351w power issues
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351w power issues
My ol' 89 f150 doesnt have the get up and go that big engine should have. I just got in all new Red 10mm Vacuum hose to see if I have some leaks hoping that helps a bit. One of the other things i want to do is clean the injectors or replace them. Any advice is Appreciated, thanks! 
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Freshman User
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So far I've changed the air filter, fuel filter sparg plugs and wires. Only thing I haven't done yet is try to clean the injectors I kinda wonder if the fuel rail is clogging up too?
FTE Legend
Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 31,930
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From: Ottawa, Ontario
Not likely, the fuel system is constantly circulating a large volume of fuel between the engine and tanks so the only things that clog up are the filter and injectors. Cat converters this old are well past their due date and the stock exhaust on this truck was restrictive to begin with so anything you can do to the system including cutting most of it off will increase power output.
Laughing Gas
Joined: Sep 2013
Posts: 1,112
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From: North Idaho
With a lot of miles you're probably looking at a complete rebuild to get adequate power back. A set of GT40 heads would help, decent cam, etc. Probably just flat worn out, rings, bearings, valve stem seals. I think that's a flat tappet cam, and believe me at 279,000 miles it's shot!
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With a lot of miles you're probably looking at a complete rebuild to get adequate power back. A set of GT40 heads would help, decent cam, etc. Probably just flat worn out, rings, bearings, valve stem seals. I think that's a flat tappet cam, and believe me at 279,000 miles it's shot!
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Laughing Gas
Joined: Dec 2012
Posts: 801
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From: Toledo, Ohio
. HotRod mag did a rear wheel dyno on a Ford 400" and got only like 57 HP because several of the cam lobes were gone and valves were leaking... a rebuild with carefully chosen mild performance parts brought it up to 300+ HP...
. 351W in my boat seemed to be at about 150 HP... an earlier owner had apparently put one deeper dished piston and a 125HP emissions 302" car cam in it... I brought it up to 425 HP during a rebuild....
. 351W in my boat seemed to be at about 150 HP... an earlier owner had apparently put one deeper dished piston and a 125HP emissions 302" car cam in it... I brought it up to 425 HP during a rebuild....
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. HotRod mag did a rear wheel dyno on a Ford 400" and got only like 57 HP because several of the cam lobes were gone and valves were leaking... a rebuild with carefully chosen mild performance parts brought it up to 300+ HP...
. 351W in my boat seemed to be at about 150 HP... an earlier owner had apparently put one deeper dished piston and a 125HP emissions 302" car cam in it... I brought it up to 425 HP during a rebuild....
. 351W in my boat seemed to be at about 150 HP... an earlier owner had apparently put one deeper dished piston and a 125HP emissions 302" car cam in it... I brought it up to 425 HP during a rebuild....
Laughing Gas
Joined: Dec 2012
Posts: 801
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From: Toledo, Ohio
. In gentle driving, you should prolly be getting around 15 MPG... gas savings could pay for a rebuild... the GT40P fast burn heads SDDL-UP mentioned would also help MPG and power... I think they were used on certain 5.0L Exploders... research here, look in junkyards... look at the burn color of the insulators of all 8 sparkplugs to see if anything funny going on with injectors... pictures available online of plug colors and what they mean...
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. In gentle driving, you should prolly be getting around 15 MPG... gas savings could pay for a rebuild... the GT40P fast burn heads SDDL-UP mentioned would also help MPG and power... I think they were used on certain 5.0L Exploders... research here, look in junkyards... look at the burn color of the insulators of all 8 sparkplugs to see if anything funny going on with injectors... pictures available online of plug colors and what they mean...
. AND will those GT40P's work on a 5.8L motor?
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I'm in Tucson, AZ, and alright if those gt40's don't cost a fortune I'll look into them. I will also start a new thread probably later today
Tuned
Joined: Sep 2010
Posts: 481
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From: Rockford, MI
I have a 1986 F250 4x4 with a stuck 351 that I got unstuck and used for 5 years hauling wood and plowing. Just pulled it this fall and had it bored .02 over. My compression was 130-140psi each cyl, but it should be 170 range I think.
First thing to do is figure out what your compression is. Probably needs rings and a bore or at minimum, a hone.
You might watch Craigslist in your area for someone pulling a 351w. Lots easier to find a decent one and just swap it...unless you will be driving it a lot and need one to last a long time...
First thing to do is figure out what your compression is. Probably needs rings and a bore or at minimum, a hone.
You might watch Craigslist in your area for someone pulling a 351w. Lots easier to find a decent one and just swap it...unless you will be driving it a lot and need one to last a long time...
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