Lugging at speed/No power at WOT

[Gary Lewis]

What was your build date? This says prior to 10/83 there's the 1" and afterwards 15/16"

Oops. Missed the edit. Guess you'd better find out what you have.

[ArdWrknTrk]

No, they are talking about wheel cylinders:

FWIW, they only list one model of Master cylinder (which has a 1" bore) used from 1977 to 1986.

Thus, unless there is a difference in the proportioning valve that happened at the same time, and since I don't know what's on the other side, I'll go for the newer 1" option on both sides.

Edit: toss that... per the parts list on the site, they also show the brake shoes and other parts being different. Hot mess... will try to figure out what all changed, and if it's a case where the only things different are things I'm replacing anyway, I'll just make sure everything I order matches.

Edit2: Looked further down the list... they show for the full cylinders (not repair kits), for 1984's built before 10/1983, replace both sides with 15/16". The 1" is the old version that they don't list as a repair part. Makes me think they tried upsizing to 1" for the 1984 year, but found an issue and quickly reverted to 15/16"???

Maybe they figured out that the 1" wasn't giving them enough motion with the Master cylinder bore???

I know the 2/350 trucks have the 1 1/8 bore masters because the front calipers are bigger.

[ratdude747]

Maybe they figured out that the 1" wasn't giving them enough motion with the Master cylinder bore???

I know the 2/350 trucks have the 1 1/8 bore masters because the front calipers are bigger.

Parts came in. Got the blown out corner (LH rear) done... 15/16" was already there (but also blown, obviously).

Rear shoe worn down past rivets... and the steel backer was cracked too. Got screwed on the parking brake self-adjuster kit; all they stock are RH kits, and idiot here thought it was like the 10" brakes that are not side-specfic (LH side has backwards parking brake cable entry). The good news is the LH specific parts were in good shape, so I refurbished them and replaced the rest.

Got pics for later... early morning, need to get sleep. RH rear is next, then changing the hose and bleeding the rear circuit.

I think these are the original asbestos shoes, so I was extra careful in my cleaning (lots of brakeleen, no compressed air!)

[Gary Lewis]

Parts came in. Got the blown out corner (LH rear) done... 15/16" was already there (but also blown, obviously).

Rear shoe worn down past rivets... and the steel backer was cracked too. Got screwed on the parking brake self-adjuster kit; all they stock are RH kits, and idiot here thought it was like the 10" brakes that are not side-specfic (LH side has backwards parking brake cable entry). The good news is the LH specific parts were in good shape, so I refurbished them and replaced the rest.

Got pics for later... early morning, need to get sleep. RH rear is next, then changing the hose and bleeding the rear circuit.

I think these are the original asbestos shoes, so I was extra careful in my cleaning (lots of brakeleen, no compressed air!)

Glad you are/did get it done.

Were the drums still in good shape?

[ratdude747]

Glad you are/did get it done.

Were the drums still in good shape?

Haven't gotten to the Right side (had a late workday yesterday).

Drum was trashed... but I bought new ones since I suspected such was the cause of my brake pulsation.

[Gary Lewis]

Haven't gotten to the Right side (had a late workday yesterday).

Drum was trashed... but I bought new ones since I suspected such was the cause of my brake pulsation.

Yes, that can do it. Hope you get the brakes sorted today.

[ratdude747]

Yes, that can do it. Hope you get the brakes sorted today.

Been a week since I finished the brakes and cooling work. I owe you all pictures, which I'll upload later.

Some notes and such:

-Fingers crossed, but the cooling issue is fixed. New hose clamps seem to have taken care of the hose issues. The gasket issues do not seem to have been an issue with the gaskets themselves; rather, my usage of RTV on the bolts was too liberal and such fouled the gaskets and prevented a good seal. I used Permatex Anaerobic Gasket Maker on the bolts this time (which is a lot more precise to apply), which seems to be the ticket.

-Had soft brake issues... which ultimately was a drum adjustment quirk caused by the brake settling after initial driving. Better now.

-Still having a bad belt squeak on startup. Goes away once all electrical loads cut off (A/C & Fan, headlights, wipers, etc.) and usually goes away after. I'm thinking that the alternator is getting overloaded; I'm still getting a pitiful 12MPG and in OD the truck struggles to do 70mph on the freeway (65 on the speedometer; used GPS to determine speedometer error), which to me points either the engine being garbage (which is possible; I haven't rechecked compression but I have my doubts to any improvement) or something is loading the engine down. Could a faulty voltage regulator cause this? It still has what appears to be the original 1G regulator installed (very old and rusty, Motorcraft stamped). The battery stays charged well... just seems like the alternator is getting lugged hard.

