Michael Villalon - Cam Failure #879

1. VIN#: - 1FAFP54N1XA165672
2. Date of malfunction: - 12/13/2007
3. Where did the malfunction take place (highway, city streets, driveway, parking lot, etc.): - City Streets, At idle, waiting at a Red Light
4. Odometer reading at time of malfunction: - +/- 151,000
5. How fast were you traveling?: - 0mph
6. Were you accelerating or staying at a constant speed?: - sitting at idle
7. Estimated date of purchase, new or used? : -5/1/2003, used
8. Estimated Odometer reading at time of purchase: -50,000
9. Full Name, address, and a good phone# to reach you at during the day and night. : -Michael A. Villalon, (Redacted)
10. Brief description of the time of events leading towards the malfunction. (what did you hear and see before, during, and after the malfunction) : - the day of the failure, I heard what sounded like a clicking coming from the engine. I figured it was a problem with improper oil flow to the lifters??? I was sitting at a red light, when the engine just shut off. After trying to re-start the car 2-3 times, I was able to get it started, and out of traffic, and drove it 200-300 ft, into a parking lot where I shut it down, trying to avoid additional damage. After shutting down, there were somewhat large amounts of smoke or steam coming from the engine. I had it towed to my mechanic, who opened it up, and confirmed the cam failure.
11. Customer service phone # you called and the name of the person you talked to. (if you can remember) : -N/A
12. Did you feel satisfied with the answers customer service provided? Explain. : - N/A
13. Which dealership did you take your vehicle in for service? (name, address, phone#): - N/A
14. What was the cause of failure determined by the dealer? : - N/A
15. What was the cause of failure determined by you? : - Confirmed slipped slave sprocket on back set.
16. How much was your statement? (I hope you kept your receipt) : - to early to tell. $2500-$4000, depending on if valves are bent
17. What can FOMOCO do to make you a satisfied Ford owner? : - reimburse what I end up paying for repairs.

Well I guess you can say “I told ya so”.

My official Cam Failure date was12/13/2007.

The worst part, is that I had just talked to the mechanic the day before, about welding the cams, and he agreed to do some research about it. It seems as though the bad things always happen just before you take the action to prevent them.

What do I need to do to be added to the already LONG list of tragedies, and also join the “Class Action”

Michael Villalon

From: Felix Culpa [mailto:felixculpa@comcast.net]
Sent: Wednesday, December 05, 2007 10:53 AM
To: Michael Villalon; buford@v8sho.com
Subject: Re: Owners Directory Addition

I would energetically encourage you to get the cam's welded. I write up the sad stories, after 877 tragedies I get no joy from saying "I told ya so."

Blessings on Blessings
Tim

----- Original Message -----

From: Michael Villalon

To: buford@v8sho.com
Sent: Wednesday, December 05, 2007 11:33 AM
Subject: Re: Owners Directory Addition

Owned the SHO since June '03. Don't think it is welded. I am at 151k miles, and every time I consider the weld job, and put away a little money to do it, something else always comes up. I just had the ATX rebuilt in Aug., and before that, I had a plug strip out in Jan. Lucky for me, it was a front plug, and my mechanic was able to fix without a complete tear down. I have relied on V8SHO for many tips over the last 4 years, and still have some questions, but for now, just wanted to add my name to the list, and make some connections in the SHO world.

Thank you,

Michael Villalon

----- Original Message -----

From: Tony Villalon

To: mvillalon@runbox.com

Sent: Wednesday, December 05, 2007 9:50 AM

Subject: FW: Owners Directory Addition

From: Felix Culpa [mailto:felixculpa@comcast.net]
Sent: Tuesday, December 04, 2007 6:44 PM
To: Tony Villalon; buford@v8sho.com
Subject: Re: Owners Directory Addition

Thank you,

welcome,

done,

welded?

Timothy

----- Original Message -----

From: Tony Villalon

To: buford@v8sho.com
Sent: Tuesday, December 04, 2007 6:17 PM
Subject: Owners Directory Addition

Michael Villalon, Houston, TX 1999 Toreador Red

MVillalon@runbox.com