Gary Lewis

I can't find those things in the MPC. Are you saying they go under the floor of the cab? Or am I misunderstanding?

I think I'd use the White/Light Blue wire that powered the TFI module & coil to pull in the relay.

If you really just tapped in then there shouldn't be a problem. But what do you mean about you "tapped into that as a switch for the EFI"? If you are using the ignition power to pull in a relay then ok. But if you are trying to run the EFI off that then you will have problems. I'm with Jim, it sounds like the issue is with the power wiring at the starter relay or in that area. Probably something done during the 3G swap.

Just a guess, but maybe you put the fuse links on the wrong side of the starter relay?

Yep. And how fast you spin it.

Jim - After you said that I did more reading and found this that I thought was helpful: Electric vehicle (EV) charging standards and how they differ. And here are some takeaways: Level 1 - 110v: So if the battery capacity of your 2021 Mustang Mach-E is 88kWh, you’re looking at days to charge, not hours. Nearly 63 hours by our count. Level 2 - 240V: These chargers are the most common type found at public charging stations. ... So if you’re boasting around 7.7 kW max power at 240V, you can charge that Mach-E significantly quicker. 11.5 hours sounds a lot better than 63 hours, no? Level 3 – DC rapid/fast/super chargers: Depending on the power available, a Level 3 charger can fully replenish your EV in twenty to thirty minutes. And then there is Tesla, which is doing its own thing. What I didn't follow up on is how many Level 3 chargers there are and where they are placed. That would be critical. Anyway, as said, I believe EV's are the coming thing. And apparently they are getting closer to arrival than I thought.

Perfect, Jim. That terminology let me find this pic, which makes it pretty obvious. I'd ground that screw and watch the voltage at the battery. If the alternator is good, and if the "sense" wire is hot, the output should head for 15 or more volts.

Right, if it was float level or pressure then temp shouldn't matter. So it does sound like you may be overheating the fuel, causing it to boil. I'd tie the valve the other way and see what happens.

Yes, the voltmeter and charge indicator lamp is the best solution. I've looked more than one to see how easy it would be to put a charge indicator lamp in an ammeter hole on the Bullnose gauges, but it wouldn't be easy.

John - I think there is something written on the back of the regulator that tells how to test the alternator by grounding a spot on the regulator. You said you replaced the regulator, so if you can find the original regulator see what it says. If it has the directions then follow them, which should put the alternator into full boost. So with your voltmeter on the battery you should see 15 or more volts, which you don't want to do for very long. If that is the case I'd say the alternator is good and the regulator is bad. In which case I'd swap the original regulator back in and see what happens. And if yours doesn't have the directions I'll check after church to see if I can find them.

What you are talking about is perpetual motion - being able to charge off the motion that you currently have to keep on going. But everything has loss in it, so you cannot generate as much power as you are using. So, let's say you put an alternator on that can crank out 130A to charge the batteries. But due to losses it'll take maybe 150A from the batteries to turn the motor to turn the alternator to generate that 130A. In other words, you lose 20A. However, there is some "regeneration" built into many of today's EV's. When you are at speed and drop the throttle, acting like you want to slow, some actually use the motors to generate some power to put back in the batteries. And when you tap on the brakes lightly they generate more power, causing you to slow. So while perpetual motion doesn't work due to the losses incurred, when loss is acceptable, like in braking or slowing down, they already use regeneration to charge the batteries.

My son and I recently had a similar conversation about electrifying a gas-powered truck. And we quickly came to the conclusion that it would be a whole lot of work. And very expensive. The issue is more in the electronics to deliver the power to the motors than it is in the motors themselves. Does the company you are talking with have the electronics? If so, how would you interface it to the throttle you currently have? Or would you keep it separate and just use it for getting unstuck? And, where would the batteries go? And what batteries?

Jim - Welcome. This one took a bit of searching in the MPC. I didn't remember seeing that valve in illustrations and wasn't successful guessing the name of VALVE (AIR CONDITIONER VACUUM CHECK). I tried searching "valve" but soon realized there are billions of them in the MPC and gave up. Finally I searched for "vacuum" in the illustrations, and after wading through a bunch of EGR ones found the one above. Oddly enough it says it is only for 1980 & 81 trucks, but we all know it was the same for later trucks save for the vacuum canister changing to a ball. Anyway, that gave me the base part number and Bob's your uncle. All that to say that I'm learning how to search the MPC. Sometimes I get lucky and find it straightaway, and sometimes it takes quite a while.

