2011 GT 500 engine issues

Terry Moenich

Active Member
Established Member
Joined
Jul 26, 2001
Messages
1,131
Location
Medinah Il
Just wonderinf if you all know of any 2011 GT 500 engine problems or failures?

I have a 2011 GT 500 on order ( I know there is a forum for GT 500's :wf:but I trust this group more... :beer:we use the cars not park them) :rockon: I also have the opportunity to get the first Boss 302 delivered from my favorite dealer so I am somewhat undecided.:shrug:

I don't want a problem child, ( not sure about that new cylinder wall technology:read:) I will track the car but only occasionally.

And NO I'm not giving up the Vette's.

Any info whould be greatly appreciated.:bowdown:
 

Tob

Salut!
Super Moderator
Joined
Mar 17, 2009
Messages
12,240
Location
The Ville
If you search within the GT500 forum you'll find that yes, there have been a small handful of engine failures. These were non-stock engines. I don't recall seeing any 100% stock engines fail. IIRC, they were connecting rod or oil pump related.

Not everyone in the GT500 forum "parks" their car, and you won't find any bubble wrap '93R or '00R models there either.:p

Unless you have the desire to bore the block for more displacement, the '11 aluminum block and cylinder wall treatment have been proven to be as durable as you should ever need. If there is a potential issue that you might come upon in a '11 GT500, the only thing that some have really complained about was shift quality.

Tob
 

svtguy

Active Member
Established Member
Joined
Mar 24, 2001
Messages
726
Location
Iowa
I have a 2011 GT 500 on order ( I know there is a forum for GT 500's :wf:but I trust this group more... :beer:we use the cars not park them) :rockon: I also have the opportunity to get the first Boss 302 delivered from my favorite dealer so I am somewhat undecided.:shrug:

Get BOTH cars!!!!!!


Paul.
 
Last edited:

ON D BIT

Finish First
Established Member
Joined
Jul 7, 2003
Messages
16,212
Location
Currently in Sonoma County
PTWA info....

We recently had a chance to sit down with GT500 chief nameplate engineer Jamal Hameedi in his office at SVT's headquarters to learn more about what's new for 2011. Switching to an aluminum block was a bit more complicated than simply digging out the casting molds that were used for the GT. The engine in that 200+ mph supercar used a dry sump lubrication system and featured iron cylinder liners. The new GT500 engine is derived from the structural design of the older block but retains the wet sump system used in other Mustangs. The real magic is something that most owners will likely never actually see.

Last June we learned about an award that several Ford researchers had received for a cylinder bore coating system they developed called the Plasma Transferred Wire Arc (PTWA) process. The Ford press release at the time framed the award in terms of fuel efficiency and gave no real hint about what was about to come. It now turns out that the first production Ford to use the PTWA process will be the 2011 GT500.

Nissan actually licensed PTWA from Ford for use on its V6 engine in the GT-R.The heart of the PTWA process involves feeding a steel wire into a device that heats it up to 35,000 degrees Fahrenheit and then sprays it onto the aluminum cylinder bores. Ford is not actually the first company to use a process like this. Similar mechanisms have been used to coat the fan blades in jet engines for a number of years. One of the primary differences is that Ford is using PTWA with a conventional steel alloy rather than some super exotic aerospace material. Ford isn't even the first automaker to use this specific coating process. That honor falls to Nissan, which actually licensed the technology from Ford for use on its V6 engine in the GT-R.

Hameedi believes that Ford has an important advantage over Nissan. Anyone that has ever used a teflon-coated pan is familiar with the problem of the non-stick coating peeling off over time. In the past BMW has also had issues with the nickasil coatings prematurely separating on some of its aluminum blocks. Getting any dissimilar materials to adhere to each other is always a problem, so the initial surface has to be specially prepared in order for the coating to have something to hang on to. Nissan licensed Ford's coating technology but used its own surface preparation process. According to Hameedi, Ford's surface preparation works so well that even after engines have gone through a full durability cycle the bores still look like new.

Using the PTWA process allows the block to have a thinner surface coating - only 150 microns deep - that is just as tough as one with cast or pressed-in iron or steel liners. However, using less material results in lower weight. According to Hameedi, the GT500 block is 8.5 pounds lighter than the sleeved GT version. Overall, the complete engine is 102 pounds lighter than the 2010 cast iron engine. The steel coating has also helped Ford reduce the internal friction of the engine, aiding both efficiency and power production.
 

598

Well-Known Member
Established Member
Joined
Apr 13, 2008
Messages
1,503
Location
Frankfort IL
block distortion

I've been curious as to how much distortion should be expected with this new block under higher boost levels. GTs with twin turbos are commonly getting 20 lbs of boost with no ill effects reported. Could the new engine be expected to be as durable as a GT engine?

Steve
 

Terry Moenich

Active Member
Established Member
Joined
Jul 26, 2001
Messages
1,131
Location
Medinah Il
I just found out this week my GT 500 will be a 2012 with a late February delivery January build. Lost the color choice of the Gray so went with Red w/white stripes.
 

Dean95CobraR

Member
Established Member
Joined
Nov 15, 2000
Messages
680
Location
Warsaw, In USA
I just found out this week my GT 500 will be a 2012 with a late February delivery January build. Lost the color choice of the Gray so went with Red w/white stripes.

Congrats Terry. They are awesome cars. I was a little surprised that Ford dropped the Gray, I loved that color.

Also, did you order the newly offered Recaros?
 

vankuen

New Member
Established Member
Joined
Sep 9, 2009
Messages
188
Location
USA
Man I would have loved a grey w/ red stripes. But the silver does well also. Congrats on the vehicle!
 

1995COBRA-R

20 Year Member
Established Member
Premium Member
Joined
May 7, 2003
Messages
4,317
Location
Sandy Springs, GA
Check this out. Notice they put the fat guy in the trunk to keep the back wheels from spinning on the rollers. :-D

[nomedia="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6WgqdUr4zZ4&feature=player_embedded"]YouTube - Supercharged GT500 blows up on the Dyno[/nomedia]
 

Users who are viewing this thread



Top