2020 Shelby GT350 Engine Failure

[overdrive714]

Hey everyone, finally updated my experience with the whole engine replacement ordeal in light of our members experiencing an engine failures in their brand new 2020 GT350s. Apologies for the long delay, but I hope everyone finds my log useful!

Sponsored

 

[09cs]

Hey everyone, finally updated my experience with the whole engine replacement ordeal in light of our members experiencing an engine failures in their brand new 2020 GT350s. Apologies for the long delay, but I hope everyone finds my log useful!

Glad to see this resolved finally! Enjoy it!

 

[overdrive714]

Glad to see this resolved finally! Enjoy it!

Appreciate it brother! It’s good to have her back, especially with the extended warranty!

 

[lenFeb]

Hey everyone, finally updated my experience with the whole engine replacement ordeal in light of our members experiencing an engine failures in their brand new 2020 GT350s. Apologies for the long delay, but I hope everyone finds my log useful!

Good thread and well documented. I glad your engine replacement saga is over. Enjoy riding your GT350!

 

[Rev Happy]

Did the tech talk about the failure at all? Possibly bad batch of Valves?

 

[Alain]

Congrats OP!! Get out there and drive it hard !!

gonna be tough getting those nuts off on the hood hinges, they painted over the threads !! That’s minor stuff though.
Glad you’re back on the road.

 

[overdrive714]

Did the tech talk about the failure at all? Possibly bad batch of Valves?

Nothing specific, he just assumed the quality or way it was installed may have been the culprit since these engines are hand built. But no definitive answers from folks at the dealership or Ford Customer Service Team.

 

[Stevbas]

Hello everyone,

I am here to share with you all my ongoing experiences with my 2020 Shelby GT350 I had bought last month. I'll keep this format in a chronological order to facilitate my journey on dealing with this engine issue.

Car Background:
Acquisition Date: 11NOV2019
Acquisition Method: Purchased through Military Autosource (MAS) when deployed overseas.
Modifications: None (was planning on installing oil can separators both sides this weekend after black Friday shopping)
Odometer: 1,333 Miles
Maintenance: Was about to my first oil change this weekend! Been checking the dip stick every 500 miles, never saw any oil consumption. Religiously pour Chevron gas only (92 Premium)
Driving Habits: Broke in the engine in accordance with the owner's manual, never drove it above 5K RPM until engine oil warmed up to 190°F.

***Lastly I wanted to expand the background on how I originally had bought this vehicle. Long story short, I had ordered this vehicle through Military Autosource (MAS) when I was deployed overseas. Literally was able to custom order my vehicle and have it built and shipped straight from the factory to a dealership of my choosing. I essentially bought this vehicle without going through the middle-man aka the dealership. I was able to secure this car MSRP at the time back in July 2019, and I was able to acquire the car without having the paying a single dollar for sales tax (yes you heard that right).***

Friday Morning 13DEC2019
I had started up the car this morning letting it idle for a couple of minutes as I always do to ensure the car warmed up a bit in Washington State's cold weather. Temperatures at this time was in the mid forty's. I began driving my car out of the driveway keeping it well under 3.5K RPM. Upon reaching the first mile, my GT350's engine sputtered to death, forcing me to push the car to the side of the road. As it began sputtering to death, I had noticed the engine oil pressure dropped down immediately to zero. I had done a full inspection to see if there was any oil leak, no cases of oil leaking from the engine bay or from the streets. I've also checked the oil dip stick and it was where it needed to be. My initial instinct was it may had something to do with the oil pump failing. I've attached a video of my attempt to start the engine again when it had initially died, you can hear the car engine trying to turn over, but no luck.


I had then call for a flat bed truck to tow the car, this is where I wish I had installed my ZL1 tow hook to make the towing hook up easier for the tow truck driver.

IMG_5848 by Terry Tran, on Flickr

Brought it over to closest dealership to have them initially inspect and being the repair process. The tow driver was extremely professional, the only issue I had with him was that he definitely came off the truck bed pretty hot, and scraped the front splitter.

IMG_5854 by Terry Tran, on Flickr

Met with one of the senior service repair mechanics to have him initially trouble shoot the car, see the video below. It appears the car is struggling even more to turn over.



