The ACT helps calculate the fuel air mix, the higher the voltage, lower the resistance, the colder it thinks the engine is. I think.

 

Ford Fuel Injection Air Charge Temperature (ACT) Here is a link to what the ACT does and how to test it.
Good news on the cat.
Try to sort out the ACT sensor, clear the codes and see how it drives.
The next step would be to follow Conanski`s advice and test the fuel pressure I would think.

 

I am having a difficult time finding the ACT sensor...and well....I guess I was trying to find it by searching everywhere but asking the forum members...
I humbly ask for its location and will try to find the time to check it tomorrow and get back to you all.
I just got home and am going to bed (its 12:45am).....
Thanks for all your help and guidance so far!

 

when i bought my 78 f250 460 c6, my buddy, the one i bought it from explained to me that these trucks when stock were tuned more for pulling, so not to expect a street brawler under the hood......the c6 alone absorbs 1/3 of the horse power before it gets to the rear wheels....a very power hungry transmission.....

the 460 in mine was built by a ford racing team, but it was built solid to last and pull down houses....and a 15,000lb car trailer, so they built it stock, and just added some bolt on goodies....

truck felt like it had trouble getting out of its own way sometimes....but would haul like no one business

 

sounds like she is just getting tired the 351w wsnt a barn burner new add 308 gears some mung in the fuel system and she turns into a real fuel sucking sloth.

you could possibly have a vacuum leak in the endless array of hoses associated with the egr system or the valve itself could be coked solid but you most likely would have failed your emissions test if that were the case.

a plug check/change can tell you alot about the condition and tune of the fuel system

 

Sidmo, is there an Autozone or O'Reilly's parts store near you? They will check the codes for you for free or at least they do in South Carolina and North Carolina. Innova makes a model 3145 code reader for the 81 to 95 fords. OReilly or Ebay sells them for about $30 and they actually show the code number. You dont have to count the blinks or meter needle bounces.

I have an 87 f150 302 efi 2wd with 4 speed auto tranny. From the day it was new it was no el toro. El burro would be a better description. You want to spin the tires find a patch of gravel, green grass , or ice. It just squats and grunts like its going to take a crap and moves on out at a leasurly pace. It wont push you back in the seat when you floor it. But if you hold the pedal to the metal it will eventually swing the speedo needle back to near 0. Probably about 95 to 105 mph tops. You wont like it at that speed as the front end feels like it is about to go airborne. About 85mph is about as high as i will take it. But I have gotten as much as 19 mpg, but 16+ was average for years. Short 10 mile trips or 10 minute drives is about 13 to 14 mpg. It runs a little on the rich side until the engine gets hot enough for the computer to do its best.

The ACT or air charge temperature sensor is on the drivers side of the intake manifold down near the 2nd or 3rd fuel injector. It will have a 2 wire connector and you will need a 1 inch or a 1 1/16 inch wrench if I remember correctly. It is a thermistor. Also dont confuse it with the engine coolant temperature sensor or the sensor for the temp gauge. The act maybe partially hidden under the plastic cover for the igniton coil and some little relays and vacuum valves. I think its about 30K ohms at 70 deg F and about 20K ohms at 100 deg F. The code 54 means it is open, but most likely the connection is loose or gotten unpluged. The connector is probably old and plastic gotten brittle and has been broken. The EGR code may be caused by a cracked vacuum line. the egr valve is on the passenger side of the engine near the top and near where the air intake hoses connect to the throttle. with the engine running if you look carefully there should be a tube about the size of your thumb with a cloth like cover. it goes to the egr. If you look kind of under the pie pan shaped part, you will see a red rubber diaphram and a little rod about 1/8 or 3/32 diameter. When you have a helper rev the engine up, you should see the red rubber and rod move.

 

It is way past midnight and I am dead tired....but I have this stupid smile on my face!
I thank you all for your input and will address the first comments that seem universal.
Like I mentioned earlier, I have a 1984 F150 (5.0 was 4spd auto....now C6) that I have had since 1984. So when I say it feels sluggish and linear I am also referencing my experience with my old truck. I did have to .....do the WFO thing once today while driving and she did respond as her RPM's increased. I just want to get her drive-ability issues sorted out and then address other inconvenience issues she has.
GPEDENS----->I will checkout everything that you so eloquently described tomorrow and I thank you! I hope that I can follow your instructions and be able to test the ACT sensor and Make sure the EGR is functional (or not).

