You said 38 years old and things start to go bad way before 38 years.
And it is the bad that kills the feed back system. It is not just the carb and dist. but all the sensors & computer too.
And that is where the problem is "all the sensors & computer" that are hard to come by, mostly the sensors.
If any 1 thing is bad it goes in to limp mode that kills power and MPG.

As for the feed back carb it is "tuned" by the computer and as above 1 thing not working the carb goes limp mode and goes rich, kills MPG.
And the DSII the problem is finding parts. You can get a remanf. dist. from a store and the ICM on the fender and coil but the wiring can be an issue.
Sometimes you get lucky and find used parts in a junk yard but most yards crush anything 10 years and older so not a lot for us to pick from.
Painless dose make a harness but I hear it is $$$ or if you can get the plugs make your own.

So with all that said above is why to ditch the feed back system when it starts showing signs of trouble and go with a non-feed back carb & HEI dist. and get the power & MPG back.
Dave ----

 

Well, that is why I am asking these questions, looking for the best way to get it running smooth again. Yes, the module has always been mounted with the heat sink grease, I did need to replace the distributor several years ago because the coil in it was bad and was not a replacement item, least I could not find one anywhere to fix it. My code reader is too new for this trucks connector so no idea what the computer says, and from what I have read on this site, chances are it is not doing much of anything after 38 years and best to just go with a regular carb and ignition system and forget the Ford control module. If I knew all the sensors were all good, fine, but I understand a couple are no longer available. You statement about points vs HEI are the things I am weighing, since until this truck and an 87 Chev Sub I bought, everything had points and I was familiar with keeping things up to snuff and tuned. But if the HEI systems are great, that is how I will go. I checked out the Duraspark II, but I see that connector that has 3 terminals. Are they for 12V in, tach out and ground, since I don't have that kind of connector on my truck. Plus, from one site, there is a 8-12 seek delay time to get one.

 

Thanks to all that have posted thoughts and ideas and guidance for me here. I went to get a carb rebuild kit from NAPA, got there Saturday at 1:15, the website and store sign said closed at 2 and they closed at one, hope that is not an indicator of how the rest of this project goes. Reminds me of Pesci and Dangerfield in 'Easy Money', when they drive up to the Howard Johnson looking restaurant just as the lights go out and it says, "Open - 23 Hours".

 

Dave, which HEI are you running? Do you suspect your ignition system for your miss and fouling #4 plug issue? I think you suspect the pick up coil in the distributor? Either that or it's a too lean carb? But why is the issue showing up in the #4 hole? What are the servicable parts in the HEI? What do they cost and how often do you need new pick up coils? Do you also have an ICM in your system? How much does a replacement cost?

How many posts have we seen where an ICM goes bad? Carrying a spare seems wise.

Are these electronic ignitions really more reliable and economical? I realize that all gas ICE motors use them after 1973...

 

I would not rebuild your feedback carb if you are going to get rid of it. This is where it all makes sense. Look at how much money you are going to spend rebuilding the original carb, versus a complete new China knock-off carb from Amazon or Ebay.

The HEI/Ford hybrid distributor is a China knock-off also. Like anything else, mostly good, once in awhile not so good. You take your chances with everything in life, and that goes for the China carb and the HEI also. But you can't beat the simplicity of the HEI. If you get it running good and then take all those unneeded wires out afterward, you will get a good feeling about it every time you open the hood.

 

What do you think of the 100 buck Napa 'electronic' distributor that is supposed to be a drop in item for this truck, reusing the coil and condenser. Guessing electronic means no points, basic magnetic trigger setup, and it is vacuum advance. Checked several places and the Duraspark II is unavailable until next year, along with some standard Carter style YF unit carbs. I did check the condenser which is an original part, and it tested perfect on my capacitor checker that confirms value and voltage leakage.

 

I'm in favor of checking out that NAPA electronic ignition system. If anything goes south you can probably deal with NAPA on replacement or refunds. I don't have any experience with it but I trust NAPA.

Get the simplest Carter you can and rebuild it. I'm sure rebuild kits are available.

Do we have to buy everything from china on ebay? We all do it because often there is no alternative but I'm trying to procure things more domestically, locally.

