2 questions:

First, what year did Ford stop making pickups without any computers/computer control on them?

Second, are there any members and meetings near Hickory, North Carolina?

 

Welcome to

I do not know the answer to question #1.

If you scroll down to regional chapters and then select NC, you can post that question there and somebody will give you an answer.

 

Probably '82-3, for the F150. "Feedback" carbs and engine computers were there in '85 for sure.

IMO from the intro of those to the start of OBDII is a dead zone. Computer complexity, along with a carburetor's quirks, or early efi, without easy, thorough self diagnosis, plus miles of plastic vacuum lines....No thanks.

I know you can get codes off OBDI, but counting flashes doesn't seem that accurate or easy to me...

 

My '74 E-100 DID have electronic ignition (Duraspark I). So, I think that was really the first year of any kind of engine computer (302 V-8, California only). That thing did have a nightmare of vacuum operated devices all over the engine and was very hard to tune correctly.

The 1988 Ranger had EFI with EEC controls. It never gave a lick of trouble. I understand that some of the electronic controlled carbs in-between those years were a lot of trouble.

Jim

 

Keeping in mind that I like older motor vehicles, and working on them, instead of the amorphous plastic computer-controlled capusules on wheels not made to last, which motor vehicles are being made to be, now my question is as follows:

If I want to avoid computer controlled, avoid the expense and hassle, etc, of darn near having to be mechanic in an auto shop with the money for "computer diagnostics" and an "interogator", etc, and avoid the nightmare of everything else working fine but suddenly getting screwed and stranded one day by a computer which suddenly decides to malfunction or die (which has happened on previous late model cars in the family and could happen on the current one), do I understand correctly the consensus which thusfar seems to be to look for a Ford pickup made no later than what...1980?

 

The Ford/IH IDI Diesels were mechanical until the introduction of the Power Stroke Diesel in 1994.

 

The Ford Duraspark ignition module is a computer of sorts...
Do you mean you want a points distributor?

351 and 460 powered pickups with a gvw of 8500 lbs and up were produced into 1987 with carburetors and no cats.


Welcome to the forum Arkad1!

 

Because I have learned from both hearing and experience that although diesels can be more durable and allow lower maint. costs than gasoline-powered, they are more expensive to repair or rebuild.

So, since I'm not presently "well-heeled" enough to afford a diesel, I'm looking for gasoline-powered, such as, for example, a 302 or up to a 351, whether it has "point ignition" or not.

 

Since my response to whether or not I am looking for a "diesel" is evidently missed, and the question I have now may also need to be repeated, first my response to "diesel", and then the question I have now.

First, as for whether or not I am looking for "diesel", I am not really looking for a diesel because I have learned from both hearing and experience that although diesels can be more durable and allow lower maint. costs than gasoline-powered, it can be more expensive and troublesome to have a diesel repaired or rebuilt in part or in whole.

So, since I'm not presently "well-heeled" enough to afford that again, and gasoline-powered pickups are more "classic" or traditional anyway, I'm looking for gasoline-powered, such as, for example, a 302, or up to a 351, whether it has "point ignition" or not.

Now my question again: Since I want to avoid computer controlled, (thereby avoiding the expense and hassle, etc, of darn near having to be mechanic in an auto shop with the money for "computer diagnostics" and any "interogator", etc, and avoid the nightmare of everything else working fine but suddenly getting screwed and stranded one day by a computer which suddenly decides to die [which has happened on previous late model cars in the family and could happen on the current one]), do I understand correctly the consensus which thusfar seems to encourage looking for a Ford pickup made before the early 1980's?

 

Sure, '70s, first couple of years in the '80s. Then you can be stranded by the more traditional vehicle failures of years gone by.

 

Like I said, the 351's and 460's were not computer controlled right up into 1987 -if- they were over 8500 pounds GVW.
Surprisingly there wasn't much, if any, mileage difference either.

302's up to '85

Don't really know about the I6.

 

My '86 F-150 had a carberated 300 I-6.

Tim

 

There is nothing wrong with fuel injected vehicles.Pretty much everything pre 1996 or so can easily be worked on, even by people with limited electronics knowledge. ODB-I scan tools can be held relatively cheap (new or on ebay), and you could use the "count the flashing lights" technique as well to pull codes. Places like autozone will even do free diagnostics on your car if you don't have a code scanner. The 86-95 or so EEC-IV powered fuel injected vehicles are pretty bullet proof and still easy enough for your average guy to work on. I'd bet you'd be far more likely to be stranded on the side of the road with an older pre fuel injection car with miles of slowly decaying vacuum hoses, aging mechanical vacuum solenoids, drying up gaskets, and finicky at best points based ignition systems.

give Ford Fuel Injection a visit, you'd be surprised just how simple fuel injection really is.

(also, if anything cars today are built far better. You'd be hard-pressed to find a car of the 50s and 60s that made it to 150,000 miles without major mechanical work, or didn't rust into the ground in the process)

 

Other than bringing up 460's again (see my "up to 351"), ArdWrknTrk's responses, and jimandmandy's response, have stayed within indicated parameters and stayed on point (keeping them relevant), kept from straying into other things obviously not sought, stayed positively productive without counterproductively straying into the obvious (such as you can be stranded by so-and-so, too), and have thus been altogether positively helpful.

Thank you.

The bottom line seems to be that I'm thinking in the right direction, as in pre-1980's is the surest way to avoid computer controlled because early 80's become increasingly "ify" depending on model and year, and from mid to late 80's onward computer-controlled gets to rule the roost (which is confirmed by my own observation and experience along with that of family and others).

 

Note: I have a 1971 Buick Skylark convertible which has won some trophies in car shows, I can easily and happily live with and work on it, and some (though not all) of the reasons for that are none of it depends on any computer, and I neither have nor need any computer interrogator for it.

Also, I am a "car nut" who has been into cars (including helping work on them) since small childhood; I've done some form of maint. and/or repair most of my life on my own and family vehicles (starting with a '73 Vega, followed by a '65 LeMans, a '62 Galaxie, a '65 VW bug, a '75 Cutlass, a '67 Fairlane, an '81 Fairmont, a '75 VW Rabbit, a '75 Granada, an '83 Ranger 4 cyl. diesel, an '80 GMC van, an '84 LTD (Fairmont) wagon, an '88 Taurus, an '89 Ford E-150 van, a '95 Olds Royale, a '91 Sable, and now the family '98 Regal GS, as well as my '71 Skylark which has been in the family since 2K; plus, I was employed for a time by a classic auto repair shop (which didn't happen to do work on newer trucks, at least not while I was there), and so I'm reasonably familiar with motor vehicles and what can happen with them.

The thing is, the more plastic and computerized motor vehicles became the more I've lost interest in them, and now for a daily driver all I want is a nice, simple (meaning no computer control, requiring no "codes", and needing no "interrogator", etc.) Ford pickup.