I have searched regarding this and found the link below to the excellent info regarding the "hot air stove" on our carbuerators. I just found that my metal tube that is supposed to connect to the exhaust cross over is not connected. It looks like it has snapped off or is corroded. This explains the truck being a bugger to start when it's cold. When warmed up, I have a slight lag at about 1/4 throttle. Otherwise it runs great, with my limited experience with it.

I have two questions:
1. If I buy the HELP kit, is the connection to the exhaust crossover easy to accomplish? I'm guessing I will have to unbolt the exhaust?
2. Do the experts have any additional suggestions regarding my carb? I see that I may be missing some vacuum lines but I am a rookie with mechanical stuff.

I have attached pics for reference. Thank you.

https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/8...-answered.html

 

1. I have never done one of those HELP kits. But I believe they come with an adaptor to push in the hole in the exhaust manifold. You might have to drill out the old piece that's in there now.
2. I don't see any missing vacuum lines. But I do see one of the heater hoses is supposed to be in that saddle right next to the choke cap. Looks like your heater core is by-passed.

 

I'm guessing here, but is that a 1970? It looks like mine. Any time you ask for help here in the Forums, it's a good idea to let us know what year, make, model, engine, etc.

I had to install a couple of those "Help" kits. They work, but are a little rinky-dink.

First of all:



Take this little bit of steel tube out. Take out the other one like it as well. Try using an easy-out. In a pinch, you can use a drill bit (if you don't mind ruining a good drill bit) or even a nail. I loosened mine up by trying to drive a nail in between the tube and the iron wall the tube sits in. After mangling the tube, I was able to pull it out with needle-nose pliers. Discard the piece(s) of tube that you remove. To install the Help kits, you may need to file down the outside of the fitting that goes into the manifold. Once it mostly fits, drive it in. It's only a friction fit that holds it in place. When you install the Help kits, it won't matter which hole in the manifold goes to the vacuum side; the manifold-heated air will go out either hole just as well as the other.

The Help kits hook up here on the other ends:



You may need to flare the end of the tube that fits into the pull-off housing. (Edit: It turns out that you do NOT need to flare the ends of the tubs)


To finish this job, move your coolant line so that it is up flush against the choke pull-off. That bracket is there to hold the hose in place.




This is not a particularly difficult job. There is no reason to remove the exhaust from the manifold or to remove the manifold from the head. Good Luck with it.

 

Gentlemen, thank you very much! The truck is a 1972 F250. I will give it a shot this week and report back with pics so hopefully it can help someone.

 

Looking over this again, there's something I'm not sure I was clear about.




There is another place like this on your manifold, one that's not shown in this picture. It may also have a broken off piece of tubing in it. If the tubing is there, you'll need to remove it before you can put the kit in.

This job calls for two of those Help kits.

 

This is just a little ironic.

While working on my truck yesterday, I happened to notice that the heat riser tube on my engine is broken.

If I hadn't replied to your post, I probably wouldn't have even looked at it.

I had to pick up a replacement kit as well.

The original replacements were for the twin to my truck, which went to Ford heaven in 2014.

I'll be installing it today, weather permitting.

 

I"m confused. The job calls for two HELP kits? Am I reading this correct, that one should go to the rear-facing port on the carburetor (circled in red)? The other one goes too the other circled area (which matches the broken piece I have on it)?

Thanks guys!

 

I believe that is correct. The other hole in your exhaust manifold should be a little farther back from the one that's pictured. The other one probably also has a broken-off piece of tube in it, which should be removed before you install the Help kit.

One hole in your manifold is for air in, the other is for heated air out (doesn't matter which is which, that's controlled by where they get hooked up on the other end).

The broken one pictured in your photos connects to the Choke Pull-Off Housing. The kit provides a replacement flare nut, but you may need to flare the end of the tube to make it sit correctly in that junction. Best to tighten that fitting with a Flare Nut Wrench (that will help avoid rounding the flare nut off), if you've got it.

The other line is not apparent in your photos. My guess is that it disappeared a long time ago. Connect the upper end of that Kit to the circled nipple with a short piece of vacuum hose.

I can get a photo from my truck... I'm about to go work on it anyway...

 

Here's a picture showing both tubes installed. One is original, the other is a Help Kit.



