Jaded

Gary, Noted with thanks! Part number for that mod? On the topic of Vacuum: Has anyone had any issue with the silicone vacuum hose kits? I like the idea of using the fancy colored hoses as that seems an ideal way to keep track of what's what, but unsure if the silicone material is prone to any sort of failure or poor performance. Seems like all of what I have read so far is from the perspective of before purchase and not the 3 years later perspective I am looking for.

Quick update for folks interested in alternatives to the Yh-380 vacuum switch. Ordered what we were told was a YH-380. Received the heat only switch... Out of desperation and stubbornness I took the switch apart to determine compatability between it and the parts from our OEM ac/heat switch. Turns out the vacuum bodies of the switches are nearly identical except for a single vacuum port behind the sliding valve plate and the valve plate itself (and obviously the extra two conductors for a/c circuit.) Conveniently there just happens to be a very slight dimple where the additional port should be on the vacuum body. So: After removing the cover that holds the sliding valve plate to the back of the vacuum body. I used a pin (like the kind you find in new button up shirts) with a little heat applied and slowly pressed through the dimple to add the port. Being careful not to leave any extruded material around the edges of the new port so as not to damage the rubber on the sliding valve plate as it moves back and forth. Reassembled the new vacuum body with the valve plate from our a/c-heat switch. Back on to the OEM a/c-heat switch body (being mindful of the annoying little ball bearing that needs to sit on the detent spring between the switch slider and the vacuum body). Also cleaned and applied a dab of dielectric grease to the contact slides on the switch body while I was in there. Voilà Blend doors all work now. A/C and max settings also work as they should too. Although rhe a/c is not connected with a belt so can't confirm entirely as that circuit is offline atm.. project for another day. I'll try and get some picks of the specifics, but it is fairly self explaining for the adventurous and stubborn DIY'r. Total time: about 45 mins to swap components. (A bit fiddly and tedious and my hands shake from nerve damage) Tools needed: a set of mechanics picks, fine gauge needle, bit of assembly grease safe for plastic and rubber. Side note: someone should model this thing and start 3d printing them...

Can confirm the flter is a seperate component as it is inline just before the hp pump. Noted on the tank size. Definitely an option to consider for simplicity of system design at least. Range being a factor I hadn't really given much thought until now but assume that a minimum of 350/400 miles unloaded would be a minimum starting point if I use my Ram as a baseline to compare. We haven't even used a gallon of fuel at this point as it has been in a state of repair since we drove it from the seller's house onto our driveway a little over 2 weeks ago. If only the fuel guage worked so we could assess the mpg lol. Going to stretch my back and scuff some knuckles digging through the dash and the engine compartment looking for those relays. Once I get the full assessment of current state, should have enough to priorize a path forward on how to resolve. Cheers 🍻

Turns out, this truck is stamped as built in December of 1984. (Signature has been updated with that now) Productive weekend on it too, replaced the wiper motor and the steering wheel controls/turn signal switch. Rhe wiper motor was entertaining! Lots of aftermarket available but discovered the motor linkage is incorrect on the replacement part. Had to die grind the OEM linkage to fit the replacement motor shaft. All good though. The wipers park and operate at both speeds as intended now woot! Replacing the disintegrated foam insulation tape before the cowl went back on of course. The switch wasn't too bad though I am concerned we the have provisions for cruise control despite ordering that specific switch. Hard to verify without having the cruise control and horn connections and buttons as the face of the steering wheel is missing. Blinkers and tilt work though so it'll be good enough to operate for now. Once we track down the replacement parts will see where that take us. Priority now is "un-customizing" the dual to single tank conversion wiring mess the PO left us, (currently rhe only and primary tank is the "front tank"). ***Need track down the lack of fuel guage at instrument paenl (nothing on the db/y or y/w wires..), and verify the in tank pump and sending unit is working. I have reviewed the threads for diagrams and basic function of the OEM dual tank setup and have already assessed that many components are either bypassed or missing all together. The tank selector solenoid valve is there but not connected and no connector to be seen, the high pressure pump leads have been spliced and now connect directly into the front tank pump leads, p/b and b/w cut at selctor switch.i was able to re-pin the tank selector switch and ignoring the splice from the hp pump to the tank pump I verified the OEM dual tank wiring (b/w, red, orange) to the dual tanks switch as they should. In particular we are still looking through all the mentioned locations for the fuel pump relay to confirm it is either existing or if it has been bypassed, or if present test for function. There are seemingly a lot of either missing connections present some in key locations that are concerning, but trying to stay focused and run this through systematically so as not to be distracted by unrelated issues to be addressed later. The goal right now is to get his truck reliable to drive. We will work the kinks out on the rest later. The dilemma to that end as I see it, stems from deciding one from one of two options to resolve the fuel supply system issues: Restore to factory setup and re-equip the truck with fuel pump relay(s) fuel tank selector valve, rear tank w/ pump and sending unit, etc. Or replicate a proper OEM single tank system with as close to a factory wiring diagram and components as we can. Leaning towards OEM dual tank setup simply to make diagnostic (current and future) and operating maintenance simple for my son to maintain going forward (following factory manuals etc), but after reading here on the known issues with the fuel tank selector solenoid, tank selector switch, etc, failing ... this solution doesn't inspire confidence that we wont be creating more problems from a reliability standpoint. Also, the cost to replicate OEM equipment is going to be steep for him initially with his limited part time high-school job income and he still needs to replace the horribly over sized wheels and tires it came with. (More on this once we fix the fuel system woes). Curious to hear if there is a consensus on the two approaches to this or if it really boils down to personal preference, money, and time/effort? Also, I haven't read that there are many if any options to make the dual tank system more reliable, but open to that if there is a recommended search I can use to find it in this forum. Cheers 🍻 (Sorry for the wall of text, hopefully I've highlighted useful details.)

Check. Read and re-read. For the life of me didn't see where the option to post from the new members page. So I took a gamble with the new thread and tried to post an intro best I could muster in working from mobile phone. You all are so kind, appreciate the warm welcome. 🙏 As for build date etc. We don't know that yet, but as I now know there were rolling changes in '85 we'll be sure to get that asap. I'll ssume it's a VIN detail lookup? Also FWIW. I am fairly savy with Discord server construction and management, and I'm launching what will be a community server within that platform in an effort to leverage their optimal chat, embed features, thread creation, voice chat, topic organization features etc (and many more). Not sure if anyone is interested in that, but when the server is ready to rip it will be open for discovery within the app search function. While it won't be a replacement for this treasure trove, it does make an ideal access point for the community to engage quickly and is second to none from an ease of use perspective (better than Teams or Slack imo). The younger generations especially love it, and we are hoping to capture some of them as they are getting their hands on some classic trucks. We already have a channel built to link to this forum lol. Anyhoo, gonna be late for church, gotta run! Cheers 🍻

Hello everyone, my son just bought a 1985 F150 5.0 EFI single cab 2x4. Been helping him go through it past few weeks and found this forum to be pretty helpful so far. Figured might as well register and join the conversations. The truck runs and rides and stops great but definitely has given me some head scratching with the PO's DIY electrical "customization". Anxious to get it the little gremlins sorted so he can focus on enjoying it. That said, spending time with my boy wrenching isn't a bad thing... I'll take time with him how ever I can get it, and I am greatful that he wants to learn to do his own work. Haven't gotten the parts cannon out just yet, hoping yall can help us keep that in reserve lol! Cheers 🍻