1986f150six from your signature im guessing you converted yours to a non computer controlled. I havent read much on the Duraspark. Is this correct? After i get the carb installed and see how its running if i have a lot of computer issues it may be that i just need to make it old school. If so i may be picking your brain again. The EGR tube on mine was rusted out so i removed but havent ordered a new one. could i plug both holes to see how the truck runs with the rebuilt carb? i have seen the egr block off plates you can buy but if im going to spend money i will probably just buy the new tube.

 

Dirt inside the engine is a really bad thing....

 

I was hoping he meant not having the stock air cleaner, the one he hopes to find.

 

Cojo.... do some homework on that tube and the EGR valve as a whole, I suggest changing one thing at a time here. Pulling codes is not hard and Ford had a method to their madness so you don't end up shooting in the dark throwing parts at it.

1986f150six is David, I meet him in Podunk at Gary's.

 

Here's the best pic I can easily find of the radio bezel I'm looking for, although David or someone else may have a better one. Anyway, it is a black mesh and has the raised rib around the areas. The Custom one in the pic may have the word Custom molded in, so I prefer blank as I'll be placing an XLT emblem there. Anyway, thanks in advance for looking for it!

And, by the way, if you come to the get-together in September you'll probably get to meet Chris, NumberDummy, David, and Jonathan, as well as several of the local guys.

 

You couldn't be more right. But yeah i am hoping to find a factory one

 

Thanks for all the help guys. Im going to start by getting the carb on and plug all the vac leaks fire it up and hopefully it will run good enough to see what i need and get some codes pulled. Also Gary I will for sure look for that bezel. Funny thing is... that's the style that i had in my old one. I think i got it from Roosevelt. Keep your fingers crossed that there is another one. Also what is the name of the computer system my truck has. Like what would i look up to "google" it. Is it like eec or something?

 

EEC-IV - Electronic Engine Control Version 4.

Has a gray TFI ignition module.

Here is one place I send people to do some homework on pulling codes:

Ford Ranger - Testing EEC-IV Equipped Engines

 

Is that grommet open, the one on the valve cover, a couple inches aft of the oil filler cap? Wasn't that the inlet for the Positive Crankcase Ventilation (PCV) system? If so, and the rest of the system is still intact, it would be drawing unfiltered air inside the valve cover and crankcase.

 

Yeah you are exactly right good thing I haven't been driving around. I believe the pcv goes in the back hole on the valve cover and from what I have looked up there is supposed to be a hose from the front one to the factory air cleaner. I guess for now I'll throw a valve cover breather in there. Kinda slipped my mind actually.

 

Karl's description is exactly how it was designed... the PCV *system* removes blowby gasses and injects them back into the combustion chambers to be burned, and that hole in the valve cover is where filtered air is allowed back inside the engine to replace the volume of gasses that are removed. This is at least 50 yo old technology derived from the steam engine days vut that's how it works.

 

Mine has been converted to Duraspark. When I purchased it from the original owner, just about all emissions system components were loose, missing or non-functional. The engine ran horribly and the first two tanks of gas returned 9 and 11 mpg. Since I live in an area which does not require emission testing, I opted to go "old school".

Regarding not having the EGR, a block off plate can easily be made by cutting a soda can or roof flashing with snips to the shape of the EGR gasket. You will have to drill holes for the mounting bolts to pass through. Keep in mind, that without the components which communicate with the computer, the computer will lock the ignition @ static [10 degrees BTDC] and will adjust the carburetor to its richest setting. The result is poor performance and awful gas mileage.

Most will say that in order to change to Duraspark, you must get a Duraspark distributor, Duraspark wiring harness and carburetor from a suitable donor engine [normally 1983 and older]. The 4.9L engine with the feedback system [for 49 states] was used 1984, 1985 & 1986. California models came earlier. There is a forum member [JimsRebel] who is quite knowledgeable with this conversion and has found that one can obtain good results with the previously mentioned components, but while using the original feedback carburetor. Instead of using the Duraspark ignition module, he has had good success with the GM 4 pin ignition module. Read this link: Better Dirt Cheap Electronic Ignition

The engine combustion chamber design creates a fast-burn effect and the distributor ignition curve was made to take into account that EGR gasses will be a part of the incoming mixture, so the timing can be more advanced. However, when the EGR is blocked off, you will likely experience pinging [premature ignition] and will need to retard the initial timing.