Gary Lewis

I asked that question to I think Bill, "Numberdummy", once and I think he said it was because the Dealers thought the designs would be too radical for the public to accept. I remember when the 1997-2003/4 F-150 came out in 1996 that my father hated it, because it looked like a spaceship to him. Funny thing is he owns a 1997.5 F-150 now and he likes it. So the too radical design might be it. Don't know, but a really good question. When I compare the Bullnose design to that of the Bricks I understand the "too radical" answer. Here we are 36 years on and I still don't like it.

The EEC should bring the idle back up to the set point when you put the vehicle in gear. And yes, the torque converter is loading the engine then. But the computer should compensate. So, you are ok with what you have? It isn't shaking and you like the idle RPM? If so then I'd say that is success.

Yes, Jeff, I'm sure those lines prove it. And Ralph, you really have to squint to see the differences to the earlier trucks. Yes, there is some sloping, but nothing like what happened in '87. Instead of our recessed grille and headlights everything was moved out flush with the hood and even wrapped around to the fenders. Oddly enough, that kind of stuff was known about almost 20 years earlier. Remembering the 1969 Dodge Charger 500, Road & Track says: So why did it take 20 years and lots of money before Ford's truck engineers to catch on?

I'm confused. You should set the idle to something like 600 with the IAC disconnected and the transmission in Park or Neutral. Then when the IAC is connected it should bring it up to about 650. And then when the transmission goes in gear the EEC will bring the idle back to 650 via the IAC. Is that not working?

Pretty! And not terribly expensive.

I think Gacknar's procedure should work well. But I disagree about the idle speed for a non-302 being higher. I don't see any need for the idle speed on your engine to be above 650ish once the engine is warmed up since you have a fairly stock cam. I would set the RPM where the engine idles well and smoothly, with the IAC just picking the speed up a bit, like the 40 RPM suggested. As for the sound, I don't hear anything that sounds like bearings or u-joints. It all sounds like gears. I don't think I've listened to the noises Big Blue makes in 4Hi as I rarely use it in that mode. If I'm going into 4wd I usually go into 4Lo. So it is possible it makes that noise in 4Hi as well. But it doesn't make that noise in 2wd, even with the hubs locked. So I'm confused. Have you checked that your front differential has lube? Have you lubed the u-joints on the front driveshaft?

Well, I'm glad you got it fixed. But sorry it took so much time, effort, and money to get a small problem like that fixed. Are you still getting the 95 error? I agree that is a red herring, but it puzzles me. Did you answer about the self-test connector being in place?

Oops!

I don't know. But I do know for sure that changing out the Ford horn relay with a standard Bosch relay won't work. Apparently the current draw through the coil on the horn relay has to be within a certain range or the speed control won't work, and a Bosch relay isn't within that range. So while I wouldn't have thought that a 6 ohm change would cause a problem, I don't know that it won't. Having said that, I doubt that getting that error code is where the problem lies. Don't know where it lies, but since the engine runs well as it is warming up and starts having problems when it apparently goes into closed-loop mode I don't think it is the pump relay.

I'm not sure I understand, but I think I do. I'm guessing that your meter has a continuity test setting and that's what you are using. Or you have it in resistance mode. In either case if you measure across ZZ and YY you shouldn't have continuity with the key off, and you might blow your meter with the key on. The way the circuit is supposed to work is that with the key on ZZ provides battery voltage to the relay's coil, which might be 10.5v or 12.6v depending on the state of your battery. And then the EEC provides essentially a ground on the YY connection to cause current to flow through the coil and pull the relay in. And that mode of operation is pretty much standard with solid state electronics. It is much easier for a transistor to "sink" current, meaning ground something, than to "source" current, meaning to provide power to a device. So Ford provided power through ZZ from the EEC power relay and the EEC then takes that power to ground when it wants the pumps to run. But it apparently is monitoring things somehow. I just looked at the schematic again and the low side of the relay's coil is apparently connected to the EEC via Ckt 201 and Pin 17. So maybe it is monitoring it that way? And do you have the self-test connector plugged in?

