85lebaront2

1994 5.0L automatic transmission engines were Mass Air, 1995 5.8L automatic transmission engines were mass air. 1996 everything went mass air except the 7.5L engines, but some California automatic transmission models were mass air.

Mark, on the connectors, I have a pretty comprehensive assortment of the later weatherproof connectors in 2, 3, 4, 8, 16, 42, and even the monster 76 pin the 1992-96/7 trucks used along with some of the round bulkhead connectors used 1987-1991. Let me know if you need any, on the 8 pin, I have several colors.

Ok, then the question goes back to distributor, is your distributor a normal DS-II one, three wire pigtail with a weatherproof PITA to unplug connector? If it is, is it connected to anything or just dangling on the engine? Other question, is there a computer under the driver's side of the seat? Last item, could you scan your 1982 EVTM or send it to Gary so he can scan it to his OCR files and then add it to the site's information files? That would be appreciated by all.

First, the EEC-III pinouts show two items (a) CKP sensor on pins #2 (GY)and #18 (DB) and and (b) a spark control on pin #17 this an orange with yellow hash. I would assume this probably goes to the yellow grommet DuraSpark box. Second, it could go maybe under an "engine controls" tab as it covers more than just EFI.

If you look at the EEC pinouts table (which I can never find on here when I want to), the 5.8L came with EEC-III through 1983, probably mostly CA spec. If it did, then you will have a crank sensor and a "locked" distributor with no pickup coil. If you do, you probably also have a feedback carburetor, probably a Motorcraft 7200 VV one which would also explain the pretty good gas mileage, working right they are amazing. I ran a non-feedback one on a 1957 Thunderbird Special 312 in a 1958 F100, with a Borg Warner T85 with OD and a 3.70 rear, 25 mpg highway.

Looks good sir, sorry about some of the smudges, book is 24 years old, it was missing when I bought Darth.

Sorry, already sent them. I did them as jpg so they would post easier.

You want them as pictures or pdf?

In VA the truck GVW is the determining factor, not the GCWR, interesting. Here are the trailer towing pages from my 1986 F-Series 150-350 owner guide:

Sounds like VADMV, they had no information on the weight when I first bought Darth (previous owner had it tagged in Maine). Wife called Hall Ford in Newport News, they told her 5415 lbs, only off by 985 lbs. So Darth is registered EW 5415, GW 7500 based on 5415 + 2000 lbs. 7500 being the highest I can go without going to T- plates. I actually asked the lady at DMV was "what if I have to cross a truck scale towing my 5th wheel?" She told me they never require a pickup to cross the scales. Damn good thing as I weighed truck and trailer and the total was 16,120 lbs.

Gary, I can scan it for you later, after I get back from Newport News. It would probably be a good addition to the site for those who do not have an owners manual.

Steve, the towing capacity is listed in the owners manual and is a combination of engine, transmission and axle ratio. I have mine and can scan the pages for you. Just not today, I have a memorial service to go to and will be gone most of the day as it is a 1.5 hour drive each way.

Sully, back in olden times (late 50s-early 60s) my dad, an electrical engineer (BS from Severn River Tech, MS from MIT circa 1947) was teaching me about electronics. I used to be quite familiar with the RCA receiving tube guide and dad oversaw me build my own Archer receiver and amplifier. Stereo was just getting really big then, probably 1962, Multiplex was just starting out and dad replaced his Radio Craftsman HiFi system he had built into a cabinet with a nice record changer (33 and 78 only). Thing had a electromagnetic woofer and I don't really remember much on the tweeter other than it looked like a miniature bullhorn. He went to Sears and bought one of their integrated units, stereo with record changer in a nice blond cabinet. There was one of our FM stations that would give a false multiplex signal due to the frequency, Sears finally added a stereo on/off to the balance control. When I was building my system, dad told me to start with the best turntable, then a good amplifier and finally the speakers. His advice was that a noisy turntable would just be amplified and reproduced through top line speakers, where a fair set of speakers could still sound very nice if not overdriven. I still have the LAB 80 I bought then, a later Dual 1019 and my late wife had a Benjamin Miracord 50H, which I also still have. To show you what a nerd I am, several friends and I won first place, Group Senior Physics at the 1963 District Science Fair in Norfolk VA for "Construction of a Cyclotron" NASA Langley helped us with the high vacuum equipment, and WNOR 1230 AM donated an old transmitter tube for the oscillator. VEPCO ran us in a 3 phase 440 VAC service to power our motor/generator to give us the high voltage DC we needed. We had a bank of 5 or 6 GE Pyranol? capacitors in parallel. Discharging them was fun, a broom handle with two big nails and a load of copper wire wrapped around them, damn arc would jump to the second nail at about 1" away with a very load bang.

