Serious Engine Problems

[DETSHO]

Okay I have a 93 SHO green ATX with 170K miles (wow, Huh?). For about 2 or 3 months I have had a severe engine knocking, this is the pattern the knocking takes.....When the car is at idle it knocks at a constant speed, then when I drive it when I am under 1500 RPMs it sounds like a card in bicycle spokes then when I get over 1500RPMs you can't hear it. Also, when descreasing in RPMS from over 1500RPMs you can hear it cladding again. On top of that I also noticed that when at Idle while the knocking is going you can see small amounts of black smoke coming out the exhaust but then it stops the cladding/knocking and you can't hear it any more. Well I am already on my way to buying a 95 red SHO ATX w/ 110K on it, so I am selling the green ATX with this crazy problem that NO mechanic can diagnose. I have even had the engine ripped apart and the guy told me my rod bearings and cams were fine.......then again I never seen the engine open so he could be lying.

 

[twr]

That most definitly sounds like a rod knock. If the mechanic went through the trouble of pulling the bottom of the enigine apart, he should have just replaced the rod bearing for the $50 in parts that it would have cost. Honestly sounds like he did nothing, there are many mechanics out there that are afraid of touching a SHO.

 

[sdpatt]

twr:
That most definitly sounds like a rod knock. If the mechanic went through the trouble of pulling the bottom of the enigine apart, he should have just replaced the rod bearing for the $50 in parts that it would have cost. Honestly sounds like he did nothing, there are many mechanics out there that are afraid of touching a SHO.

What he said.

 

[Rob94]

Before we get carried away by the drama, let's try to get more information, hmmmm??

Black smoke would indicate a rich condition. How old is the timing belt in that thing?? If it is beyond it's service life, or if the tensioner is losing it's ability to keep tension, it could be slapping the cover and make one **** of a racket while doing so.

On a side note, I have not met ANY mechanic who is "afraid to work on a SHO". It's just an engine guys. Nothing more, nothing less.

<small>[ July 16, 2003, 03:35 PM: Message edited by: Rob94 ]</small>

 

[shojuan]

If you don't like/trust that mechanic then find a new one. I'm sure some people in your area could point you to a good one.

 

[DETSHO]

Okay I have heard alot of stories what this cladding/knocking sound may be, but it sounds like the rod bearing problem is it, although for the last 2 months I thought it was a cam chain (which most mechanics did not even know what that was). So before I sell it I think I am going to see about getting new rod bearings thumb . BTW, I live in Detroit, Michigan anybody near me that could point me to a good SHO mechanic maybe in Dearborn (Ford HQ) or in a neighboring suburb? Since I HAD to drive my SHO while the cladding/knocking was going on, am I going to have to invest in another crankshaft or anything that a bad rod bearing might do further damage to? doh

 

[JoeHoe_SHO]

I think you keep losing power as your knock gets worse over time...I wouldn't drive it like that too much...if your gonna fix it, why not keep the car?

 

[DETSHO]

Well the 95 Red SHO I am buying is gonna cost me $4000, it has never been in a wreck, it purrs like a kitten, not only was it a mechanic's SHO with a newly rebuilt trans, but I am getting audio extras too thumb . I can't just pull 4 G's out of my @$$ so even if I don't sell it right away to make sure I am not just putting myself in more debt than I would want to, it has to be sold .

As far as driving it not as much I work full time right now and haven't caught the bus since I was 17, so I think I'm gonna have to take my chances on that one shrug , anyway my acceleration is not shabby at all although the engine bay sounds kinda crappy.

 

[DETSHO]

Hey Guys, I have better news this time I recently went to McLaughlin Ford in Royal Oak, Michigan to see if they had the master set to my wheel locks and met a guy there that had a Gen II SHO and referred me to heavy engine tech. for Ford that actually HAS a Gen II SHO also eek!

 

[79pace]

Keep us posted on what you find out. I am in the middle of changing rod bearings but have a very similar sound in mine. The one rod bearing I pulled last night doesnt look bad at all so if I pull them all and find none of them bad I am back to square one.