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small block ford problems

1K views 4 replies 4 participants last post by  mstngjoe 
#1 ·
Tonight i was talking to the shop where i get my balancing done and the guy was telling me about this ford 302 thats fighting him..

He rebuilt it .030 over and the guy brings it back with the front 2 pistons skuffed real bad #1 and #5 so he goes .040 over and the thing comes back again with the exact same problem.. same cylinders. both times like 100 miles max. the rest of the motor is perfect crank, cam, etc. So he ( me also) is guessing it's a overheating problem??? Any body ever delt with this situtatuion???? Someone told him it might be a reverse rotation water pump on it and that would cause the problem?????

Any ideas of where to look????? this is a new one for me....

keith
 
#3 ·
only way that could happen is if the block is warped. and that Is very hard to do. After he had it bored over did he manually check himself to see if it was done properly?? Becasue on 302's the back 2 cylinders closest to the winshield for some reason always have more wear on them, then the other 6. I had a similar problem like this in one of my 5.0L mustangs and it was due to poor and shotty machine shop work on my block. I had to bore it over a bit more to straghten it out. then it worked like a hot dam.
 
#4 ·
engine

Double vision,
I have not seen the engine yet. This guy is a shop owner and builds 100 or so motors a year so i would bet the rods are rightous..... Not sure about the detonation. That thought crossed my mind but he told me the other 6 cylinders (2,3,4 6,7,8) look great. I am going over friday night to do some work on my own stuff and i am going to check it out.



5.0 freak, this guy builds like 100 motors a year. I am sure he double and triple checked all his work. especially after the first time it came back. Do you know if the reverse rotation water pumps come in cast iron???? I was told they are all aluminum, but i was not sure if an aftermarket pump might be cast iron???? Is there an easy way to tell if it is a reverse rotation pump????

thanks guys for the help,Keith
 
#5 ·
Based on the stated experience of the builder, I will assume it's not a clearance issue, although I'd want to double check it. Seeing as how it's a two time occurance this is most likely not the problem.

I would guess an overheating situation that could be caused by blocked water passages in the front of the block or a failure to completely purge the cooling system of air on startup.

After I have a block tanked I use a piece of coat hanger or long screwdriver and some compressed air to ensure all the crud is out of the water passages. You'd be surprised at what comes out during this operation. ;)

I've also heard of blocks coming from the tank, set down on their front side to drain/dry and sediment settling in the front passages. Then someone fails to clear them.
 
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