Hello everyone and happy holidays!

I'm the proud new owner of a 1966 F-100 with a 240 cid and automatic trans that runs drives and stops. It's very nice but still needs some finishing touches and fix and repair work.

I'm going to do AMAP, but I'm not a mechanic. Since it's new later on I will bring in a certified mechanic to inspect everything.

First thing is the gas gauge doesn't work and sits on empty. I took out the float and it's fine. I don't have an OHM meter so I can't test it any further. If I can't get one I'll probably just buy a new sending unit? Everything else seems okay.

There is a small trans fluid leak and I noticed there seems to be a missing cover at the front of the bellhousing. I took a few pictures of it and uploaded them to an album. It looks like maybe two screws hold a cover in place there? One screw is missing and the other is loose and sticking out. The big gear is exposed there and I think that's a problem.

Can someone kindly tell me what this is. The pictures are of where the bellhousing meets the engine at the bottom.

 

Will, Welcome to FTE. I have been watching this truck on CL. I'm just up the road from you. Good to know it found a new home. You will probably need to invest in a wiring diagram to get a handle on the fuel gauge issue. Your pictures don't look real clear from my view. I think you are looking at an inspection cover that is poorly secured and the big gear is the ring gear on the flex plate that is driven by the starter. Oil leaks in this area can be confusing. Is it ATF or is it engine oil? Until you have put a few miles on it, I recommend watching fluid levels and be sure you chase the right problem.

 

Welcome to FTE

With a 240 I-6 engine, the A/T is a C4 Cruise-O-Matic

C5AZ7986A .. C4 Transmission Lower Converter Housing Cover / Obsolete

JOE HAYWARD FORD in Dallas OR has 1 = 503-623-8361.

DON SANDERSON FORD in Glendale AZ has 4 = 623-842-8762.

GREEN SALES CO. in Cincinnati OH has 4 = 800-543-4959.

CARPENTER NOS (NEW OLD STOCK) PARTS in Concord NC has 14 = 704-786-8139.

Fits C4 A/T: 1965/79 F100/350 & Econoline / 1965/72 Galaxie/LTD / 1973/80 Passenger Cars with 250 I-6's & 289 (1965/68) & 302 (1968/80).

 

Congrats on the truck and welcome to FTE! All I can say is do yourself a favor and buy a multimeter so that you will be able to do testing on any electrical on your truck it is a great investment cause it tells a different story than what you can just see. Then at the very least you haven't wasted any money buying parts you don't need and it will save you time troubleshooting any electrical.

Cheers D!

 

By the way, the missing, loose cover is not your oil leak source. It is probably an oil or ATF seal behind the cover. Also very possible you are getting oil from something higher on the engine like the back corner of the valve cover gasket or push rod cover gasket. You are looking at the lowest point on the engine and most all oil leaks end up dripping from here. Might be good to start with some old fashioned engine/trans. clean up. Some solvent on a shop towel is a reasonable alternative to blasting the engine with high pressure car wash nozzle. Might save you some post blast hassles of drying out things that don't like to get wet.

 

Seasons greetings and I hope y'all got enough toys this year to keep you going well into 2010! I'm sure going to have fun finishing up this old truck and then convincing my skeptical wife to get in and ride.

I know the previous owner and got a very fair as is deal on the truck and a few extra parts including another set of tires and rims. I understand another Washingtonian did the restoration work and he is obviously a skilled and experienced mechanic like many of you folks.

Thanks for the good advice and I will start shopping around for a multimeter dman. I'm not an electrician either, but I believe I can do the basic stuff.

Thanks very much for the part ID and location information Bill! I'm on the horn to them as soon as they get back to work. I did not know what type of transmission it has, but after some researching I would have guessed it's a C4. Maybe a little leaky, but appears to be strong. The three on the tree and manual trans were swapped out.

Thank you and I will probably buy the The 1964/72 FORD TRUCK PARTS CATALOG I saw recommended here oldBlu. I don't know if it will have a wiring diagram or not and if not I'll get one of those as well. I will take your advice and clean up the engine and trans a bit to help me locate the source of what appears to be ATF.

I will keep you guys posted.

 

First and foremost, welcome to FTE!!. While browsing thru a Truck shop manual came across article on testing fuel gauge using a 2 D cell flashlight. Take top off, disconnect wire from gauge and connect alligator clip to positive side of flashlight to 1 side of the gauge and another alligator clip from gauge to negative side of flashlight, or the metal on/off piece of the flashlight, should move to full position. If recall, there's also small screw on the face of the gauge for minute adjustment. if other gauges are effected then suggest check the Constant Voltage Regulaor; small metal junction block usually located on the back of the instrument panel, voltage oscillates from 0-9 volts. As already noted, $7 for the Wiring diagram is a wise investment, found it invaluable in rewiring my 65. Majority of the Ford part suppiiers carry them, or buy directly from the source; Jim Osborn Reproduction.

In 40 plus yrs of driving the 65 learned to never trust these vintage fuel gauges below 1/4 of a tank, never fill to capacity, and place either a cartridge or inline fuel filter. Again, welcome to FTE

 

Welcome! I concur that a good cleaning does wonders. I like the cheap version of "Greased Lightning" that you can usually find at the Dollar Tree. Just be sure to wear gloves or wash your hands shortly after using the stuff...it's fairly strong.

 

Thanks I didn't get around to any cleanup operations yet macgiobuin, but I need to pick up something and will see if the store has any greased lightning or a similar product when I get there. That will help.

