302 swap

[Romans117]

In the owners manual.. no, but the base timing setting is printed on the emissions sticker which would originally be on top of the rad support on these trucks. FWIW that factory setting is 10deg BTDC but most motors will tolerate a few degrees more than that, and with a 6-liter tunup a few degrees more again. Advancing the timing more than stock improves Tq output but overdoing it can lead to spark knock(pinging), so you'll have to experiment with your truck to find the happy medium. Setting the timing involves attaching a timing light, removing the spout plug(in the TFI wiring harness) to disable computer advance, and then turning the distributor to achieve the desired base advance as observed with the light pointed at the timing marks on the crank balancer. Once there the distributor is locked down and the spout plug re-inserted.


Sorry.. I don't touch another man's chain.

The chilton manual says there is no need to adjust as the tfi does it all. Learned a lot this go around.

I am amazed the firing order would be different on the same 302 motor.

 

[Fellro]

You do still have to set the base, the tfi can only go so far...
The HO uses a different cam if I recall, so it changes which piston pair is on compression and which is on exhaust.

 

[5.0Flareside]

yeah, base timing should be between 10*-14* with the Spout pulled.

yeah the HO uses a more car friendly cam, but its not a huge difference...

 

[flareside_thunder]

IIRC they also use flat top pistons.

 

[Alvin in AZ]

The HO uses a different cam... it changes which piston
pair is on compression and which is on exhaust.

Yeah.
...but why?
...what's the end effect they were after?

Alvin in AZ

 

[5.0Flareside]

IIRC they also use flat top pistons.

some do... some use forged pistons.. depending on the year..

 

[Fellro]

Perhaps they found the difference improved power output a little, maybe it was just because they felt like it, or convenience if they were using a 351W grind. Hard to say sometimes why they make some of the decisions they do... Why make a different water pump for the same car with the same motor, both with air? That would be a friend's 79 Cougar XR-7, got a water pump for a standard Cougar, and it was wrong.

 

[Romans117]

You do still have to set the base, the tfi can only go so far...
The HO uses a different cam if I recall, so it changes which piston pair is on compression and which is on exhaust.

How do you set the timing when there is no timing marks? I see no degree markings.

 

[FordF-SuperDuty]

How do you set the timing when there is no timing marks? I see no degree markings.

Timing tape?

 

[flareside_thunder]

There should be degree marks....every one I've seen has them. Have you tried taking some sandclothe or high grit sandpaper and lightly sanding on the harmonic balancer?

 

[Fellro]

The marks are there, but not as obvious as you may be used to. It is still set by timing light. The degree marks are likely on the timing cover, may not be real obvious to see. Helped a customer with a 300 that had followed the poor advice of one of my not so bright co workers, and had the timing all screwed around. Sad part was, I had nailed the problem when he called me for my advice since it had gone to no start from having driven it there. He pinched a wire when he swapped the distributor... The timing marks were not in a very nice location...

 

[Romans117]

The saga continues.

The truck is purring along. Then it started overheating. New thermostat. Good to go.

Then I smell tranmission fluid. Leaking from the front seal on the tranny it appears. Any fixes in a bottle? Stop leak type stuff?

It is getting about 9 miles per gallon. A little miffed about that.

 

[Fellro]

Lesson I learned a long time ago, any time you have the motor out and the front seal has time on it, replace it. Easier to do it while you are there, and seems that many times they get disturbed then leak.

For the fix in a bottle, give the Lucas trans fix a shot, actually stopped a dipstick o-ring leak for me. Other possibility is a no-lockup condition in the trans, causing it to overheat. Be sure the leak is between the motor and trans, and not from the vent on the top back of the bell housing.

 

[Romans117]

Other possibility is a no-lockup condition in the trans, causing it to overheat.

Please explain.

 

[Fellro]

Making some assumptions since I don't have your specs, but unless you have a C6, you have a transmission that has a lockup clutch. (AOD, AODE, E4OD) If this is the case, you should have the lockup clutch engage while driving down the highway. If it doesn't the trans will not reach 1:1 lockup, and will generate heat from the "slip" which could lead to boil over. Should it get to that level, it will puke fluid out the vent. A plugged vent could also cause it to leak out the front seal, but if the fluid is coming out the area between the transmission and motor, then it is the front seal and not the vent. Had similar situations happen to me before. Not the lockup issue, but the boil over. With the motor swap, it is possible that the lockup is currently non-functional.

 

[Romans117]

how does it get functional?

 

[Romans117]

In further review it woud make sense that the trans would overheat if the engine was. I woud surmise the front seal popped because I can see no oil coming from on top of the motor where the vent is suppose to be. i will add more fluid and pray for the best.

 

[Fellro]

Might be just because the torque converter moved a bit when swapping motors. Even if the engine is overheating, it won't make the trans overheat by default.

 

[Romans117]

How about the transmission causing the tempeature of the motor to fluctuate due to overheating?

 

[Fellro]

Also pretty much minimal, the cooler is way small in comparison to the radiator. Only way would be if it had some kind of drag that is not normal.