On Thu, 24 Jul 2003 13:51:27 -0400, "baltobernie"
wrote:



1988 Sable
1993 Thunderbird
nearly half a million miles between them using petroleum engine oil changed
@ 5k
zero reliability and maintenance issues
just one man's experience; YMMV

baltobernie

At my brother's shop, (he is an ex Ford Dealership mechanic) he
replaces more 3.8 ford engines than any other 2 combined. Head gaskets
are the major culprit, but timing cover gaskets take down their share
as well.
Don't know if it is the silicates in the anti-freeze or what, but a
very MINOR coolant leak into the oil makes a noisy engine in a hurry.
Replacing rod and main bearings does NOT solve it, so he has stopped
even trying to patch them. Antifreeze in the oil? Pull the engine and
replace. Not out of the ordinary for them to let go under 85000km
Windstars and Taurus/sable from 1995 up appear to be worst.
We had some bad luck with an older T-Bird 3.8 (brother -in-law's car)
as well. It went through 3 cranks before it got traded back to the
selling Ford dealer. One under Ford warranty, one a year later, and
another required by the time it got to the dealer's lot less than a
year later. Interestingly, the brother-in-law works in the Windsor
engine plant - and he says it's no wonder Ford engine quality is so
variable, as there are test and calibration fixtures that have not
been functional for several years - and Ford won't spend the money to
repair/replace them