1986 Bronco II EB 4wd 2.9 gas - warmed up dies no run for 20+ minutes

[goodO1boydws]

Congratulations on the B2 find! There's a few around, but, ya don't see 'em! The other day i just saw one for sale in Oldsmar...maybe 8 miles from here. I just finished all the weather stripping on 2 doors and hatch and hatch window and the wipers and felts and repaired and reweb driver seatbelt. Going on Tuesday to get axle pivot bushings and radius arm bushings and new Hpump. Contemplating 5 Cooper AT3 4S p225/70r15 near future. Will it end?

Will it end?
That word isn't in the lexicon for many of us.
(Bronco-itis being an insidious condition.)

You wrote of weatherstripping.
If you haven't done so already, be sure to check out the big side window gaskets-they get hard and can start pulling away from the body and/or cracking.
That's a common place for water to get in-especially at the roof level but once in it can run down and not come into the interior until its much further down.
Sometimes the FLOWABLE type of silicone sealer can fix it.

I just checked the map and saw that Oldsmar is right on the water-how's that body for rust?

 

[Tpremru]

Will it end?
That word isn't in the lexicon for many of us.
(Bronco-itis being an insidious condition.)

You wrote of weatherstripping.
If you haven't done so already, be sure to check out the big side window gaskets-they get hard and can start pulling away from the body and/or cracking.
That's a common place for water to get in-especially at the roof level but once in it can run down and not come into the interior until its much further down.
Sometimes the FLOWABLE type of silicone sealer can fix it.

I just checked the map and saw that Oldsmar is right on the water-how's that body for rust?

I feel lucky so far for the side windows. yes they are somewhat hardened even though i have kept Mothers or Armor All on them since 1996. From 1986-96 mine lived on St Pt Beach and would get surface rust underneath, brakes would squeek. Now i live 2.5m as the crow flies from Gulf of Mexico only have some surface rust because i parked exactly under TIA west side NS landing strip and jet fuel ate the paint hood and roof.

Wow i just now found that 2 out of the only 5 B2's in a 20 mile radius i know of are for sale. The 1990 is in the same town i live in and i found out about that one 2 years ago and have seen it 3 times since.

 

[ragtop69]

I've been chasing the "heat up and won't run" demon aka curse of the 2.9 since March 2020 on my 1986 EB 4wd B2 2.9 gas I'm the 2nd owner and we know this problem never existed until 3/2020. All these have been replaced as a result -> Plugs, Wires, Alternator, Battery & Cables, Coil, Condenser, Ignition switch, IAC, 2 new TPS, 5 new in tank pumps, in-tank pump plug, 2 new hp rail pumps, distributor, relays, 9 ECM's, 3 or 4 harness plugs, inertia switch, inertia plug, fuel filter, fuel regulator, MAP sensor, (o2, air temp, engine temp sensors). allegedly all ground connections cleaned up and passed voltage drop tests (no details received)

The problem first was that I watched a mechanic hook up a pressure gauge to the fuel line and while vehicle was running fine it was close to 40psi. In 18 minutes as predicted it coughed and sputtered, died and won’t restart as expected, as it coughed the fuel psi was 5-10 and he said there’s the issue a new rail pump needed. That was not the cure as 2 more fuel pumps later it still does this same thing – idle for 20-40 minutes sputters and dies won’t start and run properly for 30+ minutes. Sometimes you can just drive it for 60+ minutes and notice it might buck when you step on the gas or it may die at a red light and I will be stuck for 30 minutes. The other day i idled it in the driveway for 60 minutes and it was fine, next day drove it for 70 minutes idled in the driveway for 15 and it died.

Lots of talk always about the issue of the TFI overheating on the distributor, but I look at my records and I have never had anything near this issue before. I see the 1st TFI was replaced at 9 years 34k miles, the second lasted 12 years 94k more miles, the 3rd lasted 11 years 77k miles. Reinstalled a new one each time no issue. I don’t see why a TFI should be relocated.

