'88 351 EB 4x4
so here's what i did....
a few years back i rebuilt the motor in her and had the idea that i'm going to remove all the egr junk, smog pump ac compressor, and put in a fake egr sensor. well the very first thing i noticed is that the motor just was not the same- after doing it i then did the research and found out i was not the only one with that idea and that it turns out it was a bad one.
here's the problem....
i let her sit for a couple years while i was deployed, lost whatever parts i pulled off and now would like to put that junk back on so i can get her back to running good. does anyone have any advice/pics/anything i can go off of for what to put back on? all i really remember was pulling off some big egr deal and blocking off the hole it left on the intake. i bypassed the smog pump and put a bypass pulley on in place of the ac compressor. i know it sounds like a mess (well.... cuz it is), but anything would help- thanks so much

 

Your engine's computer needs those items (other than the A/C compressor) to function properly. Removing them will generally make the truck run worse, as the computer doesn't have the information that it needs to work correctly. I can take a few pics tomorrow and post them if you like. I have a 1990 with a 351W that I think would be the same as the one on a 1988. Or, you can get a Ford factory shop manual on eBay or somewhere for not a lot of money and that will show you where everything goes. I have the shop manual as well as some other Ford service department books such as the Ford emissions system booklet for the 1990. They should have info in there you can use. If I can find the right pages then I can scan and post them. Let me know if you don't get it sorted and we can start with some photos.

 

Well, that's one way to learn. Considering that if you did actually remove all of the electronics it wouldn't run at all, you might want to try to find all of the connectors that are dangling loose in the engine bay along with all of the vacuum lines that have been plugged. Since we have no way of knowing what you pulled and you don't have the pieces, most of us can recognize the connectors by configuration and/or location.

EGR removal would have necessitated the plugging of the recirculation tube as well unless it was left to belch raw exhaust into the engine bay. The EVP sensor and the EGR valve will need to be replaced along with the vacuum line that applies the control vacuum to the valve. This vacuum is supplied by the TAD solenoid. The Thermactor plumbing diagram should be on the underside of the hood. The Thermactor system, while not as critical as the EGR will trigger fault Codes left and right if not operating properly. The entire system consists of the following:

Active Injection Recirculation pump (A.I.R. or "smog" pump)
The main hose/pipe assembly that runs along the passenger side of the engine to the diverter.
The diverter valve (located behind the passenger cylinder head). This valve is has a series of vacuum lines attached to it from the TAB and TAD solenoids to control air flow from the pump through it into the rest of the system.
The TAB (Thermactor Air Bypass) solenoid that sends the fresh air from the pump to the catalytic converter.
The TAD (Thermactor Air Diverter) solenoid that sends fresh air from the pump to the air injection ports in the cylinder heads.
The cat has a tube running up from it to a metal check valve just below the diverter valve. A hose connects the check valve to the diverter.
The cylinder heads have a steel tube connecting the air injection ports on the back of the heads to a single check valve at about the midpoint on the back of the engine. A hose connects the check valve to the diverter.

All of the hoses for the Thermactor are pre-formed and due to heat considerations should remain so. If this is not possible, keep the hose lengths as short as possible to avoid collapse at high temperatures. Many of the hoses make sharp turns which makes this difficult.

The TAB and TAD solenoids are mounted to the driver's side of the engine near the ignition coil.

The fuel vapor canister also uses a solenoid to purge fuel vapors at a predetermined time shortly after the engine is started.

 

the EVP solenoid on top of the EGR gets its vacume from the intake tree. the TAB/TAD vac lines run to the smog pump diverter valves and check valves. you can leave these vac lines unhooked but you do need to have the tab/tad solenoids plugged into the harness so a code doesnt get thrown. You should be able to pick up the egr tube and sensor from the wrecking yard for cheap. If you upgrade your cat converter to a new style hi flow unit it wont need to tie into that crossover tube and such behind the heads anymore. the new style cats dont need the fresh air injected to help reburn the exhaust. that crossover tube in the back of the heads should take a 7/8 coarse thread bolts to plug. smog pump can be left out but may think about getting the mustang smog pump delete pully from summit.

i dropped a rebuilt 5.8 into my bronco 2yrs ago did these things due to smog pump failure and havent had any issues. plugs look good and mileage is as expected.