It's easier to see where the tubes go in your picture, because there is less contrast.

Here's a picture that should show you where the other hole is on your exhaust manifold:



The original tube needs to be replaced because it is broken at the manifold.

These tubes run the risk of being broken every time someone changes the #4 spark plug.

The newer ones don't seem to rust out like the original ones... but the replacements are probably aluminum.

 

Thank you for the info and photos Thi. I will order another kit (the first one had to be shipped in from Colorado, Orielly didn't have any in state) and post up photos when completed.

 

Could have checked the NAPA dealer, they have an equivalent.

(I didn't know that until yesterday).

 

Check to make sure that the replacement flare nut actually fits on the Choke Pull-Off Housing before you try to assemble the replacement kit. If it does not thread on, try to salvage the old flare nut. If you have two kits, check the flare nut from the other kit -- you'll only need one flare nut between the two kits.

It turns out you don't need to flare the end of the tube that goes into the Choke Pull-Off Housing, there's a brass bead that slides over the end of the tube to help compress the fitting and secure it. The Kit should have a replacement bead as well as a replacement flare nut.

Make sure that the end of the tube is straight for the last half-to-three-quarters of an inch when you assemble the flare nut fitting. You'll need to have a straight shot at threading the flare nut on - a slight bend in the tubing can make it really difficult to thread the nut in place. Avoid mangling the end of the tube when you straighten it -- having a flat spot on the end of the tube will interfere with the correct fit. Be absolutely certain that the flare nut is correctly threaded onto the Choke Pull-Off Housing before you tighten it down. Cross-threading this fitting may prove costly.

After you have a straight end, you'll need to have the tube make a U-turn to come up out of the valley on top of the engine... then it will have to bend back the other way to get down to the Exhaust Manifold. It's a rough "S" shape.

When bending the tube, be gentle, don't kink the tube. Small, gentle bends, done one at a time.

Be cautious with the sheath that goes over the tube, it's probably fiberglass. Don't get it in your eyes or lungs, etc.

Once you get the front one done (and I do suggest that you do that one first), temporarily move it out of your way in order to replace the second one. The connection at the vacuum port on the carb will be a lot easier to deal with than the flare fitting, just use a piece (approx. 2") of vacuum hose to hold the tube and vacuum port together.

The NAPA equivalent part number is NOE 6101114.

 

I just wanted to follow up and show the finished product of my work so that this may hopefully help others in the future. Many thanks to all who replied, especially Thipdar, who took the time to send pics of his recent replacement. I want to reiterate the info that he explained is spot on, especially with bending the tube slowly and keeping the end that screws into the carb via threads straight for ease of threading. I figured that if he suggested an inch or so at the end, that 2 inches would be better....not so, due to the limited space.

You will see that the pieces I put into the exhaust manifold (I had to do both tubes) are not properly nubbed, for lack of a better word. The instructions call to drill the hole and then strike the piece with the supplied ring/metal spacer, which allows the piece to break off, leaving a nipple of sorts. I must have drilled the hole too large, probably due to having a non-perpendicular angle on the drill, so the piece bottomed out. Maybe I'm not understanding the instructions but I think it's supposed to be somewhat tight, not bottomed out, and then you hit it, and the outer piece breaks away, leaving a nub/nipple to fit the tube onto. I still routed the tube there, where it fits with tension, but I'm sure it's not correct or ideal to bring all the heat up the tube. I may fix it later, but I'm waiting to see if this will suffice.

As for the two kits, I bought one from Oreilly (Dorman brand), and one from NAPA. They are both about the same, but the NAPA one has a more complete one (extra pieces for flaring the end of the tube), and it's slightly cheaper. It looked like the Dorman one was better tubing, by just by a little bit though.

I wouldn't say that this has helped the starting of the truck, so I have a lot of other adjustments to do to the carb most likely. I'm new to this, and it's not a daily driver, so I have time to fiddle with it.

Again, thanks to all who chimed in. I couldn't have done this with just the instructions on the package.

 

 

Good Job. Use a bic lighter to melt the ends of that fiberglass netting. Not much. Just enough to keep them from fraying.
The heat doesn't help the engine start. It helps the choke "unload" as the engine warms up.