassis ground point (see post above for pic)
• Reroute the heavy gauge blue starter wire from the ECU leg of the Coyote harness to break out at the tri-split on the firewall and run this down with the ground wire --> break it out of the loom near the starter motor. Will need to unwrap the ECU leg to get this free. This wire energizes the starter motor solenoid when commanded by the ECU.
• Break out the Coyote Harness orange fan power wire (#10 AWG) from the ECU leg, and run it to the front and then down to the Maradyne PWM fan controller unit (more on this later)
• While I was routing the orange fan wire, I went ahead and added a new wire from the end of the orange fan wire, through the firewall and back to the dash so I can wire up an indicator light when the fan is running[/INDENT]
• I stripped back the dash side of the Coyote Harness loom to relocate some items. Here are some examples: OBD2 port, MIL, throttle DBW, and clutch bottom switch area all grouped together. Throttle & clutch switches need to go to DS footbox, MIL & OBD2 can mount under the dash. I mounted the MIL & OBD2 port under the steering column.
• Connect the Blue SMR Start Request wire from Coyote 16-way pigtail connector to the Blue EFI Crank wire in the RF harness which connects to the ignition switch. The purpose of this wire is to signal the Coyote ECU to initiate the start sequence when the ignition key is turned to start.
• I cut the factory oil pressure sensor connector off the Coyote Harness (for the Gen2 Coyote, I used the Speedhut oil pressure sender instead). Or you can just leave the connector and tie it off somewhere out of the way. Note - for Gen 3 you need to keep this sensor and use a "T" into the oil pressure sender port along with the gauge sensor. But in Gen 2 enginers it is NOT used.

For the Fuel Pump circuit, I didn't 100% follow the FFR instructions. After doing some research, I used Option 2 listed below which eliminates one of the fuses vs. how the FFR Coyote Fitment Instructions show (Option 1). The thread referencing this method is HERE.


Here's a more detailed view of what's going on with the actual fuel pump relay. Note that I'm no longer using the 15A fused IGN FEED for the fuel pump circuit. I'm now using that for my seat heater circuits (more on this later).

[Nigel Allen]

Nice work on the electrical mod diagrams. Hope you are correct in cutting the Coyote oil pressure sender out of circuit. I thought it was required by the ECU for something? Maybe pressure relief control? Hopefully 'I have got my wires crossed' Might be one for Paul B to chip in.


Good luck with the start!

Cheers,

Nige

[dbo_texas]

Cooling Fan Circuit
In reading other forum posts, a frequent gripe with Gen2 Coyotes is that the ECU runs the fan almost constantly, and at full speed. It's supposedly very loud. To rectify this, I'm using a Maradyne MFA136 PWM Fan Controller with Mishimoto MMWHS-38-BK 38mm adapter (for mounting temp sensor in radiator return hose) to control the radiator fan on/off and speed. You can program it to kick on at a set temp. One of the threads I referenced is HERE. Anyhow, for wiring up the Maradyne unit, I followed the schematics provided by GT Bradley HERE. In this setup, the Maradyne Fan PWM Controller is actually controlling the ground circuit for the radiator fan to control on/off and speed. I'm using the 14ga Coyote Orange wire to the radiator, and then feeding the Maradyne unit power from the RF Harness orange Coil/EFI. The Maradyne unit doesn't draw much power itself, it really just controls the ground path for the fan.


Here's where I mounted the Maradyne unit:


And here you can see where the temp sensor is mounted into the radiator lower return hose:

[dbo_texas]

'65 Mustang Ignition Switch
FFR provides a mix of random switches and knobs with the kit. This wasn't going to cut it for my build - I wanted all the switches and knobs to match and look like a cohesive dash. As such, I swapped the FFR ignition for a '65 Mustang Ignition switch, used a '65 Mustang Rotary 2-speed wiper switch, and replaced the knobs on the FFR headlight switch and heater switch for '65 Mustang knobs.



The wiring for the ignition switch is pretty much straight forward once you figure out what each wire does, then match it up with the FFR schematics. Here's what I came up with and this works (verified):


The wires shown in this pic are from a pigtail plug that you can buy to pair with the switch. However, for the life of me I couldn't get it to mate with the switch that I bought, so I ditched it and went with spade terminals to plug in individually into the back of the switch.

Fuel Pump Cutoff Switch
Another modification I made was to use one of the FFR provided ON/OFF switches to add a fuel pump cutoff switch in-line with the inertia switch. This could serve as a backup fuel pump cutoff switch in the event that the inertia switch didn't work (unlikely but you never know), or could also be used as an anti-theft switch. I added it because why not?



