From: owner-80-96-list-digest ford-trucks.com (80-96-list-digest)
To: 80-96-list-digest ford-trucks.com
Subject: 80-96-list-digest V3 #210
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80-96-list-digest Wednesday, July 28 1999 Volume 03 : Number 210



=======================================================================
Ford Truck Enthusiasts - 1980-1996 Trucks and Vans
Visit our web site: http://www.ford-trucks.com/
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message.
=======================================================================
In this issue:

Re: FTE 80-96 - Erratic idle and poor fuel economy
FTE 80-96 - Re: Erratic idle and poor fuel economy
FTE 80-96 - ATF in the power steering ???
FTE 80-96 - Need help with Temperature Gauge
Re: FTE 80-96 - F-150 Mods
Re: FTE 80-96 - condensor??
Re: FTE 80-96 - (no subject)
Re: FTE 80-96 - condensor??
RE: FTE 80-96 - condensor??
FTE 80-96 - ADMIN: Missed portions of the digest
FTE 80-96 - Gas Guages
FTE 80-96 - Body panels -good selection
Re: FTE 80-96 - 84 F150 Brakes
Re: FTE 80-96 - 84 F150 Brakes
Re: FTE 80-96 - F-150 Mods
FTE 80-96 - Re: ignition amp.
Re: FTE 80-96 - Need help with Temperature Gauge
FTE 80-96 - Wives and truck parts....
FTE 80-96 - E350 - Power Steering Leak Gearbox or pump replacement
RE: FTE 80-96 - Gas Guages
RE: FTE 80-96 - Re: ignition amp.
RE: FTE 80-96 - E350 - Power Steering Leak Gearbox or pump replac ement
FTE 80-96 - BAD BAD NEWS!!

=======================================================================

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Date: Tue, 27 Jul 1999 06:50:24 -0400
From: "Michael McCarthy"
Subject: Re: FTE 80-96 - Erratic idle and poor fuel economy

My 2 cents on erratic idle and poor fuel economy.

I agree that it probably has something to do with the MAP sensor but the
sensor itself may not be bad. The MAP sensor reads the intake manifold
vacuum. It then adjust the spark advance and fuel mixture based on its
reading. If it reads a poor vacuum it thinks the engine is under load and it
retards the spark and richens the fuel mixture. If there is a vacuum leak
the MAP sensor continuously reads a poor vacuum and hence continuously
retards the spark and richens the fuel mixture. The result - erratic idle
and poor fuel economy.
I think you should check all of the vacuum lines first. Look for
disconnected lines or lines that are too close to hot surfaces like
manifolds. Make absolutely sure you don't have a vacuum leak before you do
anything else. I speak from experience and expense.

Michael McCarthy
Export, PA


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Date: Tue, 27 Jul 1999 13:46:43 -0400
From: "Serian"
Subject: FTE 80-96 - Re: Erratic idle and poor fuel economy

> I have an 89 f-250 with a 302 (fuel injection).
> Recently the idle has been erratic and the
> truck will stall on occasion. Also coupled
> with this problem is terrible fuel economy.
> I have not been able to see any flashing codes.

Perhaps the oxygen sensor went bad ?


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------------------------------

Date: Tue, 27 Jul 1999 13:51:08 -0400
From: "Serian"
Subject: FTE 80-96 - ATF in the power steering ???

> What was this about using automatic
> transmission fluid in the power steering
> unit?

'tis true ... check it out in your owners
manual, or the Chilton's or Haynes
manual for your truck. Ford recommends
using ATF in the power steering pump
reservior, but you can also use the
generic "power steering fluid". ATF and
"power steering fluid" are soluble and
compatible, but straight ATF is less
expensive and works just as good.



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Date: Tue, 27 Jul 1999 17:53:48 -0500
From: "Neff, Charles"
Subject: FTE 80-96 - Need help with Temperature Gauge

Can someone tell me if it is worth fixing the temperature gauge in my 1987
F-150 or should I install a seperate gauge for this.

I have checked the resistance of the sensor and it reads correctly at cold,
warm, and hot. Problem is that the gauge is always at the low end.

