My 1984 F150 2wd Flareside Project "Blue Mule"

[PetesPonies]

Definitely not '82. The '82 is smaller diameter and does not say 4V on it. It's '83 or possibly very early '84.

[Rembrant]

PetesPonies wrote

Definitely not '82. The '82 is smaller diameter and does not say 4V on it. It's '83 or possibly very early '84.

Yeah, that's what my research told me as well...1983 or possibly early 1984.

[Rembrant]

So...

How do I make the thing factory functional? Do I have to go hunting on the Foxbody forums for that info?

[Gary Lewis]

Not sure what you mean by that.  Both snorkels have vacuum motors.  And you need at least the Air Cleaner Temp Sensor, if not the Cold Weather Modulator, and it all plumbs together as shown here: http://www.garysgaragemahal.com/air-cleaners.html.

But, if you only have hot air on one exhaust manifold you'll want to block off the hot air port on the other snorkel.  That way you'll only pull hot air from one side, and cold air from both.

[Rembrant]

Gary Lewis wrote

Not sure what you mean by that.  Both snorkels have vacuum motors.  And you need at least the Air Cleaner Temp Sensor, if not the Cold Weather Modulator, and it all plumbs together as shown here: http://www.garysgaragemahal.com/air-cleaners.html.

But, if you only have hot air on one exhaust manifold you'll want to block off the hot air port on the other snorkel.  That way you'll only pull hot air from one side, and cold air from both.

Oh...well I meant functional as in how the thing was supposed to work when it was installed on the vehicle. How the vacuum is plumbed, etc. What do you mean by hot air on one manifold? Do you mean the little heat shroud that would have been on the passenger side exhaust manifold?

[Gary Lewis]

Yes, the heat shroud and the accompanying tube that connects it to the air cleaner.  To be factory functional you have to have some source of heat for at least one snorkel.  But, if you live in an area which isn't plagued with carb icing then you might get by w/o it.

On the other hand, you may be able to make a shroud that goes around part of your header to gather heat.

[Rembrant]

Ok, so I've done some reading on these air cleaners and how the snorkel flappers are supposed to operate. (And how the vacuum lines are plumbed). I'm mostly all good now...

Two questions remain for me:

1. The ACTS does what exactly? This isn't quite clear to me. Are the ACTS and the CWM doing the same thing at the same time, at slightly different temperatures? Vacuum flows through the ACTS and then to the CWM, and then on to the vacuum motors on the snorkels. The CWM operates between 55-76F, and that's all well and good. The ACTS opens at 105f?

2. Is the ACTS typically supplied with full manifold vacuum? It looks like there is a flow restricter of some sort in the supply line? Can I supply full manifold vacuum?

[Ferdinand]

Man am I glad you are asking all these questions Rembrant!!

I am curious about this as well because although I have stripped most of my emissions off my '85, after reading Gary's thoughts on stock air cleaners I have a new interest in reusing mine.

I have been curious about what all to do to get them plumbed back in. I will likely get a new section of fresh air duct since mine melted in the fire, so I may only have the fresh air part and not the heated air since I don't have a connection point in my headers.

Still trying to sort all that out but I am in Transmission rest-mode and on a leak fixing mission, so this thread let's me kill a third bird with the same stone! 😉  Good luck! (And shoot a few pics to let me see your set up) 😎

[Steve83]

Rembrant wrote

The ACTS does what exactly?

Detects ambient air temp to control whether the carb sucks hot (stove) air or cold (outside) air, via the flapper.

Rembrant wrote

Are the ACTS and the CWM doing the same thing at the same time...

No.  The CWM changes how the flapper behaves when the ACTS closes.

Rembrant wrote

Is the ACTS typically supplied with full manifold vacuum? It looks like there is a flow restricter of some sort in the supply line?

Post a good pic of your VECI label/vacuum map.

Rembrant wrote

Can I supply full manifold vacuum?

Probably...

[Rembrant]

Ok, I guess that's why I'm confused then. If the ACTS closes, it cuts off the vacuum supply to the CWM. Unless you meant to say when the ACTS opens?

The vacuum diagram from my truck is irrelevant as everything is gone under the hood.

I'm really just curious how the system is supposed to work? Is the ACTS just an open/close valve? And then the CWM is what modulates the air motors?

Anything I've found shows vacuum supplied to the ACTS, from there to the CWM, and from there to the air motors for the flapper valves. Just curious on the operational logic, that's all.

[Rembrant]

Ahhh....OK....

I just realized how the little bugger (ACTS) works....sorry, my bad. I misunderstood some of the wording on Gary's pages. I misunderstood the "bleeds" part in the description.