I mounted the switch underneath the dash.

[dbo_texas]

Courtesy Lights
Here's a fun one. When adding extra wiring for the courtesy lights, I didn't inspect the FFR Ron Francis schematic close enough. In their circuit, the headlight switch activates the courtesy lights by closing the ground path for the circuit. I assumed it provided 12V power (wrong). I had already ran dedicated ground and power wires for all of the extra courtesy lights that I added (trunk area, cockpit cubby, under-dash, engine bay). To make the circuit work using the FFR headlight switch, I ended up using a relay.

Headlight switch functionality description (edwardb...who else)


In my setup, I'm using the RF chassis harness RED-COURTESY LT wire to power the lights, but also provide power to the relay coil. Then I use the FFR headlight switch to close the ground path for the relay coil (i.e. negative trigger). All the LEDs themselves are just tied to chassis ground. I added 2 in trunk, 2 in cockpit cubby, 4 under dash, 2 in engine bay:


Here's a video showing the courtesy light LEDs (7:10 mark in the video):
https://youtu.be/KY9TyqGOFZs?si=sZ55kFFU_-TuCMpH&t=430

Seat Heater Circuit
This one is also pretty straight forward. I'm using Intatrim Stoneleigh seats with heaters already installed. They sent the diagram below. To power this circuit, I'm using the the 15A circuit in the RF Fuse panel originally designated for the fuel pump. Since I'm using the Coyote circuit to power the fuel pump, this RF fuse panel circuit was free. I clipped the wire and added a white extension wire.

[dbo_texas]

RT Turn Signal & IDIDIT Relay
All the props for this one go to the forum user Ted G. He detailed how to connect this all together HERE, and it worked perfectly. For those that don't know, the RT Turn Signal replaces the FFR provided dash toggle switch for a steering column mounted turn signal stock. It's spring loaded and has a button on the end you can use as another switch. Paired with the IDIDIT dimmer module, you can control the turn signals and your Hi beam / Low beam headlights. When the headlights are off, pressing the button on the stalk acts as a momentary switch and flashes the high beams. When the headlights are ON, pressing the button on the stalk toggles between high & low beam. I'll be honest, I had a very hard time following Russ Thompson's instructions for the turn signal and it required diodes and relays to make it work. With this setup, it's super simple. Anyhow, I hooked it all up as shown below, and viola everything works. There's a video below where I show the functionality.

[dbo_texas]

HAZARDS CIRCUIT WITH BILLET BUTTON
This one took a little bit to figure out. I replaced all the FFR toggle switches with billet buttons, and the hazard switch was one of those. I wanted the button LED to flash with the hazards. In this setup, the billet button controls a relay and the relay device power comes from the PNK-HAZARD FLASHER wire in the RF Harness (this also provides power to the button LED). I provide an ALTERNATE wiring option which would illuminate the button constantly when hazards are turned on, but I prefer the blinking on the dash. Either will work.

One key item to point out in this wiring is that you need to add diodes to the turn signal wires to prevent back-feeding the hazard button LED when you have the turn signals on, otherwise the button would light up when you put your blinkers on. I used 5A/60V diodes. These only allow current to flow in one direction.



Video of hazard button in action (2:08 mark in the video):


For reference, in case it helps someone, here is the diagram for the billet buttons from Custom Billet Buttons, where I got my buttons (hazards, horn)


HORN CIRCUIT WITH BILLET BUTTON
The horn wiring was straight forward. I've got the billet button wired up so that the button will illuminate when the parking lights or headlights are activated (see bottom right of image below for billet button wire connections). I added some resistors to drop the current a bit and reduce the brightness.

[dbo_texas]

65 Mustang Rotary Wiper Switch
For me this was one of the harder circuits, mostly because I couldn't find good references to align the 65 Mustang rotary 2-speed wiper switch with the provided FFR toggle switch and circuit. As mentioned earlier, I don't light the toggles and wanted something nicer. The 65 Mustang switch matches the other dash bling. I also added bezels with labels to each of the knobs (headlights, ignition, wipers, heater) so they all match. Here's the schematic - confirmed working 100%. One thing to note, and I encountered, is that the FFR wiper motor has a micro-switch inside the white connector housing which can get stuck and prevent the "Park" function from working. I wasted an ludicrous amount of time thinking my circuit was wrong, only to find several forum posts like THIS ONE, THIS ONE, and THIS ONE describing what was really happening. After taking apart the wiper motor connector, and adding a little grease, voila the park function works.



