Hi, I don't mean to steer the thread away from solving Dr. Johnny Fever's issue. If my post should be somewhere else let me know.
When I got into reading this forum I was a little surprised that I didn't see more posts about '84-'86 f-series owners pulling out ECM's and converting ignition and aspiration to either mimic '80-'83's or, maybe better, up dating to something like a D.U.I. ignition.
I haven't done either of those things myself yet - I'm trying to get some education here. Is the OBD1 system and the ECM and associated stuff much more reliable than I expect it to be?
Second question. I was trying to learn what it would take to make an '84 f-150 mimic an '80-'83 as far as ignition goes. Would I be wiser to do some preemptive replacement of ECM stuff (idle air solenoid, electronic dist. advance, etc.)? It looks like most of it is not expensive. I'd learn more about the system. Can I trust the system?
A bit of context - I am not currently trouble shooting an issue of my own. I'm trying to avoid vexing electrical issues in the future.

 

Made the switch on my '84 351W. Used an older 2150 carb, '85 H.O. distributor with vacuum advance and a duraspark module, coil, and harness i got from Gary Lewis on this forum.
Truck ran better and smoother than it ever did with feedback carb. and ECM.

 

There's plenty of threads about reverting to DSII ignition.
The 460 & 351H.O maintained this through 1987.

EEC-IV can be problematic, but it's usually down to an overheated TFI, though at this point many -or most- ecm's have failed electrolytic capacitors.
They have a limited shelf life even when they're unused..

Not many of us see an HEI distributor as an 'upgrade' over DSII.
You lose features of the stock system, and *certain* brands are stupidly overpriced compared to others that obviously come off the very same line.
The HEI is usually seen as a cheap solution for someone who has completely butchered their ignition in some misguided attempt to "get rid of all that emissions crap"

 

Made the switch on my '84 351W. Used an older 2150 carb, '85 H.O. distributor with vacuum advance and a duraspark module, coil, and harness i got from Gary Lewis on this forum.
Truck ran better and smoother than it ever did with feedback carb. and ECM.

Thanks whisler, I guess on that short list there are three items that are fairly straightforward and a fourth that may require a little homework. The harness. Was that a one off or a specific type that I could search for?
Thanks.

 

There's plenty of threads about reverting to DSII ignition.
The 460 & 351H.O maintained this through 1987.

EEC-IV can be problematic, but it's usually down to an overheated TFI, though at this point many -or most- ecm's have failed electrolytic capacitors.
They have a limited shelf life even when they're unused..

Not many of us see an HEI distributor as an 'upgrade' over DSII.
You lose features of the stock system, and *certain* brands are stupidly overpriced compared to others that obviously come off the very same line.
The HEI is usually seen as a cheap solution for someone who has completely butchered their ignition in some misguided attempt to "get rid of all that emissions crap"

Thanks ArdWrknTrk, my reading so far has been about 300 I6 and I guess I missed some resources within 460 and 351 threads. I don't actually know what TFI refers to but I'll probably find out.

So, DSII would be a route for ignition. Should I change the carb at the same time? Remove the feedback carb and replace with ?

 

TFI is Fords term for Thick Film Ignition.
This is the module screwed to the side of the distributor where the Spout harness plugs in.

Yes change the carb.
The feedback carb is non-functional once you remove the ECM.
As you said, get a regular YF model from an earlier DSII version with the same engine.

JimsRebel seems to be our resident I-6 Duraspark swap guru.
He has posted a lot of detailed photos, so you might do some advanced searches for his posts.

 

Harness usually comes from a donor truck.
I-6 and V-8 versions have diffferent wire lengths due to side mount location of dizzy & coil on the 300.

There are stickies at the head of this section explaining how to make your own.

 

thank you, all my responses and questions have been within the forum, which is clearly a great place for it. There may be some issue with my registration or settings or something - you said I should visit the forum again.

 

You might read David's thread about his carb change. He's had really good results: https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1...-9l-300-a.html