78 f150 custom
351m 2bbl 2150
c6 2wd.
vacuum advance dist.

Sorry for being new to this. but first time I have ever owned a American vehicle. I pick up this truck with hopes to try something different. All the vacuum lines on it were off, and the carb does not have the springs attached to it. I have a manual, however I am not seeing the location for the springs and I am having a difficult time figuring out where the hoses are suppose to go. If possible can some send me a picture with their intake off so I can get some good looks at where everythign is suppose to go. any help would be much apperciated. Please dont bash on me to hard. for the newbie question.

 

Are you talking about the throttle return spring? If so, here is a picture of mine. This is a 390 but yours should be similar.
I'll see if I can dig up a vacuum diagram and post it.
Welcome to FTE, lots of good knowledgeable people here.

 

Welcome to FTE!

Vacuum diagram:



It would be helpful if you could post up some pics of your engine so we can see what you're working with.

 

I will try to get some pictures up tomorrow. to help out.

 

also take note if it has the egr valve behind the carb that will be on the baseplate underneath the carb(if so equipped) and related valves. there might be a ported vacuum switch also. it will look like a colored plastic vacuum tree but is actually a thermo-switch to run vacuum to something else when the engine heats up. you can search one to see what they look like. vacuum diagrams are confusing if you dont have half the stuff anymore. my trucks have minimal vacuum lines. one to the vacuum can on the fenderwell(if you have Air) and one to the distributor. and of course the big dude for the brake booster(if you have that)

 

Hey here are the pictures of the vacuum lines and the carb. If anyone could possibly help me put the pieces back together would greatly appreciate it..sadly i am not sure what all the stuff is called..last engine I worked on was a H22a4 from a Honda Prelude.

 

mikeo0o0o0- Nice!! lookin spring! It looks like you have some time and moola into that 390, I want that!

 

anyone else have a 351m?

 

wow man, looks like you got it all! Does this thing run yet? If not i would hook up the necessities only for now. the one thing i think i can do for you is at least identify what your pics are of, since you said you may not know what they are, maybe that will help you understand how its supposed to work. it looks like the vac diagram given above is what you need to follow tho!

you need to print that diagram out and try to follow around on your engine to identify whats still hooked up correctly and go from there.

Your first pic of of the vacuum advance on your distributor-this is the first thing you need to hook up. by the diagram this line 'should' go to the ported vac switch(labeled vcv in the diagram) this is the switch i spoke of earlier and i cant see it in your pictures.

second pic. most importantly i see your main vac tree. the big line going to your brake booster and a few lines going somewhere??? figure out where they go! if nowhere remember to cap these off! one may go to the trans, others may go to the coffee can on your fender( a reservoir that helps your Heater/a.c. controls function) or perhaps into the cab?
also the gold colored deal bolted from the back of the carb baseplate. This is your EGR valve and its existance is the main purpose of the rest of the other crap around. *You dont need it to get the truck running* if it is hooked to anything that will tell you what some of the parts in the diagram are.
the black and white things are either a vacuum delay valve or maybe a one-way check valve. Im not for sure what those exactly are.

third picture. i dont see much here but i do see you throttle return spring appears to be right, i see the kickdown control rod for the transmission. there should be a vacuum modulator on the transmission also, it may hooked up to you main tree it helps the transmission determine shift points. the other thing i will note is the big thing mounted to the carb that says idle adjust. this i think is called and idle stop solenoid. its purpose is to tell something your at idle or not. also the line from the valve cover appears to be going into the rear of the carb...if so that is not correct. that is the line for your pcv valve on the other valve cover, pic six shows that left open. your drivers side valve cover is your oil cap/breather and will be hooked into the air filter breather!

fourth picture. this "unit" is nothing more than vacuum connectors grouped neatly. it appears that you have one line splitting into two here. the diagram may help you backtrace what ever it shows to 'tee' or split. i see four possibilities in the diagram.

FIVE. i see a line from the bottom of the carb going to a tee where one goes forward(that might be going to the vacuum advance on the distributor) the rear going one idk. im not sure if this line will be the "S" label in the diagram or not.
sixth picture. IDK BATMAN!LOL. i see a line out of the reservoir teed to the engine and to the other tee draping on you Valve cover to something else? this dont look right to me. those white plastic tees are not oem parts so somebody may have been tryin something here.


Hope that helps dude good luck and message me if you need for any more help.

 

I just went and looked at my 2 barrel carb out in my closet to look at the ports on it. if you look at you third picture there should be a port under that corner of the carb, i dont see anything hooked to it. i am not for sure what this one is exactly but im gonna say its full manifold vacuum. the one on the other side like in picture 5 is at a slightly higher level so i believe that would be the "ported vacuum" where no vacuum is given at idle only when the throttle is open.
theres another port at the back of the carb i see a hose hooked to it on yours, it just is open inside the air breather and i think fumes from the charcoal canister by way of the purge valve are shot into there to be drawn in by the engine. that will at least help you narrow down that hose and what its hooked to.

the main thing to remember about this egr system is that is only should do anything when the truck is warmed up and cruising speed. nothing should happen while its parked running at idle.

 

I think you guys just confused him more with this diagram. Having this would be great... but.... this is the "first time I have ever owned a American vehicle".

Take this photo off, and create a legend for it or something... cause it's confusing... and then repost both the photo and the legend for it, labelling exactly what every acronym stands for.



To be honest, that carb and all those hoses are a HUGE mess. I would take lots of photos and follow each vacuum line with the video camera function on your camera just so you remember where everything went, then take the carb and every vacuum hose attached to it off.

Looks like you've got yourself a nice farmer "hackjob" as we call it around these parts, where the previous owner (P.O.) simply started doing what he/she thought was right and kept doing it until the truck ran. By the looks of it, your truck would probably barely run...

Therefore, start from scratch. Take a video of all the carb lines and where they run to, take some more photos, and start tearing everything of the carb...

It'll just be easier for us to help you without that headache in our way...

 

NightRacer,

You do have a mess! I have a 78 351m but mine is set up differently than yours. Is yours a CA truck?

I helped another FTE member identify some of the same parts - see image



This should help you - I also have a drawing I made from the original Ford diagram and a couple of other diagrams in my album Vac Info.

Your PCV is set up correctly - you just need a fresh air hose from the air cleaner or a breather on the passenger side.

I hope this helps.

Mark

 

all you need is manifold vacuum, engine vacuum(from the T fitting on the back), and PCV valve. If it has smog injection crap on it, take it all off. The motor will breath better.

 

Sadly this is gonna seem more of a chore then an enjoyment. Co-worker told me it would be a great easy project to get back up and running. Picked it up dirt cheap. I knew it would require a lot of TLC, but all the new/old components make it a little bit difficult. and the enginnering from that time frame was pitiful to say the least..Don't mind working on it..was probably better choosing this then a chevy or a dodge. removed the a/c system for the most part to clear out the engine bay. and make it a little bit easier to work on. no R12 in system was suctioned out. was working on tracing vacuum lines till flies started invading and attacked..

 

can someone please decrypt the vacuum diagram symbols..also I can remove the egr setup on here right? If so what all can be removed..if you can find it on the pictures i have taken it will help out tons.