Questions and Concerns over a 1997 Taurus SHO

I am looking at purchasing a 1997 SHO, with roughly 130k miles on it.

I read about the CAM problem, and I have a few questions about it.

1: what causes the cam problem

2: are there aftermarket replacement cams or sprockets that can eliminate this problem?

3: what are signs that your cams are starting to go

4: if the car hasnt failed by 130K, is there a chance it won't, or that it has already been welded.

thanks for the help.

The common belief is that the cause of the cam problem is the cam gears are just compression fit over the camshaft stock. After some amount of time, the cam gear slips on the shaft and, since the SHO engine is an interference engine, damage occurs when they slip enough. Common preventive options are to have the cam gears pinned or to have them welded. The two both have inherent risk associated with them.

If you go the route of pinning, there is a chance debris could get into the oiling system or wear surfaces and accelerate wear. Also, the pins can shear and the original problem will still exist.

If you go the route of welding them, you could get welding slag in the oiling system, the welds may not hold, the weld may warp the cam and/or gear, or the weld may be too large and cause interference with the bearing.

Just because it hasn't happened in 130k is not an indication that it won't happen or that it's already been welded. If you're looking at this from a private party, and the seller is alert enough to know of the issue to have it fixed, they would certainly let you know that. It may be in your best interest to attempt to contact the previous owner about it.

You may want to review the cam failure issues at www.v8sho.com for more information and draw your own conclusion.

-Rod

If this is a serious issue, why hasn't ford, or some aftermarket company cornered the market and issued replacement cam setup to rectify this.

I think I am a bit leery of getting a SHO as my primary vehicle, or at least one of these years. I know V8Sho.com says they have like 800 some cam failures recordered, but according to wikipedia, 9000 sho's were sold in 97 alone......

but knowing my luck, and they way I drive a car (hard) I would be one of the few unlucky ones to get the cam failure.

guess I will just look for a 93-95 SHO 5spd.

If this is a serious issue, why hasn't ford, or some aftermarket company cornered the market and issued replacement cam setup to rectify this.

I think I am a bit leery of getting a SHO as my primary vehicle, or at least one of these years. I know V8Sho.com says they have like 800 some cam failures recordered, but according to wikipedia, 9000 sho's were sold in 97 alone......

but knowing my luck, and they way I drive a car (hard) I would be one of the few unlucky ones to get the cam failure.

guess I will just look for a 93-95 SHO 5spd.

There are a few respected folks that weld the cams and do a good job of it with fast turn-around, I suppose you could say they've cornered the market.

Keep in mind that not everyone who owned a V8 SHO that stopped running took the time to determine if the cam slipped or posted to V8SHO.com, so the 800 recorded failures are certainly not all of the ones that happened, but certainly the issue won't be a problem for every SHO on the road. I owned my '98 SHO for a few years, drove it hard for just about every one of the miles I put on it, and had no indication of a cam problem, even as of the time I sold it.

As for the '93-'95 SHO 5-speed, you may want to look into the differential pin issues on those. If memory serves me correctly, replacements are no longer available. I also had a '93 SHO, but mine was an ATX. Not trying to discourage you from getting an SHO, just want you to be prepared for what you may experience.

FWIW, my '98 was a more comfortable car than the '93, but the '93 was more fun to drive. I think they were both pretty easy to work on, so it's a bit of a toss up there. I experienced fewer problems with the '93 and it had more miles on it. However, the "problems" I experienced with the '98 were only ball joints and coil packs. Still not a big deal.

-Rod