Blown 03 Cobra Engine !!

[03RedCobra]

Okay guys, check out this story on my 2003 Cobra that has a fried engine !! I have only 1700 miles on the car, and it's about 4 months old. Well, the other day I was driving the car around and all of a sudden when I would hit exactly 3000 RPM, the car would act like it wasn't receiving any gas. It would shake and slowdown just like it does when the tires spin and the auto-traction would kick in and kill the gas. As long as I kept the car below 3000 RPM everything was okay. I thought, oh man, the rev-limiter has malfunctioned and it's now set at 3000 RPM !! So, I immediately began driving to the dealership that sold me the car so that they could look at it right away. Well, a little bit later when I got onto the main highway and began to pick-up speed to about 70, the car began to make a VERY loud noise from the engine area, just like the sound that comes from a knocking valve on a car that does not have high-enough octane in it. Well, within about 3 miles after the noise started, the noise got louder, the car began to lose power, the temperature guage began to bury into the HOT zone, and the car shut off and I had to pull over.

Well, after I got out of the car and raised the hood, I knew something was drastically wrong !!! It smelled something awful (like a burn-out engine usually does), and some type of fluid began to leak out from the bottom of the engine. I was thinking, oh man, I threw a rod or something like that. Well, I finally got it hauled over to the Dealership. The next day they called me and said that they are going to have to completely replace the engine. They opened up the engine and found 3 of the cylinders FULL of radiator fluid !!! I'm not much of a mechanic, but, duh, I know that's not good !!! They are not exactly sure what caused it, but right now they are waiting on someone from SVT to come down and inspect the engine, because apparently they want to find out what the HECK went wrong with the engine !! I have never pushed the car hard at all, I've done no modifications, and it's not that old at all. So.....what went wrong ??? Hmmmm....that's still a mystery. Of course, the first question I asked the mechanic when he told me that it is going to cost 14,000 dollars to order a new engine, was......"Is this covered under the warranty ???" I can just imagine that the final bill will probably be close to 20,000 after they tack on all the Labor costs.
So...has anyone else here heard of any problems like this ?? or know of anyone else that has had a non-modified 03 Cobra engine get fried like this ?? I wonder if I hold the distinction of the first non-mod 03 Cobra with a 2nd engine !!! Gee....just an honor I DON'T want !!! I'm sure it's going to take about 3 weeks or so to get my car back !!! Man, I hope this isn't the beginnings of a string of problems !! I love this car, and hope everything works out okay. Comments anyone ???

[97whitevert]

man, i hate to hear this. where are you located? let us know how this goes for you!!:(

[03 cobra toy]

THAT SUCKS !
Sorry to see this story. This is the first non mod engine failure I have read about. This engine and car are made by people like you and I and mistakes happen. Why I would like to know. I think your car overheated but why? Coolant leak? Fans not working? Let us know how thing work out. Call SVT and tell them that you want a replacement car. Also ck with your state and see if you fall under lemon law. Good luck

[BAD03SVT]

well dont have any concerns about it not being covered under warranty, that shouldnt be a problem due to it being completely unmodded. Have you done an oil change yet though? just wondering....i would also request a replacement car from SVT. maybe get a competition orange 04. :thumbsup:

[03RedCobra]

Do you guys really think I should request a replacement cobra ?? Are you talking about SVT giving me a brand new car to permanently replace this one that has the blown engine ?? Have you ever heard of them doing something like this ?? I mean the idea is definitely nice to me !! Because I tell you what, some of the thoughts I've had about the whole deal is that now they are replacing the engine, will I have a car that is the same as it was before ?? Hmmm... I don't know. I'm also worried quite a bit about the dealer workshop scratching any part of the car. It was virtually spotless when I gave it to them, certainly NO scratches or dings whatsoever. SO, I will definitely go over it with a microscope before I take it back!!

What do you guys think ?? Would I be just sounding like a fool if I called them and said I want a replacement car, or what ?? I don't know, I think that they will just say, "Sir, we are replacing what went wrong with it, and that's all we're going to do".

