Remote Transmission Dip Stick Aftermarket Support?

[Friday yet?]

I'm just a tool that made a living my whole life with my hands instead of my brain

Hate to break it to you, but anyone who can design and make this dipstick most definitely earned a living with their brain!!! Hands simply turned that brain power into a final result.

Sponsored

 

[RedlandRanger]

I’m trying to learn more patience but this anxious suspense is getting rough. Very eager to get mine?. It may be more torture for me right now but where can I view this install video? Is there a link?

 

[RangerPhx]

Thank you my friend!

 

[IdahoRanger]

Awesome video.

 

[Fitzmotor]

Remember Bob Chandler built his original BigFoot in his garage. Then he built his shop. ?

He came to the Ford dealer I worked at back in the mid 90's and was doing wheelies down between the new cars, simply amazing!

Soon as you have the Shopify site up Fitz I'll put my info in for one. Really magnificent work. To be fair, however, wouldn't expect less from a former Honda Racing fabricator. Rock on!

Ha thanks, engine builder 90% of the time, car builds and Dyno operator the rest of it, you should see the alternator cooling lines and the turbo lines on a Indycar engine, they are tight, they would bring out the CAD designed ones, they would get them get them back, cut, bent, chopped up in general, whatever it took so they actually fit, then they would send them back to the hose mfg to duplicate

We finally bought one of those hose angle measuring fixtures, great tool for hoses.

 

[airline tech]

3 Comparision shots of the Short Harness Run to the EGR Backpressure Sensor

This shows that the sensor final torqued position will vary and change the length of the harness.

First - Install Video Snap

2nd - Another Member Install

Note: How the connector is installed and the wires are about 180 deg difference from video

Mine - Not the clearest picture but you can see the connector is also clocked differently.

I want to highlight this to reiterate what Mike has instructed and that is to ensure the wire harness is not pinched under the MBS mount, but I would like to add an important note and that is the short wire run (Length) will vary depending on where the final rest torque of the sensor is.
If you are not paying attention to this, it may cause issues down the road due to the stress on the harness at the connector.

You may have to adjust the harness some to get enough play in it to allow zero stress with the tube installed.

2 Options Here:

1. Pull the support out - (White Nylon) Plastic Fastener - It may break getting it out, and push the main harness towards the driver's side, as this will give more slack to the short harness run.
Reroute the main harness to the bottom of the bracket and resecure with zip-tie using the open hole from the nylon fastener.

or

2. Carefully unwrap the main harness at the branch out of the shorter harness to give it some slack. be very careful here if you use a knife to cut the protective wrap, you do not want to cut or Knick a wire.

For me the less invasive and safest way is best so just use option #1 for the average owner who has not had experience cutting into a wire harness.

Again, strain relief is important here, so during install and after install, run your finger along both the main and short harness runs and give a gentle tug on them to ensure you have play in both harnesses.
As this will verify you are not pinched under the MBS bracket and also verify you are not stressing the short harness run between the main harness and the connector.

Well, I took another look at the short harness and took a better (more lighting) pic.
It turns out mine is clocked as the install video. I did verify that the Backpressure connector is solid and will not rotate as I was thinking of that as an easy option. But no joy there.
So, this leads to only one thing and that is the branch out from the main harness is slightly different.
Updated Pic:

 

[Fitzmotor]

That's the kind of mass production variance that is difficult to build something to.

Does it look like bending down the tab coming of the water pipe that holds the connectors and loom would help?

Thank you very much for taking the time to do this, through you guys is the only way to understand any variables.

Anybody out there with anything that is, or could be a issue, please let me know.

I am thankful to have such a knowledgeable group of people combined with the great communication through 5G to be the first with their hands on my product.

 

[Racket]

Just opened the box. Looks like it was made by a major company with a huge team of people and top notch logistics (packing).

Very impressed.

Part of me is afraid to see how much fluid my trans has been running on. Dealership "checked it" when I complained of problems.. said it was fine and the trans was acting normal. Me getting the fill cap off should prove if they did that or lied about it.

Got mine. Unboxing:

 

[airline tech]

Let me try to better explain what I experienced.

Below is my OEM at rest position of the short harness, now at the nylon fastener which will pivot side to side will allow the harness to shift.

So, when you take the short harness and push it towards the mount bracket, it does not have enough length to reach the bracket without causing the main harness to raise upwards towards the top of the bracket.

So, with tube installed the short harness will wrap along the inside of the tube but it is under strain and pulls the short harness tight and if you run your finger along the harness, you can tell its taught and no movement is felt.
This also creates another issue; the main harness is now raised and wants to position itself across the top of the mounting bracket. (Thus, interfering with the install)

So, I believe that bending down the (Nylon Support) bracket would only help with the main harness.