I pulled the relay and tested voltage and continuity and I got ~10.5v when the key was on but I didn't get continuity, to verify I went into the cab and checked for continuity at the eec relay and that had continuity. What would it mean if I have voltage but no continuity? Is it maybe too much resistance or too low voltage? I don't understand "voltage but no continuity". Can you explain how you tested? But if the pumps are running then it looks to me like the ECU isn't realizing that. The way the schematic shows it the ECU is what pulls the relay in. Saying it another way, the power comes in on ZZ and the ECU then grounds YY to pull the relay in. So if the pumps are running then the relay must be coming it. However, if the coil of your relay doesn't pull as much current as the Ford relay that may trick the ECU into thinking that there's no relay. Can you put the Ford relay back for a test?

I hadn't heard of Lockweld, but it looks like it really works.

Rene - Several things. On the RPM, if you have to unhook the IAC to get the RPM down then the computer is trying to keep the RPM too high. Or maybe it is the speed control cable? I'm not sure I understood that bit. As for the noise, that is the sound of the transfer case in 4LOW. I'll bet it doesn't sound like that in 4High. That sound is normal given the straight-cut gears in 4LOW, and it is especially loud through the opening in the floor. You do know that you aren't supposed to be turning corners on pavement with the hubs locked and the transfer case in 4WD - right?

I agree with all Ralph said. On removing gauges, what typically happens is when you turn the nut holding the gauge's stud to the circuit board the nut & stud turn instead of the nut only turning. So I now very careful and would considering using something to prevent the stud from turning. Perhaps soft-jawed pliers?

The engine/firewall ground strap is crucial. In Bullnose trucks it is the only way the cab gets grounded. In later years Ford added several more grounds because of all the problems when that ground failed.

!!! My family has good friends living there! When I was visiting them, my friend explained me that the «Jurassic» period was named because of limestone strata from the Jura Mountains. We learn so much things here! And I LOVE bow ties! The ones I wear, should I say. Small world! I've not been to that little village, but if we get to go to Switzerland in late September like we hope to do we'll be close. And yes, we are quite diverse here, meaning we don't stick to just 1980 - 86 Ford trucks. As for ties, bow or even windsor, count me out. I wore one for most of my career and now I've not had one on since our son got married about 10 years ago.

Ok, makes sense. Please keep us posted.

The 95 code is for all the pumps. In the schematic below the power comes in to the fuel pump cutoff relay on ZZ and YY goes to the ECU. And if the ECU doesn't see the relay it'll throw the code. And that relay powers all of the pumps. I'm still thinking it is the EGR valve.

Good find! That does look like the right one.

I have blue Bilsteins on the front and yellow ones on the rear. All four were yellow when I got the truck but when I did the solid-axle swap Sky Offroad recommended the blue ones.

Thanks, Keith. Are you/LMC going to then have the right ones soon? Or will you be slowed by searching for a source?

Have you done a KOER test? I would think that would be important, but I'm not up to speed with the EEC-IV testing. However, I don't see #32 as EVP. Our page at Documentation/Electrical/Electronic Engine Control (EEC) has 32 as "EGR valve not seated; closed voltage low". And you are seeing a 33 in memory that I agree is EGR. And the EGR valve can certainly give an erratic idle if it isn't closing properly, which happens when it gets carboned up.

How do you pronounce Chevrolet? Technically good old Louis was Swiss, but the name is French, and he grew up in France. This site says: And Google Maps shows that town to be maybe 3 clicks from France. So, Chevrolets are "French". And they wear bowties.

If I were to change from the Bilsteins that are on Big Blue I'd probably want to go with remotes. Just hard to imagine that the Fox shocks are that much better than Bilsteins unless you change to remotes. So I'll be anxious to read your "review".

Thought y'all might be interested in some pics from this article. There are 100 pics and WAY too many of them are of French trucks. But the first one, below, caught my eye given Cory's build. And then there were three Bullnose trucks. However, there are lots of unique trucks as well, so you might like to browse.