'88 F150 knocking
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'88 F150 knocking
Hello All,
I have an '88 F150 EFI with a 302 (4 speed) that has a loud knocking at startup (rods?). It constantly knocks until shutdown. The engine has 165K on it. Curious on what you think this is. And also your thoughts on a junkyard, rebuilt, or remanufactured engine. Or possibly fixing the one I have. And if it would be an easy fix for a commonsense backyard mechanic.
SHort on funds, so the cheaper route the better.
Thanks in advance!
John
I have an '88 F150 EFI with a 302 (4 speed) that has a loud knocking at startup (rods?). It constantly knocks until shutdown. The engine has 165K on it. Curious on what you think this is. And also your thoughts on a junkyard, rebuilt, or remanufactured engine. Or possibly fixing the one I have. And if it would be an easy fix for a commonsense backyard mechanic.
SHort on funds, so the cheaper route the better.
Thanks in advance!
John
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Joined: May 2001
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'88 F150 knocking
Y'know, if the knocking stopped at higher RPMs (like a stuck lifter, worn bearings, etc), I would be less inclined to say it's a rod, buuuuuutttttt since it's constant, there's an 80%+ chance that it's a rod. Say goodbye to that engine.
There's no cheap path in this case. The do it yourself way may be cheapest, but is still pricey and has uncertain results. Rebuilts/remanufactured engines are "like new" and so are their prices. Junkyard engines are probably your cheapest engine source, but once again, you don't know what you're getting into.
What you do depends on how much money you have, how much money you have in the truck and how much the rest of the truck seems to be worth. You really don't want to double the amount of money you have in your truck if the body is falling apart. Good luck.
There's no cheap path in this case. The do it yourself way may be cheapest, but is still pricey and has uncertain results. Rebuilts/remanufactured engines are "like new" and so are their prices. Junkyard engines are probably your cheapest engine source, but once again, you don't know what you're getting into.
What you do depends on how much money you have, how much money you have in the truck and how much the rest of the truck seems to be worth. You really don't want to double the amount of money you have in your truck if the body is falling apart. Good luck.
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'88 F150 knocking
Thanks for the input. It does knock all the way through acceleration and at a constant speed.
I can have a junkyard engine installed for around $950 (30 day warranty), a rebuilt (using engine currently in truck)for $1450 (1 yr warranty), or a remanufactured for $1875 (2 yr warranty).
Truck is in decent shape and has had alot of work done on it in the past. So I guess I'm leaning to the middle of the road.
Replaced engines in Mazda Rx7's before , but never a V8. Might do something stupid and try to install it myself. We'll see how my confidence level is at the time. Thaks again!
I can have a junkyard engine installed for around $950 (30 day warranty), a rebuilt (using engine currently in truck)for $1450 (1 yr warranty), or a remanufactured for $1875 (2 yr warranty).
Truck is in decent shape and has had alot of work done on it in the past. So I guess I'm leaning to the middle of the road.
Replaced engines in Mazda Rx7's before , but never a V8. Might do something stupid and try to install it myself. We'll see how my confidence level is at the time. Thaks again!
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'88 F150 knocking
the truck engine is easier to replace than the mazda en
gine.
the cheapest way to do this is to get a whole donor vehicle that is a rust machine or wrecked out of the classifieds or from someone you know . you can also drive around and find vehicles sitting in yards that people will almost give away .
i have done this before, and when i got the parts i wanted off the vehicle, i sold the rest of it and made money!!.
as for the engine in there now, get a mechanics stethescope or a long pole( like a broom handle), and run engine while listening to it at various points on block and heads. you can isolate the noise in the engine and may find it is something simple to fix. I have found problems in the past this way as simple as a worn fuel pump actuator rod. it cost about 10.00 bucks and the cost of a new gasket to eliminate a steady knocking noise!!
just be careful around the rotating parts.
gine.
the cheapest way to do this is to get a whole donor vehicle that is a rust machine or wrecked out of the classifieds or from someone you know . you can also drive around and find vehicles sitting in yards that people will almost give away .
i have done this before, and when i got the parts i wanted off the vehicle, i sold the rest of it and made money!!.
as for the engine in there now, get a mechanics stethescope or a long pole( like a broom handle), and run engine while listening to it at various points on block and heads. you can isolate the noise in the engine and may find it is something simple to fix. I have found problems in the past this way as simple as a worn fuel pump actuator rod. it cost about 10.00 bucks and the cost of a new gasket to eliminate a steady knocking noise!!
just be careful around the rotating parts.
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