03/04 cobra head id
09-11-2008, 02:25 AM
#1
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03/04 cobra head id
how can i id the heads on my cobra to identify if they are the ones with the cooling issue. from what ive found, if the engine (not the car) was built before 2003 it could have the defective heads. also the heads on my snake have a pink strip on the them too. i dont have the ticking problem but i just want to know. also if somebody knows the casting # off the defective ones and which casting # is not. i found a set of heads for sale locally off a 03 cobra and im looking to get them to have them ported, i just dont want ones that are going to overheat on me.
thx in advance for any help.
thx in advance for any help.
09-11-2008, 07:55 AM
#2
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No stripes or any color will tell you anything. I believe the only way to tell is to actually physically look at the heads.
The "fixed" heads were not released until January 2005, which means NO 2003/2004 Mustang of any trim level has the "fixed" heads from the factory. There are a few of them that have 9 threaded heads and not the 5; but those can still develop the tick. Ford produced actually a few "Fixes" that didnt work until the head release of 2005.
The "fixed" heads were not released until January 2005, which means NO 2003/2004 Mustang of any trim level has the "fixed" heads from the factory. There are a few of them that have 9 threaded heads and not the 5; but those can still develop the tick. Ford produced actually a few "Fixes" that didnt work until the head release of 2005.
09-12-2008, 03:27 AM
#5
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i saw on hp tv saying that the replacement heads can be id by checking for a blue stripe across the head, which is what some guy i met had put on his cobra after his heads got swapped. so will ford only fix the heads if they begin to tick?
09-12-2008, 07:41 AM
#7
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Ok, regardless of what you saw on "tv".. it's not true. No particular color or marking on the head will tell you if it has the fix. We've re-hashed this a thousand times over.
But once again I will post it for the people that do not know how to properly search this forum for questions that have been asked 47 times in the last 6 months.
"This is a question that has been tossed around more than a mixed salad. The popular rumor is that the blue stripe means that the head was replaced by the dealer (or at the factory) to fix the tick issue. First, some facts. The tick issue can occur on any 2003 or 2004 Cobra, and also Mach 1s. The latest head, and the one that fixed the tick issue, wasn't released until 01/2005. Second, the blue stripe has appeared on 2003 and 2004 Cobras/Mach 1s from the factory. It has appeared on both the driver side and passenger side heads. So it has no correlation to the fix issue that we're are definitely aware of.
As far as what the blue stripe means, JB from SVTPerformance.com belongs to a local Cobra club and they toured the factory a couple of years ago. This was the explanation given at the factory. "Assembly plants use just-in-time inventory, meaning parts are not stored up but are delivered daily. The paint markers provide a visual confirmation of when particular batches have been purged from the line. They show up on other Ford engines besides the '03/'04 Cobra. The bottom-line is that the blue stripe doesn't mean a head has been replaced by a dealer"."
http://stangshiftergaskets.com/2003_...m#_Toc35092316
That's the link to Cobra Bobs website that has a TON of great information....
Volcom, and the reason you probably never saw it working at the Ford dealership, is because most of the people that developed it, since it was never recalled and most were out of warranty... either replaced it themselves, took it to a real shop, or is living with that annoying tick.
But once again I will post it for the people that do not know how to properly search this forum for questions that have been asked 47 times in the last 6 months.
"This is a question that has been tossed around more than a mixed salad. The popular rumor is that the blue stripe means that the head was replaced by the dealer (or at the factory) to fix the tick issue. First, some facts. The tick issue can occur on any 2003 or 2004 Cobra, and also Mach 1s. The latest head, and the one that fixed the tick issue, wasn't released until 01/2005. Second, the blue stripe has appeared on 2003 and 2004 Cobras/Mach 1s from the factory. It has appeared on both the driver side and passenger side heads. So it has no correlation to the fix issue that we're are definitely aware of.
As far as what the blue stripe means, JB from SVTPerformance.com belongs to a local Cobra club and they toured the factory a couple of years ago. This was the explanation given at the factory. "Assembly plants use just-in-time inventory, meaning parts are not stored up but are delivered daily. The paint markers provide a visual confirmation of when particular batches have been purged from the line. They show up on other Ford engines besides the '03/'04 Cobra. The bottom-line is that the blue stripe doesn't mean a head has been replaced by a dealer"."
http://stangshiftergaskets.com/2003_...m#_Toc35092316
That's the link to Cobra Bobs website that has a TON of great information....
Volcom, and the reason you probably never saw it working at the Ford dealership, is because most of the people that developed it, since it was never recalled and most were out of warranty... either replaced it themselves, took it to a real shop, or is living with that annoying tick.
09-12-2008, 07:44 AM
#8
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Ford will not fix that, because it doesn't hurt the motor. It's a TSB, but not a recall. If you develop the tick and want it fixed, you get to fit the bill. I believe the heads with the fix are around 1200-1500 bucks...
There had been no engine failures directly related to the head tick so Ford does not have to pay to fix the heads. like I said before it's just VERY annoying and embarrassing imo...
09-12-2008, 02:01 PM
#9
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ohhhh I see xxkaz now it makes sense. Well what kinda ticking are we are talking about here?? I mean the current s197 have tick to them which sounds just like injectors. So the cobras, from what I have heard the heads get hotter than they should because of poor coolant flow, and cause ticking??? Doesn't sound right to me.