To connect to the back of the wiper switch, I just used female spade terminals.



Video showing park function:
https://photos.app.goo.gl/EZHoiw6dx1ae39U7A

[dbo_texas]

FOOTBOX BLOWERS w/ BILLET BUTTONS
Keeping the billet button theme alive, I used them to control the footbox blower fans. I have them wired up so that they illuminate when the button is pressed or when parking lights are on. I had some difficulty with this circuit as well, and some folks on the forum helped me trouble-shoot the issue detailed HERE. They also suggested adding diodes, both to prevent the parking light feed from turning on the blower fan, and also to prevent the button from lighting up when the fan turns due to inadvertent movement (forced air through brake duct).



After troubleshooting and adding the diodes, this is the final circuit (diagram above doesn't show the actual wire connections from the billet button):

[dbo_texas]

CUSTOM RELAY PANEL
Since several circuits in my build required relays to work properly (or to prevent accidentally putting too much current through my billet buttons), and because my firewall was getting super crowded, I ended up making a relay panel and mounted it to the back side of the Coyote ECU. It is mounted with a custom fabricated sheet metal bracket and uses standoffs from the ECU bracket provided by FFR w/ the Coyote fitment kit.





ADDITIONAL FUSE PANEL
When I started adding all these custom circuits, I thought I would run out on the RF Fuse Panel, so I went ahead and added another 6-circuit panel located under the DS footbox. I'm running an 8ga wire up to the 12V busbar on the dash (switched from master cutoff). Same 12V source as the RF fuse panel. In the pic below you can see the secondary fuse panel mounted to the right (with the red 12V feed) and you can also see where I mounted my MIL indicator and OBD2 port.

[dbo_texas]

That's a lot of electrical. There are a few other items I thought worth mentioning, but didn't really take any pictures of. Here's the list of other modifications or circuits I added:

• Dieted/removed the 33 hotrod leg completely --> not used at all
• For the starter leg of the harness, I de-loomed this and routed the 3 red power wires to the Blue Seas busbar behind the dash. The blue solenoid start wire was capped & tied out of the way (not needed w/ Coyote)
• For the alternator leg, I de-loomed this and routed it from the 150A MegaFuse behind the dash with the sender unit harness (oil pressure, water temp, etc) and routed through the firewall into the engine bay
• For all the lights (turn signals, tail lights) I used Weatherpack connectors
• On rear harness, I added +12V ignition power for AUX/USB ports mounted on transmission tunnel (ran both power and ground). I used the RF harness 10A fused radio circuit for this.
• Added 4 wires for the reverse lockout module from Forte's on the T56 (2x for the speed sensor on transmission - used the speed sense wires already in the rear harness for this, and 2x for the lockout solenoid). I wired this up to the reverse lockout module from Forte per the instructions provided, making sure to connect ground wires first before power (instructions say you will fry the module if you don't do this). The T56 doesn't have a neutral safety switch.
• Added 1 new wire to rear harness for reverse light (fused +12V HAAT radio memory circuit) to the transmission switch, and the subsequent output of the transmission switch to the reverse light LED in the rear of the car. For ground, I tapped into the ground wire in the rear harness
• Powering the GPS & clock using the Coyote Harness HAAT (hot at all times) wire.
• For the sending unit harness, I spliced the Speed Hut gauge wires to the provided harness wires

Rear chassis harness leg routing:
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/YXeLLti4wIA

This shows where I mounted the chassis ground busbar (for multiple circuits), IDIDIT headlight relay module, and T56 reverse lockout module.


Here's how I routed the rear harness and break out the wires for the reverse light (plugs into PS front connector on the T56), and the reverse lockout solenoid (plugs into DS rear connector on the T56)

[edwardb]

Nice work on the electrical mod diagrams. Hope you are correct in cutting the Coyote oil pressure sender out of circuit. I thought it was required by the ECU for something? Maybe pressure relief control? Hopefully 'I have got my wires crossed' Might be one for Paul B to chip in.


Good luck with the start!

Cheers,

Nige

The Gen 3 Coyote requires the Ford stock oil pressure sensor. So a "T" connection is required to add the gauge sensor. For the Gen 2 (this build) the Ford oil pressure sender isn't required. So it can be removed. Don't know about the Gen 4. My guess is it will be the same as the Gen 3 since in crate form they are very similar.

