26th Oct 2002, 06:54

I own a 1979 Bronco, with a 351 in it. When I first got it, it had the same problems you described, rough idling, ETC.

I put a new intake manifold on it (the previous was in rough shape) and put a set of headers on, upped the exhaust to 3 inch duals, and haven't had a problem with it since. a friend of mine just bought a 86 Bronco, and it doesn't idle well. I think a lot of it is the exhaust...it's too small a diameter. Don't give up on that Bronco!

11th Apr 2003, 17:07

I purchased a 1986 Bronco almost two years ago and I have completely taken out all the emission junk and added an Edelbrock carb. seems to have made the 351W come alive, at least as much as 145,000 miles will let it. I see headers and three inch exhaust in it's near future. I use the truck every day. I work in construction and you can imagine the places I've had it in. I think the bronco is a very good vehicle and seems to be dependable even with all the miles.

15th Aug 2003, 18:13

I have 82 bronco (recently purchased) I changed the fly wheel and starter, but still am experiencing a loud grinding noise, I looked through the peep hole and it seems that the starter is not fully touching the flywheel kinda skimming over the top of the gears. Theres no way to adjust the position of the starter (shim).And please don't say wrong starter or flywheel, because I have changed it twice and the parts man swears its the right one.

11th Aug 2008, 07:42

If the 5.0 in the Bronco is fuel injected it could be the IAC (Idle Air Control) valve that needs replacing. If it's carby, then no idea.

25th Feb 2009, 09:46

Well Isack... Yes & No.

Yes...As the owner of a 94 Eddie B. & Previous owner of an 85 & an 82 XLT, all with 5.8L's. They were/are all great for off-road, camping and tail-gating @ concerts. Lot of power, great looks, and for older trucks... parts aren't to hard to come by or that expensive. I like them a LOT more than the Wrangler I've had for 10 years. Even pretty nice for highway road trips (for a truck).

No...They are ALL older now (About 23 years in your case) and are going to require maintenance. It can be pricey if you don't do your own work. Yes... They do rust so if you're keeping it undercoating/rust proofing not a bad idea (may be too late in your case). They eat gas something fierce.

I absolutely LOVE mine, but I wouldn't want one as my ONLY vehicle unless I needed towing power, off-road ability, and would rather turn a wrench than have a newer truck payment.

10th Apr 2010, 13:52

I have a 1996 XLT with the 302 in it with 175 thousand miles. Very good truck, does not burn any oil between oil changes.

The truck has the granny low 4 speed that will pull just anything I want in 4 low.

I live in Wyoming; great for those elk hunts and back country drives. Great for hwy use. I am getting about 18 mpg.

I've got only one complaint; the back window switch and motor bad idea needs a hand crank like the K5 Blazer. And the rear tail gate will rust out on the bottom.

The other day I was driving to the store, and it just shut off and would not start back up till it cooled off; what's the problem? Maybe you guys can help?

But I love my 900 dollar truck. What fun. My kids love the top off in the summer. It's the best 900 I've spent.

12th Apr 2011, 08:14

I have a 1986 Ford Bronco full size with the 4.9 L6. It just died on me this morning after running for hours and I had to have it towed back to my apartment because I couldn't get it running again. When I go to turn it over, it acts as if it has a weak battery.

The stuff I have done to it all new: Fuel filter, oil and oil filter, spark plugs, plug wires, distributor cap, rotor button, starter, new alternator, as well as the stock single barrel carburetor has just been taken apart, cleaned and tuned.

Does anyone have any ideas?

27th Sep 2014, 01:39

I just recently bought an 86 with a 302. It's a project. As of now it runs, but is rough. I'm in the process of taking out the engine due to bad a freeze plug (leaks coolant). While I'm at it I will redo all the gaskets and tune ups.

This truck is sitting on 32s and has a jacked up control arm. I agree with you about it not being the manufacturer's problems. This rig was offroaded and abused. Due to it being a Ford, she still runs. And I shall restore her :-)

4th Nov 2017, 14:46

I'm having the same problem with mine. I had had it happen a few years ago and it healed itself, but it has once again presented itself. The mechanic told me it's probably the idle air control. He said you can clean them. It's right at the top of the motor. Takes about 3 minutes to remove it and 1 minute to clean it. Worked first time, but it still does it on occasion. I ordered a new one. I wouldn't recommend driving it like this as the oil pressure gauge bounces around when the idle goes really low. Probably damages internal engine parts due to low oil pressure. 38 bucks from Rock Auto on my 1995 5.8 liter.

Good luck.