Overhaul Suggestions??

[TimmyJimSho]

I've had my SHO for about 4 years now and it has served me well commuting to and from college. I've always taken fairly good care of her, but just recently I passed 150,000 miles and I am beginning to realize it might be time to put some serious money back into her. Anyhow, I'm trying to figure out what it is I should have done. I've heard lots of rumors about what is best for a GenII SHO. A guy from high school who owned one and worked for Autozone told me to take it to the FORD dealer, who would charge probably somewhere in the neighborhood of $2,500 (For what work, I can't say).

The only problems I notice right now are a slightly rough idle rpm and some shift problems with the auto transmission (which is only due to the fact I beat on the car occasionally). If anyone can give me an idea of what I should have done and what they think it will run me, I'd appreciate it.
Thanks,
Timmy

 

[Machspeed]

"take it to the FORD dealer, who would charge probably somewhere in the neighborhood of $2,500 (For what work, I can't say)"

That makes it really hard to give you advice. You may wanna think about a atx rebuild, especially if its been beaten on.

 

[fred79]

if your talking engine rebuild I would think finding a good foreign car mechanic would be a good idea. more experience with DOHC engines.

 

[sdpatt]

The SHO engine rarely requires a "rebuild." Rough idle conditions would have me point you to reading the EEC codes to get a starting point. It could be something as simple as dirty MAF sensor filaments, old or incorrect spark plugs or old and leaking spark plug wires.

I would definitely NOT take it to a Ford dealer as most have disavowed the SHO as a Ford product. They have not a clue about the true care of a SHO engine. Let us know the specifics about your engine and we can point you in the right direction to take the best care of her.

This topic can provide you with a good idea of the regularly service parts during the SHO's preventative and corrective maintenance jobs. Check the mileage numbers associated with these services and weigh them against the history of your car. You can see from that topic what the actual cost of the parts might be. If you do the work yourself, you can limit the expenses to the parts.