Oh shit! SHO might be totaled!!

99V8SHO · Jul 9, 2003

My car has been in the shop for a week now, for a bunch of little things. One of the things I had my mechanic look at was the oil pressure warning light. I thought the sending unit went bad. Well, it turns out the sending unit is just fine. cry You know what that means. He did some tests and found that in low RPMs oil pressure was near 0. In the higher RPMs where the oil pressure should be around 30-40psi, the actual pressure was about 5. WTF!!! My mechanic told me that it needs a new oil pump and bearings. I have an aftermarket warranty, but my mechanic told me he has dealt with these types of companies before and they always find a way out of paying for these big-ticket repairs. Even if they do offer to pay for it, the bill may exceed $10K, which would total the car. So I am screwed. Has this problem occured on any other genIII SHOs?
headbang cry

SHOZ123 · Jul 10, 2003

Never heard of it yet. What kind of oil and what weight do you have in it? When was it last changed? What does your mechanic suggest?

It is easy enough to confirm with a cheap air pressure gage.

stephen newberg · Jul 10, 2003

Actually, both mine and Kirk's had been starting to get lower than normal oil pressure readings. I also suspect the electrical sender, since it really looks like the pattern of a capacitor breaking down. On a long trip of an hour or so, you can watch the gauge slowly work its way from maxed out at cold start to almost no pressure an hour later in constant speed highway driving, And that is with the oil temperature having stabilized after perhaps 10 minutes, and having remained stable. I have a new sender on order that should arrive today, and will put it in promptly to check.

Kirk, have you anything new to report about yours other than what you mentioned before?

pax, smn

AutoSHO · Jul 10, 2003

Unless your engine is making a lot of knocking noises, your mechanic is full of it. Sounds like he's trying to soak you.

99V8SHO · Jul 10, 2003

This mechanic is a good friend of the family and would never do that to me. The oil that is bein used is whatever Ford recomends, whatever the dealership put in it. I have free oil changes for life and am taking advantage of that. My mechanic did check the sending unit and it is just fine. I am not sure what he did to check the oil pressure, but I am sure he is not blowing steam up my ass. The oil pressure warning light had been flashing for a while, since before the last oil change, but only at low RPMs. I figured it was the sending unit so I did not think much about it. It had to go in for some brake work, so I figured I'd have him check it out for me. I guess it was a bigger problem than I originally thought.

Wess · Jul 10, 2003

SECOND OPINION!

I know he's a family friend, but anybody can make mistakes.

Take it to Protech!

SHOWHAT9 · Jul 10, 2003

99V8SHO:
This mechanic is a good friend of the family and would never do that to me. The oil that is bein used is whatever Ford recomends, whatever the dealership put in it. I have free oil changes for life and am taking advantage of that. My mechanic did check the sending unit and it is just fine. I am not sure what he did to check the oil pressure, but I am sure he is not blowing steam up my ass. The oil pressure warning light had been flashing for a while, since before the last oil change, but only at low RPMs. I figured it was the sending unit so I did not think much about it. It had to go in for some brake work, so I figured I'd have him check it out for me. I guess it was a bigger problem than I originally thought.

I am no where near as mechanically inclined as most members, but common sense dictates that if you have been running pressure that low, you would sound like a washing machine with marbles in it by now, and most likely you would have interesting colors of exhaust. Do you have either of these conditions?? Have you pulled your own dipstick from the block to check the condition of the oil? Smell, color etc? Friend or no, IMHO you NEED a second opinion. Either prove him correct or prove him wrong. This is business, put the friendship aside.Of course, other than that, I have no opinion!

91 SHOplus · Jul 10, 2003

Wess:
SECOND OPINION!

I know he's a family friend, but anybody can make mistakes.

Take it to Protech!

Food for thought. My ex-mechanic was a family friend, too. He still is a friend, but did you notice the "EX" in front of "Mechanic"?

99V8SHO · Jul 10, 2003

SHOWHAT9:

99V8SHO:
This mechanic is a good friend of the family and would never do that to me. The oil that is bein used is whatever Ford recomends, whatever the dealership put in it. I have free oil changes for life and am taking advantage of that. My mechanic did check the sending unit and it is just fine. I am not sure what he did to check the oil pressure, but I am sure he is not blowing steam up my ass. The oil pressure warning light had been flashing for a while, since before the last oil change, but only at low RPMs. I figured it was the sending unit so I did not think much about it. It had to go in for some brake work, so I figured I'd have him check it out for me. I guess it was a bigger problem than I originally thought.

