Getting ready to do a big tume up, and I though i'd run some products and ideas past here to make sure i'm not buying worthless parts. For budget concerns, i'm going to have to split this tune up into two jobs.


First Half

1.Changing the oil of course and trying out the Motorcraft FL-1A filter.

2.Changing tranny/transfercase fluid. (considering Royale Purple fluid and Motorcraft filter.

3.PLUGS, last time I used Bosch +2's and was impressed, considering trying the +4's.
4. O2 sensor = Bosch

5. Air filter = K&N drop in unit?

6.Wires = MSD?

7. Coil = MSD direct replacement?

Part Two

1. New MSD distributer?

2. New injectors????


I guess what i'm looking for is brand reccomendations and any other thoughts or opinions you want to through at me.

 

Not a big fan of the multi-point cathode plugs. They don't withstand heat very well and have a tendency to hang on to crud in the gaps between the cathode points. I know that the idea is to let the spark burn more directly down into the combustion chamber but you will get "as good" performance for about "as long" out of a standard plug that has been side-gapped.

A big yes to the K&N drop-in air filter.

MSD is a good name and equivalent quality if you want to spend the money but the OEM stuff works just fine.

Injector replacement is expensive and if they still work then there is no good reason to replace them. Injectors are the kind of thing that are "pass/fail" parts. If they are CLEAN they should perform as well as they did on day one unless the coil inside has failed in which case the injector isn't working at all. Pulse width is fixed and the timing trigger is set by components OUTSIDE the injector itself.

 

Thanks Greystreak, I'm wanting to completly replace the distributer and the injectors because they are 13 years old now and just hit the big 200000. I'm wondering if with the coil/distributer upgrade if I should bump up to a slightly larger injector.

 

i wouldn't replace the injectors unless they were not working at all...they can run anywhere from $100 to $300 a piece depending on application...i've never checked on the price of injectors for my bronco, and i don't want to unless i have to, lol...and as far as going to a bigger injector - the only time you need more fuel, is if you are adding quite a bit more air to the system...i'm with greystreak on this one...i don't believe in novelty spark plugs either...motorcrafts, or autolites are perfect for me...

 

Unless you are doing some serious changes/modifications that will significantly increase the maximum HP attainable by the engine, higher flow rate injectors aren't really necessary. The formula for optimal fuel injector flow rate is:

lb/hr (flow rate) = max HP x 0.45(brake specific fuel consumption)/ 8 (number of injectors)

So, assuming a 351 with a max HP rating of what, 330-350? You can calculate from there. Now a highly modified 351 that can develope say 500-550 HP thats a different story. Increasing flow rate unnecessarily will potentially have the effect that raising the float level too high in a carburated engine would have to having no effect whatsoever.

 

Allright, you've convinced me, does anyone have any reccomendations for the distributer? Any other thoughts?

 

I would worry about getting a colder intake or colder fuel. The cooler it is the more dense it is hence the more air you get in the engine. more air=more power. Here is a cool system that Is an interesting concept. Cryogenic fuel and air cooler. As for lubricants royal purple is the best on the market in my opinion. I've used royal purple in my transmission for my car for a long time. great stuff in my opinion. Increased my MPG and lowered road noise. Also to get colder fuel they sell a fuel radiator thing on Broncograveyard.com I think. It looks to be the best idea for the money.

 

I always use the Motorcraft oil filter in mine.....

 

Cool, keep the thoughts coming. Hopefully this answer most of the tune up questions that pass through the forum anyways.

 

Get regular plugs, Motorcraft or Champion. No fancy plugs. They don't last as long and overall are a waste of money in a stock Bronco.

Don't use synthetic oil in a high mileage motor that has not been using synthetic. You will get many leaks.

The K&N is always a good idea. If anything you'll never have to buy another air filter. I finally spent the $50 last year and got one.

The Blaster coil is fine but unnecessary. I have one, but only because I met a guy who put a brand new one in his GT Mustang and then totalled the car two days later and sold me the coil for $5. Otherwise I would not have bothered, my stocker was fine. It's hard to tell if it made a difference, although I got a very slight radio whine where I had none before (I'm pushing a lot of juice).

I've always used a Motorcraft filter but who really knows...there's some website out there, forget the URL, where some guy tested all of the oil filters. I've never had a problem with any oil filter brand though.

Royal Purple or similar is good (I use Lucas). And that Restore stuff really works. I could tell a difference after using it. But don't use chlorine based additives like Slick 50 etc., I don't -think- that the Restore is chlorine based but it might be (hope not).

If the motor runs smoothly and the check engine light does not come on or throw codes then there is no reason to replace the 02 sensor. Since they can cost around $80 for a Ford one (factory is best in this case) then it can be a waste of money. And you may even cause problems - those sensors can be really finicky. You may spend the dough to replace the 02 sensor and then start getting a check engine light. In this case, if it ain't broke don't fix it.

