I have a 1988 F250 with a 460 engine that I want to someday run on wood gas. One reason I picked this model is because I want a vehicle that is as simple to repair and maintain as possible. I do not want any computer or electronic engine controls. 1988 was the last year these engines were made without computers, however it still has the electronic fuel injection that I want to replace with a carburetor and also get rid of the catalytic converter. I just wondered if anyone has done this and might have some advice. I have a mechanic that will do the work but I need to find a carburetor.
Hello Jeff; Going from fuel injection TO carburetor is taking you back to the Model T days. Yes you can work on a carb, but the fact is, you HAVE to work on them more often, and they were not near as efficient as FI. Without details I will say with FI you can put a "kill’ switch on your fuel pump, and feed the woodgas directly into the air cleaner. With a carburetor you almost have to have two accelerators in the cab; one controlling the carburetor when running on petro and a second that controls the woodgas when running on that. This group has gone from running on carburetors to newer vehicles with FI and found the FI to be much better in all ways. The newer vehicles have gone from OBI computers to OBII and that scared our members somewhat. But as more and more hove built woodgass vehicles with OBII, we are learning that that works even better for wooodgas than OBI. TomC
Welcome Jeff, Everything Tom said is on target. I have F-150 5.8 OBD1 on wood, and a 98 Ranger 2.5 OBD2 on wood. Both do really well on wood. If you really want to do this join the premium side, you get the book, and full access here, where we can help you from first weld to driving. You diffidently want to keep EFI.
Thanks for the input guys. I will take your suggestion and keep the FI. My thinking was that in a survival situation a carburetor would be easier to repair because it does not require electronics, but hearing how it makes running wood gas more difficult is a persuasive argument. Now I just have to get the wife on board for the wood gas project.
The trick is, in a no-gasoline situation, you don’t need the carburetor or the fuel injectors. You just need a gas mixer. The throttle body in the EFI system is your rpm/ power control. You still need the computer for the ignition in the newer vehicles.
EFI or not. Woodgas or not. What has worked well for getting the engine started, running; moved into shop/enclosed buildings parking; emergency get-you-home back-up is a small stubbed in gasoline carburetor.
Dutch John ended up tri-fueling his was-alreadty-converted-to propane Chevy big-block pickup.
His gasoline carburetor was a small Solex?(German) side draft carburetor cut-in/out isolated by a big 1/4 turn ball valve.
Nope you will not get good cylinder to cylinder A/F mixture supplied. You will not get full engine power capability.
But it will start and run with enough power, rain or shine/sub-zero freezing weather.
And that part of it can be see-do mechanical carburetor simple.
'Course to many a gasoline mechanical carburetor is mystery-weird-science too.
As long as they are float types I do OK. Diaphragm pumper types drive me nuts too!
Regards
tree-farmer Steve unruh
William, Thanks for that interesting information. It is worth looking into. I am not a mechanic but I wonder why they retarded the timing. One would think Ford would want the maximum power in the enging. Perhaps it had something to do with emissions.
lambda fuel air omnitekcorp.com
unit made for natural gas conversion , emission reduction
purchased clcs600 came with control module and lambda (stepper motor )
had to add vacuum sensor , GM sensor rebuilt for 12 volt called MAP or TPS signal
bosh single wire oxygen sensor called lambda sensor
wire for engine control unit went to coil , tachometer
seems to try to work
I do not have this unit connected to fuel
I have the unit regulating air
It is small
a few yars ago my 1984 f-250 3/4 ton 4x4 would not pass smog so i took the hole lot apart and rebuilt it on a diesel frame witch made it so i dint have to smog it and i deleted all the emitions it now has a carburator one wire HEI ignition watch the video i think its what your after 351 w but the same will work on a 460 =)
My car is EFI and a nice ride, a real no brainer. Had a IHC pickup on woodgas with the MEN quadrajet carb and it ran fine. Had 2 farmall M’s, 300utility, 3 cub lowboys, dodge 800 series, 2 IHC trucks all with carbs and all ran fine. Oh, 2 jeeps also but replaced the CJ7 carb with an aftermarket because it was from the years just before EFI. Yes, I did tweak from time to time but easier to work on than changing brakes. Oh, 2 army 6x6’s.
I should say that the cast iron updraft carbs gave the least problems. The last time I took a Jeep to the garage, with a carb, the young mechanics could not get it started or keep it running long enough to drive into the garage. They had to get the seasoned body shop man and he started it right up and drove it in with no problem. With that in mind, you better go with EFI…