[ArdWrknTrk]

Been a week since I finished the brakes and cooling work. I owe you all pictures, which I'll upload later.

Some notes and such:

-Fingers crossed, but the cooling issue is fixed. New hose clamps seem to have taken care of the hose issues. The gasket issues do not seem to have been an issue with the gaskets themselves; rather, my usage of RTV on the bolts was too liberal and such fouled the gaskets and prevented a good seal. I used Permatex Anaerobic Gasket Maker on the bolts this time (which is a lot more precise to apply), which seems to be the ticket.

-Had soft brake issues... which ultimately was a drum adjustment quirk caused by the brake settling after initial driving. Better now.

-Still having a bad belt squeak on startup. Goes away once all electrical loads cut off (A/C & Fan, headlights, wipers, etc.) and usually goes away after. I'm thinking that the alternator is getting overloaded; I'm still getting a pitiful 12MPG and in OD the truck struggles to do 70mph on the freeway (65 on the speedometer; used GPS to determine speedometer error), which to me points either the engine being garbage (which is possible; I haven't rechecked compression but I have my doubts to any improvement) or something is loading the engine down. Could a faulty voltage regulator cause this? It still has what appears to be the original 1G regulator installed (very old and rusty, Motorcraft stamped). The battery stays charged well... just seems like the alternator is getting lugged hard.

I'd be surprised the alternator could put enough load to kill your gas mileage like that.

I'd say your brakes were dragging, but you've just been there.

A 1G regulator is simple kit.

They usually either work, or they don't.

Solid state replacements are available

******.

Correction, I want to say this is a 1990 2 1/2G where Ford has gotten rid of the fire plug but still has the later rear mounted regulator

Here's a 100A 1G for $35 delivered.

https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ebay.com%2Fulk%2Fitm%2F201083118861

 

[FuzzFace2]

I'd be surprised the alternator could put enough load to kill your gas mileage like that.

I'd say your brakes were dragging, but you've just been there.

A 1G regulator is simple kit.

They usually either work, or they don't.

Solid state replacements are available

******.

Correction, I want to say this is a 1990 2 1/2G where Ford has gotten rid of the fire plug but still has the later rear mounted regulator

Here's a 100A 1G for $35 delivered.

https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ebay.com%2Fulk%2Fitm%2F201083118861

And I thought 14 MPG I am getting with out OD was bad

With out going thru all 16 pages maybe a little update what has been done to the truck so far that could have helped or hurt the MPG when trying to fix the "Lugging at speed/No power at WOT".

1984 would be a feed back system how much of that system is in place, carb & dist.?

Have you checked the heat riser valve to see if it opens when hot, could be stuck closed?

Running a cat? Maybe it is plugged?

Between the 2 could be why you have no power and bad MPG could also make the motor run hot.

Are you sure you have good numbers for the MPG part?

Do you have a tach, what rear gear and size tire you running.

Dave ----

[ratdude747]

And I thought 14 MPG I am getting with out OD was bad

With out going thru all 16 pages maybe a little update what has been done to the truck so far that could have helped or hurt the MPG when trying to fix the "Lugging at speed/No power at WOT".

1984 would be a feed back system how much of that system is in place, carb & dist.?

Have you checked the heat riser valve to see if it opens when hot, could be stuck closed?

Running a cat? Maybe it is plugged?

Between the 2 could be why you have no power and bad MPG could also make the motor run hot.

Are you sure you have good numbers for the MPG part?

Do you have a tach, what rear gear and size tire you running.

Dave ----

Oh. Boy.

Other than replacing a poorly flared steel fuel line (pump to carb) and "stock" filter to rubber fuel line with a clear servicable filter, and the R12 AC being previously converted to R134A (which I resealed and recharged ), everything under the hood is pretty much stock or a stock replacement.

Been down a long list, which included the following repairs/fixes (some predate the thread as they were "obvious fixes"):

-Rebuilt carburator

-Fixed many vacuum leaks until none seen by smoke test. This includes a previous repair (made as soon as I bought the truck) which replaced a faulty brake booster and master cylinder

-Replaced all belts, including a previously missing A/C belt.

-Checked (and replaced if at all bad) all sensors. New O2, TPS, and idle solenoid (the latter was found to be OK)

-Confirmed via vacuum gauge and open header test drive that the exhaust is not restricted (including the two stock cats. Exhaust leaks do exist; my injection pipe has a big hole right before the bung between the cats, and everything past the cats is an aftermarket rotted out aluminumized mess.

