okay so recently i posted that i got a new frame for my 89 bronco, and that frame came with a possibly salvageable carby 302 v8 on it, well i just undid the drain plug for the oil pand and about 1-1.5 gallons of water came out before baby poop looking oil sludge mess came creeping out, now most would just scrap the motor at this point but heres the kicker, the crank still rotates freely by hand and it has compression to, what i wanna know is should i even bother wasting the oil on this motor to see if it runs... my guess is that the water came in through the carb, cause it was crystal clear not green in color but it could still be an internal crack if the previous owner just filled the radiator with water plus its been outside for two winters that much water in the crank case could do some seroius damage when it froze advice?? i dont need a major fire on my hands here

 

Ever dragged your hand across a steel surface that has been oxidizing for two years?

At the very least, you have oxidation and sludge inside the engine that you are never gonna be able to see or completely remove without disassembly. Sure, you can pour a few quarts of oil into it and start it up if it has enough compression left to run. But that will drag any crud that is just sitting in it right into the oil galleys, cylinder walls, and bearing surfaces. (That assumes the oil galleys aren't jammed with sludge and it will actually hold oil pressure). If it isn't locked, you may be able to salvage it but not without some disassembly and heavy cleaning. Running it without first making sure there is nothing that will trash bearings and bores when it breaks loose inside is a guarantee that even if its salvageable now, it won't be after its been run.

 

sounds like it be easier just to scrap it, i mean my truck has a beautifully smooth strong running 302 in it, so i dont need it i was hoping to sell it but i dont wanna put anybody through that, i think ill just keep the small stuff, exhaust manifolds, valve covers and of course the oil pan god knows rotten oil pans are common on the 302s, its out of an 81 bronco so it probably needs a good go through anyway, the way you make it sound it sounds like the block would need to be stripped bare and then sent out to be hot tanked, and if im gonna do that then i might as well just go through and change all the bearings and seals, which will basically lead to a complete rebuild, which is not something i have the funds for at the moment, at least the c6 on the back is good the trans fluid is clean and the tranny moves nice and free might get 100 bucks for it mabey ill keep just the block for future project and scrap the rest, see the thing is the guy drove it home two years ago so i dont know if the sludge is just what was left in the pan or not wouldnt the motor had to have been run in order to get that crap into the galleys?

 

The motor may still be good, but as GreyStreak said, it'll need some heavy cleaning and disassembly. You may have better luck parting the motor out (heads, intake, block) If nothing else its worth something to someone as a core exchange.

 

I agree with everyone, and I wouldn't make any worse by trying to start it. Just post it up somewhere with an honest description and take what you can get for it.

 

yeah i think im gonna keep the block itself for a future project mabey a mustang or maverick, mabey even a v8 pinto lol, but other than for some little stuff im gonna scrap it thanks for all you advice guys