Ford 302 Engine help -recommendations?

[Andrew S]

Hi,
After a short run from Stirling to Linlithgow I was losing power from my 1975 Ford 302 v8.

When I reached 'lithgow, the oil pressure guage was going down at idle and up when power was on. And the engine power was decreasing rapidly.

Plenty of oil in the engine. After it was parked for 30 mins, cooled down (water temp steady, not over heating) the power was back.

Clearly something's wrong, and I guess it could be a range of issues.

So, any recommendations for someone to have a look at it?

Cheers,
a./

[Andy Dean]

I guess any good mechanic may be able to diagnose the problem, but if you're looking for someone with American car experience the two main guys are Derek Stewart (American Connection on here) in Rosyth and Billy Alexander in Renfrew.

http://www.americanconnection.org/
http://www.alexanderautos.co.uk

The other guys may be able to suggest more...

Oil pressure going up under power is normal as far as i know.

Andy.

[scotb]

carb freezing?

[Andrew S]

carb freezing?

dunno, any hints on how I can check it out?

[Andrew S]

I guess any good mechanic may be able to diagnose the problem, but if you're looking for someone with American car experience the two main guys are Derek Stewart (American Connection on here) in Rosyth and Billy Alexander in Renfrew.

http://www.americanconnection.org/
http://www.alexanderautos.co.uk

The other guys may be able to suggest more...

Oil pressure going up under power is normal as far as i know.

Andy.

thanks, and the oil pressure never budged before --and it was going up and more worryingly down in direct relation to the revs. no revs=no pressure.

[Andy Dean]

How low was your oil pressure going at idle?

[Andrew S]

right down to pretty much zero.

I think the electric choke is okay --last night I started, let it warm up, and when I blipped the throttle, the revs dropped quite happily.

[v8leeroy]

right down to pretty much zero.

I think the electric choke is okay --last night I started, let it warm up, and when I blipped the throttle, the revs dropped quite happily.

ill gee you £20 quid for it as i need an anchor for my boat and then you can get a decent engine for it (chevy)

[Andrew S]

I'll let you know next week, if the engine is goosed, the anchor is yours...

[markymark]

loosing power when hot could be a problem with the coil/condensor - when they cool down they go back to normal - try another coil/condensor on it if you have a spare.

oil pressure would normally go up/down depending on revs.

[exitwound]

Hi,

I had this problem ages ago with a 302 in my Pinto. I suspected someone, sometime, had put in some oil thickener to bump up the oil pressure. the result was that an oil gallery somewhere had blocked and damaged a crank journal due to the oil starvation. This meant the motor would run slower when hot and lose power and the oil pressure guage was fluctuating wildly.

I drained the old oil, refilled with some cheap stuff, added a pint of paraffin, and oil flush and ran the 302 at a fastish idle for a while until it was nice and hot. Then I drained the oil again, fitted a new filter, added good oil and a quantity of ZX1 (Halfords). This stuff is molecular, and bonds to any bearing surfaces, making it almost friction free and very slippery. It also has the bonus of polishing out any worn/fired up/ragged, bearing wear/damage due to poor lubrication.

I'm not saying this is exactly whats wrong with yours, but the motor ran perfectly after that, and for the next 20k miles! I always intended to pull the journals and check them, but it ran so well (14secs on super unleaded and nitrox!) I never did.. Even got featured in the Daily Record!

The 302 is a very forgiving motor, so don't give up on it just yet..

Cheers!

http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i183/exitwound308/pinto.jpg
http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i183/exitwound308/Pintoo.jpg

[Andrew S]

Thanks a lot for this post --Newmarket Engineering are thinking it could be a sump filter choked or return valve stuck.

I am very interested in your story and will be taking it with me when the truck goes in next week. I might even have a go at that before then.

Where would I get a new filter for it off the shelf?

Cheers,
a/.

[exitwound]

A Ford 3litre V6 (Essex) filter will fit and work fine, but its not as big as the correct 302 one. I used a Mallory dual point distributor in mine, and the points were very expensive to replace until I discovered that they were the same as a Ford Cortina's!!! :D

Could be the oil pump or the pickup strainer. The return valve is easy to access and clean out. :)

While your about it, check the fuel level is sufficient in the carb bowl, its an easy one to overlook and can produce similar power loss symptoms. A Holley carb has a small brass plug in the side that you unscrew, and should leak a little fuel when the pump runs, ..if not, adjust the float screw atop the carb to lift the float a little... :D