FYI - I'm not a mechanic, i'm the researcher and yes i can change the plug wires and coil and simple things - but i have paid 3 shops one is a supposedly classic auto shop and after 1 year they said they give up. Another classic auto shop said no i won't work on that issue. This is a family heirloom that i drove from 96-2016, i got it with 34k and it now has 208k. All along trying to fix this running issue i have lots of other new parts and plan to rebuild motor/tran and possibly repaint. Who in Tampa Bay area can fix this? Any direction appreciated. Thank you. Completly frustrated and about heartbroke and wallet broke.

I'm not a mechanic either, but I had a '74 Pinto Squire wagon that did the same thing. It would quit running in the middle of a drive and would have to sit for several hours before it would run again. At the time I was a busy junior manager and didn't have the time or interest to wrench on it myself. I had a mechanic I trusted pursue it as a fuel problem. He rebuilt the pickle atomizer carburetor, replaced the fuel filters, pulled the gas tank and flushed it. The Pinto still did the same thing. While he had tested the electricals, I told him to buy a coil and install it. He did and the car ran beautifully until I sold it years later. Just sayin'.

 

[ragtop69]

Trust me, I fully understand, I have many Rides that I keep because of the emotional attachment. The 67 Cougar that we last drove when my wife was pregnant with our first son (he's 35 now) , My 69 mustang convertible that I chased down for 30yrs (started in high school/83) and my 2nd son used as his wedding car. Plus many others all the way down to my 79 Bronco project that my 3 boys bought together for me because they knew I sold my 79 years ago to buy "the minivan"
(It's a restomod now, I have a build thread in here.)
Thank goodness I have 10 acres, I cherish them all!
So I totally get it, don't worry, we will get you through this one.
Cheers

There aren't many of us '69 Mustang convertible lovers around much anymore. I bought mine in 1998 from an elderly (probably younger then than I am now) lady in completely stock, unrestored form. The car was straight and only had 87K miles on it, but it looked like an old lady had owned it for thirty years. The interior upholstery stitching was rotting out, the black carpets had turned brown, it had been repainted with a cheap silver paint job that had gone flat and looked like it was all in primer. It had the original 302 2V with a C4 transmission and a 2.79 8" rear end. There were bandaid whitewalls on stock steel wheels with the 1969 wheel covers all around. One pitted chrome side mirror, and the carb needed rebuilding. I took it to the drag strip for grins and it ran in the 17s. I bought a TMI interior kit, new carpets, new door panels, bought dual racing mirrors, repainted it back to the Meadowlark Yellow it had rolled out of the factory in, tracked down a genuine dealer installed '69 luggage rack, replaced the glue-in '69 side glass with '70 bolt-in, bought a set of chrome Ralley wheels with dog dish center caps and BFG white letters, swapped in an Edelbrock Performer manifold with a Road Demon 4V, replaced the '69 heads with as set of GT40P heads with Motorsport roller rockers, added a set of custom tri-Y headers, installed electric cutouts, changed to a Comp Cams cam with 224 duration and .500 lift, installed a shift improver kit in the C4 and swapped the 2.79s for a set of 3.55s. While the car has won 33 trophies and plaques in "Occasional Driver" class since I bought it all those years ago, I have laid down a best pass at the same drag strip of 14.308 @ 99.1 mph. My late wife and I also took it across country in 2009 for an MCA national show in Birmingham, AL. It still sits in my garage, wishing that someone would drive it occasionally or take it to a show.

 

[goodO1boydws]

Boy that '69 takes me back.

I had a '67 fastback, bought it in 1972 with 75k miles, factory 3-speed, same 2.79/8" original gearing, started with the 2 bbl too. It was pretty much stock except for the (shudder) functional Camaro hood inserts someone had cut the hood for and installed.
I'd had ad it one week and a friend of a friend of mine (who I didn't know) blew the engine. We pulled the UNDENTED oil pan-inside it looked like a broken parts junk pile, which, I guess it was at that point.
Started to learn engines by rebuilding it in a different friend's basement (starting with a new short block) and got it running again before bringing it home for my father to see. (Who hadn't yet signed for my license.)

