Afternoon Gents,
I am going to look at a 1988 Bronco http://fresno.craigslist.org/cto/4309641694.html

It has the 302, 180k miles, is the 302 good to go for these, it is fuel injected right?
I know they had the 351W in them also, should I look for that instead?
I have, and have had quite a few trucks, but the Bronco platform I have no experience. I know they are almost identical to their F150 brethren, but I know little if nothing of the 80's models.
Any and all input and opinions are welcomed!
Thanks
Joe

 

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Yes on the fuel injection. If it has been properly maintained the the 302 should be good for another 75-100k miles. I have 250k on mine and it still runs good. I had to replace the tranny at 175k miles, but the engine has held up great.

 

5.0 fuelies are great motors.

I wouldn't worry about having to have a 5.8. More torque for sure but you would be hard pressed to notice a difference in most situations.

Except when your 350 lovin chevy buddies feel the need to compensate.

 

Agreed... but then bothering to lower your standard to the likes of Chebby lubbers, would mean you would have to give a #$%^&* about what they thought.

In 1988 the Bronco had three engine options, the 300 (4.9l), the 302 (5.0l), and the 351 (5.8l). All were bank-fired EFI. The 300 is 2 fewer cubic inches and two fewer cylinders... which gives you an idea as to the sheer size of the six cylinders in there. The 302 is a derivative of the original 289 as it always was and does well enough in the trucks for being a relatively high-revving mill. The 351 doesn't work as hard as the 302 but doesn't pull like the 300 down on the bottom end. The most accurate description for your engine options is "compromise" based upon what you intend to do with the truck.

 

Thanks guys!! I have a 302 in my garage waiting to go in my 66 F100, just seems like the bronco is a bigger truck, but I guess not...hopefully will be checking it out in the next few days!

 

From my experience, the 302 is an attribute to my Bronco. With the care I've given it, it hasn't needed any repairs. Mine currently has 167,155 miles on it and still gets the same mileage as it did when it was new.

My Bronco's E4OD transmission failed at 158,437 miles, while towing a 3,400 pound trailer. Every Ford dealership I contacted would only suggest/provide a Ford Certified transmission swap. Since I provided the best care I could find, I wanted to know what the cause of the problem was. I found a transmission repair specialist, who has been rebuilding transmissions for 39 years. When I told him that I had an E4OD, and described the failure, before opening it. He showed me a lot of parts out of previously rebuilt ones. He knew before he opened mine what the problem was, and he was right.

Apparently, it was a Ford design problem in the E4OD and subsequent models. The output shaft's spline that goes into the planetary gear at it's end is what caused the failure. While the shop completely dissected & removed all of the transmission parts(more than 130), all of the parts, including gears & bearings looked like they were new. He was even impressed. All of the old clutches looked like the new ones, except the old ones were wet. With the large planetary gear housing being made of aluminum, the strong steel of the output shaft's end spline, shredded out the receiving spine of the planetary. When it happened, I pulled over immediately.

In the rebuild kit they used, the planetary housing is made of strong steel with 5 spiral gears on the circumference , rather than 3 that Ford's was designed with. With 5, they run with less stress, will way out live 3 and distribute the load more evenly. Another great part is that, the rebuild cost was $1,538 less than the lowest price of a tranny swap. The '96 fuel injected 302 is great. I think my 302 and E4OD will go above and beyond 100k more miles.

 

Personally i would stay clear of the 87-88 models as those had manual flat top hubs. these where designed by WARN only for 2 model years and are difficult to find and if you do they are spendy. I had an 88 with a 302 and it was a pig, although the motor wasnt taken care of as good as the PO claimed which was frustrating. I did a 5.8 swap and coupled with the AOD it was a great combo. I wouldnt touch a bronco with the e4od unless it was a 94 and newer since thats when the tranny got all the internal upgrades. should have no trouble finding a 94+ for $1800-2500 all day long.

 

Thanks,,, found an 86 in Fresburg, with a manual,,, he sold it! Was going to get it saturday morning,,,oh well, the search continues,,, any other good advice on years and what-not to look for or are desirable? The manual was TOTALLY desirable to me!! Dang-it,,,hate having to work sometimes,,, I miss the deals! They are gone before I can go get them.

 

My 88 came from the factory with the 302 FI and the AOD tranny. No problems and still going. It also has electronic 4wd and the hubs have been switched over to manual Warn. Still no problems and I use it as a daily driver. The 302 has been around for a long time.

 

When did the Bronco's get FI?

 

I don't know the exact date they got fuel injection, but I know it was at least in the 80s. Our 88 F-150 was fuel injected, it was a 5.8, but I assume they would have fuel injection on the 5.0s then also.

 

The 302 got EFI as early as '85 while the 351 and 300 came standard with it by '87. It is possible to find a few carbureted '85 & '86 units. The light trucks got the EFI slightly after the cars began getting it.

 

Good, Thanks,,, I like the 86 body style, and of course the 96. Just depends on what I find, the 88 I originally was looking at is still available,,, it has 180k/302/ white ext/blue int, looks to be in awesome condition, she had it priced at 4k and I told her she was way high, she knows and is flexible on the price.
How do the front-ends hold up on these? I know I had to do ball joints on my Ex at about 120k, but it has 35's and the 7.3 weight.

 

Well for the front end, my 96 has 213k miles on it and I haven't had to do much other than repack wheel bearings (which wasn't completely necessary either.) However I didn't put all 213k on it. I bought it at 101k, so within 112k of me driving, my front end is still holding up well. The previous owner may have had work done on the front, because they just installed a 4" lift and put bigger tires on it, but still, 112k and I have no issues.

I'd like to take your 7.3 though.. I can't wait to drop that in my bronco. But I suppose I will have to.. it won't be a cheap or easy task that's for sure.