Click to expand...

I am no where near as mechanically inclined as most members, but common sense dictates that if you have been running pressure that low, you would sound like a washing machine with marbles in it by now, and most likely you would have interesting colors of exhaust. Do you have either of these conditions?? Have you pulled your own dipstick from the block to check the condition of the oil? Smell, color etc? Friend or no, IMHO you NEED a second opinion. Either prove him correct or prove him wrong. This is business, put the friendship aside.Of course, other than that, I have no opinion!

No, I have none of those symptoms. No engine knock, no rainbow-colored exhaust. Only the light flashing every once in a while. That makes me think...I have checked the oil many times. No leakage, no discoloration, no smell out of the ordinary. Do you guys think that maybe it is just the sending unit? Now I am really worried. I don't know what to think now. Keep giving me your professional opinions. Thanks alot, everyone.

MilTownSHO · Jul 10, 2003

Wess:
SECOND OPINION!

I know he's a family friend, but anybody can make mistakes.

I second that, a second opinion could never hurt

Denny · Jul 10, 2003

Just a question, if the motor is trashed, what color should the oil be?

stephen newberg · Jul 11, 2003

"That makes me think...I have checked the oil many times. No leakage, no discoloration, no smell out of the ordinary. Do you guys think that maybe it is just the sending unit?"

It sounds much more like the sending unit than anything else. It is possible from your description that it is sending it's signal erractically, and if we give your friend of the family a thumbs up he could easily just have tested it when it was putting out a good signal. You indicate you are getting a flashing light, not a steady one, after all. But I must agree with the other posters here. A second opinion would really be a good idea.

pax, smn

SHOZ123 · Jul 11, 2003

99V8SHO:
The oil that is bein used is whatever Ford recomends, whatever the dealership put in it.

Make sure they are not using the 5w20 oil. If it were my car I would try some 10w40 oil to see what happens.

99V8SHO · Jul 11, 2003

Thanks for the advice. I will definitely take it to someone to get a second opinion. If only Kirk lived closer. headbang This is starting to sound fishy to me. Now I don't know what to think. I don't know if I should be worried about starting to look for a new car, or if I should just worry about whether or not I just need a new sending unit. Kirk where are you?

MilTownSHO · Jul 11, 2003

Are you still driving it? How many miles do you have?

99V8SHO · Jul 11, 2003

The SHO is sitting at the shop right now. It has not been driven in two weeks. It has just under 45K miles on it.
Talked with my mechanic about 30mins ago, and he informed me that the whole repair will cost $3500, not even coming close to totaling it. He is chatting with the warranty company, seeing what he can get out of them. I talked to him about the lack of engine knock and he told me that was one of the first things he looked for, but thought was extremely weird that he could not find. He said that there should be no discoloration in the exhaust. I tend to believe him there. He said that as of yet there is no bearing damage, but the pump NEEDS to be replaced. The bearings have no damage because in the highre RPMs (where I do most of my driving wink ) the oul pressure is not too terribly horrible. It is in the lower RPMs where the oil pressure is nill. When he goes in to replace the oil pump he is also going to replace the sending unit and the bearings, just to be safe. So I am hoping all goes well.

MilTownSHO · Jul 11, 2003

I'd still get a second opinion. That's so weird at that low of miles you would have problems. NO one else has that I know of

bigpappy · Jul 21, 2003

Lord knows that there are far better mechanical minds on this forum than mine. Yet, after reading your post, I'm about convinced that you have a short of some kind. There may have been nothing wrong with the sending unit while your mechanic was checking it, but that doesn't mean that he tested it while the car was moving, duplicating the conditions under which the fault first appeared.
I could be way off, but my gut tells me there may be some wire chafing going on.
I wish you well.

99V8SHO · Jul 28, 2003

Update!
I had to go pick up my registration out of the SHO because I need that to pick up my parking permit for college. While I was there I took some pictures.