I just got the word from ford that my warranty has been voided on my 00L. It seems they did not like the fact that I have done anything to my truck. This was a shock because I have modified all of my vehichles and they never had a problem with it. It all started when the truck would barely run do to heavy missing out (with the check engine light on) I immediatley noticed that my intercooler was empty and I check this every couple of days. I took it to the the shop and they sat on it for 1 week before giving me the decision. They tell me that the #4 cylinder has no compresion and this is caused by a lean condition but how do they know without taking it apart. I believe it has something to do with the missing fluid. Anyhow I am going to do the fix myself and I was wondering since I will have it apart is there any cams, heads or better rods, pistons that you all know of for it?

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ALL BOTTLE No THROTTLE

 

Just out of curiosity, what *have* you done to your truck?

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tresyoung@hotmail.com

 

Whether Ford likes what you have done to your truck or not has no bearing on the warranty, they have to prove that your mods caused the problem. Don't let this die easily, fight it.
Look up the Magnusan Moss Act, I think that is what it is, or go over to "Computer Chips", Mike Troyer has posted the info several times when asked if a Superchip will void warranty Good Luck

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2000 F-150, XLT, SPORT 4X4, BRIGHT RED/DARK GRAPHITE, SUPER CAB,
SHORT BED, 5.4L, AUTO, 3:55LS, TOW PACKAGE, HD COOLING/ELECT, SKID PLATES
SPORT CLOTH SIX WAY POWER CAPTAIN'S CHAIRS, CONSOLE, SINGLE CD,
CRUISE,ESOF,REMOTE KEYLESS, FORD SNAPLESS TONNEAU COVER, FORD BEDLINER,
FORD MOLDED SPLASH GUARDS, FORD BODY COLOR CABSTEPS,
MODS: CATCH ALL FRONT MATS, LUND DEFLECTOR, FORD VENT SHADES,
GIBSON SWEPTSIDE CATBACK,
K&N GENII FIPK,
FORD HITCH COVER

NEXT: SUPERCHIP!!

 

4:10's, Pro-M, Swanson chip, flows, and Supercharger pulley.
They are getting me for the Mass air and nothing else.

 

What Red Y2K said is correct, you have the legal right to add any accessory or part you like to your vehicle. It is protected under the rights of the Magnosson Moss Act, in which in simple terms states that no warranty can be denied unless the accessory or part caused the failure. You can also get help from the manufacture that made any parts on the truck as well as (SEMA). That stands for Speciality Equipment Market Association. I went thru this same problem with Nissan Motor Corp. Another option is to call around and find a dealer that is an accessory friendly dealer, even if you have to take the vehicle 1000 miles it would be worth the trip. So started getting on the phone instead of your toolbox and give this a shot first. Good Luck, GP

[This message has been edited by 2KSVT150GP (edited 09-13-2000).]

[This message has been edited by 2KSVT150GP (edited 09-14-2000).]

 

crush69

First of all sorry about your truck.
But, there are a few things you should know. If I remember right(someone correct me if I'm wrong). When ethylene glycol (from intercooler leak through combustion process) gets on O2 sensors, it degrades them to the point where they will throw "lean" codes to the ECM. This could be why the dealership says you were running lean. Second thing is if your engine is equipped with the platinum plugs, one could have broken and gotten wedged unde a valve seat as in what happened to Sal. This would show up as no compression in the affected cylinder. See Sal's tech tip #1 on his website regarding this and plugs to be used.
One more thing is that liquid does not compress. If you lost a LOT of IC fluid, you could assume it went into you #4 cylinder which was subsequently damaged by trying to compress the fluid. The intercooler leaks posted to date have all been to the rear of the engine so this might be a good assumption.
Lightnings are predisposed to intercooler leaks, mine is being replaced today. Some of the guys who attended the SVT experience in Dearborn were told there is probably going to be a recall on them.
Have you gone up the chain of command past the dealership yet? Get a regional representative involved first if you haven't already done it. Explain to him about the intercooler problems and put it back in their court that this is what caused the problem.
If you make a good enough argument, they will cave and fix it for you. Good Luck.

Lightning Bob

P.S. Next time, pull the easily changed mods off before taking into a dealership as you never know how they will react to them.

 

You want to be real careful about getting tagged with "voided warrentee"... the dealer can put something like "aftermarket device on intake caused engine failure" on your service record... and any dealer that pulls up your record will see this info!

Crush69:
If you need some ammo... start a thread asking for people with stock motors that had their I/C fail... I think you'll get a lot of responces. You can show this to the Regional Rep if neccesay.

Dont cave in on this... you will have to get nasty with Ford/SVT! It would be a different story if it was any problem other than an I/C failure... but there is a known design detect with the I/C!

And compression can be checked just by pulling the spark plug.

Good Luck,
Dreamin

 

Dear crush69,

DO NOT LET THEM DO THIS!! You have legal rights that they are ignoring, and you do NOT have to settle for this, and here is the basic information you need to get started fighting this.....

