Almost at wit's end...

[sandrew]

It's actually Scott Andrew (first initial, middle name for my screen name).

Just buying the head probably wouldn't be any cheaper as I'll still need a headgasket, bolts, and probably new piston rings for that cylinder bank.

I'm seriously pondering bidding on the long block that's on ebay. What kind of shape will the seals be in on an engine that's been sitting in a crate for 10 yrs?

/shrug

I'm just mightily ****** atm.

 

[Mr Anonymous]

What kind of shape will the seals be in on an engine that's been sitting in a crate for 10 yrs?

Perfect, since there is not a single seal installed on the shortblocks. You have to install all the required gaskets and seals.

 

[ruWelded]

Gasket Set

MidnightAuto had a gasket set for sale on E-bay it ended on 02-07-08. It was listed for $797.98 buy it now.

Here is a list of part numbers included. Many of these parts are impossible to find. And you still need bolts.

The long block on E-bay would be my first choice if I needed a engine. It started out with a buy it now of less than 1K$. Shipping to my zipcode was only about $150.00.

I would not own any of these cars if I had to pay someone else to do my work for me. They just don't have much value, parts are hard to find and cost too much.

1 Head gasket F6DZ-6051-DA

1 Head gasket F6DZ-6051-CA

1 Valve cover F6DZ-6584-DA

1 Valve cover F6DZ-6584-CA

8 Spark plug well gasket F6DZ-6F048-AA

2 Valve cover gasket F6DZ-64048-AB

1 Oil seperator gasket F6DZ-6B752-AA

1 Oil seperator to block gasket F6DZ-6B752-AB

1 Throttle body gasket F6DZ-9F670-AA

2 Exhaust manifold gasket F6DZ-9448-AA

2 Intake plenum gaskets F6DZ-9H486-AA

2 Upper intake gaskets F6DZ-9439-AA

2 Lower intake gaskets F6DZ-9439-CA

1 Oil filter adapter gasket F6DZ-6840-AA

1 Idle air gasket F6DZ-95670-DA

1 Oil plug gasket F6DZ-6734-AA

1 EGR gasket F6DZ-9D476-AA

1 EGR tube gasket F6DZ-9D476-AA

1 Oil pump pick up gasket F6DZ-6626-AA

1 Water outlet gasket F6DZ-6B752-AA

1 Timing cover gasket F6DZ-6020-CA

1 Timing cover gasket F6DZ-6200-AA

1 Timing cover gasket F6DZ-6020-AC

1 Rear main seal F6DZ-6701-AA

1 Front main seal F6DZ-6700-AA

1 Camshaft head seal F6DZ-6700-AC

1 Dip stick tube seal F6DZ-6753-AA

1 Water pump housing seal F6DZ-93210-A1

1 water tube seal F6DZ-93210-A1

1 Thermostate seal F6DZ-8255

16 Intake valve seals F6DZ-6571-DA

16 exhaust valve seal F6DZ-6571-CA

 

[ruWelded]

Long Block _E-bay

One thing I would worry about with the long block auction, is the guy has "0" feedback. There is not much description and only one picture.

Here is the listing number : 120220403046

 

[NebraskaSHO]

Yeah, that listing is sketchy.

 

[sandrew]

Perfect, since there is not a single seal installed on the shortblocks. You have to install all the required gaskets and seals.

except it isn't a shortblock - it's a longblock

 

[Mr Anonymous]

except it isn't a shortblock - it's a longblock

Sorry, I assumed you were talking about the shortblocks which have been on eBay for a while now.

With regard to that longblock however, if you look closely, you'll see that the picture they are using is stolen from NESHO's website: http://www.nesho.com/products.html

On top of that, the picture they stole is of a REBUILT motor, not a new longblock.

EDIT: Another interesting piece of trivia I just realized. The motor in that picture is installed in Beth's silver '96.

 

[sandrew]

Stealing photos for a product that you're supposed to have IN YOUR POSESSION isn't a good way to build credibility. Especially if you're a 0 feedback seller. Sheesh. Thanks for the heads up, Mr Anonymous.

I did ask the seller if they have any pictures of the actual engine. We'll see if I get a response.

So if that option is out (due to not being sure of the seller), can I still get a list of the things I'll need to repair my car? Besides head gasket, head bolts, piston rings and possibly a couple of valves? Or is that it?

 

[bacernate]

There Would Be No Reason To Replace Rings. If You Added Oil To That Cylinder And Compression Didn't Increase Alot Than It's A Valve Train Problem. Make Sure When You Do A Compression Test The Injectors Are Disabled And You Hold The Throttle Pltes Wide Open. Not Really Applicable To The Rear Bank As The Intake Will Be Off.