So, at any intake air temp below 105F, the ACTS is a valve sending vacuum to the CWM. Once 105F is reached, the ACTS cuts the vacuum supply off to the CWM and dumps/bleeds the CWM vacuum to the intake (via the little vertical tube sticking out the top). This is also why it's on the clean side of the air filter, so that when it bleeds it can only pull in clean air. Got it.

Never mind then. That makes sense.

[Gary Lewis]

I'm not sure the ACTS is binary, meaning completely on or off.  I've assumed, but don't really know, that it is analog and will provide some vacuum to the motors to get blended air at the right temp.  (Some air cleaners didn't have the CWM.)  I think that because I never hear the valve slamming shut or open, which I would think it would do if it was on/off.

[Ford F834]

I know my truck is a straight six... but take a look at the emissions label I found from a Canadian F250. It is a non-catalyst, non-EGR model and has nothing except the warm air diverter and vacuum advance on the carb. If you are wanting to hook up a factory air cleaner I don’t see any reason why this diagram wouldn’t work for any other engine:

http://forum.garysgaragemahal.com/1981-straight-six-manual-4x4-project-tp1312p10559.html

[Rembrant]

Ford F834 wrote

I know my truck is a straight six... but take a look at the emissions label I found from a Canadian F250. It is a non-catalyst, non-EGR model and has nothing except the warm air diverter and vacuum advance on the carb. If you are wanting to hook up a factory air cleaner I don’t see any reason why this diagram wouldn’t work for any other engine:

http://forum.garysgaragemahal.com/1981-straight-six-manual-4x4-project-tp1312p10559.html

Yes, that is exactly how I'm going to install it, except of course after the CWM the line tees to the dual diverter valves. That's how they were plumbed on the 1983/84 Mustang the air cleaner was removed from.

I was more or less curious how the thing worked (how the ACTS worked in conjunction with the CWM).

[Rembrant]

Gary Lewis wrote

On the other hand, you may be able to make a shroud that goes around part of your header to gather heat.

Came across these Foxbody factory headers for sale during my daily search for rusty Ford junk.

I see the factory heat riser shrouds are still intact on the headers. The only reason they're still there is because they were on a Mustang that presumably wasn't winter driven (and they were likely replaced by headers anyway).

I can make shrouds like those to fit my headers easily enough (should I somehow get the ambition to do so...)

[Gary Lewis]

Yep, that's all you need to do.  

[Steve83]

Gary Lewis wrote

I'm not sure the ACTS is binary, meaning completely on or off.

I'm pretty sure it is, in the sense you mean.

Gary Lewis wrote

I've assumed, but don't really know, that it is analog and will provide some vacuum to the motors to get blended air at the right temp.

If vacuum is applied in excess of the motors' springs, the motors will open FULLY, regardless how wide the ACTS opens.  It just might take a little longer if it doesn't open fully.  But that's not how the system works; it's more like PWM - it opens to open the flaps, then closes AND vents them (slowly), giving itself time to open again, modulating the flaps for some degree of control.  That's also how Ford EGRs work up to ~2004.

Gary Lewis wrote

Some air cleaners didn't have the CWM.

Those not delivered to cold climates.

Gary Lewis wrote

I think that because I never hear the valve slamming shut or open, which I would think it would do if it was on/off.

Only if its path (tubing) was very large in comparison to the vacuum motors - and I don't think it is, so the restriction in flow causes the motors to move slowly enough not to slam.

[Gary Lewis]

Interesting.  So the size of the vacuum line helps smooth out the pulses, but a restrictor might help as well.

As for the CWM, looking at the calibration parts lists in the master parts catalog they don't seem to have been used in just warm weather locations.  They were used in both 49-state vehicles and CA vehicles, and in high altitude vehicles as well as non-high altitude vehicles.  But, they weren't used in all vehicles.

For instance, they were used in CPL 48, which is for 1980 E150's in CA with a 351W, but then not used again until CPL 76, which is for an '81 F100 w/a 300 six and not California.  In other words, they skipped a whole bunch of E & F vehicles with similar engines and transmissions, both over and under 8500 GVW, and in CA, 49-state, and Canada.  So, I don't see the rhyme nor reason, although I'm sure there was one.

[Steve83]

Gary Lewis wrote

So, I don't see the rhyme nor reason, although I'm sure there was one.

My assumption is that each DSO near a cold climate received a few built that way, to be sold to those customers who needed it.  But that's just a guess.

[PetesPonies]

There were round holes cut into the inner fenders on the Fox cars. The ducts went from the square hole at the air cleaner snorkel to a round hole at the inner fender. There are two pieces in the inner fenders that are separate. They just clip into the round holes in the inner fender. If you found those, you could attach it that way . . but the factory ducting from the air cleaner to the inner fenders is going to be too short for your truck. So I would just get some ducting that fits the air cleaner snorkels and find your own way of routing to open fresh air.