I just bought a 1986 f150 from a guy on craigslist. I found a little tag in it that says the model year and stuff like that and it also says V6 which makes me think someone did and engine swap cause it has a 5.0 V8 in it now but im not sure. How can i found out for sure what kind of engine it has? I need to know cause I ordered a haynes manual and then found out it has the V8 but i dont know if the haynes has anything about V8's in it cause i dont know if ford made any 86's with V8's or not.

 

How many spark plug wires does it have?

 

Return the Haynes book and get a Chiltons Manual.The Haynes leaves out a lot of information.I didn't think that Ford would put a V6 in these trucks but they did.I thought the 302 was too small for a truck.I think you're asking for help to ID which V8 is in there now,right?302 is narrow vs 351w,1 1/2 inches across the top.302 has two angled ribs on the front of the block above the water pump area.Sorry,not sure of other measurable differences as I can tell from looking.

 

Pictures will help.

 

These are the only engines available in a 86 f150 from the factory.

4.9L (VIN Y, 8th digit), AIR in head
4.9L (VIN Y, 8th digit), AIR in manifold
5.0L (VIN N, 8th digit)
5.8L (VIN H, 8th digit, 8-351W)

 

Picture of your door tag, also!

 

Franklin,I read that Ford put a 3.8 liter(231 cu.in) V6 engine in a fullsize truck in the early eighties.That's what I thought the OP was talking about.OP post a pic of the engine to help with ID.

 

An 86 wouldn't come from the factory with a 3.8L V6. A lot of people mistakenly call the 300 4.9L Inline-6, which is an L-6, a V-6.

If you pop the hood and look over near the battery on the radiator support at the big white sticker, does it say 4.9 anywhere on the sticker? If so, you had the 300-6.

If I remember the years right, 1981 could get the 3.8 V6, 1982 could get the V6 and the 255-V8 which was a 302 based motor with smaller pistons, and 1983 could get the 255 but not the 3.8.

The 4.9 was standard after 1983, off of memory. Prior to that, starting in 1965, you could get the 3.9L 240 L-6, or you could get the 4.9L 300 L-6. The 240 was dropped around 76 I think. The 240 is also the only "big-block" 6 that Ford put in a car, as it was available in the Ford Galaxie as the Thriftpower-6. A 300 is a 240 with shorter rods, a stroker crank, different pistons, and bigger combustion chambers in the heads. People will bore to bigger valves and port the 240 heads and put on the 300's for better performance and a higher compression ratio. 300's have been found in trucks as large as F600's, and the HD 300's usually came with a higher flow exhaust manifold and a forged steel crankshaft. All 300's came standard with forged rods.

But enough on the 300. How many valve cover bolts does the motor have on one head? What is the distance to the water pump boss from the head on the drivers side of the motor? Which way does the neck for the thermostat point on the top of the motor?

Going off of memory again... the Clevelands have a different angle on the thermostat housing, but they'll bolt to the 300, 302, and 351W bell-housings. The 351W is pretty much identical to the 302 except for a taller deck to make room for the longer stroke. A 351M will have more valve cover bolts per valve cover than the 302 and 351W.

Someone will surely correct me if I'm wrong, as none of us here are "experts" on all these Fords.

 

the 3.8's were in the f100's. my 83 originally had a 3.8 and has been swapped with the 4.9

 

My Chiltons manual lists a 3.8 liter v6 for 1982 and 1983 only.It amazes me that someone at Ford thought it would be a good idea to put that engine in a truck.Now,if they wouldv'e put it in a Pinto...

 

Im new here and i dont know how to post pictures. From Franklin's post it looks like its a 5.0 cause the 8th digit is N. If someone would let me know how to put pictures up thatd be great, i'm new to trucks and I bought this one to learn how they work and how to fix them so any and all advice in future posts will be very helpful. Thanks

 

Let's assume the engine was swapped in and we really do not know what it is, even though it's supposed to be a 302.

1st thing to do; Like was mentioned before, count how many bolts are on the valve cover and report back. If you have a v8, you should have two valve covers, one on each side. The best way is to get your hands dirty and feel around the edge of the valve cover, there is usually one at the rear that is hard to see. Report back how many you have on each cover. Then we can go from there.

 

To post a picture you have to put it somewhere on the internet, such as Image hosting, free photo sharing & video sharing at Photobucket. I have my pics here on FTE.

Go to User CP in the upper left. On the left under Networking, and find Pictures & Albums. Go there and create an album, and then upload pics to it. Then when you have a picture you want to put in a thread, copy the Picture URL below the picture.

Now, when youre making a post, click on the little icon that is yellow with a mountain and a sun. Then paste the Picture URL into the pop-up. Simple!

 

There are six bolts on each valve cover. The right one looks like its leaking oil from under the valve cover, but im not sure, it could be coming from somewhere else. Any suggestions on how to locate the source of leak? And any suggestions on how to clean the oil off of everything that it has leaked on to?

 

It's more than likely a 302, but could be a 351.

Look here:



Now look at the distance between the water pump boss and the head.

The increased distance on the 351W is to allow a longer stroke. They had to increase deck height.