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1980 - 1986 Bullnose F100, F150 & Larger F-Series Trucks Discuss the Early Eighties Bullnose Ford Truck

rough idle and missing

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Old Jun 21, 2010 | 10:11 PM
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rough idle and missing

my dad has a 86 f150 with a straight six and we cant seem to get it to run like it should it misses and shakes pretty good at idle but seems to have plenty of power and runs a little better once you get going any help would be appreciated been tryin for weeks to get it to run better he is only gettin about 10 mpg
 
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Old Jun 21, 2010 | 11:35 PM
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I don't know much but thats how my 85 was too until I bought a new (not rebuilt) Rally YF (not feedback) carburetor. Its for an earlier pickup (if I remember right its identical to Holleys 1126 carb model) Someone on this site pointed it out to me on ebay for $160 TYD. To go with the new carb you need a vacuum advance distributor $70 or $80 and "blue graumett"duraspark 2 ignition modual $25. Then if you can find a wiring harness at a junk yard or somewhere and take the "can style" coil with the harness. Its so easy, plugs right in, and for about 300 bucks my pick up is running like a scalded dog, smother than it ever has since I've owned it and getting about 14 mpg pulling a 20 ft cargo trailer, I'm guessing 16-17 empty highway!! I love it.
 
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Old Jun 22, 2010 | 07:50 AM
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A good starting point would be to check all of the vacuum lines and caps. On my 85 F150 (4.9L), they seem to wear out and deteriorate reasonably quickly. A vacuum leak can lead to a rough idle and poor gas mileage.
 
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Old Jun 22, 2010 | 12:32 PM
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Agreeing with Grubbworm, also check that the two bolts which mount the carburetor are snug. They tend to loosen due to vibration and a vacuum leak is the result. Take the air cleaner off and grab the top of the carburetor and try to wiggle it. If it moves, it is loose.
 
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Old Jun 22, 2010 | 12:49 PM
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Good point, also check the spark plugs, plug wires, and dist. cap and rotor for wear.
 
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Old Jun 22, 2010 | 01:08 PM
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Does your truck still have the stock carburetor?

If it does, in addition to what 1986F150Six and Grubbworm said, you may want to try adjusting your idle mixture screws.
 
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Old Jun 22, 2010 | 01:20 PM
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if i rember right the motor is out of a 81 ford f150 and he is running the 86 carb we tried unhooking vac lines one at a time and made no differance actually the only vac line that is hooked up is for power brake booster it runs just as good with all lines off as it dose with them all hooked up we have looked for holes in lines 2 times and can not find one tried spraying starting fluid around base of carb and vac lines and the only placed we sprayed it that made a differance was in top of carb also it runs better with spout conn unplugged base timing is set at 10d btdc
 
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Old Jun 22, 2010 | 01:33 PM
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Without proper punctuation and separating your sentences, it is very difficult to read your post, broncoman72. Try proof reading what you write before you submit your questions in the future. You will probably get more responses.

Originally Posted by broncoman72
if i rember right the motor is out of a 81 ford f150 and he is running the 86 carb
Therein probably lies your problem. The 1986 carburetor is the "feedback" version, whereas the 1981 model is not. The stock 1986 model carburetor was controlled by the EEC-IV computer, while the 1981 is a conventional, stand-alone version. The two are NOT interchangeable!

When the 1981 motor was brought in for a replacement, what else from the 1986 motor was retained besides the carburetor?
 
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Old Jun 22, 2010 | 09:32 PM
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Sorry about the punctuation. Ill try to do better but info is more important than puctuation and run on sentences. I do appreciate any ideas and thank you again. Not a real good speller neither and not really computer savy either.
 
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Old Aug 9, 2017 | 12:49 PM
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Originally Posted by LARIAT 85
Without proper punctuation and separating your sentences, it is very difficult to read your post, broncoman72. Try proof reading what you write before you submit your questions in the future. You will probably get more responses.



Therein probably lies your problem. The 1986 carburetor is the "feedback" version, whereas the 1981 model is not. The stock 1986 model carburetor was controlled by the EEC-IV computer, while the 1981 is a conventional, stand-alone version. The two are NOT interchangeable!

When the 1981 motor was brought in for a replacement, what else from the 1986 motor was retained besides the carburetor?
I am having a similar/worse problem, 81 motor 84 carb. I don't think there's much computer in an 84 but the carb does have several wires attached to it. Could this newer carburetor be causing the rough running?
 
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Old Aug 9, 2017 | 04:38 PM
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Big if the carb has wires I am pretty sure it is a computer controlled carb and may not work like it should.
What was wrong with the 81 carb or that was not part of the motor deal?
What other things were changed from when you heard it run?


You may want to put the motor & carb year in your other post as I thought you took that running motor you bought and dropped it in your truck and now it is not running smooth and has a knock.
Dave ----
 
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Old Aug 9, 2017 | 06:15 PM
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Originally Posted by FuzzFace2
Big if the carb has wires I am pretty sure it is a computer controlled carb and may not work like it should.
What was wrong with the 81 carb or that was not part of the motor deal?
What other things were changed from when you heard it run?


You may want to put the motor & carb year in your other post as I thought you took that running motor you bought and dropped it in your truck and now it is not running smooth and has a knock.
Dave ----
I thought I had mentioned it, the motor came with everything but the carb. The guy I bought it from had an old chevy carb on it so I could hear it run. I also swapped the distributor from the 84.
 
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Old Aug 10, 2017 | 02:07 PM
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The 1984 F150 came with computer controlled carburetor and distributor. If the original distributor and carburetor are being used, all electrical and vacuum connections must be in place and functioning or the computer will lock the static timing and adjust the carburetor to run rich.
 
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Old Aug 10, 2017 | 02:22 PM
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Originally Posted by 1986F150six
The 1984 F150 came with computer controlled carburetor and distributor. If the original distributor and carburetor are being used, all electrical and vacuum connections must be in place and functioning or the computer will lock the static timing and adjust the carburetor to run rich.
And getting the rest of the stuff to work 100% so the computer does not freak out is a PITA.


I say if you have the dist that came with that motor put that back in and see how it runs and if still bad get a non-computer controlled carb then you only need 2 or 3 vacuum lines for the motor to run good.
Dave ----
 
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