Fill up the tank and add enough fuel injector cleaner for 32 gallons. Again, I use Lucas. And actually, the bottle of Lucas fuel treatment that treats 100 gallons is a good deal - you can do three full tanks with it for around $8. Or pour the whole thing in there and really clean those injectors!

Why do you want new injectors and a new distributor? Unless you are severely upgrading the motor, they are a waste of money. You only need to replace the distributor cap and rotor. There is no reason to replace the distributor unless it is bad. As far as the injectors, they are about the last thing on your Bronco that will ever fail. I've never even heard of an injector failing. About all that could happen to one is that it physically breaks or gets so clogged that it cannot be blown out. As long as you don't buy all your fuel in the outback of Mexico and use a fuel injector cleaner every now and again then there is no reason to replace the injectors unless you drastically hop up the motor. If you are really worried about your injectors you can get them blown out for under $100. Otherwise, fuel injection is one of the most mechanically simple and longest lasting components of a new vehicle.

Don't forget radiator coolant flush and change. Replace the radiator cap at the same time.

 

Ok, so i'll not waste money on the injectors, and i'll just replace the cap and rotor, and coil. I have to respectfully disagree with opinions of Bosch plugs, i've had great success with the +2's, however i've heard the +4's aren't as good. I'll give them a try because i'm curious and because I loved the +2 version. I'll post the results on here sometime. I think if anything, they may have an edge as far as redundancy with electrodes. The copper ones may be slightly more conductive, but copper gets alot dirtier than platinium or whatever Bosch plates their plugs with. Current takes the path of least resistance, so with more than one electrode I would imagine that if they were equally as dirty as the single electrode copper ones that they would remain more responsive......who knows though.


Sorry about all that, I know its been discussed many times........Any recommendations on plug wires? Any paticular size? Brand? I would like some that are made specifically to fit the engine, so there isn't alot of extra slack.

 

Yeah, the great plug debate. I've personally not noticed the slightest bit of difference when using $6 spark plugs and they seemed to wear out quicker. They were the Splitfire brand, not Bosch, but I've heard bad things about the Bosch. But if you get good results with them, by all means install them. I've had the best results with Motorcraft or good ol' Champion plugs.

As for the wires, I bought the premium fitted set from one of the chains and have had no problems. Your stock motor just needs a good set of insulated wires, not super thick high performance ones unless you like fancy colors and spending extra money. They will not do anything as far as increasing performance, they are made to handle the juice of a high performance ignition system in a high performance motor and will have no performance effect on a stock one. One thing is important though, and that is routing. Be sure to keep the wires from touching each other as much as possible - these motors seem to be extra sensitive to this (especially the 7 and 8 wires). You'd be better off buying a set of plug wire separators and spending a little extra time routing the wires than buying expensive performance wires.

 

Allright, i'll get a regular set of Bosch wires and i'll try to find some wiring seperators. If nothing else it will look cleaner.

I remember reading a post about it, but i though i'd verify it, is it true that the K&N drop in filter seems to work better in broncos than the FIPK or whatever it's called?
Also correct me if i'm wrong, but doesn't the E4OD hold 16 quarts, and the 1356 4? So i'm looking at buying like 22 quarts of mercon ATF to make sure I have enough? Thats going to be a lot of $$$ worth of royal purple.

 

The FIPK is an entire intake system kit and costs closer to $200 than $50. I can't comment on any performance gains but what I've heard is good. There seems to be a few HP to be gained with the FIPK. One thing that I do not like about it is that it is an open element system as opposed to the sealed stock system.

If you go the FIPK route, it would be best to couple it with a freer flowing exhaust system. Then you would really experience some gains but you'd probably kill your 200K motor by hot rodding it all the time... There is an (almost) free HP gain for intakes and that is to wrap the entire intake system with heat shielding. I haven't done it but it's good for an extra pony or so.

I don't recall the capacities but your estimate for the tranny sounds about right although I think that the t-case holds less than four quarts. You should verify that before spending $$$ on expensive tranny fluid. I've been telling myself for a long time that I was going to drain my tranny and torque converter and replace the fluid with Trick Shift or Lucas or something, haven't done it yet and probably won't. Close to 140K and it works fine and the fluid is clean enough (the truck was well maintained before I got it and I dropped the pan at least to replace the gasket so half of the fluid is new and it's still pink).

 

Well i've allready got a high flow cat and 3" split dual exhaust. I agree with you on the dislike of the unsealed air fiter on the FIPK. My tranny fluid is clean and fresh and I don't have any problems with it, but i've heard it whine a very little bit a couple of times lately so I though I better change it to be safe.