new 5/03/03
I just learned of this cam sprocket problem for the first time by reading your web site. I am experiencing "EXACTLY" this problem right now as my car sits in the Ford dealership for the 4th straight week as they replace various parts in their search to discover the source of the tapping noise and rough running which recently began when the odometer hit a little over 63,000 miles. This is the second dealership I have taken the car to for troubleshooting the noise. Neither dealership mentioned anything whatsoever about this apparent common fault! The first dealer thought it was the valve clearance so I paid them $221 to check it out. They found nothing wrong with the valves and said "it could be the timing chain, but it will cost you $1,400 to find out and we
don't guarantee that it is the source of the noise." I took it to another dealership for a second opinion. They told me they believed the noise was coming from the fuel injectors. I agreed to have them look at the injectors. They found no problem with the injectors and suggested they look at the valve clearance. I authorized this also. They said they found 26 of the 32 valves out of adjustment. I authorized repair which required ordering of spacers. At the dealer's
recommendation, I also authorized replacement of the spark plugs since they had the engine apart anyway. After putting the car back together, the noise was still there. Next, they called Ford's SHO hotline for advice. The advice was to check the input / output on the cam shafts. This was also authorized and by now, we are up to $2,200 in parts and labor! When the parts
arrived three days later, they called the hotline again for advice. They were told that the engine had to be "dropped" to do the work and the labor cost would be 30 hours at $84/hr shop rate. After a long discussion about having to pay for their mechanic's training at $84/hr while he continues to troubleshoot my car through parts replacement, they agreed to only charge an additional $600 to drop the engine and finish the cam repair, however, there was still no guarantee that it would fix the noise problem. At this
writing, I have not authorized the additional work and based on what I have learned here tonight, I am at a loss as to where to go from here. Thanks for the information and I would appreciate any additional information or advice anyone can provide.
Steve Counts
Indianapolis
ifms@aol.com