Towards the evening, the service repair customer service representative had updated me on their initial progress and what I can expect next week:
-They were able to turn the motor over manually, but they could not turn the motor the other way. It looks like the motor has seized.
-They've confirmed that I was not at fault for any maintenance negligence, considering there was adequate oil in the system and the car was not even due for the first oil maintenance change.
-They will deep dive further into the car next week Tuesday 17DEC2019 when their full service repair team will be in the shop.
-They told me I can expect the following options: 1) They will be able to fix the engine itself 2) They will completely replace the engine 3) Considering how new the car is, they may just buy back the car and get me a new one


Saturday Noon 14DEC2019

I came by the shop today in the hopes of getting maybe a loaner vehicle while my car sits in the shop for a while. Unfortunately the service repair customer service representative I had spoken to earlier was not there, and I had to coordinate with her on all matters with GT350. This dealership service repair department operates with different repair service teams depending on the shifts and each of them are tasked with specific repairs and amount of loaner vehicles they can each allocate. I will have to check back Tuesday to see if they can provide me with a loaner vehicle. In the meantime I was able to to check up my car and acquire my personal belongings from it.

IMG_5880 by Terry Tran, on Flickr

Tuesday Evening 17DEC2019

Immediately after I got off of work, I went to follow up on the engine issue. To summarize my exchange with the service department representative, she had informed me via email the following:

-The department had began examining the vehicle this morning for the first time and confirmed that the vehicle's engine has seized.
-They've sent a formal action request to Ford's "Hotline" in order for higher-ups to determine the appropriate course of action (authorizing the dealership to tear the engine down in attempt to fix it or completely replacing the engine). They will be waiting to hear back for the green light on one of the two options, hopefully tomorrow.
-One of her mechanics had informed her that the front splitter looks like it's installed correctly. Now if anyone can send me photos as to what the proper installation of the front splitter should look like, that'd be awesome!

Soon I had driven down directly to the dealership to tell the mechanic in person that the splitter is not installed correctly as informed by you knowledgeable folks, and I asked him if he could take a look at it once more when he had the time. I was also able to get his initial diagnosis in person. I will paraphrase to the best of my ability about his initial findings:
-The engine has definitely seized
-He confirmed that there was no oil leak, and there was adequate amount of oil in the system.
-He was able to rotate the crankshaft counter clockwise (backwards) manually but not clockwise. He mentioned about using a lot of force to try to turn it, but it's seized pretty good.
-He suspects there's a bent connecting rod in the engine.
-He's confirmed that there are no electrical issues, battery's good, and the starter is definitely working.
-During the self diagnostic test, there was a "Engine Starter Performance Code" which he believed was triggered when we were trying to restart the engine after it had seized the first day. However, he did not see any hard fault or engine fault codes.

Again, the mechanic at this dealership had not be authorized to tear apart the engine at this point. This is based on his initial bare troubleshooting without digging into the engine.

I had then asked the service department representative with regards to the options and compensations available to me for this issue (possible buyback, extended/upgraded Ford warranty, maintenance free package, etc). She told me that the dealership could not help me directly and provided me Ford Motor Company Customer Service Line Number (1-800-392-3673) in order to inquire about the compensation. I shortly called them afterwards, and they had told me that they could not begin the discussion with me on the available options/compensations until they receive word on the results of the engine repair/inspection at the dealership. I then had to remind them that the dealership's hands were tied and could not perform any actions on the vehicle until they received the green light from the Ford Motor Company! Then the Ford Motor CSR on the phone insisted I get the dealership to call their "Dealership Relationship Center" in order to expedite this process. I thank the person for their time and then shot a friendly email to the dealership to elaborate how productive the phone call to the Ford Motor Company CSR line was. Hoping we begin making progress in the right direction tomorrow!


Friday Noon 27DEC2019
Heard back from the service repair team and due to the holidays, their schedule has been very hectic in meeting all their scheduled repair timeline. Service representative had informed me that there would only be minimal teardown of the engine needed in order to compile the information needed for Ford Headquarter to make the determination between repairing the engine or completely replacing the engine. I've also made the request or their mechanic to take any photos during the teardown, but the service representative sounded reluctant to do so. On a positive note, they were finally able to accommodate me a courtesy vehicle while the GT350 continues to lay dormant in their garage.

2018 Ford 150 XLT Edition

FORD150 TWO by Terry Tran, on Flickr

FORD150 ONE by Terry Tran, on Flickr

Tuesday Afternoon 31DEC2019
Service representative had informed me that after sending the results of the "minimal" engine teardown and the cost gap to Ford Headquarter, they have determined to proceed on with a full engine replacement for my 2020 GT350. I then had asked for a confirmation that the new replacement engine will be a 2020 GT350 engine (I didn't want them replacing it with an older model engine) but she had reassured me I'd be given a brand new engine as the vehicle was equipped with. Due to the mechanic only being authorized to do a minimal teardown of the engine, he had diagnosed the root cause to be "possible valve contact." Removing spark plugs from cylinder six and seven, they noticed the spark plugs were damaged as well as the cylinders. I thank them for sending me some photos of their inspection process. Let me know what you can make out of these photos!

