Ford fuel pump is an essential part of a fuel injection system and is the lifeline of your truck.
You should know the correct wiring color codes on both the pump and truck sides while doing any repair or replacement work.
Ford F150 has pink/black wire containing the power to the fuel pump from the inertia switch and black wire to the ground. Yellow/white and black/orange wires go to the fuel level sending module to show tank status. F250 and F350 have the same wiring color codes for single fuel tank systems. In the case of trucks with dual tank systems, orange wire for pump ground and black wire for sending module ground. The front tank has red wire for its power, and the rear one has brown/white wire carrying +12V.
This article will guide the Ford truck owners regarding the correct wiring color codes of the fuel pump and its pressure sender assembly. We will also discuss its relevant aspects and helpful tips regarding finding the wiring order of your vehicle according to its manufacturing year.
F150 fuel pump wire color codes
According to its specifications and features, Ford F150 is available in 7 different trim levels. However, the fuel pump remains the same in all trim levels.
Therefore, you will get the same color-coding scheme irrespective of the trim level. It has pink/black wire containing +12V supply voltage to the pump motor via inertia switch.
The Inertia switch is in series to the fuel pump’s power to trip it in to decrease the risk of fire or an explosion.
Black wire provides a ground connection or the return path of electric current passing through the motor.
Moreover, you will also find a fuel pump relay and a 20 amp fuse in the circuit to control the pump operation from PCM and its protection.
Fuel pump assembly also has a sending unit attached to measure the fuel level in the tank and sends a signal to display it on the dashboard.
You will find 2 wires for the sending module in the wiring harness for the pump. Yellow/white wire sends signals to the instrument cluster on the dashboard regarding tank level.
Smaller black/orange wire is the ground for the sending unit. In the original pump from the vehicle manufacturer, the color scheme remains the same from the pump connector to the vehicle-side connector. However, in aftermarket parts, you will find a difference in colors.
Wiring color codes of F250 fuel pump
Ford F250 is a super-duty truck having excellent towing and loading specifications. It has both single and dual tank versions available.
In single tank systems, the fuel pump assembly is similar to the F150. Moreover, it also has the identical wiring schematics and color-coding scheme as the F150 medium-duty pickup truck.
F350 wire color codes with single fuel tank
Ford F350 super duty pickup trucks also have compatible fuel pump assembly and wiring. You can easily interchange the module amongst all 3 F-series trucks, including F150, F250, and F350 pickup trucks.
It has 4 wires in its wiring connector. Pink wire with black stripes is 12V power, and it should be hot while you crank the engine for starting.
The orange wire is ground for the assembly. The remaining 2 wires are for the fuel level sender unit. Yellow/white wire is the input to the instrument cluster on the dashboard to display the fuel level.
Moreover, black/orange wire connects with the ground to complete the circuit for the sender module. You will also find a fuel pump relay in the relay module that controls its switching ON/OFF according to the signal from PCM while you start the engine.
Ford fuel pump wire color codes for dual fuel tanks
Besides single tanks, Ford trucks, including F150 and especially super duty F250 and F350, have dual tanks.
Therefore, these have 2 fuel pumps, and you can select any of them with the help of a selector switch on the dashboard.
In addition, wiring color coding will be different for the dual tank system with 8 wires and the involvement of a selector switch to use the front or rear tank according to the fuel level and your requirements.
Fuel Pump Relay
It has 4 colored wires. The yellow wire is one end of relay contact that connects with a 20 amp fuse in the engine fuse compartment.
Lightblue/orange is a relay control wire from PCM. According to engine operation, it sends a signal to the relay coil to energize or de-energize.
Red wire provides power from PCM for the relay coil. Dark green/yellow is a normally open relay contact that activates during engine operation and connects with 12V power.
Fuel Tank Selector Switch
You will find a fuel tank selector switch inside the cabin in front of the driver with front and rear options.
It has 6 wires to control the operation. The red wire will turn ON the front tank pump, and the brown/white wire will activate the rear one.
Yellow/light blue is for selecting the rear tank fuel level sender, and dark blue/yellow is for the front sender module.
Yellow/white connects both sender modules with the instrument cluster according to the selected tank option. Red/yellow connects with an inertia switch to receive +12V from the fuel pump relay.
