fbbob96
2013 SBY #0750
I'm still on Shelbys forum,since I traded my gt500. I check it out about once a week.This was just posted and thought everyone should read it. At an Open Track Event last week (Heartland Park Topeka) coming out of a 90* slow & tight 2nd Gear Turn...
Lost power as I up-shifted into 3rd...
Engine coughed and sputtered for a about a 1/2 mile as I limped down the back straight...
Finally shut down completely before I could exit the track...
Luckily it was a downhill grade so we coasted it into a safe turn off area...
Once it was off the track, engine then overheated and spewed coolant out the overflow tank cap for approx 5 mins...
Thinking it was just in "limp mode" we let it cool off, but the engine wouldn't crank up again...
Battery just fine, but something was binding in the drivetrain and it wouldn't turn over...
Fellow GT500 owner suggested pumping the clutch pedal (???) and it somehow freed up the engine just enough to crank it over and start...
Heard a constant knocking coming from the RH side of the block that followed the engine RPM's so we shut it down immediately and called Roadside Assistance for a tow to the nearest Ford Dealer...
Tow truck driver showed up with a shiny, well maintained Roll-Back flatbed truck and took his time getting everything hooked up without doing any damage to the front splitter or any of the suspension where he tied down the car for the 15-min trip to the Ford Garage...
I had already called the Service Dept before the tow, but we dropped off the car after they closed for the night...
I went back that next morning when they opened and waited for the "good news"...
Initial indications were that #3 cylinder was showing slightly lower compression than the other 7...
And after pulling the #3 spark plug and using a scope-type camera, the Engine Tech was able to see where the valves had been hitting the top of the piston itself...
Which he then compared against #1 cylinder which had absolutely no marks on the top of the piston...
Service writer said he talked to Ford on Friday and I just heard back today (Monday) that a NEW engine had already been ordered and should arrive at the Dealership by the end of this week...
And YES it is ALL covered under Factory Drivetrain Warranty...
The car was Delivered to the Dealer in early December and purchased in mid-April with 36 miles on the ODO and had just over 3,750 miles on it when it failed...
TracKey was installed one week after initial purchase by my local dealership...
1st oil change & 27-point Inspection was done by same dealership just 2 days before the failure occurring at the track...
Was using the RED KEY and had topped off with 100 Octane Unleaded Race Fuel that morning right after I went thru Tech Inspection...
Had about 1/4 tank of fuel left in the tank when the bearing spun...
I did buy this particular BOSS out of state and drove it home about 550 miles the same day I picked it up...
First leg was 300 miles to get the Clear Bra installed and then it was 250 miles back home to my garage...
Read all about the 100 miles before WOT and 1,000 miles before any Track Use in the Owner's Manual before I even drove it off the lot...
Varied the highway cruising speeds between 65-80 MPH, never used the Cruise Control and randomly selected 4th, 5th & 6th gears at the different speeds to vary the engine RPM's accordingly...
Average MPG for the entire trip was 23 when I pulled into my driveway...
And the oil level that next morning was about 1/2-way between the 2 hash marks on the dipstick, so I just left it go and used it as a reference point to start watching oil consumption...
Bought the CoolTech sound tube delete kit, just so I could get easy access to the dipstick and checked the oil on a weekly basis...
Ended up putting in another 2 full quarts over the next 3 months and 3,000 miles...
Which I reluctantly attributed to the "break-in" period for this particular engine...
But I did go to my Ford Dealer last month to start having it documented, just in case there was a problem in the future...
Fast forward a month and I decided it was now time to get the Factory oil changed...
Made sure the dealer put in 8.5 qts of 5W-50 Full Synthetic and checked it as being FULL before I left the Service Drive...
They even gave me the remaining 1/2 quart and told me to let them know the date and the mileage if I had to top it back off...
At Tech Inspection @ the Track 2 days later, the oil level hadn't budged from the FULL mark...
And then I ran three full 20-min sessions without any issues prior to the failure occurring...
Outside temps were in the low 90's, but were creeping up as the afternoon went on...
Using a Bluetooth OBD Transmitter and the Torque App on my Smartphone, I was watching the Engine Coolant Temps the entire day...
After the engine warmup and a "pace" lap under Yellow, the temps would start out at around 195* and gradually peak around 235* at the end of each session...
Never once did I see anything above 240* nor did it ever lose power or go into "limp mode"...
