"The Great Unscrewing"

[ArdWrknTrk]

I'm just doing what I do...  

Be aware that the bolt that holds that block to the axle is hollow and should have a hose that leads up under the bed.

If the bolt and hose are not clear, the axle will push out gear lube when it is in use.

[railwayboiii]

Lord help me. So after much work, the brake system is entirely redone and the truck does NOT die anymore! But I have one last hurdle that I have no idea how it happened, or a way around it. Somehow, (perhaps due to improper lifting), the shackles have came off the leaf spring. This is a very precarious situation, so I want your advice on how to slip them back on for now. Much thanks!

[ArdWrknTrk]

The leaf spring should wrap entirely around that bolt, with a rubber bushing between.
Does the opposite side look like this too?  😲

[ArdWrknTrk]

From the rust marks it looks to have been rubbing the bottom of the bed for quite some time.

[85lebaront2]

It almost looks like someone cut the eyes off both springs. Why, I have no idea unless they were trying to get the bushings out and didn't have a clue what they were doing.

[ArdWrknTrk]

Low.    Ride.   Er....

[railwayboiii]

Yup! Someone had quite the plan for this truck.... :/ Not pictured are the two holes in the back near the bed where they wanted to straight pipe it up, trucker style. So, I'm guessing it's time for new leaf springs...

[Gary Lewis]

Gideon - Glad you got the brakes done and the engine doesn't die.  But those springs need to be replaced, just as you thought.

So, some teenager owned your truck?  

[railwayboiii]

Some teenager with not alot of brain!!!

[railwayboiii]

So, I found a leaf donor off a 96, got the mounting plate, U bolt, and a new shackle set for 130! But now, trying to put the damn thing back on is giving me a headache! The attaching groove for the rear axle doesn't want to line up with the spring center, and I'm having a hell of a time trying to attach it to both attachment points. Do you guys have any tips? I have the truck perhaps 3/4ths of a foot high. Do I need to go higher? Thank you!!!

[ArdWrknTrk]

You're having trouble getting the axle to center up under the springs?
Or the rear spring shackles to set into the hangers?

They are 150 springs, right???

I know when I've had to replace hangers I've gone at least that high, but mostly to get better access cutting them off.

[BullnoseLuvr]

ArdWrknTrk wrote

Low.    Ride.   Er....

LOL.  I love that song.  But, that is not the way to do it.  I guess if you're not getting airborne it could work.

Mark

[BullnoseLuvr]

Springs are picky things.  The springs and their ratings are all over the place depending on a thousand things.  I think the original spring information is on the door (frame) plate.

Mark

[ArdWrknTrk]

I've had my rear hangers go out on me. (Both sides)

You definitely know when the spring is riding on the bottom of the bed!

Yeah, Carlos pairs well with Tone Loc 'Funky Comadina'
But again, I'm showing my age...

Still wanna roll with it.

[railwayboiii]

LOL. My best friend REALLY wanted to send out without springs! My first reaction was, "Do you have bed money?" HAH

So a quick but not so quick update on Bluejay

After the trip to the junkyard, we finally got both axle springs on, and Bluejay went on her first test ride.

It's been 2 weeks of Bluejay being a daily local driver, and although there are still some issues, (I will elaborate later in the post), she isn't doing to bad!

Stupid me was too busy with her to enter her into the truck show though

Next year though!

After a 3 hour test drive, half of those being on the highway, Bluejay started running rough.



I was able to nurse her home after this picture (and 2 hours of watching trains!!!)

I ran her to work and to take my sister to a nice dinner at the local diner, racking my head as to why would it run rough so suddenly.

Was there rust in the fuel tank? Did a injector fail?

I took it to a local shop to run codes where I was greeted with friendly rants about aliens. To my surprise, codes came up for the fuel system, SPOUT connector and TPS, and MAP which I had just replaced (sans SPOUT), until the mechanic pointed me to a tiny green wire that had gotten loose from a pigtail. That wire, being the ground to my TPS.

Today, I went to look in the bay to see what was wrong out of boredom. I followed wires to make sure they were not frayed, and even did leak testing on.

I was clueless until I SAW that the WIRE for the 8th cylinder had popped off the spark plug!!

What the hell!

After driving around the block, the cause of my misfire had finally been located!

