Yup, Ford needs to get with the program, that's for sure.

They need to stop replacing engines for people who like to mod the crap out of their trucks.

I'd like to think that when I go to buy an L, I'm not going to have to pay for all the playing others are doing, or worse yet, not be able to get an L at all because the BS warranty costs have killed it.

YOU play, YOU pay! How hard is that to understand?

And on the subject of the Cobra, maybe they upgraded the rods because the motor has a much higher specific output and redline? 390/4.6 = 85 hp/L; 380/5.4 = 70 hp/L, 21% higher: 6500 rpm vs. 5250 rpm, 24% higher.

Just venting...

 

Maybe Ford needs to pro-rate the warranty repair subsidy based on the mods?

Stock - 100 %
chip /intake/exhaust - 80%
2# pulley - 50%
4# pulley - 25%
beyond that - you're on your own, cowboy.

No? This seems like the most the could be expected to do for anybody.

I guess I don't understand why Ford should do anything for anybody who has modded their truck? If you mod the truck, you violated the terms of the warranty. The warranty at this point should come from the performance mod manufacturer. Do any of them offer an engine warranty with their chip/pulley?

 

What you're saying is Ford needs to get with the program when their engine breaks after you push it way past what it was built to do with those mods.
You're lucky their giving you a new engine.

 

Those are EXACTLY the same sympotms my motor gave just before they called me and said "Mr. Schmidt, we just ordered you a new engine." No complaints.
However, my truck was BONE STOCK. Was it the mods, or was it a bum engine? BTW I had 14K miles on the truck.

 

AGREED!, But the real difference is that the tensile stresses in the rods are a function of the RPM squared. Assuming the rotating mass was the same (which they are not - the Cobra has a shorter stroke and smaller piston) the rod stresses would be (6500^2)/(5250^2)-1 = 53% HIGHER. As I wrote, this isn't an apple to apple comparison between the 4.6L and 5.4L motors, but those of you who are shifting at 6000rpm in their L's are seeing a 30% increase in tensile stresses on those rods. Forget the added boost - RPM is what is killing these rods. The added boost is increasing the compressive stresses in the rods, not the tensile stresses that fail them.

 

Lets get somthing set strait first. If your truck is idling and your not driving it when this happend, it had nothing to do with the 5lb pulley and mods at that particular time. Maybe you beat the crap out of it and it just decided to let go that day when you started it up, but I doubt it.

secondly, with all the mods you got I can't believe you got them to replace your motor! you should be kissing the ground that those guys walk on at the ford dealer and buying them donuts everyday they got that truck cause 99% of the dealers out there would have told you to go take your motor and shove where the sun don't shine!

If your oil pressure dropped and you kept your motor running while you knew the gauge read zero, Your an idiot! (sorry, but its true in this particular case). they don't put those gauges in the truck for looks you know. HEHEHEHEHEHHEHE.

As far as I'm concered, your a lucky man and I want to know who your dealer is so I can bring my truck there next time.

P.S. make sure they take your mods off the old motor and put them on the new one! hey, sorry to flame you a little, but the oil pressure thing kinda made me think twice?

 

If you are realy hard on my truck a 5 punder will do it......

 

the lightning motors are not hand assembled.. only the cobra motors are done that way.. thats why they have a plaque signed by the two technicians that worked on it.

 

The funny thing was I shut the truck off and called the dealer and they told me don't worry about it. Bring it right over. So you can call me what you want, does not matter to me I was just telling everyone what happened and worndering why we don't have stronger rods in our trucks? Was at the same dealership 2 weeks ago and there was a 2000 lightning getting a new motor for throwing a rod.

 

I'm sure if they came with stronger rods that a 10 lb. pulley would break them.

Then the next complaint would still be the tranny right ? Then the rearend.........right??

 

Of course I can't see or hear it but it doesn't sound to me like you "blew a rod". Sounds like a bearing failed. I doubt very much you'd have driven it to the dealer with a rod sticking out of the block.

 

You have all of these engine modifications:

Here they are:


__________________
JL 5# pulley
JL chip
Bassani cat-back exhaust
LPP-JL Long tube headers & Hi-Flow cats
Factory Tech Valve Body
PSP Cold Air
160* Stat
Denso IT22
LFP 4x4 tranny pan
Metco Valve cover breather
Amsoil 75w-90
Amsoil 0w-30
Bed Rug
5% rear tint & 15% front tint

Now, are the techs that replace the engine just going to remove the mods from the dead engine and put them on the new one??? Will they simply take the parts that were then replaced on the new engine and put them on the old, dead engine, and ship it back to SVT for inspection of what went wrong???

 

Dude, you are the luckiest man on earth. However, be very careful, because often SVT reps investigate engine failures in SVT vehicles. If an SVT rep happens to snoop at your engine failure, it's very likely that the warranty could still be voided. I would like to know who your dealership is, so that after I run a 5lb pully, and the JDM stage III package, I could take my truck to your dealership for warranty stuff. I disagree about voiding the warranty over some mods. Obviously a warranty should not be voided due to exhaust or intake mods, and doing so would be illegal unless it can be proven that those parts caused a failure of some type. That's why i'm going to be very careful in what mods I choose, at least until the warranty expires, but even then i'm going to becareful since I plan on keeping this truck around forever

 

For a couple extra bucks I would have payed more for better rods from the factory. Peace of Mind!

I think Ford learned there leason from the L & went the extra mile for the Cobra.

In reality 95% of the Cobra's will be driven hard..It will be interesting to see how the motors hold up..

As others have stated - you were lucky.

 

That's what I'm saying.......just put the damn h-beam style or manley rods into production. With the new competition out there and ford's knowledge of the lightning tuners and what they are capable of doing with these trucks......it would be just as easy to substitue the rods and the the consumers pay for the mods knowing the motors will hold up.

The new MM&FF tested the Kenne Bell supercharger kit on the lightnings and tests prove that these stock intercoolers are awesome. They are still pulling heat even at 20 lbs of boost. I don't think heat caused by insufficient cooling by the intercooler has been an issue......it's heat in general leading to detonation. Detonation increases upper cylinder temps and from what I understand.....it's alot of heads cooking up first that are causeing these rods to break..........as well as the jack hammering affect when the cylinder is at TDC and detonation occurs. The 5.4 is still a relatively new motor and there is room for improvement. I've heard talks of replacement in 2008 but who knows what svt's and the lightning's future is at this point, especially with the closing of the plant?

Let's see what happens when the tunners get ahold of these new cobra's. I think JDM already has some plans for these new ponies. Your right about the stroke difference fromt he 4.6 and the 5.4, but if the cobras start throwing rods .......manley rods......than maybe it's not a material or a engineering thing.......