Duraspark conversion.

[19Walt93]

Not sure about Rangers but my 2150 has a heat riser port (which is caped). I do have an electric choke (which I need to wire).

And, I had a '79 Fiesta with a Webber carb that would ice up to the point that it would quit running, on the expressway, but on local roads, it was OK.

That's not a heat riser, that's an exhaust temp heated choke. A heat riser was a butterfly in the exhaust manifold that was controlled by a bimetal spring that held it closed when cold and open when hot. If the heat riser stuck open- very rare- they intake warmed up slow and the vehicle ran like crap in cold weather. Stuck closed would cause lack of power, a whistling noise very likely, and often vapor lock- even before they polluted our gas with alcohol.
These are heat risers:

 

[franklin2]

I know, I'm old enough to have worked on vehicles with heat risers, no Ranger ever had one.

I am getting ready to try this 2.8 with the intake hose hooked up this winter. Last winter I ran it with a little chrome open air cleaner. It really surprised me that I did not have icing problems. I have a terrible time with my 65 mustang with a 302. I had to put a stock aircleaner on it with a homemade heat stove to keep it from icing up.

But this 2.8 I ran with a open aircleaner and didn't have any problems. But I do have some problems with underhood heat in the summer, thus I went back to the stock 2.8 aircleaner with the hose going up beside the radiator. We will see what happens. All engines seem to be a little different.

 

[19Walt93]

I am getting ready to try this 2.8 with the intake hose hooked up this winter. Last winter I ran it with a little chrome open air cleaner. It really surprised me that I did not have icing problems. I have a terrible time with my 65 mustang with a 302. I had to put a stock aircleaner on it with a homemade heat stove to keep it from icing up.

But this 2.8 I ran with a open aircleaner and didn't have any problems. But I do have some problems with underhood heat in the summer, thus I went back to the stock 2.8 aircleaner with the hose going up beside the radiator. We will see what happens. All engines seem to be a little different.

I wouldn't expect low enough temps in Va to bother much. Try a cold start and driveaway at -25 with an open element air cleaner sometime.

 

[Bronco648]

I wouldn't expect low enough temps in Va to bother much. Try a cold start and driveaway at -25 with an open element air cleaner sometime.

This is one of the main reasons I have a heated garage....

 

[franklin2]

I wouldn't expect low enough temps in Va to bother much. Try a cold start and driveaway at -25 with an open element air cleaner sometime.

In my experience, it would not ice up in very cold conditions. The air was always drier when it was really cold, and it did not have icing problems. When it was really bad was in the low 30's up to the low to mid 40's and rainy/damp. That mustang had it so bad the throttle would stick as I was going down the road like I had cruise control. The ice built up so bad around the butterflies in the carb. I have also had this problem on a couple of trucks I had, one had a 302 and the other had a 351w.

Once you fought all the rough rich running and finally got to where you were going, if you let it sit out in the parking lot for 15 or 20 minutes, it would then run like a champ. It seems the heat from the engine would finally migrate up to the carb and it would run fine after that.

 

[Bronco648]

Once you fought all the rough rich running and finally got to where you were going, if you let it sit out in the parking lot for 15 or 20 minutes, it would then run like a champ. It seems the heat from the engine would finally migrate up to the carb and it would run fine after that.

My Fiesta was exactly like that. Let it sit for a few minutes and it would be back to its old self.

 

[Bronco648]

Frustrating day:

Took the Ranger out for a ride. Tranny won't shift properly. I can manually shift it from first to second but when I shift up to Drive, it downshifts into first. I thought the linkage was improperly adjusted so I double checked it. Nope. Correctly adjusted. Tranny is freshly rebuilt and has 10.5 quarts of fluid in it. Reads in the middle of the hash marks when up-to-temp.

Engine is running very rich. Inside of the (new) tailpipe is black. Plugs are black and sooty. Either the timing is wrong or the carb needs adjusting (which I don't know how to do).

For some reason, the brakes are hard to operate. New master & booster & power bled yet they feel like manual brakes. Is it possible that there's no vacuum? The booster is hooked to the vacuum tree as is the modulator line from the transmission. I have a vacuum gauge and can check tomorrow. If there's no vacuum would that cause the tranny to not shift into Drive/Overdrive?

 

[franklin2]

Yes, no vacuum would cause the trans not to shift. It would also cause the brake pedal to be hard.

Simply pull the lines off as the engine is running. They should be sucking air in the fitting.

 

[Bronco648]

Yes, no vacuum would cause the trans not to shift. It would also cause the brake pedal to be hard.

Simply pull the lines off as the engine is running. They should be sucking air in the fitting.

I will check this.

What might cause a lack of vacuum? The intake manifold is NOS and the vacuum tree just screws into it.

 

[Bronco648]

I checked the vacuum and seem to have about 7 in at idle. I'm guessing that's insufficient.

I also managed to smoke an Accel 8140 coil even with the in-line resistor.

 

[franklin2]

You should be around 18+ inches of vacuum at idle. I don't like aftermarket coils with a duraspark II module. Duraspark coil with the duraspark module.

 

[Bronco648]

You should be around 18+ inches of vacuum at idle.

There must be a leak somewhere then. I tried shooting a little starter fluid around the intake, vacuum tree & carb. The RPMs never changed.

I don't like aftermarket coils with a duraspark II module. Duraspark coil with the duraspark module.

So, like the original one, like this?

 

[ford4wd08]

There must be a leak somewhere then. I tried shooting a little starter fluid around the intake, vacuum tree & carb. The RPMs never changed.

So, like the original one, like this?

That is a square TFI coil, don't use that one unless you are running a HEI setup.

You need the round duraspark coil.

 

[Shran]

You need a ballast resistor if you run the round cannister coil, not necessary with the TFI coil though.

Carb tuning will affect your vacuum reading. Using a vacuum gauge while adjusting your carb is about the best way to do it.

 

[Bronco648]

That is a square TFI coil, don't use that one unless you are running a HEI setup.

You need the round duraspark coil.

Like from a '77 Pinto/Bobcat/Capri II with the 2.8 V6?

You need a ballast resistor if you run the round cannister coil, not necessary with the TFI coil though.

I am running a ballast resistor, the same one recommended in this thread (BWD RU19, O'Reilly 2015-05-01):

And, interestingly, the Accel 8140 is listed as a replacement for the Duraspark coil (on the O'Reilly & AZ web sites).

Carb tuning will affect your vacuum reading. Using a vacuum gauge while adjusting your carb is about the best way to do it.

I must not have the timing set correctly, at all, then.