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Wolfeyes88 · 08-05-2007, 16:47

Oi, I just had to fall in love with such an old car.

Just changed the oil today. Before, I was running straight 30(cheapo wal mart stuff) and it ran nice and quiet, but it burned oil pretty bad, and It would sometimes have a bit of trouble starting, plus I would have to mash the gas a bit to get moving.

Today I put in 4 quarts of Valvoline 20-50 Conventional and a quart of Lucas stabilizer.(quite a few people with 302's(trucks, CV's and Stangs) told me to give it a shot) Now, she starts easy, has plenty of pep, no oil burning, but when at idle it's a bit louder, a bit deeper and there's a bit of a rattle/tick that sounds like its coming from all 8 cylinders, sounds almost like a diesel.

Under throttle the rattle goes away. May be nothing, but it's got me worried. Is it normal for an oil change to radically change the sound like that? Aside from the ticking/rattle it sounds smoother.

Despite the fact that the cooling system is beyond bad it seems to run a bit cooler. Cooling is next week, couldn't afford everything I needed this week.

Ignition system comes the week after.

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Now onto part 2:

Throttle response. I've noticed that some times I loose all throttle response, usually between 45 an 60 mph. I'll mash the throttle to make a pass, or pull out from a turn, and nothing. The rpm's don't rise, and I don't go any faster. I either have to wait about three of four seconds, then the engine speeds up, or I have to get off the gas completely and slowly creep up to full throttle.

Since I've gotten this car the gas pedal has kept me out of more crashes than the brakes, so I'd really like to know whats happening to my responsiveness. I'm guessing (and hoping) that this is all due to short-commings in the fuel delivery(filter, injectors, pump etc.), or perhaps a problem with the cable, or just a sticking valve that can be cleaned.

Any ideas of what could be causing this? I've asked around but I haven't gotten anything helpful. Usually it's just an "I don't Know" but I have had answer ranging from "Because the cars too old" to "because your car just sucks"

And to end this all on a high note, I found out it's only going to cost 85 dollars to fix the A/C, and my backlight(for the gauges) randomly started working!

Nathan in MN · 08-05-2007, 22:05

Questions in response to your, uhh...questions:

What year/model is the car?

What does the knocking sound like? Is it a high pitched ticking noise, or a lower knocking sound that sounds like it's coming from deep within the bowels of the engine?

When you step on the gas and nothing happens, does the transmission down shift or does it stay in the same gear?

Wolfeyes88 · 08-06-2007, 06:15

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nathan in MN

Questions in response to your, uhh...questions:

What year/model is the car?

What does the knocking sound like? Is it a high pitched ticking noise, or a lower knocking sound that sounds like it's coming from deep within the bowels of the engine?

When you step on the gas and nothing happens, does the transmission down shift or does it stay in the same gear?

Oops, sorry bout that. It's an 89 Crown Vic LX, EFI 302.

The ticking is kind of deep, sounding almost like its in the heads. Last night I started thinking it might be the lifters. Almost like the new oil cleaned out the gunk that was keeping them from knocking.

As for the second problem. When I step on the gas, the rpm's don't even go up. It's almost as though I didn't hit the gas at all. The tranny stays in whatever gear it was in, just as it would If I hadn't moved my foot.. I've noticed it happens more when I'm moving between 45-60 than from a dead stop.

Nathan in MN · 08-06-2007, 08:59

Okay, that's more helpful information.

Lifters are usually a more high pitched ticking noise...I've heard engines where all 16 are clattering and they sound like a room full of typewriters lol If it's more of a deep clunking noise, then I'm gonna have to say it's probably bearings.

Next question as to the other problem--does it rev fine in park? If you just sit there and hit the gas, will it rev up okay or does it do this all the time? Also, when you're going along and hit the gas and nothing happens, does it do that every time or is it intermittent?

dryelf327 · 08-06-2007, 12:44

I'm not sure on an '89, but that dead pedal symptom sounds like a TPS.

Wolfeyes88 · 08-06-2007, 19:59

I was hoping you wouldn't say bearings... Anything but bearings... Which ones would you say are the likeliest culprit?

On the other problem, It doesn't happen when I rev it in park, and it's only once in a while, like every few days.

The TPS was my first though when it first happened, and it is on my list of things to replace once I got the money. Right after the EGR, Air Bypass, and ignition components.

This engine is rapidly becoming a money pit. Once I get it to the point where it will be healthy long enough to get the cash for a stock spec crate motor I'll be swapping it, but until then it's week by week.

Edit: and more woes, upon returning home I noticed my radiator was leaking. I'm pretty sure it's the cap(my fault, I probably didn't tighten it enough). But it the radiator is indeed cracked I'm pretty well screwed...

Nathan in MN · 08-06-2007, 23:36

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wolfeyes88

I was hoping you wouldn't say bearings... Anything but bearings... Which ones would you say are the likeliest culprit?

Mains, most likely. The firing order on 302s is such that it tends to put an extra load on the 3rd (if I remember correctly) main bearing and wears it out. There are people that have changed the cams in their engines over to the 351 firing order (cam change) and had the knock disappear.

As for putting in a "stock spec crate motor", it really isn't worth it to go stock. I'm assuming you're at least somewhat mechanically inclined, so here's the thing to do. Get yourself an engine from either a 5.0 Mustang, 5.0 Mark VIII, or 5.0 Explorer, and drop that in there. The heads, cam, intake, and injectors are all superior over stock stuff, it'll bolt right into the otherwise stock vehicle, all the wiring will be the same, and it'll probably cost about the same or less, while still giving you better performance and likely better gas mileage as well. That, combined with some better rear gears (3.27s or 3.55s are a good compromise between in-town performance and highway fuel economy) and a decent exhaust system will make the car perform quite well and still get good gas mileage. If you want more details on the HO swap, take a look at this linky:

{HO Conversion} Mike's Tips and FAQ's.... - GrandMarq.NET - Panther Headquarters