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The truck is running great as it is currently, so I'm sure swapping this out will be even better. It starts immediately and runs smooth. It was a 3 hour trip home with a mix of mountains and 70 mph on the interstate with no issues.
This "clean up the engine bay" post has been great, glad you guys enlightened me on the carb/ignition issue.
I do not recommend those Chinese HEI units at all. They are a crapshoot at best, more than one member here has had to replace them with a quality unit after being stranded, multiple times, or refitted to a Duraspark dist. Save yourself the headache and get a quality one or do the right thing convert to Duraspark.
I did read about the hose but wanted to point it out again why it has to be safe to use with oil vapor.
On the fresh air to the PVC it depends if you want it looking stock or aftermarket bling.
I am going to say to retune it to a working feed back system will take a little more than just putting a feed back carb back on. All the wiring from computer on out to the sensors to what the computer controls has to work 100% or it goes into limp mode, not good for power or MPG.
You only need to replace the dist. with a non-feed back one.
The easiest one to use would be the HEI for a Ford 300 you find on Ebay. Drop it in a few wires and done.
If you go for a DSII (pre feedback 82 and earlier) youneed the dist. the IGN box and the $$ harness from MSD.
If you have a junk yard that has older Fords you can get the DSII parts from there or order the parts through a local parts store.
Dave ----
Well kinda redundant to point something out to me that had already been done no?. Or was it just a need to post something.?
And the PCV fresh air feed has nothing to looking stock or bling it has to do with the easiest cheapest and just also happens to be the best solution. The ONLY reason the fresh air feed for the PCV is in the air cleaner is due to emmisions, as it is a less than the ideal location for it.
I did not price out the filter you posted but I would say it is more money that a few plastic fittings, short rubber hose and a $2 breather filter that fits in the air filter housing.
If you order it on line it will be at your door in a week or so, the local store should have everything in stock so you could be up and running in less than 2 hours.
Why do you say "as it is a less than the ideal location for it."?
Where should it be pulling fresh air from?
From the engine bay where the temp changes as the motor runs or the air filter where the temp should stay pretty much the same if working right? Temp controlled flapper valve in snorkel.
As for "also happens to be the best solution" says you.
If we post different ways to to do something then it gives others a choice on how they may want to build their truck.
Now he has a choice do the filter you posted or get the parts to return it back like the factory had it.
You build your truck the way you want and I will build mine the way I want.
That is what is great about the land we live in we have a choice.
Dave ----
I did not price out the filter you posted but I would say it is more money that a few plastic fittings, short rubber hose and a $2 breather filter that fits in the air filter housing.
If you order it on line it will be at your door in a week or so, the local store should have everything in stock so you could be up and running in less than 2 hours.
Why do you say "as it is a less than the ideal location for it."?
Where should it be pulling fresh air from?
From the engine bay where the temp changes as the motor runs or the air filter where the temp should stay pretty much the same if working right? Temp controlled flapper valve in snorkel.
As for "also happens to be the best solution" says you.
If we post different ways to to do something then it gives others a choice on how they may want to build their truck.
Now he has a choice do the filter you posted or get the parts to return it back like the factory had it.
You build your truck the way you want and I will build mine the way I want.
That is what is great about the land we live in we have a choice.
Dave ----
Uh ya you did when you start the post " Matt, " You are talking me Or did that very basic and incredibly simple primary school level understanding of the English language escape you....
And no the breather cap is all of $9 and that is not the cheapest available either. Try getting the fittings the hose the filter and the clip for $9. Go on try it. I dare ya.
And if the OP was really concerned with the factory install he would NOT be asked about potentially removing the feedback system to improve drivability.
And yes best location and option says the person who had a hand in designing these systems. What qualifications experience and training do you do ya have exactly?
Seriously you really wanna ride this train.
And why was PCV venting was done externally until mandated otherwise? Go on enlighten us as to why that was since you seem to think you know better, share the knowledge.
While it would be preferable to run proper emission hose for the pcv valve, one can run plain old fuel hose in the proper size and be fine. The oil will take a very long time to attack the fuel rated hose, I was looking for diesel rated fuel hose for the daisy chain on my diesel injectors on my tractor that is the return back to the fuel tank. No one had one and every parts house I went to stated just use regular fuel hose thats what everyone else does, I did and now 6 years later that hose still looks like the day I installed it with oily diesel fuel flowing through it.
The only draw back to this is the hose is a bit stiffer than regular vacuum hose which is what I am creating a list for to replace my vacuum hoses, I am yanking all emission systems off like the poster here will be doing but while I am doing that I am pulling all vacuum hoses off and replacing with new to fix any potential vacuum leaks which can pose a problem for my sniper. Didnt know it was this hard how ever trying to find proper vacuum hose with colored striping to try and make it look OE. Everything I find is for GM stuff and not the colors I would really need.
I forget you are not human, don't make any mistakes and know it all.
I feel sorry for you being like that.
From a human
Dave ----
As stated before do not want to get called on stupid DON'T DO STUPID.
People make mistakes, but you have a propensity to double then triple down on them.
I feel sorry for you that the simple concept of NOT doing that is too complicated for you to grasp.
