Ford truck with 302 5.0L " bug "

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First of all, im a chevy guys, alway will be, but recently I have this " bug " wanted a old ford truck with a 5.0L engine. Im talking about fuel injection 5.0L ford truck, any one having these truck, can tell me more about it.
 
Originally Posted By: qdeezie
I have one. What details are you looking for? Just stuff in general?

yes, like common problem, realibity, what u think of the truck.... I want much opinion on it. and btw since I got that " bug " I remember the castrol gtx high miles ( the guy with the dog in a ford truck here the link ).http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QvkxnBJIEIc
made me want the truck event more lol
 
If you get one with a manual trans they're great ,for the fact it has a mechanical clutch,no hydraulics to mess with.The 'Twin I-beam' front was extemely durable,and had good road maners for a truck.The XL trim I had included crank windows,still came with the corner vent windows and had icy cold a/c that used R-12 IIRC.
The stock radio was ok .This was before there was such a thing as car audio shops.Watch out for the northern trucks but Fords faired pretty well against rust.My F-150(Auto) and 250(man.) had the famous dual tanks(and they were on the same side,not gonna mention names, Chevy!) ..what a Godsend when camping,hunting or towing.
I got decent mileage,3.55 rearend about 20-22 Hwy pre-obd-II thank you very much.And cheap fix-it parts galore, not as cheap as Chevy for the time,but not bad..sliding back window and you're set..Good hunting.
Edit: the auto trans A4OD was good too I didnt mention that.A run up to Brasstown Bald with gear and three people produced no overheat on the transmission or coolant,while some, if not most vehicles were puking ATF and or coolant at the top..
 
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I think the truck is very, VERY reliable. I drive it everywhere and I prefer to drive it daily. As far as common problems, I'll tell you what I didn't like about it or experienced and what I did to change it. I took the time to shop around and purchased replacement parts over a year's time and replaced pretty much every electrical sensor under the hood for peace of mind. I found that the truck can be very picky on certain replacement parts. Below, I'll list what comes to mind whether it be good, bad or otherwise.

1) One thing that I didn't like at all about the truck was the factory alternator. It was very underpowered and I found out that Ford had a TSB on it. I did a 3G alternator (alternator from a later model Ford) upgrade and that cured all of the wandering low voltmeter readings/dimming light issues I had.......mind you, I don't have any accessories that demand high voltage. The factory alternator is just that weak in my opinion.

2) Battery cables are inadequate from the factory. You have to upgrade to either 2 gauge cables or double up the 4 gauge positive/negative cables from the battery to the solenoid and ground. You may experience slow/no starts when the engine is hot if you don't upgrade the battery cables. It's a cheap thing to do, so really no reason not to do so.

3) The truck is very particular about spark plugs. If you use plugs other than basic cheapie Motorcraft or Autolite, you are bound to have problems. You can upgrade everything else in the ignition system, but with the spark plugs, keep them cheap and basic.

4) Regarding vacuum hoses, go ahead and buy about 20 feet of vacuum hose and some vacuum T's and route those to each component under the hood. That way, you don't have vacuum related driveability issues. I think Ford discontinued the actual vacuum harness.

5) I don't like where the PCV valve is located. It is at the back of the passenger's side valve cover under the upper intake manifold.

6) I did not like the fact that it had cork gaskets from the factory, which caused leaks. I ended up replacing pretty much every gasket on it with the exception of the head gasket and rear main. Between wimpy cork gaskets and age, it leaked everywhere.

7) In addition to #6, when it was leaking, I used conventional oil. Once I got it fixed and changed it to synthetic, I have found that the truck runs cooler on synthetic oil. I didn't use a thermometer to measure it, it was a coincidental observation based on the temperature gauge reading when I changed from conventional to syn.

8) 1987-1991 5.0L trucks have flat tappet camshafts. 1992-1996 5.0L trucks have roller camshafts. When I first bought it, I was under the impression that all 5.0L Fords whether it was a car, truck or van had roller camshafts from 1986 up, but that is not the case.

9) Parts are very cheap for this truck!

10) Power steering fluid is Type F transmission fluid. I thought it was an old wives tale, but that is seriously what it uses.

11) The best distributor rotor button to use is a genuine Motorcraft rotor from a 1996 F250 5.0L. It has brass and copper contacts and the construction is MUCH better than aftermarket rotors. I order my Motorcraft rotor from Advance Auto for about $8.

12) The two pickiest parts on the truck are the EGR position sensor and the IAC valve. The ones from Autozone (Duralast/Wells) worked. The ones made by BWD/Standard parts gave me major problems. So, this is either a Motorcraft or AZ part.

