I have an 88 F150 with the 302 in it. I've recently done a bunch of work to it and it has been running great. Today, I stopped for gas on a short highway trip and when I started the engine again after, a knocking sound starting coming from the motor. I've had this happen before to a different vehicle, a cavalier, and it ended up being a broken connecting rod. This sound is exactly the same as the sound my car made. The problem with the car was due to lack of maintenance, the trucks problem is anything but that. The oil was fine and i don't drive the truck hard but nonetheless, it's busted anyway. Now, I have a haynes manual and I have moderate experience now with vehicle mechanics and due to lack of funds/time i can be without my vehicle, I am going to attempt this myself. I know a haynes manual isn't a acceptable replacement for a certified mechanic but the instructions seem clear and I will be labelling everything that comes off the truck. One thing though, I always figured the engine needed to be OUT of the truck to do this type of job but according to the book, it can be done with the engine still in. I want to know if that's possible and also, any tips you guys could provide would be very much appreciated.


cliff notes: connecting rod is broken(i think), i want to fix it myself, can i do it with the engine in the vehicle/can you offer any tips.


edit: it wasn't the connecting rods that were broken, it was a spun rod bearing in the cavalier. in my excitement in typing this post i forgot exactly what i was saying.


Thanks guys.

 

best method is to pull the motor... u may have block piston damage

 

HI!... If it's knocking as bad as you say it is then it's time to scrap that engine and buy a new one or rebuild the current one. If your connecting rod was "BROKEN" the engine would not run and if it could which I doubt it would barely run for long. You most likey have a spun rod or main bearing and the engine will have to be pulled and rebuilt no matter which one it is.

 

with the cavalier, i drove it for about a week before i took it in. i needed a new crank but there was no cylinder damage. I will try not to drive the truck until i can get this figured out but i work construction and i need my tools, i can't just ride my bike to work like i did when i car packed it in. the only reason i want to try to do it with the engine in the truck is to save on time and money going out for stand/hoist and other misc tools i need to remove the motor. Do you think that putting a heavier oil would help slow damage for abit, just in case I need the truck? it has mobil1 10w30 in it now.

 

I see. Replacing the bearings wouldn't be enough as there is most likely damage elsewhere now right? Too bad it's sunday, i'll have to wait for tomorrow to call around looking for a new engine. I should only have to replace the bottom end though correct?

 

like neil stated if the rod is broken then the cylinder is junk and so on and so fourth

however it will run with a broken rod..but not for long...

302 short blocks from a recycle yard is cheap $$$

take your time enjoy yourself and do a engine swap using your heads
(have them looked at)
intake and exhaust manifolds...

you can do it its really not that difficult...

...zap!

 

thanks for the encouragement. i figure if i label everything really well it should be pretty straight forward putting the engine back in. just out of curiosity, will this cause damage to more than the block? what else should be looked at now besides the cause of the damage?

 

if its an auto trans check for a cracked flexplate, that will
cause a noise that sounds very similar to a rod knock, maybe you'll get lucky and only need a $50 flexplate

 

it is an auto and i will do that, thank you. there also is a nasty tick comin out of the engine at idle, maybe 3 or 4 ticks/second. i cant hear it when im driving but that could be because i cant hear it over the horrendous noise this truck is making. this is all from this one drive, it was running great yesterday.

 

Around here, you can buy a REMAN short block for around $300.

Buy an oil pump and gaskets and VIOLA you are on the road agin.

But if you are going that far, maybe have someone look at the heads while you have them off. You could do some quick port matching too, if you were so inclined.

 

i called around. dudes want 1600 bucks to remanufacture my block, 3300 if they install it. some others wouldnt give me a price until they looked at it.