Damage One by Terry Tran, on Flickr

Damage Two by Terry Tran, on Flickr

Spark Splug Damage 3 by Terry Tran, on Flickr

The service representative had informed me it would be a few days until the new replacement engine arrive to their facility and another few days to conduct the full engine replacement. I'm expecting to hopefully receive the car next week. Looking to hopefully start off 2020 strong!!!!

Friday Afternoon 24JAN2020
Repair service representative informed me that they have successfully removed the old broken engine completely out of the car now. The dealership also informed me that, in terms of compensation, I would have to put in a case directly with the Ford headquarters and would have to back channel it through the selling dealer, which is not them unfortunately. It will be a tricky situation seeing that I've purchased my vehicle through the MAS program, thus purchasing the car directly from the factory and having it delivered.

Repair service representative was also able to provide me a photo depicting exactly what the issue was with the engine seizing. It appears that the cam intake valve has completely snapped and been bent perpendicularly, effectively violating the clearance space of the pistol valves and thus damaging the spark plugs in the whole process. See photo below.

Cam Intake Valve by Terry Tran, on Flickr

Saturday afternoon 08FEB2020
I've requested an update to see where they were with the installation of the new GT350 engine back on Wednesday 05FEB2020. Repair service representative informed me that they were still in the process of installing the new engine, and one of their techs were reinstalling the front splitter to best of his ability (after I had voiced my concern that it appeared to be installed incorrectly by the previous dealership and didn't want it flying off on the highway potentially injuring someone). Repair service representative also informed me that their team's work scheduled has been shifted to working Wednesday - Saturday now, and she would email me as soon as they got it ready to pick up. Praying that their team gets the job done by today and also done correctly. Today will mark day 57 since the 2020 GT350 has been taken into the dealership for repair. If GT350 does not get completely repaired today and released to me, I plan on calling Ford CSV again and trying to escalate the situation to a regional representative next week.

Sunday - Wednesday 09FEB2020 - 12FEB2020
I started become more "persistence" contacting Ford Customer Service hotline to light the fire under their ass with moving this engine replacement along. More importantly, I started to firmly request for any sort of compensations for this grueling journey, especially as a good sign of faith. I must have had over seven different kind of case numbers, some being update or utilized by other customer service representatives. Over and over, I'd receive the same kind of response along the lines of, "We apologize sir for the inconvenience, unfortunately we cannot offer you any sort of compensation since we do not have this sort of policy in place. We will however inform you as soon as possible when we receive any word or update with regards to offering your requested compensation in our company policy." Lastly the one customer service representative really really pushed me over the edge when he assured me that he was the "highest level supervisor" and could not help me at all after I repeatedly requested to escalate the matter. This is when I reached to my car salesman who had processed my overseas purchase on deployment. I emailed him summarizing the whole journey I've been through trying to get my car's engine replaced and some sort of compensation. The salesman being a retired Senior Chief was extremely appalled and irritated with how Ford Customer Service had been treating me, especially with Ford not taking care of their military folks. He immediately forwarded my story to his corporate office, Military Auto Source, who then reached out to Ford Corporate Office.

Thursday Morning 13FEB2020
I do not know what Military Auto Source (MAS) said or did, but finally had some good news! Finally I had a Regional Customer Service Manager (someone who isn't working god damn overseas) who reached out to me via email to facilitate a resolution between me and the Ford Dealership. I've copy and paste the email below:

"Good morning, this correspondence is regarding your 2020 Mustang GT 500. I am the Regional Customer Service Manager for the area in which Dwayne Lane’s Skagit Ford is located. My role is to facilitate a resolution between you and the dealership! You can find all of my contact information listed below, I am available to speak with Mon-Fri, 11 AM – 8 PM EST.

I can truly only imagine how devastated you must be that this brand new, beautiful vehicle, is having such a major repair done so early in its life. We can’t thank you enough for becoming a valued member of the Ford Family, I will do everything I can to hopefully turn this station around. Based on some of the case notes we have, it does appear you are seeking some assistance with vehicle payments as well as an extended warranty for the vehicle. I would be more than happy to offer both of these to you. If you are able to send me a copy of your latest payment statement, so I can review the amount due monthly, and determine what I am able to refund you. Once repairs are complete, we can also go further into detail on what extended warranty options are available to you at no cost.