A few minor engine mods later (small cam/Ford 4 bbl/iron manifold/CD ignition/tach/distrib springs) I started taking it to the strip-(first pass 15.7) with a friend who had a '67 sedan with a 427 he'd shoehorned into his, sandbags in the trunk, about 2.5 seconds than mine to begin with.
Every time I went I'd go a bit faster, and he'd get quicker too-before breaking some part on his-which he'd replace with with a stronger part. The part (of his) I remember most is the NASCAR trans that he had in exactly one week before he twisted the mainshaft. Talk about mad.
Years and mods later on mine, including aftermarket dual point distributor/bigger hydraulic cam/Holley/Edelbrock/headers/torsion bars/biggest hydraulic cam available/ported and polished heads, tri-angle valve job, upgraded valves/moly pushrods/stronger but standard type rockers/ a NEW Holley 600 and taller manifold after the other set up was stolen/ Holley 50cc pump and adj acc cams for it, jets, jets/wheels/tires/clutch/clutch. I never got the 4-speed I'd always intended to though-too much life happened. Last pass I remember was 93mph-in second gear with the ignition breaking up. Every time I tried using 3rd I'd go slower.
Along the way I had it repainted 3 times, last time was lighter than the British racing green approximate it had started out with, but with metalflake, custom gold lightly fogged fender tops, air brushed murals in recessed parts of the doors from photos I'd taken, and AN UNASKED FOR freehand pinstriped eagle on the trunk lid that I grew to like. Redid the interior carpet myself, in dark green, carpeted the fold down and also the wheel arches in a much lighter green, fat walnut 3 spoke wheel, polished the aluminum engine parts myself, had other selected parts and the cross braces chromed, put on sway bars for cornering, upgraded the radio-it started life with an am-only and no 8 track (remember those?).
It hurt to sell that one, (along with all the spare parts and manuals) but I was getting married soon and my spending days on cars was ending-for a long time. By the way, that 5-year old Mustang is the newest car I've ever owned-so far.

 

[Tpremru]

I'm not a mechanic either, but I had a '74 Pinto Squire wagon that did the same thing. It would quit running in the middle of a drive and would have to sit for several hours before it would run again. At the time I was a busy junior manager and didn't have the time or interest to wrench on it myself. I had a mechanic I trusted pursue it as a fuel problem. He rebuilt the pickle atomizer carburetor, replaced the fuel filters, pulled the gas tank and flushed it. The Pinto still did the same thing. While he had tested the electricals, I told him to buy a coil and install it. He did and the car ran beautifully until I sold it years later. Just sayin'.

Damn...it just so happens i had a 72 country squire with a 73 engine (because the 72 blew up and they warrantied it) But then it chewed up flywheel after starter after flywheel after starter....

 

[L\Bronco]

There aren't many of us '69 Mustang convertible lovers around much anymore. I bought mine in 1998 from an elderly (probably younger then than I am now) lady in completely stock, unrestored form. The car was straight and only had 87K miles on it, but it looked like an old lady had owned it for thirty years. The interior upholstery stitching was rotting out, the black carpets had turned brown, it had been repainted with a cheap silver paint job that had gone flat and looked like it was all in primer. It had the original 302 2V with a C4 transmission and a 2.79 8" rear end. There were bandaid whitewalls on stock steel wheels with the 1969 wheel covers all around. One pitted chrome side mirror, and the carb needed rebuilding. I took it to the drag strip for grins and it ran in the 17s. I bought a TMI interior kit, new carpets, new door panels, bought dual racing mirrors, repainted it back to the Meadowlark Yellow it had rolled out of the factory in, tracked down a genuine dealer installed '69 luggage rack, replaced the glue-in '69 side glass with '70 bolt-in, bought a set of chrome Ralley wheels with dog dish center caps and BFG white letters, swapped in an Edelbrock Performer manifold with a Road Demon 4V, replaced the '69 heads with as set of GT40P heads with Motorsport roller rockers, added a set of custom tri-Y headers, installed electric cutouts, changed to a Comp Cams cam with 224 duration and .500 lift, installed a shift improver kit in the C4 and swapped the 2.79s for a set of 3.55s. While the car has won 33 trophies and plaques in "Occasional Driver" class since I bought it all those years ago, I have laid down a best pass at the same drag strip of 14.308 @ 99.1 mph. My late wife and I also took it across country in 2009 for an MCA national show in Birmingham, AL. It still sits in my garage, wishing that someone would drive it occasionally or take it to a show.