I agree. I don't remember specifically because it's been so long since I used that column & cruise system, but I think the steering shaft grounded either through the column's top bearing (near the wheel) or the rag joint (which should have steel mesh embedded in the rag). I might still have one of those old columns here to check, but I doubt I have that kind of rag joint. In the meantime, read this caption & follow the links: http://supermotors.net/getfile/491917/thumbnail/cruisetroubleshooting.jpg I actually have a tester for the vacuum speed control, my son used it to test the one on his 86 and I used it to test the one on my 1994 Taurus.

The one nearest the shaft is not a brush, it is the pin for the turn signal cancel cam, it goes into a slot on the bottom side of the wheel hub, the only brushes I have ever seen are the pair you have one with yellow/blue, the other with blue. Even the 1996 F350 column only uses two brushes, ground is the hub of the steering wheel. I don't remember on the old column, but the newer columns and my Chrysler have a ground tab at one of the mounting bolts (the Chrysler also has a horn ground wire).

I know the diagrams show 3 brushes, but I only remember 2, the ground being the steering shaft I believe, in fact I think even the later trucks were similar except the air bag models used the clockspring to carry the signal. I will look at my spare column later, but one thing I do not see on those diagrams is the horn relay. I am pretty sure that the horn relay was only used with a speed control. Without speed control you had a yellow wire and a blue wire to the brushes and the horn was operated by connecting them together. With speed control the the yellow wire was from the relay coil and grounding it activated the horn. Speed control is operated by a series of resistors that connected to either ground or 12V through the horn relay coil provide signal to the speed control amplifier on trucks through 1992, and the speed control unit (electronics and servo motor) 1993 on until the drive by wire models. 1992 and on, all had a horn relay in the PDC. The horn/lighter link shows the horn relay for speed control models as I remembered.

That is correct, the radiator is bolted at the top and lifts out of the lower pads as the engine is raised. The seal is a split lip style seal, the originals were a rope type, but I believe by 1985 they were all the split lip style. Transmission does not need to come off. If your engine has a rope style seal, then there is a pin in the lower rear main cap that needs to be removed, if you have a service manual for it, it will show the offset in the upper and lower portions of the seal and where to use sealer on the cap face. If you find the crank has a groove worn in it, then the transmission will need to be removed at least far enough to get the flex plate off so a repair sleeve can be installed. Don't forget when raising the engine to disconnect fuel lines and the battery ground cable from the block and, unfortunately, if you have A/C, you may have to break the system open, but, if you take the condensor loose it should come up with the radiator.

