Hey guys... I have a problem that i cant figure out but i hope yall can. I bought a 1989 F150 with the 300 I6 march of this year. I have been working on it since then. When i bought it it ran great (burnouts and such cause its a stick and it was my first time driving it). I pulled the engine and all hell broke loose when i was done with it and had it back int the truck. I deleted the air injection system for the exhaust and it created a vacuum leak that i fixed, then the IAC died and it wouldnt run without a major vacuum leak. I fixed it last night. Now i have a rough idle issue that shakes the entire truck and those poor motor mounts cant take much more. It also has poor throttle response. I was thinking both the TPS and MAP sensors are bad? I have no idea im not a mechanic and the only one i know couldnt figure it out either cause he works mostly on his dodge. Thanks for any replies to this, i have to have this truck done soon so i can get a job. I also cant time the engine for some reason... i may have to pull the distributor up and rotate it clockwise so i can have more room to work with... but i believe counter clockwise rotation is retarding it? like i said, not a mechanic. im just an 18 year old kid trying to fix his truck so i can make money


Update: I pulled the vaccum hose off the tree that runs to a vaccum bank and the engine runs smooth as ever...i took it for an attepmted spin but the open diff doesnt like donuts... the vacuum bank controls the egr and the ac stuff that doesnt work anyways

 

I'd verify that your timing is correct. First - make sure that when the balancer is at top dead center, the rotor is pointing to #1. Second, borrow a timing light and verify your base timing is correct. With the spout out and the truck running, you should be at 10-12 degrees. If you are still having issues past that, you can dump the codes and see what other issues exist. You can google dumping codes on an 89 F150 and you should find what you need.

 

I dont know how to do timing... my dad never taught me... all i know is that you can advance and retard the timing by rotating the distributor... i have a direct connect timing light but it wont do me any good until i figure out why my light is orange and not white... i put a new coil in it and it fixed the truck not running at all...

 

You should retitle your thread to "How old Ford F150's die - a slow death documented".

 

1. turn the motor over so that the 0° mark on your harmonic balancer lines up with the edge of the timing pointer.
2. Remove the distributor cap and verify that the rotor is pointing at #1. If not, remove it and adjust it so that it does. (If your truck runs, even poorly, you aren't 180° out)
3. Start the truck and remove the spout connector (google where it is if not sure what Im talking about)
4. With the timing light, verify that your base timing (I.E. the spout is out) is about 10-12°. loosen the distributor so you can turn it either way until you get your timing to where it needs to be.
Your timing is now set.

*** You must remove the spout to set base timing***

 

Funny... I dont want to kill the truck but i need help from someone because im at a loss on how to get the timing set... it runs fine when its cold... perfect idle and all that... but when it reaches operating temp it runs horribly and backfires like im running on fumes

 

If you wanna come down to my farm and help me figure it out then that would be great hahaha

 

I was joking about the burnouts and "deleting' of emissions systems. Classic problem creation paths.

There is no reason for your timing to have changed. Electronic ignition systems can probably go the life of the engine with no change at all. The fact that yours runs well when cold is a sign that your timing is fine.

The fact that it runs bad when warm is also a clue about the problem. Might be related to the parts that you removed. EGR and air injection.

 

I promise you it's really not hard. I'd also guarantee that there are 20+ videos on youtube that show exactly how to do it on your particular truck.

Don't be afraid to teach yourself. That's how I started and am still learning today, 16 years after getting my first car.

 

Could this be an overheating issue? I don't have a fan shroud for my radiator, i have never had one... because like i said it runs fine until it gets hot and then it runs like the obese kid with asthma in gym class. I think it might be the issue and if it is then i will get some electric fans and clip them on the fix the problem