Hi everyone. I've been following a lot of your advice from outside the forum and appreciate everything I've read. It really helps. I bought an '89 F350 with a 460 in it about a year ago and really have fallen in love with this truck. I'm pretty far into my first rebuild ever and have come across a few obsticles, some I've figured out and some yet to uncover.

First problem I hit was the junkyard engine I bought, which I thought was '89, was actually a '90. There are some small differences. Like where the fuel rail connects and couple other small things.

After a couple dozen trips to the hardware store (not complaining, my two young boys love that place) for bolts and brake cleaner, I'm finally making some headway. The majority of it is back together, clean and painted.

I have the ability but not the knowledge. I've read books, watched videos, and asked my machinist and all my neighbors. They have been a great resource, but a couple things still need some help. I am hitting a financial wall and the wife keeps giving me the 'how much more money is this gonna take' look. I would like to reuse some things if possible. What i need to know is if I can test some of these things to see if they're usable.

Smog pump, ignition control module, ignition coil, throttle position sensor, map sensor, idle air control valve.

I know some of you will say to get new ones but the bank account is tapped and I still have to dial in the tranny. I need to use what isn't broken. I would appreciate your input and any advice you might have.

Thanks in advance
Brandon

 

Unless you're in Kalifornia or another state who's leaders have similar mental issues, you can just toss that smog pump in the trash and get the bypass pulley for it. Unless you are serious about restoring this thing to absolute factory condition. Later on when you get some funds, toss the factory three-way catalytic converter into the scrap heap where it belongs and replace it with a modern high-flow cat that doesn't require a smog pump

ICM, well you can test that in the truck.

Coil you can check with an ohmmeter. Don't have the values handy, sorry.

Throttle position sensor, put it in the truck and check the output with a voltmeter. 0-5 VDC if I remember right. Search on here for which wire to probe, and please do it the right way by backprobing the connector, NOT by piercing the insulation.

MAP sensor... not sure but I'd imagine you could test that in the truck too. IIRC that thing puts out a frequency proportionate to the pressure it senses.

Idle air control valve you can test in the truck. Either it works or it doesn't. Unplug it and the engine should idle pretty low. Plug it back in and the RPM should go up some as the computer regains it's ability to control the idle speed.

That is a nice looking engine, good job cleaning and painting. I miss my 460. And my 351 too.

And assuming you contribute to the income at your household, if the bills are paid and y'all aren't trying to save for something big... then I'd have a friendly talk with the wife and tell her that working on your truck is what helps you relax and maintain your sanity!

 

You're doing great! You're well ahead of me & my son in terms of rebuilding anything in the truck! We've been sticking to basic mechanicals overall.

I have never torn down an engine, let alone rebuilt one with existing or new components. We also have an 89 F350 with the 460 (manual) - and I shudder to think what I'd do wrong in the process of rebuilding it.

 

Thanks guys. I appreciate the good words and great advice. I have a running engine in my truck right now that is really tired. So I gues the parts I have work... I'll clean them up and reuse them.
And Dixie, I gotta keep that damn smog pump. Guess you know why.

 

Did the truck run alright before you took it apart? If so the OEM or old sensors are probably fine. If the '89 and '90 intakes are different then why not just reuse the '89 intake manifold?

 

The 89 engine is still in and running. I'll probably end up using the parts off of it after reading these comments. I don't know if the 90 was running or not. It was pretty blasted out when I bought it. I have everything almost done but those couple things. I'm planning on pulling the 89 out after I get back from camping. I'm going to reuse the smog pump, fuel injectors and various sensors on the 90 before I put it in. Wish me luck.

 

Probably goes without saying, but don't drop cast aluminum valve covers when you're doing your polishing