Ford f-100 1974 240 straight 6

problems with starting and staying running. did all i could do and now have dropped it at the mechanic.

He is recommending new carb and timing.

Here is what i need help on, they are saying 8 hours labor ($800) and wont budge. I find that to be way too high. I know replacement of the carb is 15 minutes. I have taken it off and put it back on. price dows not include new carb. that is just labor.

what is general opinion on acceptable time frame to do timing and install and possibly tune carb.

 

Find a different shop and mechanic... that's just plain highway robbery.

OR, as we generally recommend, avoid being a slave to a mechanic and rebuild the carb yourself. A $20 kit and a gallon of solvent gets it done. Make notes and take lots of pics during disassembly

Learn how to set the timing.. invest in yourself and it is knowledge that lasts a lifetime.

$0.05.

 

buy a chilton manual and do it yourself buddy 30.00 manual is alot cheaper then getting ripped off by a shop

 

The mechanic is trying to tell you he doesn't want to work on it. Probably doesn't know how to do it either.

 

i actually re-built the carb with the $20 kit. they are saying these carbs (carter 1barrel) are better to be replaced. i attempted the timing and thought its set. its $200 for a new carb and though i dont want to spend it, i will to have piece of mind and get this truck back on the road.

bottom line is i am still learning all of the pieces, spent about 6 months trying to solve this problem from electrical to fuel and finally decided to pay a professional. I have replaced fuel pump, coil, wires, etc, etc, etc.

 

Tell that shop to kick rocks if you can rebuild it then do it. They are just trying to rip you off

 

Welcome.
That statement above is the key.
You will get help from the good folks here.

 

Yeah but if you have a loose timing chain wont make a bit of difference not to mention that cam could have a worn lobe

 

Tuning a carb is simple if your spark plugs are new, gapped correctly. Wires are new, cap and rotor, distibutor. If you are getting good compression. Air filter is new. Fuel is flowing right with a good fuel pump.
But he is probably not going to do any of that stuff or check it. So he will tune it to the condition it is in and send you on your way.

I have learned, and screwed up everything at least once, from asking here. No reason you cant do the same.

 

i have tried and tried and tried and actually had others take a look. I am lost on what is left. i appreciate all of the help/opinions. i figured it was fair to be in the 3 to 4 hours to replace carb, do timing, and tune carb if needed. if they wont budget looks like i will have the wrecker move it onto the next shop.

 

side question.

how do you time a engine when it wont stay running more than a couple of seconds?

if there is a link anybody could provide, i am glad to read up.

 

Klogsdon, why not take a moment and explain your situation?

I see you have made 3 threads, none of which seem to be asking for help on this truck.

If your truck will not stay running, and you have gotten a new fuel pump, and rebuilt the carb, you need to start at the carb and adjust it a bit until it is able to run.

 

fair enough.

i got the starter problem fixed (previous thread). the auto parts store kept giving me one for a manual trans. got the proper one on and that solved that issue.

my other thread was on my f350.

Here is where i am at.

Truck is tough to start 95% of time, other 5% it fires up strong.

when it runs its very rough, sounds like starving for fuel or timing way off. only will runs for seconds.

when it fires and correctly, its strong. will run for 5 to 10 minutes before just dying out quickly, no sputtering.

i have replaced fuel pump, and filter
rebuilt carb. - soaked it, blew out everything, replaced every gasket, spring, needle that came with the kit.

replace coil, cap, wires, plugs (gapped them)

replaced starter and relay on firewall.

did my best attempt at timing and believe i had it set.

with all of this it is still a jekyl and hyde truck to me.

again, opinions and thoughts are apprecieated

 

That was my very first thought!
If the "mechanic" insists it's going to take eight hours to do a 15 minute job then my next step would be to find a different mechanic.
What you should do though is, like others suggest, learn how to troubleshoot and repair these trucks yourself.
I did a quick search and the first one showed a rebuilt 1bbl Carter for the 300 was $168.00 plus core. You could buy four carburetors for what they want in just labor. That's almost criminal.
Timing generally is either right or wrong. It doesn't change on it's own, so if the truck runs good sometimes, I would say your timing is okay (I know, there are exceptions to what I just said).
Being a '74, does your truck have electronic ignition (optional) or points and condenser (standard)?
If it's electronic, consider the ECM might be bad. This was the first year Ford had electronic ignition and there were reliability problems with the control box. The '74 ECM is specific to that year and nothing else interchanges with it.
If you have points and condenser, have you changed them too? If not, the condenser could be bad. Check the points to see if they're burned. They should be gaped at .017"
These trucks are dirt simple, they can drive you crazy sometimes but that's half the fun of owning them. Regardless of whats wrong with them, its going to cost a lot less to repair than a late model truck.
Educate yourself, learn from your mistakes and have fun.
Most importantly, you can tell that "mechanic" to go pound salt!

EDIT: Just a personal observation. You'd be amazed at how many mechanics now days cannot do basic troubleshooting. If they can't plug in a scan tool and have the vehicle tell them what's wrong, they're lost.
Just my 2¢.

 

Thanks Mike.

it does not have ECM. I had a buddy check the points since I haven't learned the good or bad with that as of yet and he said it was good.

I saw the cost on the carb and have decided to just to replace for piece of mind.

that is the crazy part for me. this engine couldnt get any simpler and is perfect for me to learn on, so this is driving me crazy.

i do know one thing, i wont pay for 8 hours labor for what i call a "tune up"