Hey everyone.
i just inherited an 84 f150 4x4, it originally had a 4 speed manual and a straight six.

in its current state it has a 302 roller motor, headers and a ford 9” rear end.

the vehicle sat for about a year and I took it over as a truck w no spark. I reduced the issue to most likely a bad distributor but replaced coil and ignition module as well and a mechanical fuel pump.

i am still having issues getting it running.
i am getting fuel into a container from the carb inlet line when disconnected.
timing was way off, got to tdc and corrected the spark plug wires to the correct firing order.

with some fuel injected by a bottle I was able to get it running, throttle wide open and cranking, engine roared and sounded smooth but as soon as I let off the throttle it died and I cannot get a restart. I tend to believe the timing is slightly off but I cannot get it running even horribly to adjust the cap.

the body is straight and only has one rust spot I’m concerned about, the interior is fairly clean minus some cracks in the dash. If I can get it running the goal is 4-6” lift and just have fun with 35” tires.




ironically enough I have all the paperwork from purchase sticker, to 302 build and transplant, to the radio and tire rotations from the original owner.
Nd6@i}

 

So, if you connect the fuel line to the carb, and crank the engine over, does the carb bowl fill with fuel ? After you cranked it for a while, open the throttle by hand and see if the accelerator pump is squirting fuel into the carb throttle.

 

Sounds like you still have a fuel/carb problem.

 

Thank you for the quick replies

I dont know enough about these older carb motors, or rather i am not proficient enough with them to trust my diagnosis.
As frustrating as it gets, to the point of wanting to burn the truck down! I dont know if its a timing issue or fuel issue. Im not sure how to diagnose one without the other.
I have just purchased a carb rebuild kit for the holley 4412 2 barrel. Whats sticking in my mind is, with fuel being put into the carb via diet mt dew bottle turned remote fueling system, the truck did turn over, fire and rev full throttle. Would it even do this if it was 180 out?

 

The world wide interwebs are the devil. I bought a distributor but doing reading online, people say you need an 85 distributor for a roller motor? does that matter?

 

I'm no expert, but what do the auto parts stores web site recommend for the engine ? Check NAPA and Advance.

 

Don't panic. I was taught to think of the carburetor as a calibrated leak. You normally don't have to know all of the intricate details. Fuel goes in, delivered by the fuel pump. Fuel enters the float chamber, basically a small reservoir. A float rises as the reservoir fills and modulates the fuel flow to maintain a fairly steady level of fuel. Fuel leaves the float chamber via the main jets, idle passages, power valve, and accelerator pump. Those last details are the ones of which you don't have to know too much.

As previously suggested, remove the air cleaner and look down the carb throat. Manually cycle the throttle linkage and see if raw fuel squirts out. Repeat three or four times. That's the accelerator pump, which squirts extra fuel as you open the throttle. The accel pump draws from the main float chamber. We can use this little tidbit to our benefit while troubleshooting. The first shot may be fuel sitting in the accel pump. Subsequent shots require fuel in the main chamber to refill the accel pump. To summarize Proust: If you don't get several good shots of fuel in row, the float chamber was empty and you have a fuel delivery problem.

This could be part of the problem. Have you tried a different brand of soda bottle?

A little history might help, too. Was the truck running when parked? Or was it parked due to a mechanical issue? Has anybody else messed with it, trying to get it to run?

 

Awesome Bullnose truck. I hope you can get her started.

 

Found this in the related threads below, it may help...

https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1...ont-start.html

 

You are thinking correctly. No it would not have started and run if it was 180 out.

 

Thanks guys, I’ll answer as I can remember the questions without going back as I’m on a phone and don’t own a computer.


the ford came w in-line 6,
original owner replaced with a built (built by a shop in Colorado and not transplanted from a mustang) 302. Hydraulic lifters, a decent cam, headers and Holley 2300 4412 500 cfm manual choke carb.

yes it was a daily driver for my gf cousin until he bought a new truck (1-1.5) years ago. It sat and was run randomly for around town runs. One day he went to start it and he could not get spark. I diagnosed it as a bad distributor after replacing the ign module and coil and still needing spark, the dist was replaced and I got spark. At that point the truck would start good for one cycle and then bog down like a shot battery (brand new). I touched the starter and burnt myself. Replaced the starter and she cranks very good. Went and redid the tdc cycle and found it was off a tooth or two and the plug wires were not in correct firing order.
may that point, new starter, checked to make sure fuel was getting to carb (it was) I dumped sone fuel into the carb and gave it full throttle, she cranked right over, fired and revved high. I let off the throttle and she died.

since then I have ordered a cab rebuild kit. I was looking at new carbs, for 500 bucks ….sheeesh. I have a 4bbl 390 cfm my buddy will give me , new jn box, but I would need a new intake manifold. All money spent not being 100% sure it’s a carb, I can rebuild a carb, I have sone a few on my harley’s. A beer, a YouTube channel and the correct parts I’ll be fine.

 

Oh, it sat for about 6 months to a year before I got my hands on it.

if the carb fix works, I’m buying a new tank, oil change, rear and front diff and manual tranny fluid and let her eat!

 

You can blame the ethanol fuel they sell for your problems now. You can't let that fuel sit very long before it dries up and turns to a sticky mess in the carb.

 

That 2300 Holley is half a Holley v4 carb and easy to rebuild.

On the dist. if you do have a roller motor the only thing I think you need to watch out for is the gear used on the dist. as roller cams use a different type of gear over the normal cams.
Dave ----

 

Correct. I had an option of steel or cast gear, I bought steel