I did speak with your service advisor today, and it appears the new engine should be in the vehicle within the next 2 days. So it seems repair are finally coming to a close. Since I wasn’t able to reach you today by phone, I will attempt contacting you again tomorrow on 2/14, if there is no reply. Do not hesitate to let me know of any other questions or concerns I can address for you."

Friday 14FEB2020
The customer service regional representative and I were able to converse back and forth my experience and what they can do to make things right. I elected to converse via email to keep a log of our conversation. See below with what transpired from our conversation.

Replied back to the Customer Service Regional Representative (CSRR) requesting the following compensation:
-Two months of my car payments
-Two months of my auto insurance
-Some sort of complimentary maintenance plan
-Extension of my power train warranty (from 60,000 miles/5 years to 100,000 miles/7 years)

I also made sure they understood my frustration and horrible customer service experience, I was sure to CC the Military Auto Source representatives on the email:

"......Anyways, I'd like to also voice my concern about the Ford Department customer service treatment I've received this past two months. There is a lack of commitment or flexibility when it comes to going through the "Ford Customer General Service Hotline" where I've been constantly cornered and back into the one scripted answer from numerous customer service representatives "Apologies, we do not have a program or policy in place to accommodate your request, I can assure you that I am the highest level ranking supervisor, etc." Even reaching out to your social media team on numerous occasions did not yield any promising results. It is because of the members of Military Auto Source company, who I had to finally reach out to, who was able to take care of their military folks and get this ordeal sorted out. I genuinely do worry about experiencing another nightmare with Ford Customer Service like this down the road again. I hope you can make this right, especially with me being a first time Ford Owner with a brand new Shelby. I will be currently working today on base, and I apologies in advance if I cannot pick up the phone. I will be closely monitoring the email for your responses. Thank you."

CSRR replied back extremely apologetic and agreed to extend my requested power train warranty (100,000 miles / 7 years $100 deductible after initial factory power train warranty), two months of my car payment (with submission of records), complimentary maintenance plan (45,000 miles/3 years $0 deductible) but was unable to reimburse my for my auto insurance payments. CSRR then told me they'd follow up with me next week on 18FEB2020.

Wednesday 18FEB2020
After the long presidential day weekend, I thought to myself was the extended power train warranty (100,000 miles / 7 years) long enough to cover my worries down the road? What are the odds this may happen again I asked myself. So I shot an email to the CSRR, requesting the 125,000 miles / 8 years instead. I knew that I was going to keep car for a while (resale value pretty much shit itself) as well as me driving this car alot (350 miles a week) the extra year and 25,000 miles would put me more at ease. I also shared this train of thoughts with my CSRR. CSRR understood my reasoning behind the new request and had also informed me that the GT350 should be finished at the end of the week.

On the brighter note, my GT350 owner's package came on in even after all the time my car's spent in at the dealership (Day 68 today):

PACKAGE 1 by Terry Tran, on Flickr

PACKAGE 2 by Terry Tran, on Flickr

PACKAGE 3 by Terry Tran, on Flickr

Waiting so long for the car to get out of the dealership, I took the liberty to upload all the videos on the flash drive to youtube, I've left the playlist below for your viewing pleasure:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLQBWLa7RvJ-J-0HzF3tO9vr6sKdtqZs2B

Saturday 22FEB2020
Been driving this courtesy vehicle around too long (+2500 miles) I'm already due for an oil change

F150 Oil Change by Terry Tran, on Flickr

Monday 24FEB2020
I requested an update from the CSRR on my vehicle as well as the request that I had for the extended power train warranty (125,000 miles / 8 years). CSRR regretted to inform me that the management team was unable to fulfill my request for the requested extended power train warranty and told me the car's repair would be finished in one to two days. This was when my patience was wearing even thinner... I shot back with the following email:

"Appreciate you getting back to me and securing the maintenance package. I'v left you a voice mail urging you and your management team to extend my power train warranty request to the 8 year / 125,000 miles in order to make this right. I've been told again and again by the same folks at the dealership as well as Ford General Customer Service Department that the car would be ready "this week" and that was the same line used over the past 11 weeks now. I won't hold my breath for this week either. Today marks day 74 since my car has been in the shop, long overdue past the lemon law parameters, and my engine serial number no longer matches my chassis number drastically reducing the resale value of the vehicle. I've exhausted countless hours of my professional and personal time from dealing with numerous Ford Customer Service Representatives in order to achieve this warranted attention for my vehicle situation. I cannot get my insurance payment reimbursed and I'm still paying for this car for the past four months, even though the car has only been with me for less than a month.