[03 cobra toy]

I think you should !
Does this happen? Yes all the time. I have been the car bizz for 18 years on both sides of the fence. First you need to talk to the General Manager of the dealer and see if he can help get things started. Don't even talk with the Service Manager all he knows is how to fix your car. If you get no help from the GM than call Ford and tell them you feel they should replace your car. Tell them you would like to meeting with someone from Ford about your car. Also tell them that you feel like it's not a new car after they replace the engine. If you push hard they will replace your car trust me. What state do you live in?
send me a PM if you have any questions...

[SStupid]

But I don't know exactly what the cause was. Your motor overheated on you. When these cars overheat past a certain point, the computer doesn't allow the car's engine to get over 3000 RPMs. It does this by cutting out cylinder fire, I think. If your A/C is on, the computer will cut that off, as well. All you will feel is hot air coming out of the vents. Anyway, you continued to drive, so the car continued to overheat even more. The final fail safe for the car is to shut down completely. By this time, one or both of your cylinder heads has warped, causing a blown head gasket. This explains the water in the cylinders. The funny thing is that this was all probably caused by an air bubble in the coolant system. I know it's not REALLY funny, but one day you will laugh about it. Some owners are having issues with overheating, and burping the coolant system has been the best solution so far.

I'm so glad you had not modded the car, or you would be royally screwed. I'm also surprised Ford isn't trying to wiggle out of it some how. This is exactly the reason I will not modify my car. If I had engine trouble, I couldn't afford to get it fixed.

[venomous]

Sorry to hear about your cobra. I'd hate to replace the engine in a BRAND NEW CAR. I'd be raising :firedevil and get a new one from ford. Make sure you get a new car!:thumbsup:

[scocher]

Originally posted by 01 cobra toy
BAD03SVT,

NICE SIG :thumbsup:

Sorry, I don't agree. I'm a female Cobra owner/driver, and I've learned to live with the scantily clad females in the magazines, etc., but PLEASE, fellows, does our co-ed, family-friendly club have to endorse such male-chauvanistic attitudes (especially the totally nude pics)??? Come on, girls, support me here. :rolleyes:

[03 cobra toy]

Originally posted by scocher
Sorry, I don't agree. I'm a female Cobra owner/driver, and I've learned to live with the scantily clad females in the magazines, etc., but PLEASE, fellows, does our co-ed, family-friendly club have to endorse such male-chauvanistic attitudes (especially the totally nude pics)??? Come on, girls, support me here. :rolleyes:

:( Just put some hunk of a man on your sig :thumbsup:

[scocher]

Originally posted by 01 cobra toy
:( Just put some hunk of a man on your sig :thumbsup:

Volunteers?? :lurk:

[03 lakesnake]

My 03 cobra overheated just like yours! towwed in and they said they ordered a thermostat for it.today they said wrong part come in and they were going to have to get it off of assy. line.I believe this is a crock!

[smashedheadcat]

Originally posted by scocher
Sorry, I don't agree. I'm a female Cobra owner/driver, and I've learned to live with the scantily clad females in the magazines, etc., but PLEASE, fellows, does our co-ed, family-friendly club have to endorse such male-chauvanistic attitudes (especially the totally nude pics)??? Come on, girls, support me here. :rolleyes:

But that young lady is rumored to have the best "tush" on Earth.... Seriously. ;)

[smashedheadcat]

I'd get a thermostat from Autozone personally. How hard can it be to get a thermostat? Seriously. :D

[03 cobra toy]

Originally posted by smashedheadcat
But that young lady is rumored to have the best "tush" on Earth.... Seriously. ;)

:bounce:

[scocher]

Originally posted by smashedheadcat
But that young lady is rumored to have the best "tush" on Earth.... Seriously. ;)

Best "tush" or not, it doesn't belong on top of a pic of a COBRA!! :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad:

[03 lakesnake]

I have only 1300 miles on my cobra.I think they should take care of it.