Between sessions, I raised the hood and let the engine cool down for the remaining 40 mins in between runs...
Each successive session would start out around 200*...
I do have the modified 302S grill installed to help with the engine cooling...
And before each session, I would double-check the oil to make sure it was always at the FULL mark...
Which it was all day long, and still is even after the spun bearing/engine seizure and sitting for the night at the dealership...
So while I was hesitant to post the details, for the obvious reasons, I wanted to share this with every BOSS 302 owner who reads this Forum...
And not to BASH anyone or find fault in anything that lead up to the failure... But to use this as a Learning Experience for EVERYONE...
And to show that FORD will stand by its product while a customer was driving it like they advertised...
At speed, On a 2.1 mile Road Course, Using the Red Key, Setting up the car based on all the recommended procedures in the Owner's Supplemental Manual and keeping track of the Oil levels and Coolant Temps...
And while I will follow this along and try to answer any and all technical questions that I can, as well as keep fellow owners updated as this engine swap takes place...
I will not get into ANY arguments or even respond to any posts that question why I waited to 3,600 miles before I changed the oil... As it doesn't really matter, and everyone's driving situation differs...
Nor will I even bother with comments about my driving/shifting abilities out on the track, as I have plenty of in-car videos (some with Eng Data displayed) and passenger ride-alongs for validation...
But for the Record, NO the engine was NOT over-revved to 8-9,000 RPM's, nor did I miss any shifts all day long as I had recently replaced the stock shifter with the complete MGW setup (highly recommended if you Track your car)... I try to use 7,000 RPM's for the upshifts, so it doesn't bounce off the Rev Limiter... And I look for between 4-5,000 RPM's when I downshift going into a turn...
The point is, a mechanical failure occurred involving a random production part that finally showed its weakness under the additional stresses of putting this particular BOSS 302 Engine thru its paces out on the track on a beautiful summer day... And FORD is doing its part by honoring the factory warranty and covering the complete engine replacement from start to finish... I'm just glad it didn't fail at 36,001 miles... And for those of you who are experiencing any kind of excessive oil consumption, PLEASE take it in and at least have the Service Dept document the date and the mileage... Otherwise, just like with an aftermarket tune or any of the other engine "mods" that Ford has listed in the TSB for the 5.0 as potential non-warranty reasons, you might not be as lucky as I was...
everyone here should read it
Lost power as I up-shifted into 3rd...
Engine coughed and sputtered for a about a 1/2 mile as I limped down the back straight...
Finally shut down completely before I could exit the track...
Luckily it was a downhill grade so we coasted it into a safe turn off area...
Once it was off the track, engine then overheated and spewed coolant out the overflow tank cap for approx 5 mins...
Thinking it was just in "limp mode" we let it cool off, but the engine wouldn't crank up again...
Battery just fine, but something was binding in the drivetrain and it wouldn't turn over...
Fellow GT500 owner suggested pumping the clutch pedal (???) and it somehow freed up the engine just enough to crank it over and start...
Heard a constant knocking coming from the RH side of the block that followed the engine RPM's so we shut it down immediately and called Roadside Assistance for a tow to the nearest Ford Dealer...
Tow truck driver showed up with a shiny, well maintained Roll-Back flatbed truck and took his time getting everything hooked up without doing any damage to the front splitter or any of the suspension where he tied down the car for the 15-min trip to the Ford Garage...
I had already called the Service Dept before the tow, but we dropped off the car after they closed for the night...
I went back that next morning when they opened and waited for the "good news"...
Initial indications were that #3 cylinder was showing slightly lower compression than the other 7...
And after pulling the #3 spark plug and using a scope-type camera, the Engine Tech was able to see where the valves had been hitting the top of the piston itself...
Which he then compared against #1 cylinder which had absolutely no marks on the top of the piston...
Service writer said he talked to Ford on Friday and I just heard back today (Monday) that a NEW engine had already been ordered and should arrive at the Dealership by the end of this week...
And YES it is ALL covered under Factory Drivetrain Warranty...
The car was Delivered to the Dealer in early December and purchased in mid-April with 36 miles on the ODO and had just over 3,750 miles on it when it failed...
TracKey was installed one week after initial purchase by my local dealership...
1st oil change & 27-point Inspection was done by same dealership just 2 days before the failure occurring at the track...
Was using the RED KEY and had topped off with 100 Octane Unleaded Race Fuel that morning right after I went thru Tech Inspection...
