JustOneMore

My car is out of town at the moment and I'm trying to make repair decisions long distance. Informed opions would be greatly appreciated. Here's the scoop:

Got a call Sunday night that it was making a "tapping" sound. Engine oil is reported to have been 3-1/2 quarts low. Oil was added (I can't tell you what was used -- not high end, I'm sure, but in accordance with the owner's manual that was pulled from the glove compartment). Sound stopped for a couple of minutes, then came back.

Video of the noise is on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rpnGwYk4bUc

Had the car towed to a Ford dealership and I authorized a full diagnostic. I was shocked to get a call that they "didn't want to run it" (and no diagnostics), but it needs a new engine at a cost of nearly $7000. I've been asking for a written report & quote, but I haven't received anything as of yet (making more suspicious).

I'm currently 400 miles away from the car. It only has 45,000 miles, wasn't driven hard, never overheated. Oil light never came on, gauges didn't indicate anything unusual.

Opinions? Am I getting taken for a ride by the Ford dealership who knows I'm at a disadvantage by being in a different city? Can this be bad or dirty lifters because of the low engine oil?

PSUSkier

Do you know how you got down that far? How long has it been since your last oil change? How long did you go between oil changes in general?

I've never looked into the cost of a new engine, but that seems a bit high. The issue though could very well be the engine itself because if the upper engine was starved of oil you don't know what else in there might've worn as well... Given the number of GTs that were out there, perhaps it would be worth trying to track down a low mileage engine to drop in there.

Nuke

I'm skeptical of the dealers' "diagnosis".

madmann26

Wow,

That thing sounds bad.


The sound you are hearing is more then likely the lifters. Based on the sound and speed of the ticking, I am pretty sure that is what it is.

As for why it is ticking? It sounds like oil starvation. I'm wondering if the oil pump is shot? Or the pickup in the pan is clogged?

I would discredit the dealers suggestion just based on that is the first thing they suggested. It needs a bit more investigative work to properly diagnose.

JustOneMore

Last oil change was in December, and the car has been primarily parked. I drove it from CA to AZ in February to loan it to one of our family members and checked the oil before I left, but didn't change it.

I don't know why the oil was so low when the problem started on Sunday, but I'm assuming that the oil level was the root of the engine trouble.

I'm suspecting that the low oil caused the noise and adding oil silenced it until old sludgy oil made its way into the lifters. I'd like to see the service department inspect and/or clean the lifters and do a good oil change. They claim that if we're spending money to tear down the engine, we may as well replace it (I feel dumb just repeating their statement in this post).

I guess my question should be: Does anyone have a referral to a reliable and honest mechanic in Scottsdale AZ (or Phoenix)? I'm about to drive to Scottsdale and tow the car back to San Diego for repair, but I'd love to save myself the trip if I could find a trustworthy mechanic in Scottsdale/Phoenix.

Thanks for the input everyone...this is GREATLY appreciated!! :-)

PSUSkier

Wow. Yeah see that right there is the nail in the coffin for that joint. Definitely get that car somewhere else.

J2L06GT

First thing to do is drain oil into a pan an check for metal particles.
If metal in oil your probably better off thinking about a new engine,
because you will need a total rebuild, which has lots of labor time
plus many parts.
If oil clean still may have burnt bearings which will be expensive.

daredevil95

I agree...I would get the car out that dealer and look for a Mustang Speed shop. It may only be a rocker or cam bearing....who know's....the sound quality of that video isn't to good to determine the problem.

A Mustang Speed shop will rebuild that motor for half the cost of a Ford dealership. I doubt you will need an entire rebuild but, U never know.

Good Luck

JustOneMore

Thanks for the input everyone. The final decision was to pay for an auto transport to have the car brought back to So Cal, where we know and trust our mechanic. Even a complete engine swap, if necessary, would be significantly less expensive than what we were quoted, so the transport cost is easily absorbed.

Just for the record, though, the car was at the Ford dealer for 4-1/2 days and we STILL were unable to get a written report and estimate. For anyone on these boards who lives in the Scottsdale or Phoenix area, DO NOT DO BUSINESS WITH POWER FORD on E. Frank Lloyd Wright Blvd. They're not a trustworthy establishment.

daredevil95

Good luck and let us know how it goes!!