I appreciate the advice on the old fuel gauges Dave. I tried unsuccessfully to apply a battery's voltage to the gauge. You know how the gauge is set up with only one live wire attached from the grounded sending unit. Maybe the gauge is also grounded? Anyway I attached an alligator clipped wire to the back of the guage and attached a good nine volt battery to the wire and got no response. I think that should have done something since D size batteries are only 1.5v each.

Later in the day I went out and bought a decent multimeter. I checked the sending unit and it appears to be operating within spec. (10-75 ohms) putting out 16 ohms on a mostly full tank of gas with a good float that I checked the other day. I also checked the wire and at the gas gauge the wire is transmitting about 16 ohms as well. So the wiring looks good.

It looks like the gas gauge is not working. I have one of the big round speedometers with gas gauge, temp. gauge, and idiot lights around the outside edge. I did start looking around at some of the online sellers but did not see any speedometers for sale. The speedometer otherwise works well but the odometer is also on it, and I don't know if that can be replaced? I guess in a worst case I could get a stand alone gas guage and hook up to it. I have room for more gauges. What do you guys think?

 

As original: The round speedometer and all the gauges surrounding it...came as separate parts.

AFAIK, no one is reproducing any of these parts. Your choices are limited to used parts, or a NOS (New Old Stock) fuel gauge.

C1TF9280C .. Instrument Cluster Fuel Gauge-Use with Round Speedometer / Obsolete

Fits: 1961/64 F100/1100 / 1965/66 F100/250 Standard Cabs * / 1965/66 F350/1100 / 1961/67 N/NT/T500/1000 / 1967 F800/1000.

ANTIQUE AUTO SUPPLY in Arlington TX has 1 = 817-275-2381.

WESLEY OBSOLETE PARTS in Liberty KY has 1 = 606-787-5293.

MILLER OBSOLETE PARTS in Binghamton NY has 1 = 800-546-7278.

PARTS INTERNATIONAL in Farmers Branch TX has 2 = 888-727-0418.

B & L FORD in Ashland PA has 2 = 570-875-4417.

KINSEL L/M in Beaumont TX has 2 = 800-816-2894.

GREEN SALES CO. in Cincinnati OH has 6 = 800-543-4959.

* 1965/66 F100/250 Custom Cabs used a different instrument cluster composed of a sweep speedometer (similar to what 1964/65 Falcons used) and separate round fuel and temp gauges.

Round oil & amp gauges were optional.

 

The cover at the transmission is like a hub cap, you don't really need it. In time you will find one in a junk yard for as couple of bucks. Is the temp gage working? Take the wire off the fuel sending unit at the tank, turn on the key, touch the end of the wire to the tank. The fuel gage should go over to full if everything is working properly. If the gage moves to full, the sender in the tank is the problem. If the gage does not move to full replace the voltage limiter on the instrument cluster. The limiter controls the temp gage as well.

 

A missing inspection cover will allow all sorts of road debris like nails, chunks of asphalt, nuts/bolts, and etc to enter the converter housing.

Any/all of this stuff could damage the convertor and/or flexplate. So...do you actually believe this part is not necessary?

Ford installed this part to allow inspection of the flexplate and converter.

Ford did not install this cover because it looked nice...which is the description of a hubcap.

 

Hi William. Thanks for the test information. I gave it a try and the gas gauge won't budge. I think I know what you mean that I can temporarily run without the inspection cover. A big worry though is crap getting in there as I sail down the road which is enough to keep me from driving it unless absolutely necessary. Unfortunately it's already got a couple hours driving on it without the cover. I don't think there are any problems but I'm keeping my fingers crossed. I'm pretty sure the temperature gauge works but I haven't really looked at it.

I'm heading out to the local junkyards after Christmas to treasure hunt. I'm looking for a bunch of different stuff and who knows, maybe I will run into a inspection cover. One big job is the interior of the truck which is clean but stripped and needs almost everything including a bench seat or fix up job. I look at it as a golden opportunity to add a personal touch to it.

Thanks again Bill for all the great information! I didn't know the individual gauges on the speedometer could be replaced. That makes it a lot easier. Knowing who has what and how many is also an unexpected big help. I'm off to a good start and I'll let you guys know as progress is being made.

Will

 

FTE member camperspecial65 lives in Olympia, is a first class scrounger, hits all the local junkyards...knows where all the stuff is, and has all sorts of extra parts.

To contact him, click on his user name.

While not many parts are still available from Ford, FTE has a Ford dealer parts dept sponsor that gives parts discounts to FTE members.

PARTSGUYED.COM aka Y2KFORDPARTS.COM = MILLENNIUM FORD in Seattle (Burien) WA

The largest car/truck swap meet in the PNW is held in Portland OR twice a year.

I can't recall the name of the location it's held at (it's an exhibition center), but it's just south of the Columbia River.

smsautofabrics.com has the largest stock of original upholstery for American vehicles, is located in Canby, OR.

You might consider joining FTE's WA Chapter, as there are quite a few members who own similar trucks to yours.

 

If camperspecial65 is in Olympia then we are neighbors. I will definitely try to speak to him, but at this time I can only leave a visitor message for him on his profile page.

I will look into joining the WA Chapter here since I intend to visit often as I work on the new truck. I appreciate all the information about the WA area dealers and shows. Centralia, WA usually hosts an annual car show. I'm regularly in and out of the local fairgrounds here for different stuff. I haven't been to Portland lately but their swap meet sounds great. I will get in touch with SMS auto fabrics to see what they've got. I really appreciate all the help.