-For a while ran with just the electric choke (choke stove tubes rotted off, and wasn't able to fix in place). Later fixed, see below

-Replaced the entire ignition system. PO ran it with the ECU (and many accessories) powered off (fusible link not connected to starter relay) and the timing over advanced. Fixed all of this, but damage was done to the engine (or was already done, see below).

-Replaced broken tie rod ends. Never got around to getting it aligned; in recent times (after the next several items) the front tires have worn to needing replacement. Shame on me. .

-Noted that cylinder 1 and sometimes 2 were running pig rich and/or burning oil. Turns out the latter was the case, as most cylinders had low compression (120-130PSI) and was leaking into the crankcase

-Replaced two bald rear tires while on a long trip with the truck (1500 miles! My Ranger blew a brake line the morning I was to leave, and my wife's escape pees tranny sauce when hot, so I had no choice to make the trip work)... Early christmas gift from parents when I visited them on the way. The fronts were in passable shape at the time; due to having a long trip ahead, I didn't have 3 hours to wait for the alignment rack to free up. Again, shame on me!

-Replaced my U joints. No issue found, but it was cheap insurance.

-Replaced the worn/blown out factory shocks.

-Rebuilt the bleeping engine! Found that everything but cylinder 4 had broken compression rings, and the bores were scored and glazed. Had the block bored 30 over, and rebuilt with new pistons/rings (both 30 oversized) and bearings. Valvetrain was reused and re-assembled in the exact locations they came from.

-Replaced the choke stove tubes while the manifold was off the engine. Also discovered the butterfly assembly in the exhaust manifold, and determined that while it is crusty, it does move. Move correctly? Don't know. It wasn't until the last few days of research I found out what that does; due to the EGR tube being rusted in place to both manifolds, I didn't split them apart since I didn't know if a new tube could be sourced (in my experience with my two 1995 rangers, rusted EGR tubes come off destructively).

-Did a compression test at 500 miles past rebuild; only got 125 PSI on all six cylinders. Still running break in oil, but have driven it somewhat more conventionally (no more rev and coast; is this a problem???).

-Did a 4 wheel brake job last weekend. Both calipers seized, both rotors worn, one wheel cylinder exploded. Front wheels were tight after new pads installed; I had to pull the factory shim off one pad in order to make it fit on the new rotors. My hope is that they'll break in and loosen up (had a special coating to break the pads in; they're centric PG Pro ceramic pads).

Today I replaced the voltage regulator... only to find the old stock regulator wasn't bad nor was it mechanical in the first place. At least I have a spare... DOH! I also changed my diff fluid... gears and fluid didn't look bad, so I think I can rule out a rear end issue is the cause. I also pulled codes with my scanner... no codes to be found (just gave the code 11 "all passed" code), so it's not in limp mode.

The truck has stock wheels/tire sizes (for an RWD), and 3.08 open gears. AOD transmission.

At this point, other than the alignment being so far off the tire scrub is braking the truck (which is possible, the wheel is far from center, indicating the toe is FUBAR, hence the chewed to heck tires), some issue with the tranny (haven't bothered the change the fluid; what's in there still looks and feels good, and I'm balking at $50 in fluid if I drain the T/C like I'm supposed to), or the low compression being a bigger issue than I think (and my rebuild being a fail ), I'm stumped. The first two are easy... I just have to pony up the $$$ (the former would include new tires since every alignment shop is also a tire place, and no way I'll be able to get in without replacing balding tires). The last one is probably the issue, and I'm fearing that all my time and effort was mostly a waste if the rebuild is junk and I have to start over. It doesn't shake and miss under torque at least and I have no more blow by... but if the rings aren't going to seal, what was the point? I did everything "right"; I offset my ring gaps 180 degrees, used the best break in oil I could get (other than the 1/2 qt of synthetic I used during assembly not knowing that synthetic and break in really don't mix), and followed the service manual and the like to the best of my ability. But I'm a noob at rebuilds, and I might have gotten owned. I'm 1100 miles past rebuild, and with no change in performance, I'm not feeling too good about it. I'll do another compression test when I have time (tomorrow/today I'll be booked with Church and Mowing my badly overgrown lawn ).

Edit: The odometer readings are good as far as I can measure. The speedometer reads a bit slow though (65 shown = 70 driven); at 70mph actual it usually could stay in gear without bogging down in cruise, but any faster and unless I was drafting or down hill, it would bog down 10mph before downshifting. Since it is bogging down at low RPM (not high), I'm still not thinking it's an intake/exhaust flow or fuel delivery issue.