[edwardb]

Nice job on all the wiring and documentation. Someone spent some time doing a bunch of graphics. The power wiring setup looks familiar.

The only thing I saw that's slightly confusing is there are two wires for the Coyote start circuit. There is the light blue SMR wire from the Coyote pigtail that goes to the RF blue start wire from the ignition switch. Its purpose is to signal the Coyote ECU to initiate the start sequence when the ignition key is turned to start. Then there is the heavier (and separate) start wire in the Coyote harness itself that goes to the actual starter solenoid which energizes the starter solenoid when commanded by the ECU. Saw references to this wire as "SMR" which technically it isn't and could be confusing. That's being really picky but thought I would point it out.

[dbo_texas]

Nice job on all the wiring and documentation. Someone spent some time doing a bunch of graphics. The power wiring setup looks familiar.

The only thing I saw that's slightly confusing is there are two wires for the Coyote start circuit. There is the light blue SMR wire from the Coyote pigtail that goes to the RF blue start wire from the ignition switch. Its purpose is to signal the Coyote ECU to initiate the start sequence when the ignition key is turned to start. Then there is the heavier (and separate) start wire in the Coyote harness itself that goes to the actual starter solenoid which energizes the starter solenoid when commanded by the ECU. Saw references to this wire as "SMR" which technically it isn't and could be confusing. That's being really picky but thought I would point it out.

Thanks Paul - I updated my posts #256 and #257 for clarity around these two.

[dbo_texas]

Going for 1st start this weekend so need to put some gas in the tank. I had an F150 (Gen1 Coyote) and always used 87 octane regular gas. Not sure what the Mustang version uses. In the Coyote Controls Pack Installation - M-6017-M50A_504V specification it says to use 91 octane or higher. Doing a quick search on the forum, it seems both 87 & 93 are common? For those who have the Coyote setup, what has been your experience? Other than a little higher cost (which doesn't really matter to me), any downside to using the premium fuel?

[Presdough]

Other than cost there is no downside to using premium fuel. The higher the octane, the slower the fuel burns. in high compression engines this curtails detonation. The cylinder pressure rises more smoothly throughout the stroke instead of being a hammer blow on the top of the piston.

[dbo_texas]

Yesterday I had some friends over and even a few folks I didn't know that are just old car heads and wanted to check it out. I followed a checklist for first start that I had put together from a bunch of other posts, and just went down the line. I did forget to pull the cardboard off the radiator on the initial start, but only ran it for a few seconds. We pulled the cardboard for subsequent starts.

My first start checklist: First Start Checklist - FFR Roadster - Darryl

Details:

• Filled tank with about 3 gallons 93 Octane w/ fuel stabilizer
• Primed the fuel lines by turning key to on (not START) - this runs the fuel pump for about 1 sec each time (wait 20 sec between cycles so the computer can reset)
• Checked inertia switch and fuel cut-off switch (ON)
• Car in neutral and clutch depressed
• Crank!

Initially there were no leaks on the fuel lines, coolant connections, or power steering (more on this in the next post). It cranked almost immediately as you can see in the video. It was a great experience and a lot of friends and family were there to celebrate. I ended up cranking it a few times, topping up fluids and monitoring gauges each time.

[dbo_texas]

As mentioned above I successfully completed first start yesterday. I had cranked it 3 or 4 times letting it run idle for a while, and checking and refilling fluids between each cycle. Well after taking a couple of hours off, I came back and decided to top off all the fluids and crank it one more time for the day just to hear it purr and check if the radiator fan kicked on (we didn't test that in initial starts). I did one last "top up" on the power steering fluid and I left about 3/4" - 1" of air gap to the cap. After starting, I was turning the wheel lock-to-lock to try to bleed the system some more. When I got to the right-most lock, I saw the PS high pressure line going to the PS rack jump (i.e. the hose bobbed like a huge pressure spike or drop). I backed it off and did it again and as soon as I hit the right most lock, POP. The high pressure line ruptured and I immediately shut down the engine.

Power steering fluid leaking:


Upon inspection, the high pressure line that failed is one of the factory hoses provided with the kit which uses crimped barb connections between the fitting and the hose. It looks like the crimp simply failed. Anybody seen this before? I was very surprised because I had assumed for sure the failure would have been on one of the custom hoses I made. I'm not sure why this would happen...I pretty surprised actually. I thought these lines were rated to 2500 psi...that's what the hoses I built are rated for (on the high power side). It makes sense the failure occurred at a fitting connection (vs. a hose rupture), but surprising nevertheless.


