What are some common problems with the Ford Taurus SHO?

[gnx547]

My gf is looking at a 92 Ford Taurus SHO with 102,000 miles, fully loaded with the 5 speed. How reliable are these cars? Are there any common problems with these cars? I know it has the Yamaha v6 engine, is it a good engine? Any known problems with the yamaha v6 engine? Any common electrical problems? Anything else to look for besides the basic stuff?

 

[Kens1992mtxSHO]

WOW....

All I can say is that maintenance is very important....


.... and the search function is your friend. You should find the answers to most, if not all of your questions bysearching for them.

With only 102k miles I would just check to make sure the full 60k has been done along with the basics. With proper maintenance these vehicles are a gem. With out it...

Welcome to the forum!

 

[93MTXSHO_STUD]

the engine is good, everything else is a PITA at times including all the ford electronics that hold this *** engine back! Well the rod bearings are a minus wit this engine as well, but nothing a weekend can't solve.

 

[HoustinoJillian]

owning one.

 

[0V3RC10CK3D]

Rod Bearings.

 

[Kens1992mtxSHO]

Rod Bearings.

X2

How could I forget about this one?

 

[jthod]

Hey, lets make a list! One part/problem per post.

Since Rod Bearings are taken, mine is:

Differential pins that don't like staying in the tranny.

JUST DON'T DO BURNOUTS OR LOTS OF HARD LAUNCHES!!!

 

[JoesSHO]

Come on now guys, let's not scare the poor guy right away...

Oil in the plugwells (valve cover plug well seals are junk if it's in there) if there is oil in the wells, most likely at 100k, the 60k wasn't done either.

If you buy a SHO, you'll be doing some catch up maintenance, for sure.

If you can, run some diagnostic codes first and see what the car tells you- you can do it with a paperclip and watching the check engine light flashes...

http://www.shophoenixproject.com/eec/eec.htm

Sho Phoenix Project has a lot of good information there as well...

Don't be afraid of a nice SHO, they (for me) are as reliable as anything else on the road from that era...

 

[93rev2sev]

Oil leaks.

Those lead to low oil lights.

Low oil lights lead to worn rod bearings.

Worn rod bearing lead to the dark side.

To save the engine, fix the leaks, you must.
MMMM?

 

[St Louis SHO]

I have 2 with 200k on them, still going fine.

 

[jayro]

Mines got 168K on it and still runs great. I would see what maintinance info you can get from the seller. If it has been taken care of it should be solid.
DO you enjoy working on cars? If so, the sHO can be a very reliable and fun vehicle. If not, maintinace can be a little expensive. If I were looking at one to buy I would check the following:
1. Pull codes. Can be done with a paperclip, or on your test drive stop by Autozone ect. I believe they will pull codes for free.
2. Find out about maintinance. Pull a couple of the front plug wires and check for oil. If there is, the car could still be in good shape....just in need of some maintinance.
3. Look for signs of "spirited" driving. Ask about the performance nature of the car. If the seller starts talking about all the races he's won ect then the trans may be an issue.


Hope this helps

Jeremy

 

[itwonder]

It is a very good engine. The car has many idiosyncrasies and requires more proactive maintenance than most. While the rewards are many, the SHO fits best with a dedicated hobbyist to be a practical vehicle IMHO.

 

[Phoenix]

If you take care of the maintenance , the car is gonna take care of you. There's rarely any electrical issues , when it does funny things - most of the time it's a sensor. The best is if you're mechanicaly inclined , because even Ford dealers doesnt have a clue when working on these cars.

 

[USHOMEISHOU]

Biggest problem?



















addiction

 

[gnx547]

so when the rod bearing is bad, is it a loud knock sound? How can you tell if the noise is a rod bearing?

 

[gnx547]

Also what kind of gas mileage does these cars get in the city and highway?

 

[Phoenix]

so when the rod bearing is bad, is it a loud knock sound? How can you tell if the noise is a rod bearing?

2 things can happen , knock noises and another thing that tells you that you need to change them is the red oil light in your dash , it will flicker at first. When you see that light , you park it and you need to do them ASAP.

 

[SASHO91]

What are some common problems with the Ford Taurus SHO?

..you ask.

Just some small things here and there in this general area......

 

[Mr Anonymous]

Being near Chicago, you should make a post in the SHOcago section of the forum seeing if one of their knowledgeable members would be willing to go take a look at the car for you to see if it's in good mechanical shape and won't be a maintenance money pit right out of the gate. They'll probably be willing to help out for a six pack of beer or the price of lunch!

 

[TYSHO]

Instead of searching these forums, like requested, just to find other threads/posts saying to search, this website will help you know more about the car: www.shotimes.com