I think my motor is on it's way out :(

[wheelyman19]

If your looking for reliability and gobs of power and get 30 mpg then I spose I'd trade my 98 bonny wit 237 on the clock straight up. And hey u still can throw boost at it if u wanna. just an idea, as far as wanting to kill termis and wat not. If u got traction controll on it shouldn't be a prob. Let me kno if your interested. BTW its silver.

 

[99FiveOh]

I have a Nissan Maxima for for MPG. I don't care if the stang only gets 10 mpg as long as it's fast and runs smooth.

 

[VibrantRedGT]

Sucks about your motor, been there and done that. Had a Vortech on my stock 302 with 12psi pulley (gauge was showing almost 15psi) and of course I pushed the envelope too far. Went with a 347 stroker which I loved.

I think you're on the right path. The 351 will require some additional parts and fab but probably worth it in the end. If all you want is too drop and go 351's are out there. If in the end you're going to have some machining done then look into a 302 base block (cheaper all around). When I needed a new motor I thought about adding a 351 block then bolt on all my aftermarket parts and Vortech. Always wondered what that have been. Guess you'll find out.

 

[99FiveOh]

I'm basically going to mimmik the S351 since it was a proven performer. It's motor was nothing wild but with that blower it made over 500 hp! can't ask for better than that.

 

[BlackVert]

I'm basically going to mimmik the S351 since it was a proven performer. It's motor was nothing wild but with that blower it made over 500 hp! can't ask for better than that.

There you go!



ps - just fyi, it is spelled "mimic"

 

[99FiveOh]

There you go!



ps - just fyi, it is spelled "mimic"

I saw that it was wrong and I tried retyping it 5 times and said screw it! My mouse was about a foot too far away from me!

 

[screamin5oh]

check plugs, and wires, check motor mounts also. even thow everything was just put together does not mean something didnt go wrong, remember those wires are used so you could have had one burn up

 

[99FiveOh]

Man I know the difference between a miss and a vibration. And you know the motor mounts are brand new. I wouldn't make such a strong assumption about the motor being bad if I didn't have good reason to believe it. You know better than anyone that everything on the outside of that motor was brand new.

I will just drive the piss out of it and if it's gonna blow, I'm gonna give it an honorable death!

 

[99FiveOh]

Now I'm starting to lean toward a clutch/flywheel problem. Those parts were reused from before and I don't know how old they are or what kind of abuse the previous owner put them through. I know the car was drag raced which may have done something to the substandard clutch. Since the vibration started at the same time the noise started under the trans tunnel I think it's a good hypothesis that they are related.

So next week a new clutch and flywheel will go on the car.

 

[revhead347]

Sounds like a good plan. I always start by pulling them out and inspecting them. Since you are thinking of going to a 351, and the flywheels aren't really interchangeable, I would see if you can repair the flywheel in there. It might just need a resurface. Also run a compression test on the engine, and check the oil pressure.

Kurt

 

[99FiveOh]

To get a flywheel resurfaced is about 30-40 bucks around here. A brand new one is 55.00 at autozone. I got lots of friends with 5.0's so even when I go to a 351 I can either sell or donate the 5.0 flywheel to one of them. But a 351 is at least a year off from now so this flywheel will get some good use.

Oil pressure is fine, after my scare with the gauge fluctuating I checked into it and now it doesn't budge. Stays on the "L" in normal all the time. I know it's not a replacement for an actual gauge, but it does mean the engine is getting sufficient oil pressure by the Ford's standards.

I will run a compression check. I'll have to look up how to do the balance test as well.

 

[revhead347]

I was thinking of what it costs for a good billet flywheel, which is around $240.00. I have this old codger here in Atlanta that resurfaces my flywheels for $16. It's one of the few things that I've found a good service for here in Atlanta.

Kurt

 

[99FiveOh]

I haven't gotten around to swapping a new clutch/flywheel yet, but at least I know now that the motor isn't going bad. Tonight I took a ride somewhere and on the way it was vibrating like normal, but on the way back it was much smoother. I could still feel it but it didn't rattle any interior panels like it usually does. This has really got me believing that either the pressure plate or the disc are becoming off center somehow, perhaps the result of a pilot bearing that has failed.

 

[revhead347]

Did we cover U joints yet?

Kurt

 

[99FiveOh]

U joints don't spin while the car is standing still.

 

[revhead347]

U joints don't spin while the car is standing still.

Meaning that if you get under the car and fiddle with the driveshaft it seems solid?? I'm sorry, I'm just terrified. I broke down in Connecticut one time because of a bad U joint. There was a slight vibration and then...BAM...the tail section of my transmission shattered.

Kurt

 

[99FiveOh]

No, what I mean is, the u joints do absolutely nothing when the car is not moving, so if a vibration exists while the car is stationary it cannot be the u joints. If I'm going down the interstate at 80mph and take the car out of gear and coast, it is smooth as butter!

 

[revhead347]

Ok, that makes sense. That was just my U-joint paranoia talking.

Kurt

 

[99FiveOh]

Well, I took the car to my brother's shop to put it on the lift and have him check things out while I revved the engine. He said everything seems smooth and there is zero noise coming from the crankcase. He did notice that my transmission mount is sagging a lot causing metal to metal contact. He used a screw type jack to slightly lift the tranny off the crossmember and the vibration seemed to go away.

These 99 ups don't have changeable motor mounts like our beloved 94/95's do. So I'm forced to buy a 60.00 crossmember from Ford.

 

[95Vert383AOD]

Honestly i would do a 351 swap again just to avoid the pain in the ass thermostat removal and valve cover clearance issues with a built 302.

If you want an easy drop in....get a complete 95-97 motor. It will even use the same distributor pin out as the 94/95. Get the ford racing rear sum pan kit (cheap) and your most expensive thing after that will be finding a 351 intake. You can even use stock fuel rails by cutting and lengthening them.

If i knew how easy the 351 swap would be i would never had built a 302 before. You can even get a set of 351 swap headers from mac.

Then on the glorious day you decide to do H/C/I on that 351 engine you'll be leaps and bounds ahead of someone doing the same swap to a 302.

Chris