The engine can be running rich for quite a few reasons, without testing it's almost impossible to tell you what's causing it. It can be a bad oxygen sensor, bad engine coolant temperature sensor, map sensor, etc. I would start with the Oxygen sensor. I believe there is only one on a vehicle this old, but you can check, they will be screwed into the exhaust pipe, if it has two there will be one before the Catalytic Converter and one after it.
Since this is an OBD1 system, and Fords take forever to set codes, you can try unplugging the Oxygen sensor and see if you notice any change. Without the check engine light being on, there are not any codes stored. On Fords it sometimes takes 40 to 50 key starts with a fault to set codes on these older systems.
If your truck has any air injection systems, there will be a diverter valve and a hose that runs down to the exhaust, this is used for air injection that can be commanded on by the engine computer and diverts air into the exhaust, when the diverter valve goes bad it can pump oxygen into the exhaust when it's not supposed to and trick the oxygen sensor, sending the system rich. You can try clamping off one of the rubber hoses that runs to the exhaust and see if that helps.
Granted it will take a few minutes for the engine to respond if it's been like this for a while.
But try unplugging the oxygen sensor for a few minutes, if no change plug it back in and clamp off an air injection hose.
https://www.2carpros.com/articles/engine-black-smoke
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Friday, December 30th, 2022 AT 1:05 PM