Bad Dog = No Start and No shifting of Transmission

[Cubanredneck]

Hello RV community,

So was about to leave on a trip and went around the corner with the coach only to find that the transmission would not shift. Checked the oil level and found it to be ok. For some reason decided to check under the coach to find that our dog decided to chew on the transmissions harness destroying 80% of the wires. I decided to splice the wires back together to see if this could get me to the shop but it didnt work. After splicing all the wires(Color Coded) the coach would not start.Obviously it had to do with what I did since it had started before. after checking everything i found no issues with the splices so I crossed the starter and fired up the coach. I had no choice as i was on the side of the road. My question is to all can the harness be spliced? I was reading that since it sends signals any change in the wires resistance can cause a problem. I drove the coach over to a shop in first gear since it was only a mile away and waiting to see what he says. Hes a friend and felt that they could be spliced. Does anyone have a wiring manual for a 2007 F53? Is the transmission a standalone harness or do i need to replace the entire harness? The shop is backed up and could take a week before he looks at it. If i could find a harness id replace the entire harness just in case.

BTW the Tow/Haul light is now flashing and the speedometer no longer works. Im assuming its the computer coding out. Ford requires a special computer from what im being told to read the codes.

Any help or advise would be greatly appreciated.

[sundancer268]

I would check a Motor Home Salvage yard for the harness, there are many wrecked Ford chassis equipped Motor Homes being scrapped every day. I believe the law only requires the availability of parts for 10 years after the last use of the parts in a new vehicle. I ran into that problem looking for parts for several old cars I have had over the years and only the junk yards came to my rescue. Good luck and keep us informed on the outcome please.

[rgatijnet1]

The wiring harness on your coach may have been a special harness to meet the needs of the coach manufacturer. In this case it does not make sense to continue to produce an item that was used in very small quantities to begin with. Ford makes their trucks in large quantities and I am sure that "standard" wiring harnesses are still available. Changing a wiring harness is not an easy job, especially since it was probably installed long before the coach was built around it. Even if a replacement was found I doubt if it would financial sense to change it instead of just repairing the existing damaged wires. Good luck with your insurance.

[Cubanredneck]

Thank you all. I've reached out to my insurance company and I opened a claim yesterday afternoon. The adjuster should be coming out today or tomorrow. I trust the shop its at as the owner is a friend of mine for many years and has done multiple repairs on other vehicles as well. He can surely splice but felt that for long term it was best to replace the harness. I guess we will have to see what the insurance company says..... On another note how can ford discontinue a part for something that is only 12 years old?

[rgatijnet1]

Keep in mind that repairing the wires does not guaranty that everything will be as good as new. When the wires were chewed and then power was applied, there is a good chance that one or more wires may have been touching each other. This may have damaged or corrupted the info in either the ECM(engine control module) or the TCM(transmission control module. These control modules can be checked at a Ford truck dealer to see if they are still good. If replacements are needed you can figure several hundred dollar each plus the labor to change them out.
I think it was mentioned about turning this in to your insurance company. I would make the call.

[oldave]

You repaired it good enough to get it down to the garage so why not go down
and recheck your repair .
Goofing up on the side of the road is not the end of the world .
I have had to eat crow before when i was 100% sure I was right .
So I think it is possible like others have stated that you have a couple
of wires wrong . You need a strong flash light and cleaner so you can be
sure of the wire color and stripe if they have stripes .

Another possibility is when the dog jerked on the harness maybe he pulled
something loose that you haven't spotted yet .
Follow the wires , maybe they are broken somewhere else too or unplugged
farther away from your splices .

Unless Ford used some resistance wiring which is possible I think the talk
about not being able to solder is bunk
I think that resistance wire will look different probably a single strand
and won't solder well or at all .

The garage doesn't want to get involved , actually I don't blame them
they are probably worried about transmission liability .

If those things don't help then you are left with RV salvage places .

[rgatijnet1]

Cubanredneck wrote:
Well it gets worse. Looks like the harness has been discontinued by Ford and searching the internet gives no results. Ford part # 5U9Z12A581AA Per ford its the engine and transmission harness together. Not even sure what to do at this point. Mechanic states splicing them may or may not work but he knows for sure if it does work there will be issues due to the change in wire resistance.

So disappointed. How can a coach that's only 12-13 years old have discontinued parts.

First off I would find another mechanic. No offense intended but apparently this mechanic does not know about electrical issues and he just doesn't want to do the job.
In any case, a properly spliced/soldered wire using the same gauge or larger has the exact same resistance, or less, than the existing wires. After all, you are just inserting a short splice, not replacing 100 feet of wire.
Soldering of wires is not rocket science and many mechanics versed in electronic issues can deal with it easily.
I have repaired electronic equipment since my days as an electronic technician in the Navy. Automotive wiring is a piece of cake.

[Cubanredneck]

[img] Click For Full-Size Image.[/img]

Well it gets worse. Looks like the harness has been discontinued by Ford and searching the internet gives no results. Ford part # 5U9Z12A581AA Per ford its the engine and transmission harness together. Not even sure what to do at this point. Mechanic states splicing them may or may not work but he knows for sure if it does work there will be issues due to the change in wire resistance.

So disappointed. How can a coach that's only 12-13 years old have discontinued parts.

[Horsedoc]

rat or dog. Replace the harness either way. Hope it is just the tranny harness.

[PaulJ2]

Rodents were chewing the wires. Dog went after the rodents, destroying the harness in the process. My take. Poor doggy blamed.
Depending on how easy it is to get to, i would replace the harness.

[Ozlander]

Sometimes wires have stripes that are hard to see, but indicate a different wire than a wire with no stripe.
Recheck your wiring job.

[allbrandauto]

if it started before you spliced the wires you have a wire crossed I think with the right tech its a easy fix

[Cubanredneck]

allbrandauto wrote:
I think a splice would work fine is the gear shift indicator digital is it saying its in park with more information I can help you

Not a digital display just a standard display and yes its in park. The motor home started and ran but wasn't shifting right. When I stopped on the side of the road was when i found that the harness had been chewed up. After repairing the harness the motor home would not start. The wires are color coded so I'm sure all the wires were correctly connected. After checking and rechecking I started the RV with a screwdriver across the starter. Drove it to a nearby shop since it did not want to shift.

At this point waiting to see what the tech states. I've been scouring the Internet for a new harness but only found that it was discontinued to call the dealer. Ford dealer down in Miami is horrible so waiting on a call back from my message to them yesterday.

Not a happy camper at the moment and not loving my dog either. I know someone stated rodents but it was clearly the dog. The entire harness was pulled from the retaining clips and unless the rats were giants I doubt it could have been them. Apparently my dog likes playing tug o war under the coach and this time she won.

[allbrandauto]

I think a splice would work fine is the gear shift indicator digital is it saying its in park with more information I can help you

[doxiemom11]

Squirrels, mice and other rodents are known to be attracted to wiring and chew them. It was probably NOT the dog. If it was rodents, you should have coverage under your comprehensive coverage of your policy for repair of any damaged item. Not an unusual claim at all. Happens with vehicles all the time.