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Good day all....looking for some advice on replacing my ICM on my '79 F250 (460ci). Just doing some maintenance items when I get around to it and I've heard that a person should replace their old "Motorcraft" ICM. Is this true?? I don't think there are any issues with it but I suppose changing it along with other ignition parts might not be a bad idea?
New parts so far are spark plugs, ignition wires, ignition coil, cap and rotor, and starter.....
ALSO 2nd QUESTION....are there more then two paint codes for the light blue color of my truck? I want to paint the steel wheels to match the light blue color now that I found factory dog dish hubcaps. Just want to spray bomb them with some color match paint and primer.
Just because you got new parts does not make them better than the old ones.
Most likely the starter, Coil and ICM are Chinese junk and will crappie our on you.
If the others were not bad I would clean them up and put them back in service.
If it ain't broke don't fix it or replace it!
Dave ----
And as far as I'd heard, the Motorcraft would have been the one to keep! Not the one to get rid of. Never heard that before I don't think.
Lots of people hate the Dura Spark setup and just say get rid of it in general, but it's actually a very good system that just has way too many wires, and variations on those wires, to ever become a popular swap. And add to that the fact that it's certainly true that plenty of people have had problems with theirs (just like GM did with their HEI in the seventies) maybe you were hearing the generic "get rid of it and go with HEI or MSD or "insert your favorite brand here" ignition instead.
But I thought it was Motorcraft that was the one to look for and spend extra money on.
Besides that, for sure much of the new stuff is a crap shoot, so NEVER get rid of your old stuff unless you've proven that it's no good any more.
When doing some testing on my truck I found the Motorcraft unit gave less voltage drop through the box as compared to old-school (and still quality) replacements.
I would not even be interested in anything brand new as a good back up.
If your ICM is working just leave it. If you are going to replace it. Use either a genuine Motorcraft unit Pt # DY893 or a Wells/WVE unit as they are the current OEM for Ford. Contrary to popular belief Ford never manufactured their own ICM's they were outsourced to either Motorola or Wells (now branded WVE) as an FYI Wells has been an electrical component supplier to Ford for over a 100 years.
As for your paint code issue, post the paint codes and we can let you know which is which.
Good day all....looking for some advice on replacing my ICM on my '79 F250 (460ci). Just doing some maintenance items when I get around to it and I've heard that a person should replace their old "Motorcraft" ICM. Is this true?? I don't think there are any issues with it but I suppose changing it along with other ignition parts might not be a bad idea?
New parts so far are spark plugs, ignition wires, ignition coil, cap and rotor, and starter.....
ALSO 2nd QUESTION....are there more then two paint codes for the light blue color of my truck? I want to paint the steel wheels to match the light blue color now that I found factory dog dish hubcaps. Just want to spray bomb them with some color match paint and primer.
First off, x2 on what Fuzzface wrote....if it ain't broke, don't fix it! As for the paint, my truck is painted the same colors, just reversed. Below are the paint codes I found for 1977. My paint code is 8S so I went with light blue and bright dark blue.
X22 plugs, wires, rotor and cap replacement good call for a tune up/maint. I would only replace the coil and starter if they are broke or causing issues (after troubleshooting). Then do not waste the $ on cheap replacement parts, that are NOT going to be as good as what you have now. I would leave the MotorCraft ignition box alone. Maybe space it off the fenderwell with some washers and keep on trucking. And when you can, get a MotorCraft replacement to have behind the seat/in tool box. Leave it in the box and store it with the back side (gooey side) facing UP.
X2 what Rich said about carrying a spare. I've burned out a couple modules by now. One original and a duralast. My latest replacement is a Motorcraft, but not NOS. We'll see how long it lasts. I'm wrapping my headers, so that should help. If that fails, I may relocate the module or add a fresh air duct to keep it cool. I'm not even in the hottest US climate zone, either.
As for the paint, my truck is painted the same colors, just reversed. Below are the paint codes I found for 1977. My paint code is 8S so I went with light blue and bright dark blue.