From personal experience, first question, is it a single exhaust or dual to the muffler? My understanding was it changed in mid 1984. Second, pull everything loose at the radiator mounts, but leave the hoses connected. I do not think removing the transmission will make much difference, it actually helps keep the engine located. Once the engine is as high as you can get it (remove anything on the rear of the engine that may hit the firewall and the air filter), block it up by the exhaust manifolds, a quick look at the motor mounts will tell you why. Exhaust will probably need to be cut to get it out from under the oil pan, if you can cut the bolts out of the joint or if there is none, just a clean cut so the wye section will come out. With the engine now looking like it is ready to launch over the front end, remove the dipstick tube, both motor mounts and all the pan bolts and let the pan drop to the crossmember. Reaching over the pan flange remove the oil pump pickup from the stud and pump and take it out, or just drop it into the pan. Remove the oil pump and it's drive shaft, at this point the pan will promptly drop off the crossmember so be ready for it. Now you can see the crank and bearing caps. remove the rear and loosen the other 4 to allow the crank to drop slightly, now you can change the seal, be sure it is installed correctly and start putting everything back together. Now you know why Darth's rear seal still leaks! Plan on at least a day to do this fun job. Dipstick insert is riveted to the pan, gasket reinstall is loads of fun, later pans with the reinforcements for the pan rail use a one piece gasket. Motor mounts, unless they look bad, Darth's are still the original 1986 ones. Trans temperature, there are kits for installing a sensor in the transmission pan, good idea, put it at the rear so it can double as a drain. I probably should do that too, the E4ODs are know to get quite hot.

I have been doing my own A/C work for years, I actually have an R12 license. One item you may want to consider changing is the orifice tube at the evaporator inlet, they come in different sizes and it helps to increase it one size from the original. I converted Darth to R134a years ago and it cooled very well with the FS-6 compressor and original condensor. I have since then changed all the system to 1994 up components, partially because I had to change the compressor when I converted to the EFI components and polygroove belts. I bought a new 1994 up condensor and found a set of hoses at the local Pick-n-Pull (460 stuff can be a royal PITA to find) since Darth is a crew cab, I used the red orifice tube and a new 1994 up accumulator. Biggest thing on charging it, first a good vacuum, 30 mins minimum once it gets all the way down, but before you close everything up, you need the proper quantity of PAE refrigerant oil, PAG is the normal oil for a factory R134a system, but, if there is any chance that some trace of the old R12 oil being in the system, you don't want to mix them, you will end up with a mess. On quantity of R134a vs R12, the rule says 80%, I have found that is a bit low, you really need to go by temperature, at 80% you will find it does not cool adequately. On the accumulator, the low pressure cutout switch, the one you need to jumper during the initial charging, there is a screw between the terminals, this needs to be backed out slightly, using the low side gauge, set it for 34° degrees, the reason for this, R12 and R134a have different temperature/pressure curves, below 60° the R134a curve has lower pressures for the same temperature, about 60° the pressures are higher. FWIW, the local shop here does A/C and alignments, last year I had to replace my right inner tie rod ($$$$) before inspection, I had him do the replacement and toe adjustment, his comment after pulling Darth on the rack was, damn A/C is freezing. Properly done, you will be very happy with the result. Good luck with it!

One item you will see right off, the 1985.5 and 1986 EECs did not use a speed sensor, the other is the relocation of some power and ground pins and the final is the change in EGR valve control in 1987 from the dual valves (vacuum and vent) to a "dithering" single valve that combines both vacuum and vent in one valve.

Yes, could well be useful.

Gary, Jchris, I would suspect the truck was originally a 5.0L (302) EFI model as those are the only trucks with that style tank selector unit. Also only the 1985.5 and 1986 assemblies had an internal filter. A 5.8L (351) should have had a straight forward mechanical fuel pump and the 3 port selector valve. It seems like someone swapped in a 351 and used the old low pressure in-tank pumps from an EFI 302 to feed it (sound familiar Gary).