09-12-2008, 08:01 PM
#10
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http://stangshiftergaskets.com/2003_...m#_Toc35092459
"The tick issue"
Here is a great explanation from Ike (WDW MAKER) on SVTPeformance.com. "The sound is simply a worn valve guide allowing the valve stem to move. This is caused by overheating of the area due to poor coolant flow in the part of the left bank cylinder head. The lack of bronze valve guides in our heads makes them even more susceptible. The Jan05 heads come with revised coolant passages keep the exhaust valve guides cooler. This may also help to keep #7 and #8 cylinders running a bit cooler.
Will running a car with the tick result in some sort of catastrophic failure? Highly doubtful. It's mostly an annoying sound that you have to live with. I'm sure the worn valve guide causes a bit of inefficiency due to blow-by around the seals. I doubt it's enough to notice until it has been run like that for quite a while. I personally wouldn't and didn't want to live with it. Others chose to leave well enough alone and have yet to see any significant issues."
This problem sounds like a light ticking coming from the driver’s side valve cover, and is most noticeable when the car is warm. If you can hear the noise inside the car while idling, you most likely have the problem, otherwise, the ticking you hear is most likely injector noise (normal). The only permanent fix for this issue is installing the latest factory heads, released in January, 2005. The part numbers are:
Left side head
Part # 2C5Z-6049-BAB
Right side head
Part # 2C5Z-6049-CAB
As of 11/10/06 the discount cost of these heads (complete with cams and valve train) is $1,358.00 plus core charges, from FORDSVTPARTS (Steve) on SVTPerformance.com. Steve can be reached by PM on that website, or by E-mail FORDSVTPARTS@HOTMAIL.COM. You can also call him at 1-800-328-9552.
Drivers head $616.00 plus a $150.00 core charge
Passenger head $742.00 plus a $150.00 core charge
Please note that on rare occasion an oil filter can cause a ticking noise. In one case, a Terminator owner had a CarQuest filter installed and immediately heard a ticking noise. He thought if might be the "tick" issue but since it started right after installing the CarQuest filter he thought it could be related to that. Using a stethoscope he pinpointed the noise to coming from the oil filter. He changed to a Mobil 1 filter and the noise disappeared. He reinstalled the CarQuest filter and it came back. I bring this up only as another area to check IF you hear a ticking, before you assume it is the tick issue. Here's the link discussing the oil filter issue. http://www.svtperformance.com/forums...r+noise&page=2
Many ask how they can help prevent the head tick issue from developing in the first place, other than replacing the head(s). Fortunately a few companies offer an inexpensive mod which improves coolant flow to the head. One company, APS (Frank Carter) sells two cooling mod kits that improve coolant flow, which in turns helps to prevent this issue from occurring. For more information, click on the APS Head Cooling Mods link on the upper left menu.
"The tick issue"
Here is a great explanation from Ike (WDW MAKER) on SVTPeformance.com. "The sound is simply a worn valve guide allowing the valve stem to move. This is caused by overheating of the area due to poor coolant flow in the part of the left bank cylinder head. The lack of bronze valve guides in our heads makes them even more susceptible. The Jan05 heads come with revised coolant passages keep the exhaust valve guides cooler. This may also help to keep #7 and #8 cylinders running a bit cooler.
Will running a car with the tick result in some sort of catastrophic failure? Highly doubtful. It's mostly an annoying sound that you have to live with. I'm sure the worn valve guide causes a bit of inefficiency due to blow-by around the seals. I doubt it's enough to notice until it has been run like that for quite a while. I personally wouldn't and didn't want to live with it. Others chose to leave well enough alone and have yet to see any significant issues."
This problem sounds like a light ticking coming from the driver’s side valve cover, and is most noticeable when the car is warm. If you can hear the noise inside the car while idling, you most likely have the problem, otherwise, the ticking you hear is most likely injector noise (normal). The only permanent fix for this issue is installing the latest factory heads, released in January, 2005. The part numbers are:
Left side head
Part # 2C5Z-6049-BAB
Right side head
Part # 2C5Z-6049-CAB
As of 11/10/06 the discount cost of these heads (complete with cams and valve train) is $1,358.00 plus core charges, from FORDSVTPARTS (Steve) on SVTPerformance.com. Steve can be reached by PM on that website, or by E-mail FORDSVTPARTS@HOTMAIL.COM. You can also call him at 1-800-328-9552.
Drivers head $616.00 plus a $150.00 core charge
Passenger head $742.00 plus a $150.00 core charge
Please note that on rare occasion an oil filter can cause a ticking noise. In one case, a Terminator owner had a CarQuest filter installed and immediately heard a ticking noise. He thought if might be the "tick" issue but since it started right after installing the CarQuest filter he thought it could be related to that. Using a stethoscope he pinpointed the noise to coming from the oil filter. He changed to a Mobil 1 filter and the noise disappeared. He reinstalled the CarQuest filter and it came back. I bring this up only as another area to check IF you hear a ticking, before you assume it is the tick issue. Here's the link discussing the oil filter issue. http://www.svtperformance.com/forums...r+noise&page=2
Many ask how they can help prevent the head tick issue from developing in the first place, other than replacing the head(s). Fortunately a few companies offer an inexpensive mod which improves coolant flow to the head. One company, APS (Frank Carter) sells two cooling mod kits that improve coolant flow, which in turns helps to prevent this issue from occurring. For more information, click on the APS Head Cooling Mods link on the upper left menu.