Terminator piston damage (pic)

[CobraBob]

That's what I did...I miss it, but I didn't feel like the hassle of a rebiuld. I think it's BS that Ford isn't doing the cooling mod as a recall.
:smmon:

I totally agree with you. Ford did the same thing with the stall issue until the pressure built and they had to deal with it. Let's face it, recalls = $$$ and Ford is not making a lot of money these days. If they can save a buck even at the expense of negative customer's satisfaction they'll do it apparently. They are fully aware of these issues. They just choose not to deal with them properly. Which is why the Japanese manufacturers are doing as well as they are. JMO.

 

[SVTADVISOR]

I promise you Ford will never admit anything wrong with the cooling system is causing these failures. Everyone who's been on these forums for a while knows that sustained boost for over 15 seconds will cause engine problems. It all comes down to if you're going to mod the car be ready to pay. If your're going to push the car to the extremes repeatedly it's going to break. The #7 and #8 cylinders have always run the hottest from the beginning so failures like this are going to happen when the car is modded or pushed to it's limits often. Ford definitely has issues with these cars that need to be fixed but they are not safety related so recalls are not going to happen. The thing to do is to stay in touch with your service advisor and find out when the TSB's are out for fixing some of these problems.

The tick from the cylinder heads sounds completely different than a piston slap.

 

[I-CAN-STANG]

I guess you get what you pay for! I have never had any problems with my 01 Z not even the oil burning issue. Even for those that did have that problem GM hopped all over it and got the problem resolved. This is probably the last Ford I will ever buy regardless of the next generations HP rating etc. HP doesn't make a car for me it's refinement and totally BETTER engineering!

 

[jasonc32amg]

I totally agree with you. Ford did the same thing with the stall issue until the pressure built and they had to deal with it. Let's face it, recalls = $$$ and Ford is not making a lot of money these days. If they can save a buck even at the expense of negative customer's satisfaction they'll do it apparently. They are fully aware of these issues. They just choose not to deal with them properly. Which is why the Japanese manufacturers are doing as well as they are. JMO.

Ford probably figured that most of the people that would experience the failure would have modifications that would allow them to void warranty coverage anyway. Those that have stock vehicles and blow the motors will be fewer and Ford can cover those while avoiding a majority of the exposure. I think it's a minority of cobra owners that do not turn up the wic...it's to cheap and tempting
:-D

I wish Ford was a little more balanced between customer service and risk management...

 

[LCCOBRA]

I really don’t think the a/f has a major effect and it might very well have something to do with how long these cars last and if something breaks. (Knock on wood) But I have had a few issues with this car but to date my dealership was more then willing to take care of any issues that I had with my car. Every say's,"If you play you'll pay" and that's what happen en’s and we all go to ford and try to get them to pay but ford really only built these car's for it's stock performance. Either way no one really came up with any good ideas on how to prevent these issues. One thing to remember is grey03cobra had "Stock" Radiator, "Stock" HE, and no apten coolant mod and imop non ported sc and I feel having one help's a little in the heat department with these cars. I may be wrong and someone correct me if I am but we have to figure something out guys and selling isn’t always the answer. But my thing is people with 700 to 800 don't have these issues and I wonder why?

 

[Seabiscuit]

But my thing is people with 700 to 800 don't have these issues and I wonder why?

Wondering as well? Can anyone in this HP range shed some light?

 

[Jerryk]

Black2003, I don't know the math like you do but I'd bet $20 that dropping the AFR 1 full point from 11.5 to 10.5 is going to show a pyro that's > 5 degrees cooler. Yours is the first stock 03' that I've heard of w/ > 11.anything AFR. Was that w/ stock intake and exhaust too? If/when I get my new setup done I'll try and indulge us all w/ some pyro readings at 10.5:1 and 11.5:1 just for giggles, but its going to be a while so don't hold your breath. Good thread guys!

Why do cars w/ 700-800rwhp not have these problems? A combination of: aftermarket pistons, no fragile Teflon coatings, no sustained WOT top gear runs, and lower AFR and timing (also a contributor to high EGT).

 

[jasonc32amg]

Dropping the AFR like that may create a more inefficient burn process and actually raise EGT's can't it?

 

[03gobluecobra]

If you don't mind me asking, how much were your JE pistons? I've noticed teflon in my oil when I do oil changes.

 

[lRageATMl]

new pistons should be one of the first mod's people do...

I went through something similar but my car had other issues that led to my engine failure...Mine was rebuilt w/ bore .020 over also w/ Diamond Pistons in there using federal mogul bearings, and stock rods and crank.

here is my piston line up (stockers):

My #2 piston was the worst, i saved that one. When I get home I'll take a better pic of it.