Had about 1/4 tank of fuel left in the tank when the bearing spun...
I did buy this particular BOSS out of state and drove it home about 550 miles the same day I picked it up...
First leg was 300 miles to get the Clear Bra installed and then it was 250 miles back home to my garage...
Read all about the 100 miles before WOT and 1,000 miles before any Track Use in the Owner's Manual before I even drove it off the lot...
Varied the highway cruising speeds between 65-80 MPH, never used the Cruise Control and randomly selected 4th, 5th & 6th gears at the different speeds to vary the engine RPM's accordingly...
Average MPG for the entire trip was 23 when I pulled into my driveway...
And the oil level that next morning was about 1/2-way between the 2 hash marks on the dipstick, so I just left it go and used it as a reference point to start watching oil consumption...
Bought the CoolTech sound tube delete kit, just so I could get easy access to the dipstick and checked the oil on a weekly basis...
Ended up putting in another 2 full quarts over the next 3 months and 3,000 miles...
Which I reluctantly attributed to the "break-in" period for this particular engine...
But I did go to my Ford Dealer last month to start having it documented, just in case there was a problem in the future...
Fast forward a month and I decided it was now time to get the Factory oil changed...
Made sure the dealer put in 8.5 qts of 5W-50 Full Synthetic and checked it as being FULL before I left the Service Drive...
They even gave me the remaining 1/2 quart and told me to let them know the date and the mileage if I had to top it back off...
At Tech Inspection @ the Track 2 days later, the oil level hadn't budged from the FULL mark...
And then I ran three full 20-min sessions without any issues prior to the failure occurring...
Outside temps were in the low 90's, but were creeping up as the afternoon went on...
Using a Bluetooth OBD Transmitter and the Torque App on my Smartphone, I was watching the Engine Coolant Temps the entire day...
After the engine warmup and a "pace" lap under Yellow, the temps would start out at around 195* and gradually peak around 235* at the end of each session...
Never once did I see anything above 240* nor did it ever lose power or go into "limp mode"...
Between sessions, I raised the hood and let the engine cool down for the remaining 40 mins in between runs...
Each successive session would start out around 200*...
I do have the modified 302S grill installed to help with the engine cooling...
And before each session, I would double-check the oil to make sure it was always at the FULL mark...
Which it was all day long, and still is even after the spun bearing/engine seizure and sitting for the night at the dealership...
So while I was hesitant to post the details, for the obvious reasons, I wanted to share this with every BOSS 302 owner who reads this Forum...
And not to BASH anyone or find fault in anything that lead up to the failure... But to use this as a Learning Experience for EVERYONE...
And to show that FORD will stand by its product while a customer was driving it like they advertised...
At speed, On a 2.1 mile Road Course, Using the Red Key, Setting up the car based on all the recommended procedures in the Owner's Supplemental Manual and keeping track of the Oil levels and Coolant Temps...
And while I will follow this along and try to answer any and all technical questions that I can, as well as keep fellow owners updated as this engine swap takes place...
I will not get into ANY arguments or even respond to any posts that question why I waited to 3,600 miles before I changed the oil... As it doesn't really matter, and everyone's driving situation differs...
Nor will I even bother with comments about my driving/shifting abilities out on the track, as I have plenty of in-car videos (some with Eng Data displayed) and passenger ride-alongs for validation...
But for the Record, NO the engine was NOT over-revved to 8-9,000 RPM's, nor did I miss any shifts all day long as I had recently replaced the stock shifter with the complete MGW setup (highly recommended if you Track your car)... I try to use 7,000 RPM's for the upshifts, so it doesn't bounce off the Rev Limiter... And I look for between 4-5,000 RPM's when I downshift going into a turn...
The point is, a mechanical failure occurred involving a random production part that finally showed its weakness under the additional stresses of putting this particular BOSS 302 Engine thru its paces out on the track on a beautiful summer day... And FORD is doing its part by honoring the factory warranty and covering the complete engine replacement from start to finish... I'm just glad it didn't fail at 36,001 miles... And for those of you who are experiencing any kind of excessive oil consumption, PLEASE take it in and at least have the Service Dept document the date and the mileage... Otherwise, just like with an aftermarket tune or any of the other engine "mods" that Ford has listed in the TSB for the 5.0 as potential non-warranty reasons, you might not be as lucky as I was...
everyone here should read it