ckuske

I wasn't planning on purchasing one right now, but it was definitely on my list. My steering has some slop in it. I don't want to take my truck off the road right now to do the work and return the core... Hmm.... what to do. Well, I guess I should buy one while it is in stock and worry about the core after that... Ok, purchased. Sad to hear though.

Regarding the kicker solenoid, there is a hold down screw between the solenoid and the carb. It is vertically oriented (looking down at the engine, the head of the screw is staring up at you). You need to loosen that. Then, you can turn the screw with a wrench on the spring loaded portion of solenoid itself to adjust the idle up/down. Then, you would cinch down the hold down screw again to hold it the solenoid in place. I concur with Jim, you should take a look at the EVTM as well as any service manuals you can find. I have found a few in corners of the Internet by Googling, but their provenance is "questionable" so I'm not going to risk sharing them if you know what I mean... The manuals are invaluable, I have spent a lot of time reading sections to understand how this truck works (or try at least). I'm only half-joking with this movie reference hahaha, like the knight reading his Bible (I assume) for the last 700 years:

The calibration code on my truck was long gone by the time I got it back, and when I was 16 I was probably too dumb to realize it's importance. Jim is right on those codes - there are only a couple candidates and the variation is very small between them. While the engineer in me hates "close enough", sometimes with these trucks we can only make educated guesses and do what makes sense. The calibration codes everyone is referring to is here, it lists the smog parts applicable to each configuration. https://www.garysgaragemahal.com/calibration-info--part-s.html Regarding the module on the distributor, that's the TFI module. People do relocate it because of thermal issues - I haven't, mine is holding up fine. But it wouldn't be a bad idea to do so while things are "heavy rework" On the timing indicator, I'm not sure. A picture would help, others could easily chime in on that as well.

Oh sorry, I missed your question as to where to hook up the reader. It should be on the passenger side, next to the "coffee can" vacuum reservoir. There is a large either red or gray connector (about 4 or 5 pins) as well as a single pin grey connector. This isn't be best picture from earlier in my cleanup, but it should help: For how to use the reader, it will come with a manual but Gary has an EEC page you'll probably get familiar with (I know I have, and thanks, Gary!) https://www.garysgaragemahal.com/electronic-engine-control-eec.html

Hi Ed, Just call me Chris, no worries! I am by no means a guru on these trucks, but I'm hoping I can help you a bit. Ok, C6. Good to know. For your issues, I don't think that will make a difference right now vs my truck with an AOD. First of all - yes, the insulation on the wiring in this truck is bad. But, it has cooked for 40 years at this point, so I guess a little leeway is to be given. On my truck, I had lots of fault codes. Some were legitimate, and a couple related to the TPS were because the insulation on four different wires had all worn off at the same place, and the exposed wires were touching inside the bundle. (Passenger side near valve cover/#3 cylinder). I ended up having to re-wire that section by splicing and soldering. It was not fun, but it fixed the problem. I actually have one spot way at the back of the engine that is probably the same thing with an intermittent EGR fault code. The tach, I can't help much on. My truck has a working factory tach and I dare not touch it. Regarding timing, you are right. With ECM trucks, you pull the spout, set the timing to 10 degrees as the initial timing, and the ECM takes care of the rest. I've put a picture of my emissions decal below. I think it should be very similar to yours, considering it is same year and engine configuration, and from CA. https://www.amazon.com/photos/shared/kvFQlEZHQ5CP2xN97ElbiA.NBdfAfPYDBz96CqHIdGR5v