That is awesome!
Gorgeous car!
Mine is just a survivor with a sympatetic restoration. Was my daily in the summer, but my 79 Bronco restomod will take that role.

 

[ragtop69]

Is the red Mustang the same car as the one missing the driver's door in the first picture? If so, wow!

 

[goodO1boydws]

Damn...it just so happens i had a 72 country squire with a 73 engine (because the 72 blew up and they warrantied it) But then it chewed up flywheel after starter after flywheel after starter....

That's why they sell starter shims.......

 

[Tpremru]

That's why they sell starter shims.......

Believe it or not...i thought of that lately when i replaced my Grand Cherokee starter twice in November....none for GM but damn why did they not do that back then for my 72 Pinto?

 

[L\Bronco]

Is the red Mustang the same car as the one missing the driver's door in the first picture? If so, wow!

Thank you
Yes it is, no paint (except th blackout on the hood. The door was at his dads house. So I got lucky.
I did everything else, changed to black interior and top.) Everything mechanical has been rebuilt or replaced. Mild 351w FMX 3.50 8”
I have put 15000 miles on it since the rework.
Its awesome.
I chased that car for 30 yrs and got it 6 yrs ago (looking like the first pict)

 

[ragtop69]

Thank you
Yes it is, no paint (except th blackout on the hood. The door was at his dads house. So I got lucky.
I did everything else, changed to black interior and top.) Everything mechanical has been rebuilt or replaced. Mild 351w FMX 3.50 8”
I have put 15000 miles on it since the rework.
Its awesome.
I chased that car for 30 yrs and got it 6 yrs ago (looking like the first pict)

Are you sure it's an 8"? The factory rear end with a 351W was a 9" in 1969. If the car is an H or M code from the factory, it's a 9".

 

[L\Bronco]

Are you sure it's an 8"? The factory rear end with a 351W was a 9" in 1969. If the car is an H or M code from the factory, it's a 9".

100% its an 8" for sure and its a factory 351W 2bbl. Ill check the warr tag codes next time I'm in the car barn.
(We used to be a dairy farm, now the good cars get stored inside.)

 

[goodO1boydws]

Believe it or not...i thought of that lately when i replaced my Grand Cherokee starter twice in November....none for GM but damn why did they not do that back then for my 72 Pinto?

You can make your own spacers-or modify the ones that come in an assortment pack.
But external shims help most when the Bendix drive is moving too far IN, or in the rare case where the front mounting surface(s) is/are so damaged that the starter cannot sit squarly in place. Thy can't help if the Bendix gear isn't going in far enough.

USUALLY the problems crop up when you get a rebuilt starter, as there are lots of sources for the Bendix drive, and there are often multiple gears that will all FIT into the starter but aren't necessarily the correct ones for YOUR application. Also the REUSED end castings may be worn enough that internal spacers may be necessary to position the Bendix drive correctly, to keep it from moving too far forward or being able to retract the correct distance. Sometimes those spacers aren't installed-and if so there can be a lot of slop (end-to-end play) for the starter shaft. And if the CORRECT internal spacers aren't used, to PROPERLY make up for wear on one or BOTH ends of the starter case, even if there is NO slop, the Bendix gear won't be in the right position relative to the starter's case to mesh properly with the flywheel/flexplate gear teeth.

When you replace any starter, the FIRST time, (or after th e vehicle has been being used for a long time without a starte engagement issue) hang onto the old one, and measure the distance that the gear teeth on the original part protrude FROM THE FRONT MOUNTING SURFACE OF THE STARTER. when in the "engaged" position AND in the "retracted" position. Also note how much movement is possible for the starter shaft. The look at the wear pattern on the Bendix gear's teeth. Also measure the LENGTH of the gear teeth. Both starters should have gear teeth of the same length.

There should be wear equal to the length of the teeth on the flywheel-and the ends of flywheel/flexplate teeth should be square, not rounded over or deeply gouged on the front edge. A little front edge wear is ok, (nearly everyone has ground a starter against an already rotating flywheel/flexplete at one time or another) but you really should check the entire diameter of the flywheel/flexplate because there may be one small area where the gear teeth are damaged or are noticibly MORE worn than at any other area-or there may even be something (metal) wedged between teeth. If there is a SINGLE broken or bent tooth, or a couple teeth next to each other are distorted enough that the gullets between the teeth are not uniform (as compared to teh other teeth) or are not DEEP enough, when the Bendix gear hits that area it may jam or skip and that can be the cause of damage to itself-and result in multiple starter replacements.

