Log 2016052804

I started the tune-up for my 1988 Itasca Sundancer 25ft motorhome with a Ford Econoline 350 (E-350) cutaway.  This was a learning experience for me from the beginning.  I don't have my repair manual yet, so I had to rely on the mechanical aptitude that I've gained from my 2008 Chevy HHR LS and building The Cramper.  I also had to find things.

The spark plugs are accessed from the interior engine compartment.  I've never owned a Ford before and have seen very few under their hoods.  Growing up, at least our impression was that Ford produced a lot of bad cars back then, so my family stuck to mostly general motors.  The motorhome's engine is layered differently than I'm accustomed to.  I can't even tell how the fuel injection system works yet.

The spark plugs are one thing.  It's getting it's wires to the distributer cap that's another.  This component is in front of the engine and has to be accessed from the hood.  It's behind the air filter manifold and a couple of engine air hoses that has to all be dismounted.

The new distributer has a number "1" on it.  That probably pertains to the #1 cylinder.  But both the old and the new cap have a 1" wide by 1" tall cylinder on them.  They're attached by two clips.  By the diagram that I've seen, things just weren't matching up today.

Anyways, I realized that I forgot to buy wires.  So I aborted the procedure altogether.  The next step would have been to replace the spark plugs and wires one at a time.  It's routing and feeding of the wires from the interior to the exterior and keeping track of them that concerns me.  Oh well, I'll get through it.

I stopped today before installing the new fuel filter.  I just a tool for a special special connection that it has.  But I've done one of these on a GM car years ago.  And everything I'm seeing for this Econoline suggests that it should be easy to change.

There was mouse activity present in the air filter manifold today.  I used my shop vac to clean it up.  A also tried to run it's tube down the hoses towards the engine block as best as I could.  It makes me wonder what could possibly be down there?