A little-known fact is that in '86 Ford finally dropped the idiot lights and all the trucks came with ammeters. So yes, it should work. But, it is a large and long harness, so...

Congrat's! I'll guess that Bill was right and the thing was packed with grease which softened overnight with the ATF on it and started flowing. Or there was a large air bubble inside that your rap with the mallet caused to move. In any event, it is working!

I'll add this info to the Documentation/HVAC page. According to this illustration that is 19A563 as the base part number: And from this it appears to be D70Z 19A563-A:

I think that is C610, which you can see on this page:

Personally, I think EV's are the coming thing. But, I stress COMING as I don't believe they have "arrived". I see two major problems with them at the moment for the kind of driving I tend to do, which is long trips with many days of ~600 miles/day. The issues I see are: Batteries: At this point in time driving 600 miles will require at least one recharge, and that assumes that there's a recharging station at exactly the mid-point of the trip. Otherwise you'll have to recharge more than once, and recharging takes a lot of time. But, if the manufacturers were to standardize the batteries and be able to swap them out in 20 minutes for fully charged ones, that would be a game changer. Recharging Stations: There is no standardization of the stations nor connections to the vehicle. And until we have standardization I don't think there will be a charging station at the point in your trip where you need it. Again, I think EV's are the coming thing. But "the system" isn't in place for my kind of driving.

Got a bit to show for today but forgot to take a pic of the siren, which is installed on the right side of the radiator mounted to the radiator support. It is firing through a hole in the radiator support so can be easily heard outside. But it is wired up and works nicely. Next up was the connections between the security system and the bed cover. That works very nicely and with a 3+ second push of the trunk button the cover opens, and with a 3+ second push of both the lock and unlock buttons the cover closes. And I connected the wire that goes to the toolbox into the pin switch input, so when I install the pin switches there opening the lids will set off the alarm. Last, I replaced the stock Ford horn relay with a Bosch-style relay. As previously said the Ford regulator takes ~.6A to pull in, but the security system can only sink .3A. Fortunately a Bosch relay takes ~.1A, so swapping the stock unit for a Bosch solved the problem. The factory connector has three 1/4" female terminals, so I made a jumper with male connectors on one end and female on the other to connect to the relay. That's shown on the left below, with the little brown wire that is coiled up going to the security system so it can also pull in the relay. And on the right is how I mounted it on the speed control module using the same bolt that the factory relay uses. (Bill - What do you notice in that pic? ) And, it works! The siren has a sharp, piercing sound and the bellow from the bull horn seems to mellow it out nicely. But, I have the option of turning things off in the setup procedure, so will see about that when I get to that step. Speaking of steps, all I have left is to connect to the power at the ignition switch and to wire up the "engine disabling" relay. Then I'll neaten up the convolute in the dash, tie everything down so there won't be any rattles, and put the dash cover back on.

I finally got approval to capture the pics: Documentation/Picture Galleries/1981 F100 With 318 Miles. Currently the bid is $35,250 with just under two hours left to go.

George - Good to hear from you. Glad you are safe, though that new storm down there is sure to bring you more rain, which I'm sure you don't need. On the check valve, are you talking about the one in the line to the HVAC controls? Right by the blower motor?

We rented a Jeep Rubicon in Ouray last year, which got us able to explore and see some beautiful scenery. And the Rubicon was a very capable vehicle. So that's a good option.

Dane - You are using Chrome? I always use Safari on my iPhone, which works fine on that table, but I tried Chrome and it does exactly as you said. But when I click Open it does open the requested page. However, as you said, the brackets don't go away unless or until you tap another link. It is annoying.

That looks like a fun day! And and trail more my "speed". However, some of those drops look like something Big Blue wouldn't like, and I know I wouldn't either. So something with a short overhang is essential for some of those? Are there ways around them? That hidden canyon reminds me of Zane Grey and Riders Of The Purple Sage. Have you read that? (At one point I owned the whole set of Zane's works.) And the rock formations where you have lunch are cool in so many different ways. That was a wonderful trip! Can we go again? It was too short!

Interesting, Bill. So you'd suggest spinning the engine a bit faster. And maybe if that doesn't work the grease will thin overnight with ATF on it?