How do I get to the gauge in the instrument cluster and when (and if) I do,
how can I check it? Is there a connector under the hood that I should check
first to see if there is voltage getting to the gauge? All other gauges
work OK...except for the foulded up gas gauges but everyone knows about
those.

Thanks for your help


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Date: Tue, 27 Jul 1999 18:53:02 EDT
From: BigFords1 aol.com
Subject: Re: FTE 80-96 - F-150 Mods

I'm planning on installing dual 3 inch pipes with glass packs and a K&N air
filter. I won't have a cat on at all. What horsepower, torque, and mileage
increases can I expect? Thanks.


David
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------------------------------

Date: Tue, 27 Jul 1999 18:55:41 -0400
From: Bob Hirsch
Subject: Re: FTE 80-96 - condensor??

I have an 84 F150 302. There is what appears to be a small condenser mounted on a bracket attached to the ignition coil bracket. It's wired in series with the positive low voltage side of the coil. I can't find any mention of it in the books I have.
Does anyone know what it's there for. The backet looks factory.
Thanks.
Bob
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------------------------------

Date: Tue, 27 Jul 1999 20:02:43 EDT
From: Spruce1495 aol.com
Subject: Re: FTE 80-96 - (no subject)

A lot of metal filings that may be in suspension are non-ferrous so the
magnet probably wouldn't be all that effective.
Bill
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------------------------------

Date: Tue, 27 Jul 1999 20:21:35 -0400
From: Martin Horne
Subject: Re: FTE 80-96 - condensor??

A condensor is exactly what it is. It is just there to try and stop radio
interferance. Mine is hopelessly innefective in this - even after I fitted
a new one.

Martin Horne
Long Island, NY

At 06:55 PM 7/27/99 -0400, you wrote:
>I have an 84 F150 302. There is what appears to be a small condenser
>mounted on a bracket attached to the ignition coil bracket. It's wired in
>series with the positive low voltage side of the coil. I can't find any
>mention of it in the books I have.
>Does anyone know what it's there for. The backet looks factory.
>Thanks.
>Bob
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------------------------------

Date: Tue, 27 Jul 1999 19:22:25 -0500
From: "Webdoc"
Subject: RE: FTE 80-96 - condensor??

You're right, it's a capacitor to cut down on ignition noise in the radio.
There should also be one attached to the wiring harness going into the
voltage regulator.
Webdoc
Email webdoc arkansas.net

- -----Original Message-----
From: owner-80-96-list ford-trucks.com
[mailto:owner-80-96-list ford-trucks.com] On Behalf Of Bob Hirsch
Sent: Tuesday, July 27, 1999 5:56 PM
To: 80-96-list ford-trucks.com
Subject: Re: FTE 80-96 - condensor??

I have an 84 F150 302. There is what appears to be a small condenser
mounted on a bracket attached to the ignition coil bracket. It's wired in
series with the positive low voltage side of the coil. I can't find any
mention of it in the books I have.
Does anyone know what it's there for. The backet looks factory.
Thanks.
Bob
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------------------------------

Date: Tue, 27 Jul 1999 20:54:40 -0400
From: Ken Payne
Subject: FTE 80-96 - ADMIN: Missed portions of the digest

If you're getting digests with missed portions, blame
it on Microsoft. The entire digests are going out,
I receive them both at work and home. Some people
posting have brain damaged email systems. These
systems are placing a few characters in the email
that causes Microsoft software to barf and not display
anything beyond those characters.

Netscape and Eudora work just fine. If you can tell
me where the digests are getting cut off, I can notify
the offending users and put appropriate filters on
our list server.

This is the appropriate action to take instead of
throwing temper tantrums on the list.