Welcome! I have an 84 F-150 with a 302 as well, made for (and living in) California. That's a great truck, with low miles. Mine has 308K, but it's still going strong! There is a lot to expound on, but I can try to at least compare notes with you. You have EEC-IV ignition, which means you have a Motorcraft 2150 feedback carb. This means the ECU (computer) in your truck (probably behind your instrument panel) controls timing and mixture. The 2150 has a stepper motor that the ECU uses to adjust mixture on the carb. I haven't tried (as I got my 2150 rebuilt) but assuming your truck has the same build as mine, you can't just drop a Amazon carb on there and expect it to work, as the "feedback" portion is missing on replacement carbs as far as I know. The CA emissions are a pain in the butt. I just got done replacing all my rubber hoses with fresh silicone ones. I would recommend you get a OBD 1 reader, like this one: https://a.co/d/6x6h4Zi Use the manual it comes with, and read the trouble codes out. It is simple to use. Start with the KOEO test, get those codes clean. Then perform the KOER test, get those cleaned up. There will be trial and error, some false trails etc but you have to get the codes clean for the engine to perform at its best. The codes should help you discover some things you didn't realize. When I got my truck back, I had like 8 codes. I had to replace the O2 sensor, TPS sensor, MAP sensor, and a few others I can't remember this late at night. Your hesistation could be a result of the ECU codes, or a vacuum leak as well. I still have a slight stumble even though I have had the carb professionally rebuilt and the computer is clean. I am starting to think it is the torque converter. What transmission do you have? The AOD, right? 3 speed with overdrive?

That is good to know! I had no idea when I bought it, I was learning about working on this truck in general. I just thought "Severe Duty" must be better, right?! That being said, my truck is staying nice and cool even with the warmer temps and my A/C running, so I'm a happy camper. Now that it is warmer out, the fan is engaged more often. And yes, it does sound like a jet or wind tunnel when engaged! It's still not louder than my C2 pump though.

Hi All, My business partner Marshall and I have been working on doubling our product catalog (to two items, haha) I have a need to replace the mirror mounting gaskets for my Type 9 mirrors - the current ones are tired looking, warped, and have a few tears in them. I've looked around a bit, and cannot find any NOS or even good quality used on eBay, Greensales, NPD, etc. So, we put the 3D printer to work! We have developed a set of replica gaskets that fit well on my truck. We can offer them in a near-argent color, as well as black. If you'd like to paint a set to match your external paint color, we can offer white as well. These gaskets are printed in ASA (Acrylic Styrene Acrylonitrile) material. ASA is very similar to ABS, but with high UV resistance and it is used in outdoor applications frequently. We are offering them in sets (top and bottom gaskets) for $30 for one door, or $50 for a set for the whole truck. Below are a few pictures of the prototypes - any feedback you guys have would be welcome. If others are interested in purchasing some, let me know and I will put the product on https://bullnosecreations.square.site as well as eBay. Here are a few pictures of the prototypes:

This is what I'm looking at for the day when I scratch enough money together for a paint job: https://www.phoenixgraphix.com/ford/80nft3b.php#here I see the inverse of your colors available, but lower on the page it says they can make whatever is needed so it is probably worth contacting them still. Oh, and don't try to find/buy NOS tape off eBay. The adhesive is long gone on 40 year old tape at this point...

Great story, and very nice looking truck. That truck is a gem. I am on a similar journey restoring my Dad's 84 Flareside. It's not as nice as yours, but I am getting closer. My goal is to have it as close to stock as possible with a few incremental steps in between. Is that Wimbledon white? I just sent stock wheels (Thanks to Sac79/Rob!) out to get powder-coated, and the guy at the shop immediately rattled off Wimbledon as the color I would want for an old Ford (which I think is true). I have a very nice set of hubcaps already waiting....

There is a cable that controls the mixture of heat/cold - my guess is that cable is broken. There is a little "arm" near the heater box inside the engine compartment (me memory is fuzzy here, maybe it is on the inside when the dash is removed, I can't remember). You should see the cable attached there. Is it taut, and feel like it is attached to something (your A/C controls)? You can try to move the hot/cold and see if the position of the arm on the heater box changes

X2 If I was to get a pint can I would spray it on as I have the equipment. Dave ---- I used a pint with a Preval spray head. I think it's much more economical to get the pint but with the Preval sprayer kit (they have them on Amazon) you have the best of both worlds.