1.) The Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act has many provisions, but it basically states that the *automaker* has to *prove* that a particular aftermarket part was the SOLE CAUSE of this failure. They also must further prove that had the aftermarket part not been installed, the related parts would not have failed, and they are NOT going to be able to do that with the history of these intercooler leaks into the motor. So make sure and tell that dealership's Service Manager, and then that dealership's General Manager, that you KNOW your rights under the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act, and that you intend to enforce them to the full extent of the law, no matter how long it takes. Make them realize that you are not going to take this laying down, and that you are going after this quickly, thoroughly, and aggressively, as per your legally guaranteed rights under the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act.

2.) If they still won't budge, then tell them to immediately give you the name and telephone number of their Ford Zone Representative, commonly referred to as their "Zone Rep". Contact that person immediately, sometimes it takes a few days to get a response. Each Zone Rep, and every Ford dealer has one by the way, has to cover a number of stores and so they travel a lot. These Zone Reps *KNOW* the law, and they have the authority to immediately put a stop to this crappola.

3.) Do your own research on this, and here is the link on the SEMA web site to take you right to the information on your rights under the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act. Print them out, and show that to your dealerhsip as well, so they *know* you really *DO* know your rights, and that you mean business. The link is: http://www.sema.org/fedleg/warranty

4.) Go to a different dealership as well, as dealers can be as different as night and day, unfortunately. A good dealership will know the law and will not attempt to jerk you around on this, especially in light of the fact that this is a KNOWN problem resulting from the intercooler leaks.

5.) File a formal complaint with the FTC (Federal Trade Commission, www.ftc.gov), which is the governmental body charged with enforcing the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act. They move slowly, but when they get through with this dealership at some point in the future, that dealer will wish they had *never* tried this. We normally don't advise this because the FTC moves so slowly, and these other methods such as contacting the Zone Rep work much faster, but in this situaiton, where a dealer is trying to void your warranty or deny a claim over something that is a very well-known DEFECT in these vehicles from the factory, there is simply no excuse for their actions. Sock it to 'em if they refuse to respond after taking all of the above steps.

6.) DO NOT ATTEMPT TO DO THIS REPAIR YOURSELF unless you are a professional engine builder, and have the immediate knowledge, parts, & resources to make this happen very quickly, and then fight it after you've finished. You want to have a Ford dealer take care of this properly, as it should be done.

One other thing that is very important for you to know is this: the engineers at Ford's SVT team WANT you to have your protection, they love these vehicles and have put their hearts, souls, and minds thoroughly and completely into the development of this vehicle, and they DO care very deeply about how you feel about their vehicle. And believe it or not at this point in time, so does Ford Motor Company, this is just your dealer pulling this. Ford cares very much about your Lightning and about your satisfaction, so give them the opportunity to make this right for you, thru the proper channels as I've described above.

Good luck!

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Mike Troyer
Performance Products, Inc.
National Distributor of Superchips
(540) 862-9515
Email: mtroyer@compuserve.com
Performance Products F150Online Superchip ordering system: F150Online Superchip Ordering System
First National F-150 Online Rally Event Organizer

[This message has been edited by Superchips_Distributor (edited 09-13-2000).]

 

Had a HALO member here in Houston whose inner cooler let go and dumped most of the fluid into the #4 clyinder and popped the top out of the piston, motor blew. He is getting a new motor from Ford. He also has a chip and Pro M.

 

Bring it to Houston, I'll get a dealership to fix it for you. Email me at noelvm@pdq.net
noelvm

 

WOW, all you guys are GREAT!!! If there is every a problem with a "L", you will get a lot of response from fellow members!! I love the way we can help each other out

 

LightningBob made some good points.
I would also like to mention that I had this same problem with a dealership near me. It is usually the dealership, not FoMoCo that makes the decision on whether to service a vehicle or not. In my case, no amount of persuasion would convince them that the filter kit I had on my truck was a 'legal' mod and not responsible for the lean codes. I appealed all the way to the dealership manager to no avail.
In my case, I changed dealerships and was able to get my vehicle serviced. I also found that the service writer you get makes a huge difference as well. Find yourself a good writer and you will have less trouble.

 

crush69

Last night, I went to check on my L which is currently in my dealership for intercooler/blower replacement. I talked to the technician doing the work, and he told me that his contact at the SVT hotline told him to check engine compression before doing anything else, and if there was not sufficient compression, they would have changed out my complete engine. Compression was ok on mine, but this statement indicates that intercooler leaks have prevoiusly caused internal engine damage. Just thought you ought to know.
Make sure they change the plugs (non-platinum), blower, intercooler, and oxygen sensor if you get it covered under warranty. Let us know how it works out for you.

Lightning Bob

 

Thanks to all for ya'lls support and information. I think I wil take up noelvm on his offer.

Thanks again
Shane Bray

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ALL BOTTLE No THROTTLE

 

Mike Troyer,
does Superchip have an agreement or contract with Ford?
Jim