Ken Payne
Admin, Ford Truck Enthusiasts


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------------------------------

Date: Tue, 27 Jul 1999 21:40:14 -0400
From: Cliff McLarty
Subject: FTE 80-96 - Gas Guages

I have an '88 F-150 (dual tanks) that has the devil of a time keeping gas guages
operational. They register full at time of fill up, but will not register any
fuel has been used until I am 3/4 empty on the tank. They have been replaced
once before and the tech. said it was a sending unit bad. He also said all
Fords have this problem. My other Fords never did. Have any of you had the
same trouble? Any fixes out there? Thanks

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------------------------------

Date: Tue, 27 Jul 1999 21:58:26 EDT
From: LGRanch aol.com
Subject: FTE 80-96 - Body panels -good selection

Fenderworld.com has a excellent selection of almost all the body panels
needed for the hard to find 87 to 91 Fords. They have doors, fenders, wheel
arches, and BRONCO TAILGATES.
The web site says that he will not ship sheet metal outside of Michigan ,but
I have talked to him and he said he really will ship.
Tell him you got his web site fromo the Ford forum. This is possibly the way
to get more cooperation.
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------------------------------

Date: Tue, 27 Jul 1999 22:01:33 -0400
From: "Troy"
Subject: Re: FTE 80-96 - 84 F150 Brakes

On 14 Jul 99, at 20:19, Bob Kennedy wrote:

>The piston to the booster is what sticks through the firewall and your brake pedal
>attaches to it. It has a seal that compresses with the pedal when you push it down. If
>the seal is worn,you'll get the hiss when you step on the pedal. As the seal worsens so
>does the hiss, into a full time leak. Mine started at like a high pitched whistle, then
>degraded to the hiss.

I see. But if it has a slight hiss, it's not going to cause the truck to
loose the brakes altogether anytime soon is it? I'm thinking about
putting this one off until we get some cooler weather.

You might be a redneck if... You get homesick watching cops.
- Jeff Foxworthy


Troy Williams
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------------------------------

Date: Tue, 27 Jul 1999 22:01:33 -0400
From: "Troy"
Subject: Re: FTE 80-96 - 84 F150 Brakes

On 14 Jul 99, at 23:14, Steve wrote:

>It started when I was pushing the brake down and would quit at the final
>stop or when I wasn't using the brakes. It wasn't long until it hissed all
>the time, even when I wasn't applying any pressure. It's nice and quiet
>now.

Hmmmmm. I think I'll let it go for a while until it cools down a little
bit so I can change it out. Be miserable down here in Florida for
the last couple weeks.

You might be a redneck if... Anyone in your family has ever
purchased peroxide in a gallon container. - Jeff Foxworthy


Troy Williams
________________________________________________________
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------------------------------

Date: Tue, 27 Jul 1999 22:24:44 EDT
From: Lwskywalk aol.com
Subject: Re: FTE 80-96 - F-150 Mods

you will loose power due to back pressure. you need cats to prevent
this....talk with a buddy at super truck and performance where i do most of
my shoppin and he has a stang with same motor as me 302, 351 will do same
with backpressure. he lost a full sec from 8sec to 9sec in eighth by not
runnin cats

luke
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------------------------------

Date: Tue, 27 Jul 1999 20:01:50 -0700
From: "Mike Salomone"
Subject: FTE 80-96 - Re: ignition amp.

Wayne ,what I'm referring to was a octagonal
plastic/phenolic
device about 2" across and 3" long.It had a recess in
one end {for the coil wire}
and a lug on the other end to fit into the distributor
cap where the coil wire came out of.
If it goes in series with the coil wire it cannmot
''amplify''.
I'm an electrician and an electronics tech doing
industrial instrumentation
for the past 30 years.
The only way to get a hotter ie.''higher voltage ''
spark is to install a coil with
more windings on the ''secondary side''.I put secondary
in quotes because the
automotive coil is really what is called an
autotransformer.
>>>>>>Mike

- ----- Original Message -----
From:
To: ;
Sent: Monday, July 26, 1999 9:15 PM
Subject: Re: FTE 80-96 - Mileage/power


In a message dated 7/27/99 12:10:54 AM Eastern Daylight
Time,
mickeys sedona.net writes:


was a
youngster.
It's snake oil, friends!!!!!!!
>>
Hmmm..then I guess the MSD, Jacobs, Accel, Holley, and
Crane ignition
amplifiers are all snake oil too? If you think they
don't work, I have a coil
wire I want you to hold while I crank over my motor.
You wont be holding it
for very long...trust me.
Later
Wayne Foy
'94 Flareside SC (MSD 6AL equipped)

HREF="http://www.ford-trucks.com//lc/lc.php?action=do&link=http://members.aol.com/flr150/index.html">Wayne's
Page
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Date: Tue, 27 Jul 1999 23:16:38 -0400
From: "Michael McCarthy"
Subject: Re: FTE 80-96 - Need help with Temperature Gauge

I have the same problem? with my '85 F-150. I just learned to live with it.
I tried everything I know to fix it and I gave up. I can tell you that when
my temp gauge is at half scale the truck is overheated. I'll be interested
to see what others have to say about this issue.

