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I have 1986 f150 that has a 302 EFI in it and Im wondering what the redline is on it. Also Im looking into getting some more horsepower but it is a daily driver so I want decent gas mileage with it but yet a little more power. By the way about the only thing I have done to it performance wise is true dual exhaust with glasspacks.
Burning the fuel that is in there more completely will increase power and get better
mpg too. A new hotter coil!! Maybe one of those spark box deals that make a series of sparks are supposed to help too but I haven't tried one of those. Keeping a clean air filter in it, making sure the timing is set right, and double check the performance of
the o2 sensor with a good multimeter, If your running in warm up mode and the o2 is out of the calibration you are running rich wasting fuel, So keep the stock thermostat
in it don't drop it to 160* thinking it is better. Remember torque is the power that gets you moving unless your on the track, do everything to increase torque!! High rpms just
wear out parts and makes noise. So check timing, O2 sensor voltage, clean air filter
Msd or accel high voltage coil, Maybe smooth out the bends in the intake path or open them up a bit, Newer trucks have the airbox on the fender instead of having
the big bends in the tubing. I saw a mod for using a two output K&N airfilter cone style
filter and putting it up near the fender and radiator brace, I wish I saved it now.
Thanks alot for all the info. Ill look into getting a hotter coil for it. Do you know if throttle body spacers and the tornado fuel saver helps at all?
Blake
Not a lot you can do with a SD EFI. A set of 1.7 "Cobra" roller rockers will free up some power, headers will as well. If you let it breathe too well, you risk leaning out the mixture, Ford programmed the SD systems to be 10% rich at WOT.
I forgot to add this in the top post, how much would the Holley intake manifold kit with the upper and lower manifold help. Would it kill my MPG or would it keep it the same or better, and will this boost my hp and tq?
Just get a phenolic spacer for the stock intake it will keep it cooler and lengthen it a bit!! Get either a msd or accel coil with the highest voltage. Get new wires and cover them with split loom to prevent voltage loss, get a spray bottle and at night spray the
wires down from dist to plugs, start the truck and turn off the lights, look for sparks jumping between wires, to ground or to low voltage wires. All of those sparks are energy that is not getting to your spark plugs!! You can try opening the gap on the
plugs a bit at a time when you get the new coil, Forget them plugs with the freaky electrodes. Just a high voltage coil and opened gap stock plugs will do the trick!!
Keeping your O2 sensor clean by taking it out and heating it with a torch for 10-20
seconds will keep it reading properly, If it is blackened and has residue on it you are getting a screwy reading maybe every 15,000 miles clean it.
I forgot to add this in the top post, how much would the Holley intake manifold kit with the upper and lower manifold help. Would it kill my MPG or would it keep it the same or better, and will this boost my hp and tq?
Thanks again
Blake
I would not bother. The stock 5.0 truck manafold is not that bad. You would need to be making a lot more power before a aftermark manafold would be a benafit.
Sorry if Im being a pain asking all the questions, but I dont know what is good and what is bad when it comes to stuff like coils and spacers. I just bought a new set of sparkplug wires for it and it has brand new Motorcraft plugs. Would these work with the new coil and the spacer or should I get upgraded ones? Also how can I tell what heads my truck has? On the parts list for the spacers it says GT-40 or Stock 5.0.
Thanks
Blake
Last edited by kenworthfan; Oct 18, 2007 at 04:37 PM.
Guys.. the 5.0 intake is not even close to being a bottleneck on that motor, don't waste your money with anything intake related unless it helps open the valves higher.
Guys.. the 5.0 intake is not even close to being a bottleneck on that motor, don't waste your money with anything intake related unless it helps open the valves higher.
Ditto!!!! A new coil and an intake spacer is just going to make your ET's faster by lightening your wallet. If you want to do something to make it breathe better, remove the intake airbox silencer and replace the paper filter with a K&N or other such filter element. Those two mods will net you more power than a coil or spacer. and cost less too.
Guys.. the 5.0 intake is not even close to being a bottleneck on that motor, don't waste your money with anything intake related unless it helps open the valves higher.
Listen to Mr. Paul O.
If you want that 86 half ton to wake up... try an SD friendly cam, open up the exhaust with some long tubes, or throw on some 1.7 rr's.
Phenolic spacer is a waste of time and gasket material for your stock build.
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