new 09/07/02
With the problems of the cams and transmissions on the V8 SHO's I know some of you all probably feel like your all alone in the problem department from Ford. Well let me assure you all that your not. As long as the Mustang has been around and the amount of 4.6 engines Ford has cranked out you would think they would be flawless. At about 6,000 miles I had to have 8 lifters and followers replaced due to a loud ticking in my engine. Numerous newer, mostly 2000 - 2002, Mustang GT owners are reporting "ticking noises" in the engines. Some of these guys are being blown off by their dealerships, being told the noise is "normal". There have been quite a few engine replacements before the cars had 5,000 miles on them. The new T3650 transmissions (5-speed) are failing and the drive trains are "loose". Just yesterday switched my oil from the Ford 5w20 semi synthetic to Mobile 1 5w30. I feel the 5w20 is too light of an oil and may be the cause of a lot of the problems. It was only developed to enhance Ford's fleet fuel averages so they could meet federal standards for their SUV's and trucks. My clutch has started to slip some and I read today where one guy with a 2001 GT is on his 3rd clutch and has less than 12,000 miles on his car. Seems like quite a few folks are having to do battle to get their cars fixed under warranty. The bad thing about the cam problems on the SHO is that it doesn't rear its ugly head till after your out of warranty....same with the transmission. The good thing about the GT is it's easy to work on and parts are readily available. It only took them a couple hours to replace my lifters. I still wish I had my SHO but the Mustang is a ball. It's fun to drive and is actually comfortable on long trips but only if your in the front seats...back seat is a joke. Also, I'm starting to see quite a few GEN II's come in to the store. The people who own them...younger folks....know what they have and are trying to keep them as pristine as possible.
Bob Fijal
02 Mustang GT
Steeda Tri-Ax
Steeda UDP's
Flowmasters
K&N
Cobra Brakes
Pod Gages in the works now.....factory oil pressure gage is a joke....idiot
light without the flashing red.
Bob is a long time member and frequent contributor who sold his SHO for the Mustang, I sure wish he had better luck with it.
Tim