I looked everywhere and do not have an EGR valve, it must have been removed. I do have a VCV installed on the intake manifold. The vacuum hose from the distributor goes to the passenger side bottom forward of the carburetor. Would it be best to replace all of the missing emmisions stuff? How hard would that be?

 

The suckage factor is pretty high.

 

Doesnt the EGR valve only have to do when over 2000 rpm? That wouldnt be an issue to my crappy idling unless the vacuum connections were not sealed?

 

I think I know what you're talking about but am not sure; if they're thumb-sized ports,
one would be for a PCV connection and the other for a power brake booster. If they're
the smaller variants, those are for operational & emissions-related doodads - devices
that serve to eliminate run-on (dieseling), or eliminate backfiring on deceleration, or
amplify a vacuum source (for example).

Here is another view (it wouldn't surprise me if yours has been removed):

Enhanced by ctubutis, shot with KODAK DX7630 ZOOM DIGITAL CAMERA at 2010-04-13

In general, the distributor gets connected to the carb's ported vacuum source - it
supplies virtually no vacuum at idle. I'm not sure of the 2150's connections and there can
be many to choose from depending on application (Calibration Code) but let's just hope
that whoever did this knew enough to use the correct port.

The industry at this time was using temperature & vacuum to accomplish what today is
done with computers (it amazes me what Detroit was able to do using such crude
methods). For example, full manifold vacuum was applied to the distributor when the
engine was cold to help it warm up, and also when the engine was hot so the fan could
draw more air through the radiator to cool it down (these were two of the jobs done by
the VCVs; they also controlled the EGR valve).

The vacuum hose routing information was included on an under-hood sticker on the
radiator support; here's mine (1981 F350 400cid non-cat):


This technology was combined with a leaner-jetted carb, lower compression, retarded
ignition timing, retarded valve timing, unleaded fuel, a vapor collection system (what Ford
called the Evaporative Emissions System, the PCV system, the EGR system, and
the AIR (smog) pump & catalytic converters. All of this worked together to reduce
unburned hydrocarbon emissions (first dictated by California, later the EPA).

Sure, it could... The diaphragm opens the valve when vacuum is applied to it, thereby
allowing exhaust gases into the combustion chambers (Detroit's solution for high
combustion chamber temperatures and high NOX (nitrous oxide) emissions, which,
themselves, were the result of lean-burning, low-compression engines with retarded
timing); removing vacuum allows the valve to spring closed.

If that valve is stuck open, then the exhaust gases - still entering the combustion
chambers - generally cause a crappy, rough idle (but it sounds like you don't have this
problem).

Oh, Gawd.... You'd need to learn what your truck came with and how it was adjusted,
which is determined by its Calibration Code... You'd need to collect all of the doodads
& gizmos & devices and ensure they all work as designed... You'd then need to install it
all and then verify its functionality.

Personally, I wouldn't go there if I were you as there is not a lot of this kind of
information out there on the 'net (how to determine what you need and how it's supposed
to be adjusted). If you can describe to us (pictures would be VERY helpful sometimes)
exactly what vacuum-operated devices are connected to which vacuum sources right
now, we might be able to help you make sure the basics are hooked up and working as
well as they can be (do you have *multiple* VCVs? You should have two IIRC.)but I
don't know that we can do much more than that. Did the PO also swap out the timing
gears & cam (the stuff that's been retarded at the factory) or not? How about the
distributor curve, did he did he fix/change that or not? Who knows, it'd be best to put it
on a machine to determine that.

Back to your original problem - engine dies when shifted out of Park - you can try
rebuilding your carb and it wouldn't hurt (assuming you didn't put it together wrong or
otherwise ruin it) but there's no guarantee it'd help anything.

 

I can take pictures of the vacuum diagram label and the hoses and stuff i do have. How do i attach a picture to a post? I tried before and it just came up with an http box?

 

You have to add images to your Album, then post the BB code for that image.

1. UserCP
2. Pictures & Albums
3. Add Album
4. Upload Images
5. Past the BB code in your post

-Enjoy
fh : )_~

 

Above is a front picture of the carb.

This is the sticker on the front of the engine compartment with vacuum diagram.

This is a picture of the carb from top forward. I have drawn a line to the VCV Valve? It doesnt have any hoses going to it but the holes have been sealed. Only one vacuum hose goes to the back of the carb and the other end goes to the choke diaphram. I can take closer pictures if it would help.

 

It's hard to read your vac diagram but it looks like you have only one vcv, not two like I was
hoping for (my 400 has one on the coolant neck on the block and another on the water
pump). Your distributor plugs into some device that I can't read but doesn't look like another
vcv. In any event, if you follow the routing, you should be able to see how it's switchable from
manifold to carb vacuum. I was hoping to be able to get that to work but it might be
awkward if we can do it; the original plumbing includes check valves and vacuum
switches and there should be a reservoir (fruit juice can) and perhaps an amplifier and
some other doodads that do specific things at specific times.

I think this thread has a hyperlink to a pdf document that explains about the 2150, see if
you can find it or any other 2150 documentation and verify that your dizzy (distributor) is
connected to the ported vacuum of your carb, that along with the PCV system would be a
bare minimum to make it run.

We might be able to figure out how to get it to switch vacuum sources, we'll hafta see...

 

Pinch closed the hose going to the brake booster and see if the idle changes. If it does you probably have a leaking diaphragm in the booster. This would act like any other vacuum leak. Having to open the idle mixture screws to keep it running to me seems to indicate you're having to add gas to compensate for extra air coming in from somewhere.

 

That's a GOOD suggestion....