I just purchased a 1990 Bronco with:
EFI 302 (133k miles on it)
Auto Trans w/od
35's
3" body lift
and a bad exhaust system!
I knew the exhast was going b4 I bought and planned on headers and converting to dual, but now I have oil blowing into the air filter from the crankcase vent. Clogs air filter! That tells me I probably need to rebuild the heads? (someone please correct me if I'm wrong)
I need some more power to get this baby rollin and push the 35's. Is it worth beefing up/rebuild the 302 or should I invest in a 351w?
hey man i was wondering the same thing, i always thought i needed/wanted a big block 351 427 or the always beefy 460 but i'm i might just beef up my 302 in my 89 bronco
If you can find a replacement 351 go for it. I personally can't stand the 302's in these rigs. The 351 is the way to go, especially considering the problems you're already/going to have with the 302.
The 302 needs 4.56 gears to turn those meats.. because no matter what you do to it it will never be strong at low rpms. You can get away with less gearing with a bigger plant, but more than stock gearing is still a good idea if you want to keep your tranny for any reasonable amount of time.
Oil in the air vent may simply be a clogged PCV valve, certainly worth checking before you rebuild the motor. I swapped a 5.8 into my F150 about 8 years ago and I have never been dissapointed, the difference in grunt between the 2 motors at typical city speeds(under 3500rpm) cannot be understated, the 5.8 pushes the truck around with authority!
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Paul O
1990 F150 4x4 XLT X-Cab 5.0, 3.55, Comp 35-349-8, Flowtech LT's to 3" single, FRPP Mass Air Conversion
Under construction: '85 351HO, Dart Iron Eagles, 1.6 RR, Typhoon intake, Crane 444232, 24lb Injectors, TweecerRT, Innovate LC-1 wideband O2
1990 Ranger 2wd, 2.3 Briggs & Stratten, 5-speed, 3.08 gears, and now power steering!!
i used to own an 88 bronco with 302 and was experiencing the same stuff you are. I came on here looking to beef up the 302 and found going to a 5.8 was same amount of work with better results. I located a complete efi 5.8 out of a 95 f250 with 80K miles. because my 302 was mated to an AOD i had to locate the proper flexplate for the 5.8, moved my accessory brackets from the 302 over to the 5.8 and got a 5.8/C6 ecu and never looked back. was the best upgrade i could have made and i highly recommend this swap.
Now since you are running stock gears and 35's i highly recommend you save and get the gears swapped to either 4.56 or 4.88 (thats what i am running and love it) so you dont destroy your tranny due to the added stress of moving those tires. if you need a motor sooner then by all means to that first but still do the gear swap.