I ran the OBD codes again with my own scanner, and I'm still unfortunately getting MAP faults and SPOUT connector faults (no TPS though!!!)

I wonder what is going on with the MAP though. I'm going to follow the wires to see that they are OK and do a voltage test (by the way, what should I be looking for in that????), before I decide to do a replacement.

The SPOUT is another thing however. I get the code 18 (Loss of tachometer input, IDM circuit failure,SPOUT circuit grounded) I genuinely think my SPOUT is missing, although I know little of the IDM system.

To date, my truck still runs rich (smelling gas in exhaust) despite my best efforts

I can literally see the needle move after just 5 minutes on the highway too, I do believe it's killing any fuel efficiency I have!

Where would I look for it in my 85?

Would taking care of 18 take care of the much later 22 (MAP sensor fault?)

Much thanks for your invaluable help guys!!!

-Gid!

[Gary Lewis]

I'm not familiar with the system, but have you gone through the diagnostics and testing procedure here: Documentation/Electrical/Electronic Engine Control (EEC)?

[BullnoseLuvr]

When I bought my ‘84 the engine harness was such a mess I pulled it.  I opened it where it passes through the firewall and found a bundle of bare wires!  The insulation had crumbled there and elsewhere.

If it weren’t for the IDM error and the possibility of wires shorting all over the place I would suspect the TFI module at the distributor (assuming I remember without checking that your truck has TFI ignition) as the source of the spout problem.

There’s also the spout disconnect plug which could be unplugged, which you have to do to set the static timing.

Mark

[railwayboiii]

back to square one.

Bluejay ran good for almost exactly a month and a half, UNTIL a fateful night at a South Shore train station.

Riding down scenic US 12 at 8 or so at night with my friend, we hear a POP and smell fumes enter the cab.

We opened up both the windows and made it to the train station, where I found out a bolt on the passenger side had gone the way of the dodo bird.

After plugging it up and revving up the engine, I heard the engine get louder and assumed I had blew some sort of gasket or something.

(I later found out it was almost 95% a popped PCV valve)

However, the engine still worked (barely, super lean and smoky)

We got it home, and the dream was laid to rest, if only for a bit.

Within the last 5 months or so, I bought a functioning 302 from a Bronco (most likely 87-90)

After wrestling with myself whether to cut my losses and sell the damn thing, or continue, I'm feeling the fire within me slowly coming back.

I don't want to sell my truck, I've emotionally bonded with it so hard, I know I would instantly regret the moment I had what few hundred I could get in my hand.

So, I need your help, honest and advice, and prayers.

Somewhere, someway before that incident, I was getting a short on the truck, and that very night the taillight went out. The wiring is quite ratty, and me being the idiot I am, cut out ALL of the wires past the firewall so I can get a clear bay to change the engine out (bad knock, and still running rich)

I also found out that my nice new original vacuum lines melted (yay!)

We're honestly starting from the bottom with this one.

I really wanted to put in a Painless Mustang harness and switch from MAP to MAF just for the support that comes with the Mustang electronics. (I'm very tired of dealing with the 85/86 system)

Is this the way to go? I've saved all the old wiring just incase I've made some grave mistake, but I don't know if I can simply crimp them and pretend nothing happened (if that's the road I want to go on)

My main goal is just to get a dependable old truck at the end of this tunnel.

In other news, I am beginning to take out the dash and seats, and I am preparing to sound deaden the truck (incredibly loud!)

Does anyone have any ideas for the harness, a extra one or just anything in general?

Much thanks!

-Gid

[ArdWrknTrk]

Wow Gid.
So, what do you think happened?
Did you put a hole in a piston and it overpressurized the crankcase?

Bill Vose would be the one to help you with your harness adaptation.
I can certainly understand wanting the support and knowledge base that comes with Mustang electronics and MAF.

[Rembrant]

So what wires did you cut? Do you mean the big EFI harness that passes through the firewall right behind the driver's side valve cover? If that is all you did, that is not a big deal really...the EFI system in that truck is pretty much a stand alone system. You would remove it if you were doing a DSII conversion anyway.

Simplest and cheapest solution (imho) would be to go carbed and a DSII (Duraspark) conversion. The wiring for your gauges is not in the EFI harness anyway, so if all you gutted was the EFI harness, it's not that bad.