Is the 5.0 Reliable?
Thread Starter
|
New User
Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 20
Likes: 0
Is the 5.0 Reliable?
Hey, i got another question. It seems like a lot of people are having problems with their 302s. The truck i wanna get is a 91 with a non rebuilt motor, but it works fine now, it has 105 000 miles on it. What do oyu think? any future problems i should plan on?
Elder User
Joined: May 2001
Posts: 662
Likes: 0
From: washington
Is the 5.0 Reliable?
The 5.0 is probably the most reliable motor ford ever made (not counting diesel's). If you look you can see that "most" of the people that are having problems have vehicle with over 150K on them. Or they are doing upgrades, engine swaps ETC. If the vehicle you are looking at has been taken care of you can yield upwards of 200k on the motor without probs. But if it has not been taken care of or has been used extensivley for towing, off road etc 110K may be all.
For your info I used my f250 with a 5.0 for towing about 6 times a year cross country and I have 155K on it and am now ready for a rebuild (partilly because I want more POWER!!!!!!).
1988 Ford F250 4x4, 5.0 liter (soon to be Roller 5.0), AOD tranny, 2.5 Dual exhaust, Headman Shortyheaders, 33" BFG's Mud Terrain
1980 Ford F100, with 1988 5.0L Roller (carburated), T-5 five speed Borg Warner World Class Transmission, 31 spline 9" 3.73 posi , and a bunch more!! 13.78 quarter mile.
For your info I used my f250 with a 5.0 for towing about 6 times a year cross country and I have 155K on it and am now ready for a rebuild (partilly because I want more POWER!!!!!!).
1988 Ford F250 4x4, 5.0 liter (soon to be Roller 5.0), AOD tranny, 2.5 Dual exhaust, Headman Shortyheaders, 33" BFG's Mud Terrain
1980 Ford F100, with 1988 5.0L Roller (carburated), T-5 five speed Borg Warner World Class Transmission, 31 spline 9" 3.73 posi , and a bunch more!! 13.78 quarter mile.
Posting Guru
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 1,594
Likes: 0
From: Campbell River, BC Canada
Is the 5.0 Reliable?
I have an 86 F150 with a 302 and it has been used. It has over 300,000km on it and it still runs fine. I am either going to get it rebuilt for more power or swap a bigger engine in when its worn out but the motor won't die on me! I guess I can't complain.
Tuned
Joined: Nov 2000
Posts: 426
Likes: 1
From: houston, texas (now Berli
Is the 5.0 Reliable?
Mine has 160k on it now. I've had it for about a year and a half and it has never let me down.
=========================
1988 F-150, V8, 5.0L (302ci), 5spd, SuperCab. Shorty headers, K&N filter, MSD 6a ignition, Accel 300 8.8mm race wires, Accel supercoil, Accel rotor+cap, Bosch +4 Platinum plugs, RanchHand bumper. Soon: Dual exhaust.
http://brembs.net/cars/FordPU.html
=========================
1988 F-150, V8, 5.0L (302ci), 5spd, SuperCab. Shorty headers, K&N filter, MSD 6a ignition, Accel 300 8.8mm race wires, Accel supercoil, Accel rotor+cap, Bosch +4 Platinum plugs, RanchHand bumper. Soon: Dual exhaust.
http://brembs.net/cars/FordPU.html
Senior User
Joined: Oct 2000
Posts: 227
Likes: 0
From: arkansas
Is the 5.0 Reliable?
the 302's are darn near bulletproof (I said darn near). example, I have one in a bracket car with a solid roller cam, 11.4 compression...I spin it to 9200 every run, heck I'm trying to blow it up!! It wont let go no matter what I do. By the way, it has aftermarket heads, but the crank and rods are stockers. Just my $.02
Trending Topics
Senior User
Joined: Mar 2001
Posts: 114
Likes: 0
Is the 5.0 Reliable?
My 91 with 110,000 miles runs great. Doesn't use any oil between 3,000 mile oil changes.
The 302 doesn't have as much power as the 351, but it gets better gas mileage. Or would that be kilomerage in Canada?
The 302 doesn't have as much power as the 351, but it gets better gas mileage. Or would that be kilomerage in Canada?
FTE Stories
Ford Trucks for Ford Truck Enthusiasts
10 Fords to Drive Before You Die
Joe Kucinski
3 Best / Worst Features Of The 2025+ Ford Expedition
Brett Foote
10 Ways Ford is LOSING to the Competition
Joe Kucinski
Top 6 Best Deals Available on New Fords & Lincolns Right Now
Brett Foote
This Hennessey Takes the Expedition Tremor's Off-Roading Capability to the Next Level
Verdad Gallardo
Top 10 Fords at 2026 Carlisle Ford Nationals
Joe Kucinski
3 Best / 3 Worst Parts of Modern Ford Ownership
Brett Foote
10 Amazing Upgrades That Solve Common Ford Truck Owner Headaches
Pouria Savadkouei