 

Oh!....Mud Bros.....you may have possibly hit the nale on the head....I did find a blocked off vacuum line and my heater isn't working (i think the vacuum for the heater door isn't working. But I am trying to troubleshoot her symptoms as per Lazy K's advice and I want to address things in a process of elimination.....nonetheless I think you may be on to something and your theory is not dismissed!

 

I suppose I need to humble myself...and ask for everyones forgiveness. Today I happened to see a friend of mine who has been a line mechanic for years and is now an electrical systems (automotive) troubleshooter. I asked him if he could help me get the damn connector off of my ACT valve so I could test it (it was really on there!).
He hopped in the truck and drove it (multi-tasking went to get some paint), and proceeded to tell me that the truck runs fine other than having an issue with the shifting. He said that they all have that gutless and anemic feel and that is just the nature of the beast. He said not to compare it to my old truck because my old truck had a different cam and injection system and he reminded me that my exhaust was less restrictive. So, the EGR valve is fine as is the ACT sensor. We ran out of time but he thinks that the next area to check is under the dash for a vacuum leak (probably the heater switch- do to the heater not working despite good flow through the heater core and no vacuum on the line by the actuator). Tomorrow I will probably drive it out to Los Angeles (family issues) with my Dawg (180 lbs of loyalty) and some basic hand tools, a cooler for food and water, and a bag clothes. Sound like an all-american way of life....no? Beats the hell outta driving out there in a Kia!

 

Skidmo, i hope your buddy put some silicone grease on that connector. It sure helps if you ever need to take it back off. I usually use a tooth pick or piece of wire to smear a little of the grease around the inside and outside of the plug. Removing them plugs is a pain. Ford hired ex Iraqi torture squads and ex new york snow plow drivers to design them. The release tabs are tiny and hidden. Some you have to pull out , other squeeze in, some have one , some 2. There is no doubt that Ford had them designed that way just to be mean.

 

Gpedens....No doubt!!!....I had a hard time getting in there with my big old hands....and I was so afraid of breaking the connector. And to be honest....once I turned 40 my eyesight has deteriorated so much I had a drop light just to make out what I was looking at (two tabs)....sadistic engineers!.....by the way....do you know why engineers wear neck ties?
To hold back the foreskin!...
All kidding aside, no silicone was applied but I think that if and when I replace the injectors (I think they have 178k on them) I will have that applied to the sensor. I think that is a good idea I wish I would have thought of it,

 

Glad to hear its El Burro. But remember El Burro can be loaded down with loads that look like it will bog it down and it will just keep plodding along.

Dang now I know why I have so much trouble trying to take a leak--- I dont wear a tie.

You may need that silicone grease and a pack of various size sewing needles and 1/8 wide strips of shim or tin can for your heater problem. The grease dries out in the heat, air, defrost climate control valve. Those valves have several teensy locking tabs or indents around the plastic housing. Most of those valves and switches just snap together and can be taken apart. I insert the needles between the seams to keep the switch tab from locking back together while trying to unlock the others. If the needles keep popping out, I stick the needle to the side of the tab then insert the shim strip and remove the needle. Sometimes them switches look like a voodoo doll with all the needles I place in them to get them apart. I then clean out the old grease and burnish any electrical contacts and regrease. Snap it back together and check it out. Most of the time I can fix it with a little patience and time.

Some are glued together and I have had limited success with them. A box cutter or X-acto knife can sometimes be used to break the glue joint and get the switch or valve apart. I then clean and regrease and glue back with super glue or tiny screws I have robbed from cheap sunglasses, watches, cameras, or other stuff I couldnt fix.

 

Under the hood is the most likely place for the vac leak. The hard plastic vac line deteriorates from heat & ozone quicker there than under the dash. Anywhere the line is not covered by split-convolute tube is susceptible.

The white line going to the control valve next to the heater core rubbed onto the inner fender edge on mine & completely disintergrated. The lines running from the EGR, AIR solenoids are loomed together behind the upper intake have several splice blocks & connectors.

 

David what the heck is a "split-convolute tube "?

 

Wire loom sleeving.