Alright I thought I fixed my problem but evidently I did not. My truck kept dying after about 3 miles of in town driving. I thought it was the fuel pump so I replaced that and also replaced the fuel filter. I just got a new intake, exhaust, and carb and put them all on. I put new hoses on and everything ran fine for the first couple of short drives. Now it started dying again after about the same amount of driving. DANG!!! Now I don't know what to do. Could this be the alternator? My fuel gauge is also messed up and I think this can be caused from a bad alternator. Could this be the problem or is there something else? Also what alternator would I use to replace with? I have an 86 F150 4X4 w/ 300 L6

 

I have a 85 van with the 300 I6. Do you still have the stock computer? If so there is a coolent sensor that lives up front on t-stat housing. This talks to the computer I am told and adjusts the carb. The computer has multi sensors that have to work, and they get old, and don't work. My computer caused me to rebuild my motor. This is a weak link on this motor before they went EFI. Getting some miles on my rebuild and this motor is really growing on me. I haul my dirt bike up in the woods on logging roads an it's got great grunt. A local guy made a dissy/GM HEI module and coil assy that I use. No more computer/feed back carb for me.

 

No, I no longer have the computer anymore.

 

Well, 101, you know you are not giving us much to work with here. What did you do for a ditributor/module/coil assy? That had to change if you don't have the computer. Look at simple things. Sometimes the fuel cap vent will get blocked. What do your plugs look like? Sometimes wires get hot and short out. I had a bad new rebuilt alternator that was missing a nut on one of the connectors inside the housing. I replaced the intire engine bay wiring harness before I found the short. The alt checked out ok on a bench tester but it shorted out when it got hot. Good luck...

 

Hey 101. Just noticed your in Tillamook. I am near Corvallis. Did a dualsport ride up in the hills behind the blimp hangers. Trask area. Keep posting and I will help as much as I can.

 

Ok, well I guess this is what is going on. Sorry for the short of info, I have just been frustrated with it. Block out what I said before. I do still have the computer but I have the Holley 390 carb on there, so I am not really sure if there is something else I need to change out. Everyone makes it sound like the EFI, Offy, and Holley conversion is so simple. I put all those on, still have all the plugs from the old carb all bundled together since I was not sure what to do with them. My alternator reads good on everything when I tested with a voltmeter, so I don't think it is that. What else can I check? I actually live down Trask River Road so I do some occasional wheeling with friends around there.

 

Don't have much time tonight. It's my birthday.... but I think I know your problem, and a fix. I think you need a distributor with a vacuum advance. The stock dist is run by the computor and your motor is not stock anymore. I got my dist/ GM HEI/coil assy from a local guy who will make one for you. Mine cost 135 bucks. A rebuilt dist and the HEI module mounted on a bracket with the coil that you can mount on your fender. It's Oregon Ignition Supply 503.931.5978 in Philomath. Tell them Denny with the white Ford van on the Willamette River sent ya. You will have no use for any of the computer/sensors and wiring harness except for target practice. The wiring harnes can be unpluged, the whole fricken thing. A hot switched wire will feed the new coil. Get this hot from the harness out of the column key wiring. A vacuum line comes from the carb, not the manifold and connects to the side of the dist. That's it in a nut shell. I will post a follow up tomorrow to review this info. Have you heard of the pumpkin patch up Trask. My roll chart said pumpkin patch ahead. I thought WTF? On a side of a mountian? It was a boulded field the size of pumpkins and the route went right through it, single track, and you did not want to get off track. Tuff stuff. Went to clean up at days end at Trask Park, in the river at almost dark 30. I bent down to clean my face and almost grabed a three foot samon by mistake. Scared the ......... out of me. What was in that b-day cake??? I want more!

 

The info I wrote last night looks good. Buck is the guy who made my dist assy. Good guy. He even dropped the assy to my door step. Post back if you have any questions. I found a lot of information for the HEI module swap on this and other sites. It's out there but you have to wade through a bunch.... If you want a phone call, we can work it out. I might be up that neck of the woods in the near future. Want my honey to see the wild flowers up on Saddle Mountian.
I rebuilt my motor this year because it was blowing black and blue smoke. I put the stock dist, computer, intake and exhaust stuff back on and still the same black and blue smoke. So my fix was Clifford water heated/cooled intake with the Holley390 cfm carb, EFI exhaust with the Walker down pipe and the dist assy I allready noted. You might get a kick out of this. My riding buddy wanted me to pass him to lead the way into our riding area because he did not know the way. I passed him at full K&N honk and he said it sounded like a raggiing bull, all intake noise because I have a quite exhaust. He said he was laughing for about five min. after the pass. It does sound cool and it's hard to keep my foot out of it.

 

Hey, thanks for all of that, it has helped my understand all of this more. I kept questioning what to do about all the computer stuff on the carb and what else it would affect by disconnecting it. Sounds like you have had some good trips up the Trask. I will try and give that guy a call and see what he has to say, sounds like you got a good deal though. Has it all worked well for you? I am considering doing an engine rebuild this summer when I have the money to do so, but that is just in the thinking phase. Anyway, I have to go right now, but if you have any other mods that you have done to yours that you have found that worked well let me know. Thanks again for the help.

 

I like the way the distributor assy installed and works. I dont' have the carb and timing fine tuned yet and have a slight flat spot that I think will go away with some adjustment. Still sorting things out, but I now have a good solid base to work with. The flat spot is so minor that it really does not bother me to drive it as is. But I know I will get it adjusted out. Got to run and you are welcome.
ps. Hooked up with the Trask Force on the Rat Dog dual sport ride, local guys who knew and made some of the trails we rode on. We hauled ***.