Michael McCarthy
Export, PA

- -----Original Message-----
From: Neff, Charles
To: '80-96-list ford-trucks.com'
Date: Tuesday, July 27, 1999 6:54 PM
Subject: FTE 80-96 - Need help with Temperature Gauge


>
>Can someone tell me if it is worth fixing the temperature gauge in my 1987
>F-150 or should I install a seperate gauge for this.
>
>I have checked the resistance of the sensor and it reads correctly at cold,
>warm, and hot. Problem is that the gauge is always at the low end.
>
>How do I get to the gauge in the instrument cluster and when (and if) I do,
>how can I check it? Is there a connector under the hood that I should
check
>first to see if there is voltage getting to the gauge? All other gauges
>work OK...except for the foulded up gas gauges but everyone knows about
>those.
>
>Thanks for your help
>
>
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>

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------------------------------

Date: Tue, 27 Jul 1999 20:57:54 -0700
From: "McMahon, Todd R."
Subject: FTE 80-96 - Wives and truck parts....

To All:

Keep in mind that it's usually easier to get FORGIVENESS than PERMISSION...!



Todd

-----Original Message-----
From: redmist mb.sympatico.ca
[mailto:redmist mb.sympatico.ca]
Sent: Monday, July 26, 1999 10:21 PM
To: 80-96-list ford-trucks.com
Subject: Re: FTE 80-96 - Re: My wife's coffee killed
my stero!!

Tracy H wrote:
>
> If it helps any at all. I just installed a sony am/fm
> cd player into my 84 ford last night. It works great
> and it was VERY simple. So have fun and don't worry
> about it. = ) Just think of the stero as
> a...um...er...uhh... An early b-day present. *S*.. he
> he.. Let me know how it goes!

That's hillarious!!

When I came home from work today, I mentioned to my wife
that I took a
look at an AM/FM CD player, and when I told her the price,
she agreed
that it sounded pretty good. I expected her to raise her
eyebrows, but
she didn't even blink.

I read her your post and she got a few giggles out of it.
So did I.

Shel ~:O)


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Date: Wed, 28 Jul 1999 00:16:59 EDT
From: craig n eggerman
Subject: FTE 80-96 - E350 - Power Steering Leak Gearbox or pump replacement

This requires being a double jointed dwarf. Which is what I think most of
the Ford engineers must be.
Craig
Eggerman juno.com
Casper,Wyoming
O|||||O

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Date: Tue, 27 Jul 1999 21:56:52 -0700
From: "McMahon, Todd R."
Subject: RE: FTE 80-96 - Gas Guages

It's a problem with all Fords after that re-formulated gasoline came out....
It also destroys (burns-up) O2 sensors a lot faster than before as well.

Time to replace the sending unit(s) again.

I've got the same problem on my truck, and I'm seriously considering getting
rid of the OEM sending unit / fuel pumps altogether when I fix it. The
replacement OEM parts are going to be well over $300.00 each for me. For
that money, I'll drain and drop the tanks (or lift the bed off the truck)...
remove the defective unit... cover and seal the original hole (if
necessary)... then buy some generic (and SEPARATE) fuel pumps and sending
units from NAPA or something (cutting mounting holes into the tanks as
necessary). Hell, for that amount of money, time, and effort, I might just
look for some high capacity tanks that come with their own pumps and senders
- - who knows. Right now (since I can't afford to do this at this time) I
keep both tanks full, drive one till it's empty, switch to the other, then
fill the empty one back up.

Thank God for dual tanks.... And low-tech solutions....