 

[tqmx1]

Fuel injector wasn't it. Didn't really expect it to be but it was the least labor intensive and only cost $40 to rule out.

Did a compression test on the rear bank today (cold test, obviously). Cylinder 1 & 2? About 185psi each. Cyliner 3? 90. Cylinder 4? 60.

5-8 are all around 185-190. Figures. It WOULD be the back bank.

Squirting some oil into the cylinder raised #4 from 60 to almost 90. Not NEARLY enough. So does this mean burnt valves in 3 & 4 or bad rings?

If I'm going to fix it I'm going to need a rundown of parts I'm going to need - Midnight Auto has (last time I checked anyway) a rear head gasket for sale. I know those are difficult to find. How hard are valves/valve seats to find? Rings? Head bolts?

Any idea how much $$ we're talking in labor? This will have to be farmed out as it is WAY above my ability level.

Before you go over the deep end why don't you pull the valve cover and see if any of the shim to cam clearances are tight on #3&4. It's a whole bunch cheeper for a few valve shims than pulling a head.

If it does not work it's back to plan B pulling the head:cry:

 

[NebraskaSHO]

I want to help out when you start the engine work. I can only really help though on the weekends. I'm student teaching, and working ~16 hours a week at nights driving a bus for UNL.

Now... if we could get it into the Auto shop at Lincoln Northeast HS...

 

[sandrew]

I don't have the tools nor the knowledge to do this repair. That's a bit above my pay grade. If I can't find anybody local who has torn a head off of a V8 SHO it'll probably be going back to the guy that welded my cams in Grand Island. I just want to try and round up the difficult to find parts ahead of time so the car won't be sitting in a mechanic's garage waiting for parts.

Thanks for the offer of help, though.

 

[sandrew]

BTW, this is the response I got from the guy who is selling the long block on ebay:

Scott,

I do not have an actual picture of the engine, this pic was pulled off the internet. We are brokering this engine for a former Ford employee. I can assure you it is a brand new 3.4 liter V8 SHO Taurus engine.


- jjdirck56

 

[wymjym]

I had purchased one of the new short blocks from a firm up in that same texas area. The block was new old stock. I eventually sold the block but the same outfit that was selling the shortblock was, at that time selling some long blocks. I tried to snatch one of those (after seeing the cost of gaskets,bolts, etc) but never got close in my bidding.
good luck with the repair, I sure hope my miss doesn't turn out to be the head or worse.
wj

 

[NebraskaSHO]

Seems odd though with so few miles.

Sad...

 

[SHOZ123]

I think the long blocks were for RH drive SHOs. Rumor has it one guy bought all three.

 

[sandrew]

Seems odd though with so few miles.

Sad...

Yeah, tell me about it. I'm beginning to wonder if the car wasn't a badly repaired cam failure or the original owner knew it was going south and got rid of it. The 2nd owner, who only had it 8 months, was clueless mechanically but thought a low mileage gen 3 SHO was a good investment. He was hoping it would appreciate in value before he sold it. He got a bit of an eye-opener after listing it on Craigslist a couple of times for a lot more than NADA said it was worth.

Then I enter the picture, see a 42k mile V8 SHO and get all stupid and buy it (at least for less than his asking price, I didn't get TOO stupid), sure in my mind that the slight miss it had was a coil.

You know what they say - if it sounds too good to be true...

At least the car is paid for, it only has 48.9k on it, the only other work it needs is probably new subframe bushings and maybe strut mounts due to their age. I can't afford a brand new car and buying another used one is a crapshoot. So I get to try & fix this one. I may still bid on the long block on ebay if it doesn't get too far up there in price. If bidding gets too crazy then I'll just have to have somebody tear the rear head on this one down and have a good look at it.

wymjym, have you done a compression test on all 8 cylinders?

 

[NebraskaSHO]

You are absolutely, without a doubt sure that the cylinder readings for 3 & 4 are correct. Like you checked it 2-3 times?

 

[sandrew]

Checked each cylinder twice dry, once wet.

 

[wymjym]

I had 'quickly' checked the compression several years ago when I received the car. I didn't write the values down or spend much time with the procedure...all of the cylinders showed okay compression, nothing way out of the normal. I'm now starting to question my memories of that given that I've been looking pretty hard for the hiccup for some time. I still need to swap out a couple of O2 sensors and then do some more data logging.

re:ebay longblock
I asked the ebayer about his long block that is listed as being in FlowerMound Texas...the reply:

The engine is being shipped form Cleveland Ohio. That means it would have to be delivered to a shop or location with a loading dock. It is a brand new engine, never installed.

This might be a totally legitamate auction...but.....with -0- previous auctions and less than 100% accurate information I'm not going to be making any bids.
wj