Why does my truck have a microphone in it?

[SluggerB]

So I bought an 04 Ford Ranger, and it looks like the former owner made some electronic mods. I want to get rid of them and make this thing stock, but I'm not sure what I am looking at. I am hoping there is an overlap between computer electronics and truck mod electronic nerds here

Here is the microphone



It clips onto the visor, and has a wire that is (poorly) run behind the plastic cover over the corner pillar. That wire runs to below the steering wheel, and connects to this thing. Some sort of plug? The thin wire from the microphone is running to it, and there is a thicker wire running from it (the colored set of wires in the photo) that I haven't checked to see where it is going yet.



Now under the hood, where the air box hose leads to the engine, there is a big black plastic cover. I don't know if this is a stock setup, or if this is some aftermarket electronic air flow control/sensor thing. Here is a picture



So anyone know what all this is, and how hard it is to rip it all out?

[TechGeek]

Is there an aftermarket head unit installed? That looks an awful lot like the hands-free phone mic that I got as part of a Kenwood head unit a few months ago.

[televizora]

Mic is either from stereo/head unit - handsfree or poorly concealed CIA bug.
The plastic seems to be stock.

[Topcat]

Looks like an aftermarket hands-free.

The thing on the bottom by the pedals, trailer brake controller interface maybe?

[SluggerB]

Originally Posted by TechGeek

Is there an aftermarket head unit installed? That looks an awful lot like the hands-free phone mic that I got as part of a Kenwood head unit a few months ago.

There is, actually! But if it is part of the head unit why is it going to that little plug thing?

[TechGeek]

Originally Posted by SluggerB

There is, actually! But if it is part of the head unit why is it going to that little plug thing?

Not sure. You may have mistraced it. Try pairing a phone to the head unit and placing a call on it.

[ratdude747]

Originally Posted by Topcat

The thing on the bottom by the pedals, trailer brake controller interface maybe?

Looks like a really crappy dealer-installed "security" device. Idea being that interfaces with the ignition switch wiring and you have to have the black plug installed for it to start. But, these things are common enough, car thieves can just jumper/hot wire them, so the only thing they do "well" is butcher one's wiring.

If it is a brake controller, then the transmission is likely dead or soon to be. The gearboxes used on Rangers are not rated for trailers large enough to need electric brakes.

[diif]

Microphone to throttle body, it's a redneck ghetto voice activated speed controller.

[SluggerB]

Originally Posted by diif

Microphone to throttle body, it's a redneck ghetto voice activated speed controller.

don't laugh at me but that thought had crossed my mind

[diif]

Originally Posted by SluggerB

don't laugh at me but that thought had crossed my mind

It made me smile, did you shout "faster" at it on the way home to try ?

[delaware74b]

I am the owner (from new) of an '04 Ranger:

The microphone ties into an aftermarket stereo (if it still has the aftermarket stereo). It's used with bluetooth cell phones only.

I don't recognize that harness connector at the bottom of the dash. You will have to trace the harness.


The black shroud on the throttle body is stock. No speed control on your truck. You would have another cable going from there to a servo on the passenger side between firewall and coolant/washer solvent tanks.

~RD is right don't try to tow more than 2K with this truck, regardless of trailer brakes. You will kill the 4R44E in it. The 3.0 is -almost- too much power for that trans.

I wore out the manual (M5OD) in mine. 3rd gear synchronizers failed and the crankshaft-mounted pilot bushing ate the input shaft. The trans fluid looked like black paint when drained. 325K miles......

The 3.0 is a durable engine as long as you keep coolant in it and you keep an eye (and ear) on the camshaft synchronizer. When (not if) it fails, it will take out your oil pump drive. The cam drives the synchro, which then drive the oil pump. The bushings in the synchro dry out, bind and can break teeth off the synchro gear. Listen for a chirping sound coming from the back of the engine compartment. It can be mistaken for a chirping belt. Expect 100K and replace every 100K with genuine Ford part only. Aftermarket units are junk. Do not depend on the oil warning light as it shuts off at 5psi......what a joke on us by Ford.

BTW, I noticed the tag on your Nissan in the garage, Delaware plates?

[SluggerB]

Looks like I bought a lemon. Had the truck inspected, the entire front suspension was rusted out and needed replacement, there was rust on the front frame, tires were dry rotted beyond hope, it had the camshaft issue delaware74b mentioned, etc etc. It would have cost more than I paid for the truck to get it all fixed and even then there is no repairing a rusted frame. So I dumped it to Carmax, took the loss, and moved on with my life. Apparently the truck had been sitting for almost a year, the boots around the suspension had rotted off, a bunch of water water got into everything around the front end and just stat there rusting everything out since the truck was never driven.

It can be mistaken for a chirping belt

Yeah I heard that noise on the way to sell the truck

[SluggerB]

Originally Posted by delaware74b

BTW, I noticed the tag on your Nissan in the garage, Delaware plates?

Yes, fellow Delawarian, and I agree with your sig 100%. Find me another Ranger to buy

[delaware74b]

The only rust issues I've had were the muffler rotted out (on the top!). The other rust issue was the floor of the bed rotted out, caused by a heat insulator pad that soaked up road brine/salt over the winters. Another bright idea by an idiot Ford engineer.

Good luck finding another Ranger. They are getting harder to find as they were discontinued from 2012 to 2019. The 2019+ are completely different and considered a mid-size truck where the older ones are compact trucks.

I have completely rebuilt the front end and it's getting bad again. 150K is about the limits on the Ranger suspension, no matter if OEM or aftermarket parts. Upper ball joints are part of the control arm where the lower ball joints are replaceable. 200K on the steering rack is normal. Shocks are dependent on the road conditions but I get 90-100K out of a set of shocks.

Letting any vehicle sit for a year is not good for it. From rust to that horrible E10 fuel, letting it sit is no good.

BTW, your address shows up as still in Philly.....