20 Most Recent 1983 Ford F150 Questions & Answers

It sounds like it is working backwards. Around the time your truck was made the industry had different emissions standards for trucks and cars. There were less controls on trucks. There were vacuum controls that would increase idle speed when the engine was cold. The way this was done is through a water temperature sensor that is commonly called a vacuum tree. It is called a tree because it is shaped like a tree trunk with a few branches and each branch has a vacuum hose. As water temperature increases the vacuum routing changes. The cold setting makes an idle step-up dash-pot raise RPM and close the choke plate. As the water warms, the internal parts of the vacuum tree move and change the vacuum ports. When the ports change, RPM drops and the choke plate opens and low idle speeds are restored. With the choke plate open high speed operation of the motor is assured without bogging down. I would say most of what can be wrong is cheap to fix. A new thermostat, perhaps a new vacuum tree. Your problem can also be the vacuum lines are not connected to the correct ports. One thing many people do is to adjust the idle speed at the wrong time. The step-up cams are not in the proper position and when stuff starts working everything is out of adjustment because the changes were made at the wrong time. This is a job for an old school mechanic.

When you take off? or at high way speeds? It is an 83, Check compression first.

Try a library for a repair manual. That may not help, pretty hard to find fuse block wiring off a diagram. Find this truck at a salvage yard, take the fuse block off with wires cut way back so you can see color of the wires.

All aluminum case always takes Automatic Transmission fluid...If it isn't aluminum It should take 85/140 or Something compatible...Call a parts store and they will tell you exactly what is required ...Or equivalent ...Also look in owners manual if you have it ....Save time and call parts store..

8=====[)

There are 2 bolts that can be loosened and the pads can be pushed out when it is separated from the Housing -use a C-clamp push pistons back in and fit over the disks and tighten the bolts. Google that and a U-tube video will come up for your paticualr car.

ALL ! waterpumps have a hole=1/8" approx dia. underneath the main shaft that holds the fanblade to wp. shaft. When shaft bearings start to go H2O will usually leak out of here due to the seals going too. THIS HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH VAPOR LOCK WHICH OCCURS WHEN THE CARB AND GAS LINE BECOME HOTTER THEN THE BOILING PT OF FUEL.If your water pump is not moving enough coolant through the engine block and then the radiator you can get VP Loc(but engine will probably be boiling over//DO NOT OPEN RADIATOR CAP AT THIS TIME=YOU WILL BE SCALDED,,let it cool down. Remove and replace water pump(you might have to pull radiator no big a deal) to get access to all bolts holding w pump on. Back flush engine block and radiator:pull thermostat to make sure correct temp to open and not stuck.Replace parts=you are done! NOTE: If you overheat on the freeway; turn on the car's heater(it has an extra radiator to cool down engine) and stop AC. Good luck-Fly

Actual circuit and amp/draw testing needs to be done for a more accurate answer, however... One of the possibilities is that the headlights may have a circuit breaker (instead of a fuse) in the fusebox or circuit. Your symptom sounds like the headlights are drawing excess amperage (or possibly a bad circuit breaker) that causes the breaker to overheat and break contact (as it's designed to do in cases of overload). It's like a fuse, but a circuit breaker will automatically re-set after it cools (from a few seconds to a minute, usually), but a fuse "blows" permanently and doesn't have the ability to "re-set". Also check/wiggle your headlight switch. The switch may have faulty contacts or a bad connection. Here are 2 pics of common types of 12v circuit breakers.

I assume its a V8 and probably a 5.0L 5.0= 1-5-4-2-6-3-7-8 firing order 5.0 HO and 351 Windsor share 1-3-7-2-6-5-4-8 firing order Cylinder numbering: When looking into the engine bay the number one cylinder should be on your left hand side (left bank) at the front of the engine. The number eight cylinder is on the rear right (right bank) up against the firewall. Firewall 4 8 3 7 2 6 1 5 Front bumper distributer turns counter clockwize (#1 should be labelled on cap)

could be many deferent things. I don't what you have done this far but I would check to make sure you have fuel getting to the motor .then start checking sencers like the high oil press.

It sounds like the carb is flooding the intake. Any chance the float is faulty or the carb is leaking internally ?

Check your timing.

Fuel pump not giving enough pressure out of idle...seeing that you have changed the carb....you are having a fuel air ratio problem. Check carb again and then check your fuel pump.