Hoping someone can help me. I have a 1988 Mustang GT with the H.O. 302. I tore the engine down to the block to rebuild it replacing all the bearings, gaskets, and piston rings. I also lapped the valve using the valve grinding coumpound so they seat properly. I put it back together making sure I torque everything correct and put it in the next day with all the wires in the correct spot and set the firing order to the H.O. firing order 1-3-7-2-6-5-4-8 going counterclockwise on the cap. I went to fire it and it just turned over like its not firing, but then I tried reversing the firing order clockwise and it started, but was running real bad. My dad was thinkin maybe I went to far with the valve lapping, but im not sure, and I did a compression check and all cylinders are 160 psi. Any help would be appreciated.
Engine Won't Run Right
- Thread starter 88MustangGT
- Start date
When you say backwards.... what do you mean exactally? You are going counter clockwise on the distributor, right?
ON Edit:
OK, I just re-read your post. There is 720° , or 2 complete crankshaft revolutions, in a 4 cycle engine. However the camshaft spins at 1/2 crank speed, so the cam and the distributor make 1 revolution per cycle. So now if you found TDC, true TDC on compression, and then rotated 180°, the #1 piston is at the bottom of the cylinder, not at the top. Nothing is going to work then. Find TDC on compression by placing your thumb over the spark plug hole, and have someone, or youtself, turn the engine over clockwise from the front. When you feel pressure under your thumb pushing it away from the hole, you are approaching TDC on the compression stroke for #1 cylinder. At this point line up TDC on the balancer with the timing marker, then re-stab the distributor, line up the rotor to #1 on the cap, and then set the plug wires acording to the firing order.
ON Edit:
OK, I just re-read your post. There is 720° , or 2 complete crankshaft revolutions, in a 4 cycle engine. However the camshaft spins at 1/2 crank speed, so the cam and the distributor make 1 revolution per cycle. So now if you found TDC, true TDC on compression, and then rotated 180°, the #1 piston is at the bottom of the cylinder, not at the top. Nothing is going to work then. Find TDC on compression by placing your thumb over the spark plug hole, and have someone, or youtself, turn the engine over clockwise from the front. When you feel pressure under your thumb pushing it away from the hole, you are approaching TDC on the compression stroke for #1 cylinder. At this point line up TDC on the balancer with the timing marker, then re-stab the distributor, line up the rotor to #1 on the cap, and then set the plug wires acording to the firing order.
Last edited:
I took a look at it and figured it out last night. I never realized there were numbers on the pulley to find tdc:smash:. I thought the line that goes through the pulley was tdc. I turned it over to the zero and it fired up. Thanks for all the help.
I still have two more problems though
1. My water pump and crank pulley are touching.
2. When I try to put the clutch cable its so tight that the clutch stays engaged.
I still have two more problems though
1. My water pump and crank pulley are touching.
2. When I try to put the clutch cable its so tight that the clutch stays engaged.