Todd

-----Original Message-----
From: Cliff McLarty [mailto:dadinc icu2.net]
Sent: Tuesday, July 27, 1999 6:40 PM
To: 80-96-list ford-trucks.com
Subject: FTE 80-96 - Gas Guages

I have an '88 F-150 (dual tanks) that has the devil of a
time keeping gas guages
operational. They register full at time of fill up, but
will not register any
fuel has been used until I am 3/4 empty on the tank. They
have been replaced
once before and the tech. said it was a sending unit bad.
He also said all
Fords have this problem. My other Fords never did. Have
any of you had the
same trouble? Any fixes out there? Thanks

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------------------------------

Date: Tue, 27 Jul 1999 22:08:30 -0700
From: "McMahon, Todd R."
Subject: RE: FTE 80-96 - Re: ignition amp.

Mike,

Don't confuse voltage with amperage.... Most of the spark amplifiers are
forcing a larger amperage build-up and not an increase in voltage.

In the old-days you simply increased the spark plug's gap a bit, so that the
amount of energy required to get the spark to jump the gap was greater. Now
they've even got plugs with air-gaps built into them inside the ceramic to
do the same thing.

I have however heard about a device that is supposed to fire the spark plugs
more than once, in order to get a more complete burn (something like 3 to 8
sparks instead of one).

Ever hear about them?

Todd

-----Original Message-----
From: Mike Salomone [mailto:mickeys sedona.net]
Sent: Tuesday, July 27, 1999 8:02 PM
To: 80-96-list ford-trucks.com
Subject: FTE 80-96 - Re: ignition amp.

Wayne ,what I'm referring to was a octagonal
plastic/phenolic
device about 2" across and 3" long.It had a recess in
one end {for the coil wire}
and a lug on the other end to fit into the distributor
cap where the coil wire came out of.
If it goes in series with the coil wire it cannmot
''amplify''.
I'm an electrician and an electronics tech doing
industrial instrumentation
for the past 30 years.
The only way to get a hotter ie.''higher voltage ''
spark is to install a coil with
more windings on the ''secondary side''.I put secondary
in quotes because the
automotive coil is really what is called an
autotransformer.
>>>>>>Mike

----- Original Message -----
From:
To: ;
Sent: Monday, July 26, 1999 9:15 PM
Subject: Re: FTE 80-96 - Mileage/power


In a message dated 7/27/99 12:10:54 AM Eastern Daylight
Time,
mickeys sedona.net writes:


was a
youngster.
It's snake oil, friends!!!!!!!
>>
Hmmm..then I guess the MSD, Jacobs, Accel, Holley, and
Crane ignition
amplifiers are all snake oil too? If you think they
don't work, I have a coil
wire I want you to hold while I crank over my motor.
You wont be holding it
for very long...trust me.
Later
Wayne Foy
'94 Flareside SC (MSD 6AL equipped)

HREF="http://www.ford-trucks.com//lc/lc.php?action=do&link=http://members.aol.com/flr150/index.html">Wayne's
Page
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------------------------------

Date: Tue, 27 Jul 1999 22:11:06 -0700
From: "McMahon, Todd R."
Subject: RE: FTE 80-96 - E350 - Power Steering Leak Gearbox or pump replac ement

You've got it all wrong... The engineers just never have to do anything on
a fully assembled vehicle until it's too late to change the design of
anything.

Todd

-----Original Message-----
From: craig n eggerman [mailto:eggerman juno.com]
Sent: Tuesday, July 27, 1999 9:17 PM
To: 80-96-list ford-trucks.com
Subject: FTE 80-96 - E350 - Power Steering Leak
Gearbox or pump replacement

This requires being a double jointed dwarf. Which is what I
think most of
the Ford engineers must be.
Craig
Eggerman juno.com
Casper,Wyoming
O|||||O


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Date: Wed, 28 Jul 1999 04:18:26 EDT
From: CRGREENE1 aol.com
Subject: FTE 80-96 - BAD BAD NEWS!!

Hey guys, I have a '92 F 250 with a 351W in it and my alternator caught on
fire today! From what I can see..it looks like the only wiring that got
burnt up is the main wiring jack that goes into it (the alternator). Thank
goodness I had a fire extinguisher mounted in my truck or I don't know what
would've happened!! (I recommend all cars, trucks having one by the way!)
Anyways, this is the SECOND time this has happened! The first time it....

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