Thomas F Spaulding - Cam Failure #413

new 07/26/2004, updated 8/19/04, 8/23/04

Dear Larry,

Thank you to you and the other SHO clubs that made the CAM shaft information available to us.

I have a 96 that I bought just under a year ago. This is the most enjoyable car I’ve ever owned. That includes a couple of brand new Celica’s I once owned. A month ago my SHO started making a ticking noise which began to get louder every day and was nearly a knocking noise this morning.

I took it to my standard service shop which charged me $120 to tell me to take it to Ford.

A close friend who does some auto work found your information on the CAM shaft and told me about it.

I called the largest Ford dealer in the state, Korum Ford, and the service manager put me through to the Quality Assurance Manager. I asked him if Ford had any programs to correct this defect. He told me no. He also told me that the CAM shaft makes no noise before failure and their Diagnostics begin at $85.

My friend and I got the full set of pictures from the Utah Sho Club and tore into it this morning. He had just purchased the mig welder a month ago and had the wire recommended. I am delighted to say that all went perfectly and the noise is gone. Had I listened to Ford I am sure that the car would be dead in a week or would have cost me thousands at a Ford dealership.

Thanks Again,

Thomas Spaulding

Further details pending

For those that had engine failure: Answer all the questions the best you can.
1. VIN#s 1FALP54NXTA248028
2. Date of malfunction – Diagnosed/Repaired 7/24/04 – Did not totally fail but was rapidly failing.
3. Where did the malfunction take place (highway, city streets, driveway, parking lot, etc.)
4. Odometer reading at time of malfunction 92K
5. How fast were you traveling? Knocking at any speed.
6. Were you accelerating or staying at a constant speed?
7. Estimated date of purchase, new or used? 10/11/2003
8. Estimated Odometer reading at time of purchase
9. Full Name, address, and a good phone# to reach you at during the day and night.
Thomas F Spaulding
10. Brief description of the time of events leading towards the malfunction. (what did you hear and see before, during, and after the malfunction) A ticking sound started a month before and became a knocking noise after time.
11. Customer service phone # you called and the name of the person you talked to. (if you can remember) Called Korum Ford in Puyallup WA and talked to Quality Assurance Mgr.
12. Did you feel satisfied with the answers customer service provided? Explain. Korum Ford QA Mgr said the CAM gear doesn’t make noise when failing. He was wrong.
13. Which dealership did you take your vehicle in for service? (name, address, phone#) I took it to a friend. We used the information on the Utah Sho Club site and repaired ourselves.
14. What was the cause of failure determined by the dealer?
15. What was the cause of failure determined by you? CAM gear sliding on CAM shaft
16. How much was your statement? (I hope you kept your receipt)
17. What can FOMOCO do to make you a satisfied Ford owner?

I don’t know if it makes any difference but I was mistaken on the mileage. It was 86K.

Thanks,

Tom

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