Thanks Mat, yep, that one is on the list to do. I worked on the interior this weekend, it is nearly done. I'll post pictures hopefully next weekend. The truck has 308000 miles on it total, but the engine was rebuilt at 265000, so since the rebuild it has ~43000 miles. Hopefully the test comes out OK - I'll be kind of upset if it doesn't! Chris

Thanks Bill, I tried that awhile back, but that was before I fixed a couple of the vacuum leaks. I will try that again. I feel there are multiple variables in play. Regarding what Jim said about the TV rod - I did measure the pressure and it is higher than it should be in park. It's around 15PSI if I recall correctly. With Jim's comment about the torque converter engaging being the potential source of the change in sound/rougher idle, could that be a potential cause of the overall behavior? It's on my list to take it to a transmission shop and get it adjusted at the transmission itself. The screw on the carb is basically backed all the way out already.

Jim, No worries! I understand. I get it is a different vehicle than my drive-by-wire turbo Accord. I agree where you are coming from. The roughness is ok. It’s not in the video because sometimes it is worse than others, but if I hold the throttle there, I can stall the engine semi-reliably. Basically, I don’t want to risk stalling because I didn’t punch it when trying to gently pull away from a stop. And it’s not really about me as much but my son. He’s wanting to drive the truck, but he’s 16 and I don’t want him stalling it in traffic etc (if I can help it) This is all more about optimization and striving for that last one or two percent making it as good as I can.

I just took another video - the hesitation and especially the rough sound at this RPM is more evident. (See previous video for how it's smoother when giving more throttle instead of feathering it) I also capped the brake booster vacuum line, no difference. (Thanks for the suggestion, Mat)

Thanks Bill, I'll give this a shot as well. I hadn't considered the cats, my Googling (for what it's worth/not worth) of the symptoms of a clogged cat didn't see like a total match, as the hesitation only happens right off idle. But, maybe it's only partial obstruction that isn't readily apparent at higher RPMs? I was hoping the video would come out clearer, but here is a video of the symptom: Sorry for the weird angle, but I wanted to show what I was doing with the gas and the tach/sound all in the frame. You'll see giving a harder push on the gas skips over the problematic part. When you give just a bit of gas, the RPMs increase, stay steady (when I think they should go up a little higher) and you'll notice it dips. The dip is when things feel the roughest. It will stay at that dip until I give it more gas. I had it hesitating more earlier when the truck was more cold (is this a hint) but of course that isn't in the video. Hopefully this can give a better mental picture of what I'm seeing. Thanks everyone.

I had already tried moving the arm to the top hole of the arm, it didn't make a difference. But some variables have changed since then, so it wouldn't hurt to try moving it there again. (It was/is set to the middle hole)

I went out to the garage and verified that the accelerator pump works well. I am not sure about the warranty, I suppose I can call and ask! When I brought up on the last visit that the hesitation was still present, I was told it was because "they have to run so lean" and that the "EGR doesn't help". I have enriched the idle mixture to no avail, and verified that the EGR isn't open at idle (just to double check). I also disconnected the EGR and capped the line, no difference. I will try to call back and make more of a stink about it - he's a good guy which is probably why I have a problem pushing it (that's on me) I did check the timing with the spout out, it was 10 degrees right on the money. I suppose that wouldn't catch a timing mismatch between the valve train and the ignition though! I have a Ford OBD-I reader, the truck is currently clean in KOEO, KOER, and Continuous modes... I did a smoke test and found a few small vacuum leaks and fixed those a few months back. No change. I didn't try to cap off the brake booster though, I'll try that next.

Thank you. I now have a few things to check and I will report back. Thanks for the ideas, keep ‘em coming!

Oh nevermind, I can visualize it now. I am working and posting here in the background - a bad combo!

Consider yourself lucky I am probably missing something, but gap of what?

Thanks Mat, I'll plug the brake booster and see if it helps. Instead of driving it around, I can duplicate it in the garage now. I just have to put it in gear, (set the parking brake) and also have one foot on the main brake. I then give just a little gas, and the RPM stays flat when it should increase. Eventually it does catch up after 3 or 4 seconds...

Hi Jim, I will confirm, but last time I checked it was working, yes. The carb shop guy installed it, but never hurts to check again, I shouldn't take nothing for granted!

Even with my limited knowledge, I’d agree that makes sense. It has been replaced twice now in the last 18 months. I have also tried changing the throw of the pump and no difference.