13) I have not found the "perfect" transmission fluid yet. I'm trying out Maxlife this weekend. All I've done so far is cheap stuff over the last year just to try to clean it out before upgrading to better stuff. Also, I've heard that Castrol High Mileage ATF works wonderfully, but I have not confirmed it.

14) I've heard that 302s really "like" 40 weight oils (i.e. 0w-40, 5w-40 and 10w-40). I haven't owned it long enough to confirm that yet.

15) I have found that Motorcraft parts are of excellent quality. I always thought that it was just a quick way for the dealer to make money from a ridiculous markup, but it's truly a quality difference. I still shop around, but Motorcraft is truly good stuff.

I could write a book on this truck, but I hope this helps. Overall, I like the truck. Experience, research and another forum that I'm a member of has helped my ownership experience substantially.
 
Any year Ford 302 5.0 liter V8 and any year Ford 300 4.9 liter Straight 6 are some of the best motors Ford built. Both engine blocks have High levels of nickle in the cast Iron that makes for some long living motors. I had a 300 Straight 6 with 250,+++ work miles that pulled like a Train. The engine design of the 300 Straight 6 helps it make more low end torque than a mild 302. Both can get excellent fuel mileage, even in a pickup 15mpg around town and 20+ on Highway.
 
Originally Posted By: qdeezie
I think the truck is very, VERY reliable. I drive it everywhere and I prefer to drive it daily. As far as common problems, I'll tell you what I didn't like about it or experienced and what I did to change it. I took the time to shop around and purchased replacement parts over a year's time and replaced pretty much every electrical sensor under the hood for peace of mind. I found that the truck can be very picky on certain replacement parts. Below, I'll list what comes to mind whether it be good, bad or otherwise.

1) One thing that I didn't like at all about the truck was the factory alternator. It was very underpowered and I found out that Ford had a TSB on it. I did a 3G alternator (alternator from a later model Ford) upgrade and that cured all of the wandering low voltmeter readings/dimming light issues I had.......mind you, I don't have any accessories that demand high voltage. The factory alternator is just that weak in my opinion.

2) Battery cables are inadequate from the factory. You have to upgrade to either 2 gauge cables or double up the 4 gauge positive/negative cables from the battery to the solenoid and ground. You may experience slow/no starts when the engine is hot if you don't upgrade the battery cables. It's a cheap thing to do, so really no reason not to do so.

3) The truck is very particular about spark plugs. If you use plugs other than basic cheapie Motorcraft or Autolite, you are bound to have problems. You can upgrade everything else in the ignition system, but with the spark plugs, keep them cheap and basic.

4) Regarding vacuum hoses, go ahead and buy about 20 feet of vacuum hose and some vacuum T's and route those to each component under the hood. That way, you don't have vacuum related driveability issues. I think Ford discontinued the actual vacuum harness.

5) I don't like where the PCV valve is located. It is at the back of the passenger's side valve cover under the upper intake manifold.

6) I did not like the fact that it had cork gaskets from the factory, which caused leaks. I ended up replacing pretty much every gasket on it with the exception of the head gasket and rear main. Between wimpy cork gaskets and age, it leaked everywhere.

7) In addition to #6, when it was leaking, I used conventional oil. Once I got it fixed and changed it to synthetic, I have found that the truck runs cooler on synthetic oil. I didn't use a thermometer to measure it, it was a coincidental observation based on the temperature gauge reading when I changed from conventional to syn.

8) 1987-1991 5.0L trucks have flat tappet camshafts. 1992-1996 5.0L trucks have roller camshafts. When I first bought it, I was under the impression that all 5.0L Fords whether it was a car, truck or van had roller camshafts from 1986 up, but that is not the case.

9) Parts are very cheap for this truck!

10) Power steering fluid is Type F transmission fluid. I thought it was an old wives tale, but that is seriously what it uses.

11) The best distributor rotor button to use is a genuine Motorcraft rotor from a 1996 F250 5.0L. It has brass and copper contacts and the construction is MUCH better than aftermarket rotors. I order my Motorcraft rotor from Advance Auto for about $8.

12) The two pickiest parts on the truck are the EGR position sensor and the IAC valve. The ones from Autozone (Duralast/Wells) worked. The ones made by BWD/Standard parts gave me major problems. So, this is either a Motorcraft or AZ part.

13) I have not found the "perfect" transmission fluid yet. I'm trying out Maxlife this weekend. All I've done so far is cheap stuff over the last year just to try to clean it out before upgrading to better stuff. Also, I've heard that Castrol High Mileage ATF works wonderfully, but I have not confirmed it.

