I have the possibility to trade my 66 F250 for a 88 Bronco Eddie Bauer edition. now with the old fords 78 and older I know what tell tell signs I need to look for as far as frame and suspension. but anything newer I am not so versed. I am also not a big fan of any 80s model vehicles due to the lack of knowledge that the industry had towards trying to make everything greener and throwing every little component they could onto the engine to dog it down and make trouble shooting a nightmare. now that being said, what are the bad things to look for on a 88 model full size bronco, 351W? any info is greatly appreciated.
Shane
P.S. only reason I may do this is cause I need something better suited for hauling 3 kids and a wife around LOL

 

I've heard bad things about the tilt steering wheels, don't know if the 88 you are looking at will have one or not. or an air bag, that will make working on the wheel more difficult if you have to do something.

then there are the ABS brakes. is it an automatic? column shift? manual or automatic hubs? power windows/accessories?

When I decided to buy a Bronco for the same reasons as you ( a place for my wife and two kids to ride) I came real close to buying an 86 with EFI 302. I held off though and a few weeks later bought a 1980 with a straight six and mechanical clutch.

I was at the parts house and the 86 I had looked at pulled up and I told the new owner I had looked at that one real hard and how did he like it. He said he had to pull a lot of codes to get it running right. For me I would have been SOL.

I'm ashamed that I can't do the electronic stuff and still use carbs but it works for me I guess. I really admire the guys that can pull the codes and figure that stuff out.

 

No air bag and RABS only in an 88. The entire engine compliment available in the Bronco was EFI by 88 so you are dealing with the EEC-IV engine management system... probably the simplest of all the Ford engine control systems prior to the 1996 OBD-II federal mandate.

If you are, for some unknown reason, vehemently opposed to working with and accepting that electronics controls are better and more accurate than the tired old mechanical stuff, look for a 78-79 if you want a full-size. 1980-85/86 were abysmal for add-on emissions garbage and engine control systems that just couldn't cut it. (The original Duraspark system had no provision for it to compensate for an aging engine fluctuating the tiniest bit in regards to timing and the DS modules are prone to failures that leave you stranded. DS-II was marginally better). But emissions equipment still had not been integrated nearly as well as it was when Ford made the shift to EFI in all of the gas-powered truck engines.

By 1988, the EEC-IV system was in full implementation and troubleshooting by pulling fault codes is just the way to do it unless you want to throw time, money and parts at any problems hoping to get lucky at the fix. If you are willing to take the time to understand how the system works you will find that its one of the easiest things to troubleshoot.

You will also need to accept the simple fact that arbitrary removal of emissions and other components that you don't think are needed is just going to leave you in a world of hurt and with a truck that will NEVER perform the way it was intended. In short don't adopt the "emission crap has to go" attitude or you will just be biting off your nose to spite your face.

I know this sounds a little like a soapbox speech but making the transition to the electronics will be a necessity and unless you are prepared to relearn the way some things get fixed, you are going to be disappointed when/if problems arise.

Now, with all that said, I consider every EEC-IV equipped truck I have owned to be among the most reliable and easily maintained vehicles I have EVER owned. Fault codes pinpoint to within a limited number of possibilities exactly where problems lie.

For mechanical things, the issues are no different than earlier units. 5.0L (302) and 5.8 (351) will start depositing copious amounts of motor oil in the bottom of the air cleaner box as they lose ring and seal integrity. The breather filter in the bottom of the air filter box is a good place to look AFTER you have gone for a test drive. As with any 4WD unit, make sure everything engages and disengages (more than once).

Cosmetically, the Bronco rusts just like any Ford truck... over the rear wheels and along the bottom of the tailgate. Typically this happens from the inside out, so watch for paint bubbling. Cracks at the aft ends of the rain gutters are common and just need to be sealed to prevent water from getting down the inside of the "B" posts.

If you want a lot more details check the red link in my signature.