Questions for the group:

1. Could that be a result of over-filling the KRC PS pump reservoir? I know for sure I left some air gap...it wasn't up to the cap.
2. Could this just be a faulty hose crimp? Seems unlikely as these are likely pressure tested at the factory (as is standard practice for hydraulic lines).
3. Could the hydroboost have anything do do with this? My PS system goes from the KRC pump to the hydroboost, then to the rack then oil cooler then back to the pump. I'm not super familiar with how the diaphragm in the hydroboost works and if it could have contributed to this failure mode

.

Other than the time wasted cleaning this up, all things considered this isn't too big of a setback. While it killed the initial euphoria from a successful first start, after taking a step back it really isn't that bad other than the time it took to clean up the huge mess. I soaked up all the fluid then tried to scrub all parts on the car which got fluid on them with hot soapy water. I think I got most of it but it was everywhere so I'm sure I missed some spots. I think the fix at this point for me is to simply buy (or make) a new hose, then re-fill the fluids. It took about 1.75 quarts to fill the pump reservoir, hoses, and hydroboost. So I need 2 more bottles of the KRC PS fluid. My biggest concern is having something happen like this while driving so first and foremost I want to try to understand WHY it occurred (if it wasn't simply a faulty hose), so I can prevent it from happening again. Any ideas/suggestions would be welcome!

[Blitzboy54]

Hell yeah! Top 2 moment on any build is when that thing fires up for the first time. Sounds great!!


As for the blowout I completely understand your concern. Once repaired leave the cap off and make sure your getting return flow. That would be the only thing I could think of. You are pumping fluid into the system and its blocked somewhere. Either a bad steering rack or something in your hydroboost setup.


If you have normal return the KRC pump is tried and true at this point. I don't see how the hydroboost would add pressure without a blockage. If it were me I would replace the line, let the engine warm up and do a couple of high RPM pulls. Do this several times.

[dbo_texas]

Hell yeah! Top 2 moment on any build is when that thing fires up for the first time. Sounds great!!


As for the blowout I completely understand your concern. Once repaired leave the cap off and make sure your getting return flow. That would be the only thing I could think of. You are pumping fluid into the system and its blocked somewhere. Either a bad steering rack or something in your hydroboost setup.


If you have normal return the KRC pump is tried and true at this point. I don't see how the hydroboost would add pressure without a blockage. If it were me I would replace the line, let the engine warm up and do a couple of high RPM pulls. Do this several times.

Thanks for the input - this is what I'll do. I'm leaning towards just buying a PTFE fitting and installing on the end of the line (after trimming off the crimp area). My hose has plenty of length. Is that a bad idea (vs. buying or making a completely new line)? If I buy a new pre-built hose, I wonder if FFR will sell me one... I don't know what the length of the stock hoses are - I'm using both of them in my setup although routed differently vs. the instructions since I have the hydroboost in the loop.

[Mike.Bray]

I'm leaning towards just buying a PTFE fitting and installing on the end of the line (after trimming off the crimp area).

Careful, careful. Unless you know for sure the hose manufacturer you can't install a different hose end. Hoses and fittings are designed to work together and not for mixing and matching. I made all of my hoses, didn't trust the FFR supplied ones. Can't remember, I used either Earl's or Hot Rod Fuel Hose. Both are high quality products.

[dbo_texas]

After taking a closer look at the hose end where it popped off the barbed fitting & was crimped, it's pretty apparent this was a bad hose. You can very clearly see where the end of the PTFE tube is bent inward, meaning when the barb was inserted this end folded over and pushed down into the tube, creating a poor seal with the barbs. I don't think pulling straight off the barb would result in anything like this. I think I'll take Mike's advice and just get a new hose assembly. I measured it and it 36 in length from right angle fitting to straight fitting.

[TXeverydayDad]

Congrats on the first start! Sounds great!

[Blitzboy54]

Thanks for the input - this is what I'll do. I'm leaning towards just buying a PTFE fitting and installing on the end of the line (after trimming off the crimp area). My hose has plenty of length. Is that a bad idea (vs. buying or making a completely new line)? If I buy a new pre-built hose, I wonder if FFR will sell me one... I don't know what the length of the stock hoses are - I'm using both of them in my setup although routed differently vs. the instructions since I have the hydroboost in the loop.

As luck would have it I have 2 unused FFR power steering hoses. If you want one I’m happy to mail it out to you. I ended up with four of them for some reason.