Applications Ford 302
Draft. Trigger offset has not been confirmed on a running Race Core install. Pins marked TBD are unknown — do not guess them. A wrong decoder or firing order can destroy the engine.
Ford 302 Windsor HO
5.0 L Windsor small-block, 4942 cc. This note is the EFI HO engine (Fox Mustang, Explorer and the rest of that SEFI family), firing order 1-3-7-2-6-5-4-8. Early non-HO 289/302 engines used 1-5-4-2-6-3-7-8. Read the plug wires. If they follow the old order, the engine is the old order. rusEFI has FORD_TFI_PIP_8 for a distributor that still has the TFI module.
Recommended: Race Core F7 if you are going sequential COP. Keeping TFI is one ignition path and batch fuel. TFI module pin numbers are TBD — PIP is the trigger, SPOUT is the spark return, and the cavity numbers have to come off the module in your hand.
Status: draft. Trigger offset has not been confirmed on a running Race Core install.
- Cylinders: 8
- Displacement: 4942 cc
- Firing order: 1-3-7-2-6-5-4-8
- Orientation: Cylinder 1 is the front cylinder on the right-hand bank (US passenger side). Firing order for EFI HO is 1-3-7-2-6-5-4-8. Odd cylinders are on one bank, even on the other, front to back. Confirm bank 1 before you build a COP harness.
Variants
| Variant | Years | Trigger | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5.0 HO SEFI | 1986–1995 class | TFI PIP, FORD_TFI_PIP_8 | Batch fire, high-Z 19 lb class injectors, speed density or MAF. Distributor. |
| HO with 36-1 | Swap | 36-1 + cam | The sequential COP conversion. Leave TFI out once the wheel is real. |
| Early non-HO | Pre-HO | Distributor | Firing order may be 1-5-4-2-6-3-7-8. Do not force the HO order. |
Recommended pin assignment (Race Core F7)
Pins below are the library default Race Core F7 map — the same AMPSEAL landings as the verified 1UZ-FE, 2JZ-GTE and LS1 notes. Core EFI V4 and Micro Core cavity numbers are TBD. If a pin is not in this table, it is TBD. Do not guess a spare.
| Pin | TunerStudio | Function |
|---|---|---|
| B10 | Digital 1 | Crank Hall |
| B1 | Digital 2 | Cam Hall |
| A3 | Lowside 1 | Injector cylinder 1 |
| A15 | Lowside 2 | Injector cylinder 2 |
| A4 | Lowside 3 | Injector cylinder 3 |
| A16 | Lowside 4 | Injector cylinder 4 |
| A5 | Lowside 5 | Injector cylinder 5 |
| A6 | Lowside 6 | Injector cylinder 6 |
| A7 | Lowside 7 | Injector cylinder 7 |
| A19 | Lowside 8 | Injector cylinder 8 |
| A35 | Ign 1 | Cyl 1 logic coil |
| A34 | Ign 2 | Cyl 2 logic coil |
| A22 | Ign 3 | Cyl 3 logic coil |
| A33 | Ign 4 | Cyl 4 logic coil |
| A32 | Ign 5 | Cyl 5 logic coil |
| A31 | Ign 6 | Cyl 6 logic coil |
| A30 | Ign 7 | Cyl 7 logic coil |
| A29 | Ign 8 | Cyl 8 logic coil |
| C20 | Analog Temp 3 | CLT |
| C30 | Analog Temp 2 | IAT |
| C13 | Analog Volt 1 | MAP 0–5 V |
| C24 | Analog Volt 2 | TPS 1 |
| C34 | Knock 1 | Knock |
| A20 | Lowside 10 | Fuel-pump relay coil |
| A21 | Lowside 12 | Main-relay coil |
| A12 | Lowside 15 | Radiator-fan relay coil |
| B17 / B16 | CAN 1 H / L | Dash / wideband |
| B18 | Battery Sense | Ignition-switched 12 V (5 A fuse) |
| B23 | +12 V MR | Main-relay 12 V into ECU |
| A17 A18 A24 B14 B19 B20 | Power GND | Engine block → battery − |
| C9 / C21 / C32 | 5 V Sens 1 | MAP, TPS, pedal 1 |
| C1–C8, C29, C31 | Sensor GND | 0–5 V and thermistor returns |
Trigger
Two legal setups. Do not mix them.
Crank
| TFI kept | FORD_TFI_PIP_8. PIP is a digital profile into Digital 1 (B10). It is not a 36-1 and not a 24x. |
| COP conversion | 36-1 on Digital 1 or VR 1, cam on Digital 2. |
Cam
| TFI | The distributor rotor is the phase. Fuel stays batch. PIP is not a cam sync for eight sequential injectors. |
| 36-1 | Cam Hall required for sequential. |
TunerStudio
| Setting | Value |
|---|---|
| Trigger / wheel type | FORD_TFI_PIP_8, or 36-1 + cam. Not both |
| Use only rising edge | Hall / PIP: as logged. VR: typically yes on MAX992x |
| Invert primary | No — swap VR wires first |
| Firing order | 1-3-7-2-6-5-4-8 on HO. Old order only if the wires prove it |
Offset: Light on cylinder 1. With TFI, SPOUT has to be connected for the ECU to move timing, and the module pin for SPOUT is TBD.
Injection
OEM SEFI is batch: two or more injectors per driver in the factory harness. Eight high-Z injectors can be sequential only after a cam exists. The common 19 lb Fox injector is high-Z, but meter it. Low-Z injectors need a resistor pack.
| Batch | Legal on TFI. Do not promise sequential fuel from PIP alone. |
| MAF | Not required. MAP on Analog Volt 1 is the Race Core load source. |
Ignition
TFI: Ign 1 is the SPOUT path into the module, pin TBD. The module drives the coil. A logic output must not replace the coil negative. COP conversion: Ign 1–8, logic coils, dwell 2.0–2.5 ms, HO firing order in software.
| Old firing order | 1-5-4-2-6-3-7-8 if the plug wires say so. Get this wrong and the engine does not survive. |
Idle
PWM or stepper IAC depending on year. A bipolar stepper uses the F7 H-bridges. A 2-wire PWM idle pin is TBD. Cable throttle. No DBW on a Fox 5.0.
First start
- Load the matching variant configuration in TunerStudio before the harness is live — injectors and coils stay disconnected until the decoder is confirmed.
- Fuel pump fuse out. Coils unplugged or spark outputs disabled. Crank. Open Diagnostics → composite / high-speed logger.
- Confirm crank teeth are even, the missing-tooth (or named pattern) is a single clean gap, and cam is one pulse per two crank revolutions for sequential four-stroke.
- RPM during cranking should sit in the 150–350 rpm band. 0 rpm or 12,000 rpm means the decoder is lost — polarity or wheel type, not offset.
- Lock timing to a fixed 10° (idle control off). Timing light on cylinder 1. Change trigger offset until the damper agrees with 10°.
- Recheck at ~3,000 rpm. If timing walks with RPM, it is VR polarity, a delayed Hall, or the wrong decoder — not offset.
- Enable spark. Confirm a healthy burn (timing light or plug colour) with fuel still disabled.
- Enable fuel. Prime, then crank. Catch the first idle on a rich-safe VE, then lean toward stoich at idle.
- Only then enable closed-loop idle, VVT, boost and traction. A base map is a starting point, not a dyno tune.
A base map is a starting point, not a dyno tune.