future owner of 98, cam question

[supercolts]

Hi all. I was planning on buying a 1998 SHO Taurus that I saw at a local dealer. It has 155,000 miles on it, and everything "appears" to be mechanically sound. I drove the car and was impressed with its handling, suspension, and power. I started to do some research on the internet and was shocked at the cam sprocket failures that people have had. My question is if this car does not have the welds done at 155000 miles, would I be at a great risk if I didn't weld them at all? It seems to me that if they haven't been welded and it survived all those miles, that I would probably be okay. I also found out that Ford only made about 2,000 of these in 1998, so I feel pretty lucky to come across one. What are your thoughts? Weld, or do you think I will probably be okay? Also, does anyone know any official stats on the failure rates of the 98's due to the cam problem?

Thanks,

Aaron

 

[CWhalenSHO]

Definitely make sure that they are welded...Hands down, no question, without a doubt that is the first thing to do.

Even if it has managed to make it all this time without the cams failing, it's inevitable if the cams aren't welded.

 

[Mr Anonymous]

If you're paying like $500 for the car, not having them welded isn't a big deal.

If you're paying real money, you have to decide if that money is disposable if a cam spins and the engine blows up 3 months from now.

 

[supercolts]

Definitely make sure that they are welded...Hands down, no question, without a doubt that is the first thing to do.

Even if it has managed to make it all this time without the cams failing, it's inevitable if the cams aren't welded.

That's kind of what I was trying to get at.. I'm not familiar with these cars except for the few hours that I've looked on the internet. So you're saying that it is INEVITABLE that the sprockets will spin off. I guess I'll hope that they are already welded.

 

[Eric VerValin]

Where at in Indiana are ya? There is a guy here in Fort Wayne that was selling one who talked like he know's whats up with the Gen 3's. And for welding, I would imagine C&P would do it for ya.

Then again maybe your in Indy..

 

[stephen newberg]

Aaron, getting the welding done, if it has not already been done, is not a difficult proposition. A number of people on this site offer the service and additionally, any competent welder can do the job, though most will not do all the associated clean up and extras that the more practiced SHO cam sprocket welders do routinely. But it is not a difficult job, you just need to do it with care. But if you get the car, or even before you get the car, you need to pull the value covers and find out if it has been done, and if it has not, you do need to do it as soon as possible to prevent eventual destruction of the engine. And sometimes there is zero warning when it happens, so it is not something you can wait on until you 'hear' it start happening.

pax, smn