My '84 302 had 29 degrees initial timing when I bought it. It would ping like a mofo with even the slightest bit of load on the engine...lol. Once the centrifugal and vac advance was included, I have no idea where it was...60 degrees?. The vac advance was partially seized and only moved about 10 degrees, but the centrifugal advance was still working. Your California 7.5L is just a little different from what mine used to be and Jim's (ArdWrknTrk) has. There are some minor changes in some of the plumbing, if I remember correctly from another person I helped unravel the maze it was the bowl vents for the carb, being electric rather than vacuum operated. The purpose of (a) the vacuum restrictor is to delay the rate of vacuum advance until the engine is at the temperature where it needs a rapid vacuum response, and (b) the bypass to direct manifold vacuum is done when the engine is hot enough to need it. Ford used a ported spark advance for years and early emission engines actually retarded the timing at idle to allow a very lean mixture to ignite with the breaker point ignition systems. These only put out about 25,000 volts for the spark and would not fire a super lean mixture. Static timing on a lot of these was around 6° BTDC, some engines by other manufacturers ran timing at ATDC settings and many had both vacuum advance and retard units on the distributors. With the introduction of electronic ignition systems starting around 1974 engineers discovered what hot rodders had know for years, a hotter (higher voltage) spark would jump a wider gap and fire a lean mixture with no problems. The systems evolved to even hotter spark (Duraspark II on Fords) and required a larger span between distributor towers and larger plug wires to prevent the spark from jumping to the wrong cylinder tower or arcing to ground. The use of full idle vacuum through a restrictor allows the engine to run cleaner with everything functioning than the older ported spark system. If you think 30° is a lot, the computer controlled systems on the EFI engines would blow your mind, my 7.5L idles at somewhere between 28-32° and full advance at cruise is in the neighborhood of 60° BTDC. Good luck on passing smog, once everything is right, a fresh oil change will help also.

Ok, couple of Holley items, first, are the secondary throttle plates closed? If they are stuck partially open then it will (a) not idle down and (b) run rich at the 1800 rpm level. Choke, is it opening fully? Same issue idle will be high and rich. If it is opening, make sure the fast idle cam isn't sticking. The vacuum throttle kicker (diaphragm on driver's side) may be holding the throttle open. Final item, if you get the idle down and it is still rich, you probably have a blown power valve. It you are in CA, be sure you can actually use an Edelbrock (Carter AFB to me) and still be legal.

Ok, Sparky, first question, do you have the engine computer and wiring to the engine and transmission? The transmission is an E4OD and is complete;y computer controlled. If you have that your are OK, if not I do have a couple of EEC-IV 460/E4OD boxes. Mounts, the perches will need to be from a 1983-96/7 F250 or F350 that came with a 460 (7.5L) and the transmission cross member will need to be moved back, on my truck I had to drill new holes 7" back from the C6 that was originally in the truck. Drive shaft is actually only 3" shorter due to the transmission extension housing design. Radiator, you will need a 1983-84 radiator, I think all the V8 ones are the same, I know the later ones are. Fuel system, here is where some real fun starts, pre-1990 trucks used a low pressure in-tank pump or pumps, a reservoir/tank selector valve and a high pressure frame mounted pump. The gauge system changed somewhere between 1987 and 1990, the exact documentation should be on the site in the reference information. Basically the early system will work with your gauges, but the later high pressure in-tank pump senders will not. The actual tanks will need to be changed as all the in-tank pump hangers are much larger where they go in. Shift linkage, you, to do it with Ford parts, will need a column from a 1988-1991 E4OD truck, the mount to the dash changed in 1987, along with the ignition switch, but the basic column is the same. OD lockout switch was on the dash until 1992 when it was moved to the end of the shifter. Problem comes in that the entire column design changed in 1992 to a stub column. Front springs, that beast weighs roughly 865 lbs wet, so you will need something to support the weight without bottoming the front suspension, hopefully your truck has the forged axles, not the stamped unless it is 4WD. A/C, motorhome probably did not have a Ford compressor, most use a different system, so it can be made to work if you can get hoses made. Air inlet, the 1987-96/7 EFI trucks mount the air filter on the left inner fender behind the coolant recovery/windshield washer reservoir. If you know someone with and EFI 7.5L truck, look at the system so you can see where things go. If you need more ideas, you can look at my (incomplete) write up of my truck (Darth Vader) and the pictures of the work. Good luck with it!