rev limiter....
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Junior User
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rev limiter....
alright guys, this is a stupid question, but ive been wondering about it for awhile. did the 1980-1986 f-150 302s come with a revlimiter? if not, what is the recomended redline for this engine? thanks.
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Id say about 6000 rpm should be pretty safe for a stock 302. i know of 302's with stock crank and rods that turned 8000 rpm constantly on the track and didnt break, course the other componets in the motor where not stock lol 
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If it was a chevy i would agree the stock bottome end wont hold, ive seen chevys with stock cranks actualy break in half, thats why chevy always had to switch to forged cranks for racing. On a ford 302 though ive rarely ever seen one throw a rod or spin a bearing. Now what i had started to refer to in my previous post is my dad used to run dirt track, sportsman class. built 302, everything done to the motor except running a stock crank and rods, and he used to tach that constantly to 8000 rpm. Would i wanna do that to a motor on the street of course not, but to me that says 6000 should be pretty safe. Either way though not much differece between 5200 and 6000. So you can choose hehe, one factor really may end up being what rpm your cam is going to pull up to, if its only 5000 rpm theres no point in even pushing it to 6000. Just my 2 cents hope it helps a little
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thats what i been thinking that it shouldnt go any higher than 5500. its not a race motor, so there is no need in it. that answers on of my questions. the other question was did ford run a rev limiter from the factory? i dont think they did but i dont know much about the computer systems. i would rather just have to tune on a carb than have this EFI. lol.
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Elder User
Joined: Feb 2005
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From: Spokane, WA
I don't know of any rev limiters on Ford pickups....Boss 302's, 428 CG's and a few really hot ones, but not a pickup. Built right it should hold together up to 6000, but the true test is: "when does it run out of power?". If you have a cam with a max range at 5500, why rev it any higher, it will just fall on its face and will not accelerate as hard as it would if you shifted. I have a stock crank 302 that sees 6800 more times than I would care to count, but it was built to hold togther and make power in the upper rpm range. I used to take a stock crank 351w in my stock car to 6800 all the time...it held together 4 racing seasons before I needed to freshen it a bit.
Kenny
Kenny
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From: Oak Harbor, OH
With stock studs and bolts in the bottom end, it's really only good to about 5200 RPM. The engine runs out of breath at about 4600rpm anyways, so why set your redline any higher than that? I mean if the motor has been beefed up that's one thing. With ARP hardware in the bottom end you can easily get 6k+ rpms.
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The rev limiter on the computers on the stock Mustang HO engines is set about 6200 rpm. If you've got an HO motor in good condition, I don't see why you couldn't rev it that high if you had to. The question is really where to shift so you keep the motor in the powerband. The stock cams generally start running out of oomph after 4500. I got my best quarter mile e.t.s when I had the stock motor by shifting at around 5200. Once you get the motor broke in you can start experimenting with what works best. It may not be a race motor but every so often temptation gets ya and ya just gotta stick your foot into it. I'm going to be putting the stock motor from my 'Stang into my truck and I decided on a 6000 rev limiter.