Engine out...damage found-04 GT

[svopaul]

Well, we got the engine out and heads off from Marc's '04 GT. Not good but as we suspected to a degree. This is all preliminary as we have more inspection and dis-assemebly to do.

Pistons and valves have made contact....witness marks in the pistons. This is documented in Ford's records from his 2nd visit when they replaced the RH cylinder head. IMO they should have replaced the engine at that time(which is what the service advisor told him but was not true).

Debris has been in all but 3 cylinders and the tops of the pistons are damaged...some missing chunks(see pics). Debris is also embedded into the cylinder heads on those cylinders.

Here are the first pics.....

[slvrbullit]

Some or the damage in there looks as tho it may have dropped a valve the first time he had this porblem, that is just by looking at the rounded indentions in some of the pistons to could relate to the stem of a valve.

[QWKSNKE]

:shake:

[TheJeanyus]

:( :notnice:

[ChipR4cam]

Why did Ford not fix it this time too?

[svopaul]

Why did Ford not fix it this time too?


That's the magic question but they say that a chip was installed and they refused to fix it. Funny thing is that Ford records documented by use of a borescope that the valves had contacted the pistons when the car had only 2,000 miles on it...they replaced one cylinder head.

Marc wasn't getting anywhere with Ford and the car has been sitting for 4 months with him making payments on it so he wanted us to fix it.

[1sicklx]

Long Lewis = teh suck

[93Cobra#2771]

That's the magic question but they say that a chip was installed and they refused to fix it. Funny thing is that Ford records documented by use of a borescope that the valves had contacted the pistons when the car had only 2,000 miles on it...they replaced one cylinder head.

Marc wasn't getting anywhere with Ford and the car has been sitting for 4 months with him making payments on it so he wanted us to fix it.

A dealer cannot automatically deny warranty work due to a chip. They have to PROVE the chip was the cause of the problem. And no chip will make a motor drop a valve, last I heard. Lean a/f, detonation, sure, but not a mechanical failure such as that. :(

[svopaul]

A dealer cannot automatically deny warranty work due to a chip. They have to PROVE the chip was the cause of the problem. And no chip will make a motor drop a valve, last I heard. Lean a/f, detonation, sure, but not a mechanical failure such as that. :(


Actually they can....right now it is standard procedure with SVT specifically that any engine warranty claims get inspected...they pull the computer and if it shows a sign of having a chip on it they take a picture and void your warranty.

The main problem is the simple David vs. Goliath scenario.....avg consumer vs. dealership or Ford with deep pockets.

[86GT]

Ford just had a big case here in California about this very subject, and Ford Lost there butt. They can not deny the warranty for any bolt-on unless they can prove it.

I'll see if I can find the article.

[svopaul]

Ford just had a big case here in California about this very subject, and Ford Lost there butt. They can not deny the warranty for any bolt-on unless they can prove it.

I'll see if I can find the article.

That article might help Marc and I am sure he would appreciate it. I have friends who are Ford tech's so I know for a fact that SVT checks every processor on engine claims. I am sure they took this action because people were trying to fraudulenty get warranty repair when they were responsible by abuse for the damage...so those who didn't abuse the car get screwed.

[86GT]

true true

[93Cobra#2771]

Yeah, this all started way before the 03/04 blown cobras, specifically with the 99L's. Early chips for the first blown L's modified the trannies for improved (harder) shifting. Well, guess what: All of a sudden a bunch of L's started losing trannies. The chip's increased line pressure and the L's tranny didn't get along. Now in those cases, the chip was indeed the cause of the failure, and Ford was right in denying warranty work on the trannies (FWIW, this also happened on the first PSD super duties (same tranny as the L, for the most part).

As I said earlier, though, a chip/the eec cannot cause a mechanical failure such as a dropped valve, and the dealer is/was wrong to deny warranty service on the car as such.

However, as you said, Paul - big brother vs. little brother - unless you are willing to go to bat with a little coin to battle Ford, then you are pretty much SOL...

[svopaul]

Still no clue as to why the pistons hit the valves on the engine but the reason for all the debris is because when the piston hit the valve it broke the valve guide and showered debris back up into the intake and then back into 5 cylinders. The miss was on #2 and the #2 intake valve guide is broken....