So don't get all whiney cause you went full-on Dumb A$$
Yes, that is one of the distributors you could use.
What's happening, your TFI distributor is empty except for a pickup and wheel inside. This sends a signal to the TFI module mounted to the outside of the dist. At the same time it sends this same signal to the computer. The computer looks at all the sensors and engine conditions, and then sends back a signal to the TFI module to advance or retard the timing. The TFI then fires the coil at the right time.
Now that a bunch of stuff has been disconnected,, the computer can't make good decisions anymore on the timing. The TFI has a failsafe to keep the engine running, the TFI will fire the coil by itself at base timing, which is wherever you have it set at. The sticker on the radiator usually calls for 10 degrees BTDC. So your engine runs, but only at 10 BTDC all the time.
These older distributors and the retro-fit distributor you looked at have mechanical weights and a vacuum advance unit to advance the timing according to engine rpm and engine load. That's why you need to change to one of these to complete the conversion and get the max power and fuel mileage from your engine.
That is very helpful and makes sense. The truck is running what feels like great to me now, so I am looking forward to seeing what the swap will do.
I have been watching videos on installing one of these, and it seems fairly straightforward. I ordered a new dist, so I plan to put it on this weekend. One question I have is, where does the vacuum line from the vacuum advance on the dist hook up to? Is there a corresponding port on the carb? Also, is there anything I need to be aware of, or tips for getting the timing set up correctly once the new distributor is in?
I don't even see a computer in this thing, and the place everyone shows it is empty. From what I've read, the one-wire distributor will be hooked up to the starter solenoid?
Thanks again for all of the help. I'm brand new to this and ready to learn as much as I can about these trucks!
Find the square ignition coil you have now. You will see a plug with two smaller wires plugged into the coil. One will be darkgreen with a yellow stripe, the other will be a white with a lightblue stripe. Cut the white/lightblue wire and hook that to your new distributor. You may want to change this later when you do your wire cleanup, but this will get you going for now. You can deal with that later if it comes up.
The distributor vacuum advance will work best hooked to a port on the carb that only has vacuum when the throttle is cracked open. You can leave the vacuum advance disconnected at the beginning, and get it running and the timing set, idle speed set, and all that. Then you can experiment and find the correct port on the carb and hook it up later.
Find the square ignition coil you have now. You will see a plug with two smaller wires plugged into the coil. One will be darkgreen with a yellow stripe, the other will be a white with a lightblue stripe. Cut the white/lightblue wire and hook that to your new distributor. You may want to change this later when you do your wire cleanup, but this will get you going for now. You can deal with that later if it comes up.
The distributor vacuum advance will work best hooked to a port on the carb that only has vacuum when the throttle is cracked open. You can leave the vacuum advance disconnected at the beginning, and get it running and the timing set, idle speed set, and all that. Then you can experiment and find the correct port on the carb and hook it up later.
Ok, that seems pretty simple. Here is my coil and distributor. I have a dark green and white (I don’t see any blue on it, but I assume it’s the right one.
Do the wires currently going to the distributor just get unplugged and abandoned?
Ok, that seems pretty simple. Here is my coil and distributor. I have a dark green and white (I don’t see any blue on it, but I assume it’s the right one.
Do the wires currently going to the distributor just get unplugged and abandoned?
thanks,
Kevin
With all the years, heat & oil you are lucky you can see any dolor on the wires LOL
They would be the right wires at the coil even if not the colors Dave listed.
Yes the wires that are plugged into the dist. are left unhooked for now.
Once you have it running again and timing set so you know all is good you can then get in there and start removing wires that are not used.
See that oval plug on the right side with all them wires coming through the fire wall?
On the other side is the computer. Unplug the wires from computer and remove the computer.
Back in the engine bay you may need to open that harness to trace out some of the wires.
DO NOT cut any till you know what they go to. I think someone said oil & maybe the temp gauge wires go through it but not 100% sure on that.
I know wires will go to a temp sensor up on the Tstat housing they can be removed.
If you have any question when removing just post and we can help.
Dave ----
Find the square ignition coil you have now. You will see a plug with two smaller wires plugged into the coil. One will be darkgreen with a yellow stripe, the other will be a white with a lightblue stripe. Cut the white/lightblue wire and hook that to your new distributor. You may want to change this later when you do your wire cleanup, but this will get you going for now. You can deal with that later if it comes up.
.
Wouldn't it be better to remove the female terminal from the connector using a small screwdriver rather then just cutting the wire ? I was surprised to see how easy it is to remove the terminals.
Wouldn't it be better to remove the female terminal from the connector using a small screwdriver rather then just cutting the wire ? I was surprised to see how easy it is to remove the terminals.
Remove the terminal and then what? Re-use that cruddy old corroded terminal? Not sure what the new distributor comes with, if it's a pigtail or what. It probably is not a Ford connector on it though.
Remove the terminal and then what? Re-use that cruddy old corroded terminal? Not sure what the new distributor comes with, if it's a pigtail or what. It probably is not a Ford connector on it though.
Not knowing what condition his terminal is in...it might be wise to leave the wire as long as possible. He can always crimp on a new terminal. The longer the wire he leaves, the more options in the future.