14) I've heard that 302s really "like" 40 weight oils (i.e. 0w-40, 5w-40 and 10w-40). I haven't owned it long enough to confirm that yet.

15) I have found that Motorcraft parts are of excellent quality. I always thought that it was just a quick way for the dealer to make money from a ridiculous markup, but it's truly a quality difference. I still shop around, but Motorcraft is truly good stuff.

I could write a book on this truck, but I hope this helps. Overall, I like the truck. Experience, research and another forum that I'm a member of has helped my ownership experience substantially.


Thanks you, that is exactly what I am asking for. My dad is ford man lol castrol gtx is all he ever use since he was young, and I first american car is a 98 mustang gt, own it for 3 years, mustang having the best sound exhault over any car. after own a chevy im dont look back, but in my heart ford truck or mustang still in me ^^. Yes motorcraft is all I ever use for part for use for tune up. Ford alway run great on motocraft part. I have me $3000 dollar budget for this truck, hope I can find one in good condition around 2000 to 2500, then what ever left is for tune up and maintain part. Im plan use this truck for winter, fishing, hauling trailer/boat.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Originally Posted By: CamaroT56

Thanks you, that is exactly what I am asking for. My dad is ford man lol castrol gtx is all he ever use since he was young, and I first american car is a 98 mustang gt, own it for 3 years, mustang having the best sound exhault over any car. after own a chevy im dont look back, but in my heart ford truck or mustang still in me ^^. Yes motorcraft is all I ever use for part for use for tune up. Ford alway run great on motocraft part. I have me $3000 dollar budget for this truck, hope I can find one in good condition around 2000 to 2500, then what ever left is for tune up and maintain part. Im plan use this truck for winter, fishing, hauling trailer/boat.


Sounds good. If you have questions about the truck after you buy it, feel free to send me a PM.
 
Originally Posted By: qdeezie
Originally Posted By: CamaroT56

Thanks you, that is exactly what I am asking for. My dad is ford man lol castrol gtx is all he ever use since he was young, and I first american car is a 98 mustang gt, own it for 3 years, mustang having the best sound exhault over any car. after own a chevy im dont look back, but in my heart ford truck or mustang still in me ^^. Yes motorcraft is all I ever use for part for use for tune up. Ford alway run great on motocraft part. I have me $3000 dollar budget for this truck, hope I can find one in good condition around 2000 to 2500, then what ever left is for tune up and maintain part. Im plan use this truck for winter, fishing, hauling trailer/boat.


Sounds good. If you have questions about the truck after you buy it, feel free to send me a PM.


I will. One thing about me when it come to find a car I like. Car must have color red or black ( I been own over 10 car since 18, all is red or black ), I dont drive any other color lol. must be automatic for this truck, dont need any major repair other then oil change and tune up.
 
1995 and 1996 are the years to look for IMO. Ford switched from speed density to mass air for intake air metering. Older trucks can be converted using Mustang parts. Also, the 5.0 got the 4R70W transmission for those two years only IIRC.

I think these are some of the best looking pickups ever built, especially in Eddie Bauer trim...
3201-1996-ford-f-150-eddie-bauer.jpg


Really, any year EFI 5.0 F-150 is great though if the truck has been well cared for.
 
dadstruck1.jpg


My 86 F150.. well it's going to be mine just need to get it up here. Has a 5.0L auto 85k. Going to restore it. The only problem besides poor maintenance by my dad is the module on the disty. Went out twice common failure.
 
Yep, get one with MAF, then throw the Trick Flow top end kit on it.

Well over 300HP and it would be a lot of fun.
 
Originally Posted By: mechtech2
5.0 six cylinder? What year? What type of FI or carb?


The six was called the 4.9L, it was 300CI. Big 'ol tractor engine.
 
My '95 was nice. I got it for $800 from a dealership that had it on consignment. It was dented on both sides of the box (8') but otherwise nice and came with a topper too. It had a noisy blower motor for the HVAC when I sold it, and also the front coil spring mount on the driver side had rusted through letting the spring punch through and jam itself in place. I still drove it that way and it tracked straight too but it was wearing the [censored] out of the tire! That is a common problem so look good at the spring mount tops. Engine was awesome and idled high on startup for about 40 seconds then dropped down to a purr. Good mileage too at around 15-17 avg. Go get one!!!

If I get another, it'll be the I6, manual trans. Gotta start looking!
 
what does TSB stand for ? & which alternator did u use for the upgrade precisely ? I own a 1986 F-150 XLT Lariat 5.0 EFI 4x4 . I could really use the help, thanks a lot !!!
 
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