 

Being my truck is a 81 with the 300 six it uses the Ford DSII system NOT HEI.
I am leaning toward the ignition system for the miss and the fouling of #4 plug.
When I bought the truck 1 plug was not firing, it did for a short while on the road test but stopped before I got back.
At the time compression was good so changed out the plugs, wires, cap & rotor and it run great, did not drive it, and them pulled it apart for the rebuild over the next 4 years.

All parts are serviceable in both the DSII I have, I do have a new pickup coil, as they are for the HEI if you know the years that HEI model was used in.
HEI started in 1975 but if you went with say a 1980 Chevy 250 the parts for that HEI will work on the knock off Ford HEI even the module inside and the coil on the top of the cap if you ever needed a coil or pick up coil inside.
The only time you would need to replace the pickup coil, cap coil or the ICM is if they went bad just like with Ford's DSII or TFI systems
They are not something you would change out when doing a tune up, jsut the cap & rotor.

With out trying to locate the paper work I dont remember what the replacement parts cost for the DSII system my truck uses.
I bought a NAPA top of the line ICM years ago because the potting was leaking out and running down the inner fender onto the garage floor.
I kept the old as a spare as it still worked and swapped it in place when trouble shooting the bucking I had, no change so put the NAPA one back it.

I replaced the coil bolted to the motor because I believe the miss I have is coming from a single point in the IGN system, coil or now pickup coil in the dist. as everything else has been changed as part of the tune up or the plug wire because I pulled an end out of the wire.
So pickup coil is the last thing it could be that I can think of at this point.

Both the DSII and the HEI are good systems but like anything with age they wear out and fail so you rebuild or replace it and motor on.
If I can make it out to my garage, came down with Covid and it is kicking my a**! I will get what ifo I can off the carb box and pass it on.
Dave ----

 

I Think it would be fine if it is a HEI knock off and not one like the factory TFI you have now as you have not gained anything.

Any of the Carter carb's I seen on line thru local parts stores were in the $200+ range where the Ebay knock off's were in the $100 range.

For both the carb & dist. look for late 70's to no newer then 1982 Ford 300 six, car / pickup / van
Dave ----

 

This is the only info on the ebay carb box


Dave ----

 

Do you mean this one?

https://www.napaonline.com/en/p/NNDNNDST2669

The above is a duraspark II distributor. If it fits the 300 six, it will work, but you need a duraspark II box, the short harness from the box to the distributor, and a new coil.

I suggested a HEI unit because it's simple to hook up electrically. If you can do the research and figure out how to hook up the duraspark system, by all means do it.

 

This comment is unrelated to the Ford string, but when you mentioned 'miss and fouling' of #4, have to relate what happened to my sons Dodge with its hemi engine. He kept getting #5 cylinder misfires. Plug, wire, coil pack did not cure it. Turns out the 350 hemi has an inherent problem with oiling issues on the #5 cams. We replaced one cam shaft, the lobes had gullys cut into them whose edges were sharp enough to shave with. Frozen bearings on the rockers due to lack of oil were the culprit, and Dodge has yet to fix this issue. According to the mechs at the dealer ship, that motor is a 75K motor, after that, you are on borrowed time. My son got about 140K before the repair, and since the problem is still there, when he gets 75K miles on the repair, he will be expecting it to fail again.

 

Yes that Napa unit is the one. Thought it would just need 12v, ground and a coil primary lead, not the Duraspark module. Looks like HEI it is.

 

Still researching the plan, and chasing the Duraspark wiring to see how they did it. But, does anyone one know why did they put the starter solenoid on the ignition coil side of the ignition resistor, basically sending the 12 volts the solenoid needs to pull in through the ignition resitor? I do see a a pair of wires basically going into the control module, one on each side of that resistor, and if this was a radio transmitter, I would say they are measuring the amount of voltage drop across the ignition resistor to tell the module something. As Dave said, looks like the best plan is just go with the one wire HEI dist., a lot simpler.

 

Now to the carb. I see a non-feedback carb for sale that has the feedback solenoid port blocked off with a metal plate. This raised the question. If you plug up all the holes in a feedback carb, cap off tubes, that are not in a non-feedback carb, remove other hanger on things that also are not on the feedback, and keep the electric choke of course, will it work? Or are there hidden passage ways within the casting of the feedback model that keep it from ever being a non-feedback? Or just buy the darn 80 buck non-feedback carb?