[jjraiser]

Sorry to hear that, man. That really, really sucks! I'm sure, however, that Ford will fix it. It's a hassle-and-a-half, I know from experience, but you will be rockin' and rollin' again.

Hey, check out my new thread about BlueOvalNews. See if your problem is related. You may have the best access to this mysterious problem if it is.

Good luck!

[03RedCobra]

The most likely culprit of the blown engine was the head gasket blew. Someone from Ford came down and inspected the engine and said that was the most likely cause of the barbecue !! I find it rather interesting as well that their is a recall with bad heads on the Cobra. Related ??? Hmmmm....not sure. Well, I got my car back a week ago, but when I looked it over I found 2 scratches on the drivers door and one scratch on the hood that were NOT there before I took the car in. They also got oil on the seude middle part of the seat. They are seeing what they can do with the scratches and are replacing the seat cover. But, I tell you what, I'm getting a bad taste in my mouth about this whole engine deal. The ONE day that I had my car before I had to turn it back in to the body shop, the new engine just didn't seem to be as powerful as the one that was in it before. I saw the new engine before it was put into the car, and it was definitely the same type of engine. You guys think that it's possible that the new motor is weaker than the other one ?? Whenever I get the car I'm going to put it on the Dyno and see what Horses it has. Another thing...the new engine has a supercharger that has a Grey color to it, and the old engines supercharger had a silver look to it. I don't know what gives with that, but that seemed a little odd. When I stomped on the gas going 3000 RPM in 3rd gear, I didn't feel that "throw you back against your seat" acceleration that I felt before the other engine blew. Man, I feel a little bummed out. I think I may start to ***** a little more like you guys said, and request a new car. I just feel that I know have a used, old cobra, with a different engine and now with body scratches there were never there before.

[Sonic Blue]

My motor was built in nov/02 and has a gray supercharger. Let the new motor break. As far as the scratches make them repair them. I had scratch problems at the dealer from just a service and wheels balance. they fixed them no problem. I think we all feel violated by the dealer disassembling are factory assemble baby BUT if SVT did their job these major repairs wouldn't be necessary.



I'll keep you posted on my experience. Just got an E mail stating a new motor is ordered for my 03 (loud ticking).

[Sonic Blue]

As far as a new car. You could ask but as long as thy fix the problem I don't think they are obligated to replace the vehicle.

Here in Florida our lemon law applies if the vehicle is in for the same repair at least three times without resolve. Then you have to sent Ford a notice giving them the opportunity to try to repair it again. Then if it is not repaired an board rules on the matter.
I used it in 1997 on my 96 Cobra for an alignment problem they couldn't fix in seven trys!

[03 lakesnake]

read about guys car on SVTPERFORMANCE.COM How does this affect your car as far as being original?I think they should replace your car.

[Sonic Blue]

I don't believe these newer car are like the old numbers match muscle cars. If Ford replaces the motor why wouldn't be original!

[Sonic Blue]

my new motor has arrived! install next week.

[03RedCobra]

Well, I got my car back with it's new engine. It runs pretty good, but when I picked it up they had scratched the drivers door in 2 places, and the hood in one place, and had oil on the suede part of the drivers seat. They took it back in the next day and had it for a week to take care of the things they did. Well, I went it picked it up last Wednesday and they took care of it quite well. But, then.....about 2 hours after I had it, I backed into a concrete pillar in a parking lot !!! The stupid thing was about 3 feet tall, and with the VERY limited view out the back of the car.....I hit the dang thing. It caused 1100 dollars worth of damage to the back and side of the car. Well, I was driving the car to turn it into the body-shop to be worked on, and a truck kicked up a rather large rock that bounced on my hood and hit the windshield. I now have 2 chips on the hood and a chip area on the windshield !! I tell you what.....something is telling me that I shouldn't have bought this car !!! If it wasn't for bad luck, I wouldn't have any luck at all !!! One of these days I'll have the car for more than a week at a time !!

[STU]

Man! sorry to hear about all the bad luck......

[smashedheadcat]

Wow, that's starting to sound like me ;)

Keep your chin up, your luck will change, i promise you.