 

You can really solve that rust issue in the rear wells by keeping it clean. The factory mud guards (the plastic inserts) hold mud and dirt. With the tailgate, it's just an issue of the window seal.

I owned a 78 F150 and a 1990 Bronco, so I understand going from carb to fuel injection. I LOVE how simple my 1990 Bronco is compared to every other fuel injected vehicle I've ever dealt with, greystreak is right about this.. however, it's not as easy as troubleshooting a carbed vehicle. I've thrown more time and money into this Bronco (by choice, I love it, don't get me wrong) and I'm still chasing ghosts in the system.

You have less than a dozen sensors you're gonna have to worry about. If you're anything like me, you'll end up just replacing them all anyways. Every one I've replaced has made my Bronco run better, even if by a small amount. I've noticed these old sensors seem to wear instead of just going out.
EFI means a ton more wiring to worry about over carb, nowhere near what a newer vehicle has, but it's still significiant. Make sure all of the wiring under the hood is in good condition. You don't want to have to replace a bunch of pigtails or wiring harnesses, it's not fun or cheap.

Don't expect any lowend torque from the 351w efi. It's a fine motor, but it just doesn't feel like it was meant for a truck. It likes to open up above 2500RPMs, you can feel it, it's real noticable. I came from a torquey diesel-like 400 though.

Oh, and again, coming from a 78 F150.. I absolutely love this set of years. Simple but functional EFI, yet still, most of the truck is mechanical in the areas that count. Does 88 have the E4OD? If so, you're gonna hate it

 

Greystreak, dont get me wrong.I appreciate your soapbox hehe its all very good info and I agree newer technology does improve troubleshooting and performance and emissions are are a necessity when dealing with on board computers. It has just been my personal experience that in the 80s was when manufacturers were in the beginnings of the computer age and it has seemed that whenever trying to work on those I always end up changing sensor after sensor. everything 90s and up I can fix very easily with codes pulled so again I have no issues with technology. maybe by 88 things got better haha, just the beginnings of the technology werent as good. I twas kinda like the teenage akward years of the auto industry LOL. and as far as what tranny it has I am not sure which one it has in it. why will I hate the E4OD?

 

oh and it is a automatic column shift with manual hubs. says the motor is a 351w crate motor with 900 miles on it and the lockouts are brand new.

 

I'm not gonna be the guy who says carbs are superior to EFI. ain't no way. I'm just saying for some of my needs I have vehicles with carbs and for other needs I have vehicles with EFI. I rebuilt a 97 Pontiac Grand Prix, just the normal one with the 3.8 and 4T60E and it is a wonderful vehicle. good mileage, lots of room, four doors, big trunk, smooth ride, overdrive, hauls *** etc etc.

I remember working in Alberta we had some trucks to use and check this out, at -40 in the morning you know how many times we had to crank the truck to start it? ONCE. ONE TIME. I can not imagine what it would be like to get a truck fired up and warmed up in that environment with a carburetor. Now I'm sure many members here operate their older fords with carbs in that scenario and its not a problem for them.

I just like my two fords, and I like the six cylinder too. I used to have a SBC in everything and I just switched over to the ford truck thing.

 

And I do agree with that completely. I just happen to know that by the time Ford finally got the EEC-IV system into all of the truck engines they had the bugs worked out about as far as they were gonna get 'em. Like I said, from 80-85/86 there were all sorts of strange things going on under the hoods of most vehicles and Fords were definitely no exception. Just know that Ford began with EFI in the cars about 84-85 and moved to the trucks partially in 85-86 and completely by 88.

 

I have the same question about the E4OD. Why will I hate it? I just recently got this 92 with a E4OD, and the only thing about it is I do a LOT of driving around in my little town of 900 people. We have 3 dozen stop signs, and one traffic light.

I just turn off OD while in town, and turn it back on if I do anything over 45mph, like going to the city. Seems to work great that way...