The main issue here is the position of the (Nylon Support) on the main harness and the branch out placement of the short harness.

By pulling the nylon fastener out, this allows the main harness to shift farther towards the driver's side.
If you move the main harness about 1 inch or so towards the driver's side and use a zip-tie in its place at the original support point accomplishes 2 things.

Note: I chose to move the main harness to the bottom of the support bracket vs the OEM Top, IDK if really required, I just chose to do it, due to my original issue of it wanting to pull up and over the MBS bracket mounting point.

1. Puts a natural slack in the short harness run, so with the tube installed the harness will wrap around the inside of the tube and still have a natural slack in it.
Verified by running my finger along the short harness and gently pulling out on it, I can still move it - Freely.

2, The Main harness will lay naturally without wanting to pull upwards


Using OEM position, I tried to run the tube in between the Main & Short harness, but due to the diameter of the tube, it put even more strain on the short harness than going behind it.

I hope this gives you a better understanding of the small little issue, easily rectified.
But from a builder standpoint, it does take away the OEM support.
Might need a deeper look at the harness to see if there is any way possible and nearby just to take the harness and pull towards drivers' side (about 1 in) and secure with a zip-tie.
Another spot vs the nylon support.
This would accomplish the same result, without having to break the nylon support (Tree)
As that nylon support will pivot side to side.
This would keep a OEM look, and a cheap (1-Zip-Tie) solution

 

[Essthreetee]

GREAT VIDEO!!!! Thanks for that.

 

[Grumpaw]

Did my "Fitzstick" install this morning. Guess I was one of the lucky one's....went right in past the wire harness without any problems. Took longer to remove the B&M fittings than the "Fitz" install.
However, I vow that if I ever meet the idiot who designed the original dipstick location I will string him/her up by the thumbs and lash them with the dipstick from a 1967 Chevy powerglide dipstick.
And, has everyone else stated.....Mike, well done. Exceptional piece of engineering for doing it in your own shop. Should you decide to go further with different applications, you will make $$$ as fast as you can make em.

B&M going in the for sale listings.

 

[Fitzmotor]

I have to figure a way where people who don't have the skills like airline tech and the rest of you guys, can easily install this, I wish I had a dozen different Rangers from 4 different years to install it on just to see the variance.

Those barbed clips are not easy to remove without trashing them if you dont have the right tool, and then they dont hold as well on reinstall, I would get a extension clip maybe, then have the installer just pull the clip and install the extension clip, I dont know, I need more installs to happen and see how many trucks need a loom adjustment.

If anybody is following this and has yet to do a install, if you have any wire loom issues, and if you are willing to investigate it, see if bending down the L shaped tab that comes off the water pipe and holds the clip for the loom would be enough slack for the small loom.

The sensor height is below the loom clip height, so lowering the bracket should provide more slack in the loom.

I don't know what the countermeasure will be yet, this is to be expected, some will be fine some will be tight, any input anybody has would be greatly appreciated!!

 

[Grumpaw]

Yeah, you do have to be a bit of a "wrench" to do it properly, and have the proper tools. Have to get the front up on ramps to get good body access, and proper stubby adjustable wrench to tighten the fittings.
And patience when threading the tube down, and a good light to see what your doing under hood and under truck.
The design is excellent, just the install while easy for most of us, could be a pain to a "non-wrencher"

 

[RangerPhx]

I have to figure a way where people who don't have the skills like airline tech and the rest of you guys, can easily install this, I wish I had a dozen different Rangers from 4 different years to install it on just to see the variance.

Those barbed clips are not easy to remove without trashing them if you dont have the right tool, and then they dont hold as well on reinstall, I would get a extension clip maybe, then have the installer just pull the clip and install the extension clip, I dont know, I need more installs to happen and see how many trucks need a loom adjustment.

If anybody is following this and has yet to do a install, if you have any wire loom issues, and if you are willing to investigate it, see if bending down the L shaped tab that comes off the water pipe and holds the clip for the loom would be enough slack for the small loom.

The sensor height is below the loom clip height, so lowering the bracket should provide more slack in the loom.

I don't know what the countermeasure will be yet, this is to be expected, some will be fine some will be tight, any input anybody has would be greatly appreciated!!

When I get mine, I plan on documenting the install with pics each step of the way if it will help identify variables for you and others. This process takes time but ultimately will refine it down to a fairly uniform “best practice” procedure for even non-wrenchers to easily implement.
Thanks for the hard work Fitz!

 

[Fitzmotor]

No, thank you.

Sponsored