302 Trouble Shooting

Ricky B

Ricky B

Wiiide Open
Joined
Mar 20, 2005
Location
LKN - Tha Dirty Mo (Mooresville, NC)
Ok, my 302 came out of a 1990 Ford Bronco, but i got it for free because it was messed up. Here's the problem: He was driving and all of a sudden it started leaking oil real bad out of the front and rear main seals randomly all of a sudden and started running real ragged. Anybody have any idea whats wrong with it or how I can fix it of the top of their heads?
Thanks.
 
uhh just a suggestion, but if the front/rear main seals are leaking how about changing them? Have you check the oil to see if there is coolant in it, may have a blown head gasket too.
 
If both seals are shot and it's making noise, the bottom end has probably gone to hell. Have you checked the mains and rods?
 
Well It's not making noise, and its not just an issue of the seals being old to the point they wore out, something internal made em both go at the same time I think. I was just wondering if maybe this was something some else had ran into or something i could take care of without having to tear apart the engine.
 
Since it's a project, you oughta tear it apart anyway and make sure it's gonna run and last for a while. If nothing else, you'll learn a thing or two, and hey, it was free.
 
I'd give up on the whole 302 thing. It's going to be alot cheaper to fix the Zuki engine in that Sami. From my experience front and Rear main seals don't just give up like that unless who ever didn't know what they were doing to install it or the engine is very old. Either way it needs to be torn down to find out why. It would be foolish to just put the seals back in and go. The rebuild kit cost somewhere in the neighbor hood of $300.00 to $400.00 depending on what you get. Keep in mind this has everything included. I know it's only the main seals leaking but there has to be something causing it. In order for it to be doing that there has to be more than normal pressure in the lower half of the engine. Possibly the person had the timing to high and burnt a hole in the piston. That was the problem with my last project, The person I bought it from had no clue how to time it and had it way to lean. I couldn't keep the CVC valve in it. I know you are building this thing the way you want but I'd go with the Zuki engine swap in the axles you bought and gear this thing like crazy.
 
fryedaddy said:
From my experience front and Rear main seals don't just give up like that unless who ever didn't know what they were doing to install it or the engine is very old.
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Exactly. And it's just a big circle jerk *at least* until you go pull the pan and let us know what you find. Compression and leak-down would be the next checks.
 
fryedaddy said:
I'd give up on the whole 302 thing. It's going to be alot cheaper to fix the Zuki engine in that Sami.
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The engine that was in it had a hole the size of a quarter in the side of the block, so its already been junked.

Yea I dont know what im gonna do yet engine wise. I get out of school in a week and then im gonna start worikng on the samurai. I got alot to do but im not sure weather or not im gonna rebuild the 302 i have or try and find a 302 that runs already.

But at least I can use the 302 I have now to go ahead and fab up mounts for it and the rest of the running gear. I'm gonna have to use a BFH on the floor board to fit the AOD, but at least I have a 3" Body lift on my side for clearance.
 
heck, if you can find a bore light, (can't remember what it's called), just look in the cyls through the spark plug holes to see if there are any holes in pistons. If it isn't that, I'd say you have a pcv problem.
 
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