Front Tank Fuel Pump
It has 4 wires for the fuel pump and sender module. The red wire deliver the power to the pump while the selector switch, inertia switch, relay, and fuse are in their path.
The orange wire is for the pump ground to complete its circuit and dark blue/yellow connects its level sender unit with the instrument cluster through the selector switch.
The black wire is for the ground to provide the return path for the current of the sender module.
Rear Tank Fuel Pump
The rear fuel pump has brown/white for +12V power supply through the same route as the front pump. Orange is ground wire.
Yellow/light blue is the return signal to the instrument cluster from the level sender, and black is its ground connection.
Why is it confusing to wire the fuel pump of Ford trucks?
People often find it confusing to identify each fuel pump wire’s correct sequence and purpose on Ford trucks.
It can be a result of 2 possible reasons: multiple wires coming out of the module and change of color sequence from various pump manufacturers.
Multiple wires
The latest models of Ford trucks have electronics as a dominant component, with PCM controlling all of its functions.
Therefore, they need proper wiring classification and identification that is easier for everyone. Therefore, they adopted the method of color-coding by assigning a specific color for each wire.
For example, in the case of a fuel pump, there are 4 wires from its wiring harness that connect with multiple components, including relay, selector switch, and inertia switch.
Moreover, it remains hidden inside the tank, and you don’t know which wire is coming from which part.
Therefore, people find it confusing to find the proper purpose of each wire. However, the color-coding scheme helps out by telling the connection of each wire with the help of its color.
Multiple color connection
There are multiple fuel pumps available from various manufacturers compatible with all Ford trucks.
Truck owners purchase them because of their reduced costs. However, each has a different color coding scheme for all 4 wires. To make the correct connection with the connector on the vehicle side, you have to know the purpose of each wire with its color.
Due to variation in color scheme and lack of proper guidance, it becomes difficult for truck owners to make connections. They need to manually check each wire individually to assess its function and make wiring arrangements accordingly.
Why is it important to know the correct fuel pump color codes for Ford trucks?
It is imperative to identify the correct color coding scheme in case of faulty fuel pump replacement or any wiring problem related to the pump.
Fuel pump replacement
An original fuel pump has good quality and can work for 15-20 years. However, it can become faulty due to poor quality of fuel or wiring problems.
To replace it with any third-party solutions, you need to know the wiring color codes.
However, if you purchase from Ford or any of its brands, you will not need to make any modifications. Remove the old pump, clean the tank and install the new one. It has the same harness plug as the original one.
Wiring problem
If you face any symptoms related to fuel pump failure on your truck, the first step is to check its wiring, relay, selector switch, and fuse.
To check the continuity of wires and available voltage levels, knowledge of color codes is essential. In this way, you will measure the power wires’ voltage levels at pump terminals by identifying them from their colors.
Is there any change in the color-coding scheme throughout the Ford models?
Color coding scheme for all Ford fuel pumps mostly remains the same. They have matching fittings and compatible wiring diagrams.
Therefore, you can interchange the fuel pump in F150, F250, and F350 pickup trucks. However, according to the manufacturing year, there can be a slight modification in the pump design.
The reason can be improved electronics and reduced size of components in the latest models compared to earlier models. It also has a level sending module attached whose settings can vary according to the change in tank size.
Can we check the fuel pump wire’s purpose from its size?
The fuel pump has 4 wires for its power and level signal communication to the instrument cluster. Few designs have all of them of the same size.
However, other manufacturers use thick gauge wire to power the pump. The remaining 2 wires of the level sending unit have reduced gauge.
What are the sources available to check Ford fuel pump color codes?
The most authentic source of finding the Ford fuel pump color codes is its wiring diagram at trucksauthority.com.
You can also find it on Ford’s official website, or authorized dealers. In addition, there are various online forums where people from the trucking community share snapshots of the wiring schematics of their trucks.
How to identify the wire functions for various manufacturers with different color codes?
Several third-party fuel pump manufacturers don’t follow the color codes adopted by Ford. Therefore, you need to consult their relevant literature or manually test each wire to identify its function.
You can use a voltmeter for measuring the voltage at pump terminals by cranking the engine. The wire giving 12V reference to the ground will be a power wire.
Similarly, identify the level sender wires on the fuel pump and make connections according to the color codes on the vehicle side harness.
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