Hey Rick. I see your confusion. Check out link for the beginning of postings by MrMoe3. Some postings were moved but apparently later replies still posted into this thread. Beginning with #13, posts in this thread should be moved to ones in link. http://mmb.maverick.to/threads/no-start-after-rebuild.118037/
Tom, Thanks for explaining what happened to this post. We still don't know if MrMoe3's 302 is running or not!
It's still not running. I think something goofy is going on with the intake but my first mistake was buying it without knowing if it ran before taredown as another member pointed out to me..
In theory one could squirt a bit of fuel into each intake port of head and start engine without intake. In other words look elsewhere. I've run fuel injection engines without fuel supply by feeding fuel into a vacuum port. It's tricky to get mixture correct so it doesn't flood(my C clamp on hose was a bit crude). Anyway that method ran a 4cyl turbo motor long enough that I made the sale. Again point is with fuel engine should run, if not look elsewhere.
Is the manifold factory iron or aftermarket aluminum, 2 or 4 barrel? I have never had much problems with the factory cast ones, they are almost too heavy to warp. Aluminum is a different story. If you have fuel, spark, compression, and semi correct timing, it is possible that you have a large vacuum leak. You could try plugging every vacuum port and a little gas down the carb with a closed choke. Do you know the carb to be in good working order? You could also remove the carb, block the opening, back off all rocker arms to close all valves and try applying vacuum to one of the manifold connections and see if it will hold a vacuum.
The compression is weak and perhaps its too weak as everyone else has stated. Ive never had a problem with weak compression that it would stop an engine from starting but i think i have now.
Thanks everyone!!! I think compression is probably the culprit which means i need new rings and pistons and possibly valves. I put enough money into this engine already that im not going any further. Next time, I'll find another one that's running first and then go from there..
If you get another 302, get a factory roller block. Don't waste money on an older flat tappet hydraulic block.
Find a 96-97 ford explorer. It is a roller motor with GT40 heads. You can buy the whole vehicle for around $600-$800. they are pretty easy to find and you can scrap the rest of it when you are done making some money back.
There's one (Exploder) locally I might grab for $350 with transmission issues. I have absolutely no need for it but it's cheap enough so why not?
