97' SHO which I almost bought...

[OmMEGGA]

I found a so-so 97' SHO for $1200 with 168K miles. Upon seeing it for the first time this is what I noticed... First, very faint knock defiantly coming from the engine, also steering wheel vibration at idle. Next there was a black smoke coming from upper left side(if you look at the car from the front), hard shifts 1-4 and no info about cams. I guess it's very rare for V8 to make over 160K without welding but that tiny knock could mean disaster is coming up. What is interesting same car was for sale 2 weeks earlier for $3000. Body was in fair condition and same thing with interior. Long story short, I didn't buy it as I felt it would fall apart the minute I drove off his driveway. Did I made a right choice or was it a steal for $1200?

 

[kevinspann]

I think you made the right choice.

 

[Whydah91]

They turn up in my area a lot, mostly '96s -'98s, usually with 120-170k on 'em. Prices range from $2500 from a private seller, to $6500 if some dealer has it. When ya ask about welded cams or if the tranny was replaced, they act like you're speaking Russian.

 

[OmMEGGA]

When ya ask about welded cams or if the tranny was replaced, they act like you're speaking Russian.

Yeah, I once looked at a 96' at a local dealership. The guy insisted that the SHO had a 4.6 V8 and he never heard of cam failure ... I left real quickly.

 

[Johnlemon]

can someone explain why a knock would spell certain doom?

 

[stephen newberg]

can someone explain why a knock would spell certain doom?

It is very possible what is being heard is the pistons touching the valves. The 3.4 L V8 is an interference engine, and if the cam sprockets have not been welded, at high miles they are very likely to have started to slip. Once this happens, you start getting the valves down to far due to the cam being in the wrong place as the pistons are coming up. Hence the knock and hence wanting to avoid such an engine, as it is on the way to self destruction.

pax, smn