 

[Grey03Cobra]

If you don't mind me asking, how much were your JE pistons? I've noticed teflon in my oil when I do oil changes.

I don't remember the exact price, but it was around $650. That included new rings too.

 

[BANDIT HPT]

P.S. The AFR on my car in stock trim was virtually a straight line from 13.5:1 at 4,000 rpm down to about 11.8:1 at 6,000.

I'm not trying to be an ass but the cause of the piston damage is right there. 13.5 A/f at 4k is way too lean for a boosted car. What did the A/F look like before 4k? You do know with a roots style blower you get full boost (or close to it) at WOT. I'm not sure how you drive but if you had it in a gear to high and went WOT, the heat generated by the lean condition and staying in the 4k RPM range would generate heat and maybe even detonation. Add that into a constant high speed run. Your just asking for trouble.

The cobras have their problems but your tune is what damaged the piston.

 

[Rice Eatr]

13.5 A/F... :uh oh:

 

[I-CAN-STANG]

Hey, this may be a dumb question but do you all think the type of oil (viscosity level) may have something to do with the "protection" of the teflon coating on the pistons? I know heat is a major contributant to the problem but I find it kinda hard to believe that the 20 viscosity level recommended by Ford for fuel economy reasons isn't another addition to this problem! op:

 

[cobra93teal]

Hey, this may be a dumb question but do you all think the type of oil (viscosity level) may have something to do with the "protection" of the teflon coating on the pistons? I know heat is a major contributant to the problem but I find it kinda hard to believe that the 20 viscosity level recommended by Ford for fuel economy reasons isn't another addition to this problem! op:

i think that a 10w 30 syn is in order...... the 20wt just does not seem to cut it....and my af was 11.5 across the board and i had this prob. but 13.5 is NO GOOD....

 

[I-CAN-STANG]

Well, I use Amsoil 0W-30 oil and was looking to actually switch to 0W-40 for a little added protection! I mean, I can take a few HP loss to save the motor from teflon wear if this can help in the prevention of it. I just don't buy into that 5W-20 thats recommended at all...... :nonono: In now way am I saying I have knowledge of building motors etc. but I do believe the oil grade we use can have some weight to this discussion! op:

 

[FLYIN]

Well guys I am afraid that I too may now have the tick. What exactly does it sound like. I was out beating on the car pretty good this last weekend courtesy of some new found horsepower by Whipple and I get to a light and notice a ticking sound in idle. Once I start to accelerate it goes away, go to idle and it comes back. It is definitaly not right whatever it is doing. I was wide open through fourth gear shifted to fifth it then felt like the car did not want to accelerate any longer. Like a sudden loss of power, possibly boost bypass. I don't know, but this tick is freaking me out. I have an aftermarket heat exchanger, I have the Apten cooling mod, and I run the Air Fuel at 11.1 WOT. Thought this was all safe, but maybe these cars really don't like speeds in excess of 145 or so. What do you think?

 

[I-CAN-STANG]

Well guys I am afraid that I too may now have the tick. What exactly does it sound like. I was out beating on the car pretty good this last weekend courtesy of some new found horsepower by Whipple and I get to a light and notice a ticking sound in idle. Once I start to accelerate it goes away, go to idle and it comes back. It is definitaly not right whatever it is doing. I was wide open through fourth gear shifted to fifth it then felt like the car did not want to accelerate any longer. Like a sudden loss of power, possibly boost bypass. I don't know, but this tick is freaking me out. I have an aftermarket heat exchanger, I have the Apten cooling mod, and I run the Air Fuel at 11.1 WOT. Thought this was all safe, but maybe these cars really don't like speeds in excess of 145 or so. What do you think?

I think it's very unfortunate and I'm sorry to hear that! We need some more subject matter experts in here....op:

TTT

 

[cobra93teal]

yea my tick goes away when i gas it(you just might not be able to hear it)... but my car ran fine....just ticked...bad at idle...some cars arent as loud as others...mine started off less noisy but when i took it in it was BAD...very loud

 

[FLYIN]

yea my tick goes away when i gas it(you just might not be able to hear it)... but my car ran fine....just ticked...bad at idle...some cars arent as loud as others...mine started off less noisy but when i took it in it was BAD...very loud

Yea that is what I'm thinking that I just can't here it when the gas is on. I need to investigate further. Sounds like it is coming from the passenger side. So you took your car in, did you get a verdict yet? If you do could you post it so I can get a better idea of what may be possibly be wrong. I will not drive the car again until I figure it out. I do not want to make anything worse by driving it. I could drive it and be easy on it, but I did not get this car to drive it like a grandma.