(EDIT: JUST ANSWERING QUESTION BELOW, PLANNING ON PULLING ENGINE OUT)

I have several oil leaks that need to be cured, including leaking main seals. I have never attempted this, and I am wondering: just how difficult is it to pull my 302? My Chiltons describes replacing seals with the engine still in the truck, but it sounds more difficult than pulling the engine and working on it in the shop. Mind you, I have never done this: I am a newb.

So what would you do? Leave it in or pull it? If I pull it, what kind of hoist/engine cradle would you recommend?

Thanks.

 

You can get to everything much easier with it out of the vehicle, it can be done either way. What you need to ask yourself is do I want to do this on my back with everything falling in my face or should I label all the wires and bag the bolts and label the bag as to were they came from and do you have the equipment to remove the motor?
If you have access to an engine hoist and an engine stand and the time then remove the motor. You have this web site with a bunch of guys who have tons of experience who will help with any problems and you have your manual.
All you are doing is replacing gaskets right? You are not rebuilding your motor for the first time.
Go for it and don't be afraid to ask questions. We will help.

 

Thanks for the response and the encouragement. I wasn't assuming it would evolve into a complete rebuild, although I have been considering that. I need to do some other diagnostic investigation before I decide. I want to check compression etc. I am hoping that it will be as simple as pull the engine, degrease, replace seals, new gaskets, maybe repaint the valve covers, then put it back in, hook everything up, and fire her up!

I do not have an engine hoist or stand. I would need some recommendations on those items.

Thanks again.

BTW, she is a 1973 F100.

 

You can pick up a good engine hoist from Napa, O'reilly's or Nothern Tool for around $200. Torin Big Red 2-Ton Foldable Engine Hoist w/Free Load Leveler | Engine Hoists | Northern Tool + Equipment

A stand will run about $100. Torin Folding Engine Stand — 1500-Lb. Capacity, Model# T26801 | Engine Stands | Northern Tool + Equipment

Don't forget, you get what you pay for. We were in a pich a while back and bought a spare 1200lb stand from one of the tool wharehouses for $69. It sucks, I don't know where they get the rating but the IH 345 short block sags the darn thing. We had to put it on the floor to safely tear it down.

 

Hey thanks for the info, those aren't as expensive as I thought. I wonder if I can just rent the hoist, and buy the stand. Then re-rent in order to reinstall when done.

 

The rental company right here by my office rents them for $35 a day. So by the time you rent it twice, with tax your close to half the cost of a new one. Not to mention, if something goes wrong, like the buddies come over and you end up taking longer to get it in or out, you might rack up another days' charges. Not to mention the time and fuel you've spent going back and forth to the rental yard.

If it were me, I'd wait a bit until I could buy one, then I'm not rushing to get it unhooked, wiped down, loaded and back before they close. Not worth it IMO.

 

Y'know, that's good advice right there. I have a good friend who might be interested in going in on one that we can shuttle back and forth between our houses as we need it, too. hmmm...

 

If your going to change the front eng crank seal, replace the harmonic balancer, they love to go bad on the 302, that will save you a bundle by doing that. a rear main seal is not easy to change on a 302, not sure if you have the rope seal or 2 rubber 1/2 seals in yours, the rope seal is a BEACH to get out you will damage the front timing cover gasket when removing the oil pan, so do the front crank seal too, now is a good time to replace the timing chain. BE VERY CAREFUL removing the bolts that hold the timing case cover on, they are long and thin and love to break, work them out back and forth, trying not to break them, replace those bolts with new ones, and use anti seize when replacing them on the entire length of the bolt. the 302 is not a easy eng to work on IMHO for reasons given, so take your time, dont rush it, hope that helps, Chellie

PS you have to loosen the crank bolts about 3 or 4 turns to get the crank to drop down a little, check the crank bearings for wear, if your showing a lot of copper, replace the bearings, dont turn the crank caps around, mark them, do one at a time to check them, check the crank for wear, becareful when buying new bearings, the ones in your eng may be oversized, 10/10 20/20 to make up for any machining that may have been done to the crank.

 

Thanks Chellie,

Good news is it is not a daily driver and I won't need to rush it to get it back in service. I will for sure take my time. Not yet determined the full scope of the work, but I do believe pulling it out no matter what I need to do is the right move.

 

you will get a good education when doing the work if you have a Machanic friend, great, have them help you and show you the ropes it will be easier to do the work with the eng out of the vehicle.

 

To MikeS29: How's it going? I have a '73 F100 Shorty that needs the same thing. I am interested in knowing which direction you took and the issues you encountered. My problem is that I need to get this done ASAP. I am thinking about at least sending the heads out once the motors out but... we'll see how it goes.

 

Moremeat, I never saw your response and question back in October!

The status is I still haven't pulled the engine, but am going to opt for a full rebuild. I will likely be pulling the front clip off the truck, rolling the bed off, and pulling the 302 for a rebuild. When I get bored or frustrated, I'll move on the the exposed chassis. At some point I'll take the cab off too and have a frame-off restoration!

I will post a new thread of the build and link my other scattered threads to it so I can keep all the ***** in the air