1980 F350 4X4 C6 Project

[ArdWrknTrk]

They are supposed to be 4 to a box.

That would mean you need four boxes of them every time you want to access the drums on this axle...?  

[Atlas75]

My 1980 Ford truck maintenance manual says 40 to 50 ft lbs.  I torqued mine to 46.

[Gary Lewis]

Those are clearly Grade 5 bolts given the markings on them.  And the spec's I've found say that a G5 is typically torqued to 50 lb-ft.  So if the factory manual says torque them to 40 - 50 then they are not torqued to yield.  They should be reusable.

[Atlas75]

Ok, silly question.  How does the distributor cap come off?  I released the two latches but I can't seem to get it off.  Does it twist off or is it just stuck?

[ArdWrknTrk]

It's just the two bails that hold it on.

[Atlas75]

Thanks Jim!  The cap was stuck pretty good but finally let loose and I was able to get it off.  To my surprise everything was still Motorcraft.  I would have thought that if the cap and/or rotor were changed they would have been a different brand.  Certainly not impossible that the previous owner used all Motorcraft parts though.







It does look a little crusty in there.  Not sure if it is causing any issues but maybe a new cap and rotor will be in my future.

I also pulled a spark plug out today for the first time.  They are also Motorcraft but I didn’t think they looked too bad.  I forgot to snap a photo but I’m sure I can get one soon.

[FuzzFace2]

I would blow out the dist to get the dust & dirt out.
That cap adapter dose come off the dist. and I would wash the inside of it before I put the other new parts on.
Dust & Ozone can cause cross firing and why it should stay clean.
Dave ----

[Atlas75]

I haven’t been able to work on the truck for a while due to family events and the like.  But today I managed to find a few hours to finish reassembling the rear brakes.  I now have a new wheel cylinder on the passenger side and new hardware on both sides.  The shoes were is good shape with lots of life left so I reused them.  I also put in a new brake line from the rear splitter to the passenger side.

Next step…bleed the brakes…again.  Hopefully I can get a good pedal this time and the bubbles will be gone.

[kramttocs]

Nice job!
Those hardware kits are well worth it if the brakes haven't been serviced in a while. Beats dealing with grimy parts or waiting on the parts washer if time sensitive.

[Gary Lewis]

Well done!  I'll bet it stops much better once you get it bled.  

[Atlas75]

Will the rear brakes in these trucks self adjust when applying the brakes in reverse?

[Gary Lewis]

They are supposed to, but don't always.  One of our members, Welderscott, brought his '78 over yesterday and we checked the rear brakes - way out of adjustment in spite of him having backed up a lot.  So I wouldn't rely on that feature to work.

Instead, I jack the wheel up and adjust until I can turn the wheel any more by hand.  Then hit the backing plate a few times with a mallet and make sure I still can't turn it.  And then I back off 9 or 10 clicks and call it good.

[Atlas75]

Thanks Gary!  That's how I adjusted them initially.  I was curious about the self adjustment because I read somewhere that they would self adjust with the emergency brake but it didn't mention adjusting in reverse.  It didn't say they wouldn't adjust in reverse so....

Anyways...I bled the brakes this evening and both rear brakes work!  The pedal is better, not great, but better.  I think I'll bleed them once or twice more and see what that does.

[Atlas75]

I am noticing that this truck is hard to start.  I have to pump the gas pedal probably 30 times to get it to fire.  Once it starts it does ok.  I think the idle could come up a little bit when cold but it will stay running.

What should I be looking at?  Could it be weak fuel pump?  Bad gas (I have no idea how old the gas is)?  Carb adjustment (I know very little about carbs)?  Or ?

TIA

[Gary Lewis]

I'm going to guess that the choke isn't operating properly.  Go to Documentation/Fuel Systems/CARBURETORS, CHOKES, & EFI/Motorcraft 2150 for a discussion about them.  Go to the External Systems tab.  And then the Instructions tab for adjusting the choke.

[Atlas75]

I snapped a couple photos this morning of the carb.  The first photo is resting state.  Meaning, the only think I did was remove the air cleaner.  The second photo is after one press of the accelerator.  It looks like the flap closed all the way.

[ArdWrknTrk]

Carl, looking at the first photo your plate should be vertical when warm.

The choke should close all the way when cold, and you open the throttle to release the linkage.
Then when the engine starts, the throttle should crack open like the first photo.
As the choke spring warms up, the choke plate should continue to open.
To vertical when the engine is finally up to temperature.

[Gary Lewis]

Yes, the choke is closed about right in the 2nd pic.  However, the vacuum pulloff, circled in yellow, will open the choke farther as soon as the engine starts, and I'm betting it'll open it too much and the engine will stall.

In addition, the choke isn't nearly fully open in the first pic.  But, that may be due to bi-metallic spring trying to close it since the engine is cold and the fast idle linkage not allowing it.  So you should take a pic of the choke with the engine fully warmed up.

[Gary Lewis]

Oops, was busy posting and missed your, Jim.

[ArdWrknTrk]

I think you worded it better though, Gary.  

I'm so used to processing the visual cues I sometimes don't even elaborate all of them.