(That got a lot longer than I figured it would)

 

[ragtop69]

100% its an 8" for sure and its a factory 351W 2bbl. Ill check the warr tag codes next time I'm in the car barn.
(We used to be a dairy farm, now the good cars get stored inside.)

My son has an H code SportsRoof and it's got a 9" rear end. Ford used the 8" for the 302 SB engines in '69 but went up to the 9" on anything larger.

 

[L\Bronco]

My son has an H code SportsRoof and it's got a 9" rear end. Ford used the 8" for the 302 SB engines in '69 but went up to the 9" on anything larger.

Headed to Bakersfield for the March meet to drag race this weekend, Ill check the codes when I get home.
Cheers

 

[Old&Cranky]

Congratulations on the B2 find! There's a few around, but, ya don't see 'em! The other day i just saw one for sale in Oldsmar...maybe 8 miles from here. I just finished all the weather stripping on 2 doors and hatch and hatch window and the wipers and felts and repaired and reweb driver seatbelt. Going on Tuesday to get axle pivot bushings and radius arm bushings and new Hpump. Contemplating 5 Cooper AT3 4S p225/70r15 near future. Will it end?

I had a leak coming from the rusted oil pan. After some thought I decided to have the engine rebuilt due to compression rates. Not bad but hey, a new engine never hurt. Originally looked for a rebuilt online. Nowhere to be found. Hopefully my master mechanic will be finished soon. He and I had a time finding parts. It's like everybody and their mother is working on Bronco II's so you can't find parts now-a-days. (Plus, it is 37 years old, so that also may have something to do with it.) I tell everybody that I was Bronco before Bronco was cool!

 

[goodO1boydws]

I had a leak coming from the rusted oil pan. After some thought I decided to have the engine rebuilt due to compression rates. Not bad but hey, a new engine never hurt. Originally looked for a rebuilt online. Nowhere to be found. Hopefully my master mechanic will be finished soon. He and I had a time finding parts. It's like everybody and their mother is working on Bronco II's so you can't find parts now-a-days. (Plus, it is 37 years old, so that also may have something to do with it.) I tell everybody that I was Bronco before Bronco was cool!

If you're having trouble tracking down parts try looking at rockauto.com first. Not only are their prices and selection usually pretty good,
they buy up a lot of NOS inventory from auto parts places that close. I've found a couple parts there for MY '86 B2 that no one else had-or that they did have but at 2-5X the price. Even got a good name brand Scion front O2 sensor from them for my wife's car-at less than half what anybody else wanted.

 

[johnnyreb]

If you're having trouble tracking down parts try looking at rockauto.com first. Not only are their prices and selection usually pretty good,
they buy up a lot of NOS inventory from auto parts places that close. I've found a couple parts there for MY '86 B2 that no one else had-or that they did have but at 2-5X the price. Even got a good name brand Scion front O2 sensor from them for my wife's car-at less than half what anybody else wanted.

Also try Green sales near Cincinattie,Ohio---They also buy alot of parts from Ford Dealers that close shop. They are fast and courtesy service too. They also have HUMANS THAT ANSWER THEIR PHONES AND DO NOT HAVE YOU SELECT BETWEEN ENGLISH OR SPANISH. They do not have you punching a bunch of numbers. THEY ANSWER THE PHONE. Type them in the address bar and watch their videos--you,ll be glad you did.

 

[Old&Cranky]

If you're having trouble tracking down parts try looking at rockauto.com first. Not only are their prices and selection usually pretty good,
they buy up a lot of NOS inventory from auto parts places that close. I've found a couple parts there for MY '86 B2 that no one else had-or that they did have but at 2-5X the price. Even got a good name brand Scion front O2 sensor from them for my wife's car-at less than half what anybody else wanted.

Rockauto is good, but they didn't have a couple of things. Got the rebuild kit plus new crankshaft from Clegg Engines in Utah. Thanks for the help!