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can you use the heads off a H O 302 to put on a regular 302 engine

  • Thread starter Thread starter Jan H
  • Start date Start date Feb 25, 2026
J

Jan H

New Member
Feb 25, 2026
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city of salina kansas
Feb 25, 2026
#1
  • Feb 25, 2026
  • #1
have a 1987 Lincoln Continental {aka the little lincoln},was told it had a 302 high output engine in it,3 months ago a soft plug (aka freeze plug) rusted away & popped, my car ran beautify before I had my car picked up by the auto shop I generally use to repair anything that's gone wrong,I was told my engine was severely rusted out (that's what I get for buying a California car where the owner only used water in the radiator)they put a rebuilt regular 302 engine in my car & had to use the heads off my old high output engine,thay have had my car for 3 months now I am being told that they can start my car & it will run beautifully (don't matter if it's cold or at operating temps when started} but they can start it again & it will have surging problems, the surging problem is quite intermittent but they can't seem to figure out what may be wrong.I think they needed to put a new H O 302 not mess up & install a regular 302 & have to use the heads off my old H O engine, can anyone answer what has goine wrong & why my car will run beautifully on 1 start up but on another start up it will have a bad surging problem.
 

General karthief

wonder how much it would cost to ship you a pair
20+ Year Stangneter
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polk county florida
Feb 25, 2026
#2
  • Feb 25, 2026
  • #2
It's hard to tell a mechanic shop how to repair your car, I sympathize with you but sometimes they may need a hand, our junk is getting old in car years,anyway a couple questions
Being a Cali car is it Mass Air? Or Speed density?
Have they checked for codes?
I will add something to consider, our cars are similar with being run by a computer, and it's now what? 35 yrs old (+-) ? I recomend sending the computer to https://www.bing.com/ck/a?!&&p=0c1e...=a1aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cudGhlZWN1ZXhjaGFuZ2UuY29tLw
That was more than I expected, not real good with links but they have refurbished several Ford computer for me and several other members here.
 
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J

Jan H

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Feb 25, 2026
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city of salina kansas
Mar 1, 2026
#3
  • Mar 1, 2026
  • #3
No t sure if it's the mass air flow or speed kind all I know is the brain is the OBD1,Yes they checked for any codes it is not throwing any,they told me they have even tried installing a new brain,That the car wouldn't even start, so they put my old brain back in & started just fine. My car ran beautifully when they got it and only had the water leak which turned out to be the freeze plug in the block & behind the water pump area had rusted out & started leaking badly as a matter of fact all the freeze plugs were very rusted also the block that's why I decided to get them to put a new rebuilt engine in. Randy put the new engine in & now my car has this intermittent surging problem, Nathan told me they can start my car & it will run great, they shut it off,then thay can start it again & it will do the surging stuff. they can't seem to figure out why & what is causing it since it is not throwing a code. My daughter who is a certified machinic who lives in Illinois (I live in Kansas) suggested that if the gas pump is going out, that the cars brain won't throw any code until it gets 10% or under. The guys working on my cat said they have checked the fuel injectors,the injector rail,filter,air filter & sensor,vacuum hoses,Nathan said a couple were run wrong so they fixed that problem so he said he started it & it still did the surging garbage. My daughter also suggested they check the gas line for rust causing the surging, she also suggested it may be the mass air flow sensor or idol air control valve, I will call them tomorrow & tell Nathan what she suggested. My son who gave me the car said it was the 302 high output engine the guys that installed the rebuilt ordered a 302 standard engine.
 

CAMTWO1070

Active Member
Dec 17, 2021
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NY
May 16, 2026
#4
  • May 16, 2026
  • #4
Putting HO heads on a regular 302 isnt rocket science and the camshaft is the real difference over the heads.........

The regular and the HO engines have different firing orders... Ho firing order is 13726548..Standard 302 is 15423678

So your HO brain wont work on a standard firing order engine...You need to swap the camshaft too or repin the injectors at the ECU plug to open at the right time...........

To repin you need a schematic of the ecu plug and then swap 3 for 5 /7 for 4/3 for 6/5 for 6/4 for 7 and if its a batch fire system youll have to either ive with the injector mismatch or rewire them at the fuelrail as there will be 4 injectors on pin 58 and 4 injectors on pin 59 that spray at the same time every 180 degrees of engine rotation of the crankshaft so the right fuel injectors need to be grouped into bank 1 and bank 2 correctly.



Either way you got a lil work to do and Good Luck
 

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Noobz347

Stangnet Facilities Maint Tech... Er... Janitor
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Jan 4, 1985
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May 16, 2026
#5
  • May 16, 2026
  • #5
The OBD1 ECU and the non-HO cam will not like each other.

They'll both be expecting to fire at different times.
 

General karthief

wonder how much it would cost to ship you a pair
20+ Year Stangneter
Aug 25, 2016
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polk county florida
May 17, 2026
#6
  • May 17, 2026
  • #6
Issues are being compounded, I personally never seem a 'rusted out engine' that was still in the car unless it took a 'saltwater swim', but stranger things and all, they installed an engine different from the one removed, not a big issue but why swap the heads on it? Now all this rigamorerole to rig it to run?
Add to this getting advice from others will only further complicate things, my advice would be to get an engine that is compatible or fix the engine that came out, as you say it ran fine before the water leak.
 

nickyb

I gotta say i never painted my nuts, Never Ever
15 Year Member
Apr 3, 2009
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May 17, 2026
#7
  • May 17, 2026
  • #7
I got to agree with the general. I've seen my share of rusted out freeze plugs ,and have a tool to install new plugs while engine is still in the car.
Seems They should have replaced the freeze plug and been done,sometimes greed bites them in there ass.
 
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