How to find out what type of cam I have? Roller or not?

KAILUAZ

KAILUAZ

New Member
Jul 15, 2004
333
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0
St Pete, FL via Kailua, HI
#1
So I have a 302 that a previous owner swapped in and I have no idea what it came out of. How do I tell if its a roller or not? Its got a 289 manifold, EFI distributer (running in limp mode I think) cast iron water pump, and no mechanical fuel pump.
At some point the engine is coming out so I can get the casting numbers,, just not any time soon.
Thanks!!
View attachment 377101
 
#2
hmm i am not sure if the early 80s 5.0 had a mech fuel pump or not. if the older ones did have mechanical pump then yours would be a later model 302 and be roller

what is the firing order it could be a HO firing order which i am pretty sure all HOs had roller cams
 
#7
Either by the pushrod length or i would feel better pulling the intake and checking for a spider bracket for the lifters. Judging by the look of it i would say it's a flat tappet engine out of a truck since most cars that came with a 302 had some kind of aluminum valve covers...but of course who knows what has been swapped so that's just a guess by looking at it.

You mentioned a cast iron water pump....there's something i don't remember exactly, about which direction the water pump spins in can tell you what year the block is but i don't remember all of it.
 
#10
Foxfan88 said:
the engine has all the later model brackets and belt setup
Click to expand...

I thought of that too, but the belt tensioner is the same style they used on the early serpentine setups before they went roller....my engine had the same tensioner so it would seem they switched to the newer style tensioner in '86, so it could be an '85 (my brackets are the same as any '86+)
 
#12
KAILUAZ said:
I thought the EFI dizzy had to be used with a roller cam because it has a brass gear? Or the other way around? This thing is a nightmare! :eek: I might just pull it and go with a 351.
Click to expand...


Well no not necessarily as you could always change the gear, but since it is running with that disy it would lead me to think it might be a roller. Just pull the intake....it's no huge deal, disconnect the fuel line and pull the bolts out...you don't even have to pull the disy out.
 
#19
It's a roller motor, you have a coolant leak into the #1 cylinder and the computer is actually an emmissions computer that came on the carbed models starting in 1985. It controls the emissions stuff only.
 
#20
vristang said:
OK
I gotta ask...

How can you tell if a motor needs to be rebuilt by looking at the lifter valley?
:rolleyes:




jason
Click to expand...


It's a general assumption. Judging by the leaking intake gasket, i would assume it could use a rebuild. Then again he said it's a 289 intake which isn't stock so that could just be from swapping intakes.
 
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