82 F150, 4.9L, 4x4, 4 speed, shortbed stepside

Ok, I was wondering since I don't know much about carburetors at all, does my truck have a manual or electronic choke? It can't start up unless I pour gas down the carb a few times first. I know my old 79, to set the choke I just pushed the gas pedal to the floor then let go of it and fired it up and to release it I'd just hit the gas again.

Also, anyone know of any place that makes replacement stepside bed panels? I haven't seen them anywhere! My panels are in ok shape, I could restore them, they are not that far gone yet but it would still be a major PITA. Also saw a rust free regular shortbed on craigslist but I would much rather keep it a stepside.

Keyul

 

Does the starting problem happen if the truck sits for a few hours, or does it only occur if it has sat for several days? If it only occurs after sitting for several days, but starts fine after sitting overnight, the fuel pump could be loosing it's prime.

 

I usually only start the truck once a month right now. It's still in the process of getting ready for the road.

 

You have an automatic choke if their is a black plastic cap on the side of your carb. with one or two wires going to it. if thais part is not present then i would say your choke is manual.

 

Here's some pictures of the carb. What on it is the choke?

 

The big round black cap, towards the firewall.

 

Alright cool, I looked on it and didn't see anywhere to hook a connector onto it but it's pretty dark out now. I do have a single wire connector coming from the back of the alternator that is just hanging in the engine compartment that I haven't been able to figure out where it goes.

 

Normally, the choke wire comes from the back of the alt. It's possible that someone has changed the carb or choke thermostat to an earlier non-electric version.

 

I checked online, looks like these trucks came with both electric and non electric ones. Wish I knew more about carbs so I could figure out weather its working or not.

 

That's definitely a thermatic(non electric) choke.
With the engine dead cold, if you open the throttle and close it, there should be just enough tension on the spring in the choke cap(black piece) to close the choke blade(the butterfly in the top of the carb.)
There should be three screws and retainers on the black cap, which you need to loosen off a bit, and then you can turn the cap to adjust the tension on it.

 

I'll give that a try tomorrow! I just replaced the ignition today so no more using a screwdriver! Will the blade automatically close shut when I am adjusting the choke?

 

The choke is non-electric. It has a bi-metal coil inside under the black cap. When the engines cold just hit the throttle once are twice and turn it over, it should start at hi idle (around 750-850 rpm). As the engine warms up the heat rises thru that pipe that's connected to it (the one with the asbestos sleeve around it) and the bi-metal coil expands. Once you see the temp rise on the instrument gauge just tap the gas pedal and the hi idle should kick off and drop the rpm's to around a 650 idle speed.

 

I think there is your problem. If you are only starting it once a month, your fuel bowls are probably drying out. No fuel = no start. Try to start the engine at least once a week to keep gas in the fuel bowls.

Your truck has a "hot air" choke. The pipe with the insulation on it that is screwed onto the choke cap is what operates your choke. If you follow that tube, it should be connected to the exhaust manifold. There is second metal tube that goes from the exhaust manifold back up to your carburetor. That is the "fresh air" tube for your "hot air" choke. It is connected to your carburetor by a rubber hose; you can see it in the second picture. Fresh air is pulled from your air cleaner, travels through the "fresh air" tube down to the exhaust manifold where it is heated up, and then the hot air goes up through the "hot air" tube to the choke cap where it opens up the choke as the engine warms up.

The "hot air" choke is actually a better, more accurate choke system than the fully automatic chokes because it is thermostatic, meaning that the choke opens/closes in relation to your engine temperature. On fully automatic chokes, only a timer is used which sometimes comes off too soon or comes on again when the engine doesn't need it.

That wire is probably for the "electric assist" choke. Look at your choke cap and see if there is a metal tab or prong that the wire can attach to. Ford used an "electric assist" choke wire in addition to the "hot air" choke on some models. This is different than the fully automatic chokes because the electric assist only works above about 60 degrees, when the engine doesn't really need much choke to begin with. It helps the choke to come off early on warmer days for better emissions.

I think the "electric assist" was mainly for emission purposes, and your choke should operate just fine with only the "hot air" choke properly working.

 

Hey, everyone, thanks for all the help and info! It turned out that It was just the fuel bowls going dry like stated earlier. I got the truck running this morning then tried running it again in the afternoon. It fired right up and the choke was on! I am so used to efi, glad I got to learn a bit about carburetors. On a side note, I picked of an offenhauser 4bbl aluminum intake manifold yesterday for $30 bucks! Just gotta spend a few minutes cleaning it up and it should look brand new!

Keyul

 

Glad to help.
Properly set up and tuned, you will find that a carbureted vehicle will run just as good as any electronic fuel injected vehicle. You just have to remember to drive it once in a while.

Keep your choke and stock thermostatic air cleaner assembly hooked up, and you should enjoy trouble-free operation of your truck no matter how cold it gets.

Thanks to the many helpful members on this site, my carbureted 1985 Lariat will now start right up with one single pump of the accelerator every single time, no matter how cold it may get. Unless of course, I let it sit for over a week without starting it. It runs so smooth in fact, that most people actually assume I have EFI when they ride with me.