Again I respectfully request for you and your management to consider my request in order to make this situation right in my eyes as well as demonstrate what Ford Motor Company stands behind. The 8 year / 125,000 miles would give me that much more peace of mind in owning this vehicle considering the brand new 2020 GT350's +$20,000 engine completely seized well before its first oil change. Let me know if you have any push backs for your management team."

I was sure to CC not only my MAS salesman, but their corporate representative as well as my two Naval Legal Officers who also happened to be my buddies (never mentioned once I'd be consulting a legal team) but I was sure the CSRR would take note of the amount of folks now monitoring her response to my demand.

Wednesday Morning 26FEB2020
After CSRR's management team re-evaluated my request for the extended power train warranty, they not only approved the request, but upgraded my power train warranty to the 125,000 miles / 8 years Ford Premium Warranty Care which is extremely more comprehensive than the power train warranty. Truly a triumphant moment for me in this whole ordeal. Again to recap what they were going to compensate me for this trouble:

-Two months of my car payment (with submission of records)
-Complimentary maintenance plan (45,000 miles / 3 years $0 deductible)
-Ford Premium Warranty Care (125,000 miles / 8 years $100 deductible after initial factory warranty)

CSRR informed me that these packages would be inserted into my vehicle's database and the paperwork would be mailed to me in a couple of weeks.

Thursday Morning 27FEB2020

Ford Dealership finally gave me the news I've been waiting for.... the GT350 was ready to be picked up! They were able to also fix my front splitter, making sure it was re-installed properly this time. However, the dealership did have some bad news. During the engine swap, they unfortunately messed up the paint job in the engine bay, specifically the hood portion of it. They were planning on getting the engine bay paint corrected and fixed, however the body paint shop was booked ten days out. So they figured they'd like me finally enjoy driving the car again while I wait for my body shop paint job.

Front Splitter looking alot better with the reinstallment!

GT350 1 by Terry Tran, on Flickr

Front Splitter 2 by Terry Tran, on Flickr

Front Splitter 1 by Terry Tran, on Flickr

Paint Damages from the Engine Replacement

Engine bay blemish 3 by Terry Tran, on Flickr

Hood Paint blemish 2 by Terry Tran, on Flickr

Hood Paint blemish 1 by Terry Tran, on Flickr

I was able to tour my old motor and get the inside scoop with the mechanic who was extremely understanding and professional:

Old Engine by Terry Tran, on Flickr

Valve Stem Broken by Terry Tran, on Flickr


I was able to check out the actual cost of getting the engine motor replaced. It's a pretty hefty price tag... makes you think twice about making any sort of modifications that can have your power train warranty be voided or denied...

Receipt Cost by Terry Tran, on Flickr

Finally getting the keys back to my GT350!

Reunited and it feels so good! by Terry Tran, on Flickr

Definitely want to thank Military Auto Source for getting this ball rolling for me, and the retired Senior Chief was ecstatic with the good news! Day 77 marks the reunion with my baby! Now to break this engine in again!

Monday Morning 16MAR2020
Brought my GT350 back to the dealership to get the paint corrected. I was also able to break in the engine again. New engine has been behaving so far after its first thousand miles. I've requested the dealership to also change the oil for me while they have custody of the vehicle. I'm back to driving the good ole dealership courtesy vehicle!

Courtesy Vehicle Again by Terry Tran, on Flickr

Friday Morning 20MAR2020
Got my GT350 back again with a fresh oil change. I'll also be sending a oil sample to Black Stone Oil Analysis to ensure the engine's breaking in properly next week. Dealership's done a great job correcting the paint on the hood, see below:

Hood Paint Corrected 2 by Terry Tran, on Flickr

Hood Paint Corrected 1 by Terry Tran, on Flickr

Ford CSRR still to this day has be checking in with me to ensure I'm content with the repair and that I got everything I needed. So far the GT350 has been behaving well and it feels extremely great to have this vehicle back.

GT350 Fun by Terry Tran, on Flickr

GT350 2 by Terry Tran, on Flickr

Some takeaways from this whole ordeal:

• If you happen to encounter a catastrophic malfunction with the vehicle, be sure to keep a detailed log of every transaction and interaction with Ford Customer Service Representative
• Never feel like an asshole when you're demanding what you feel is right in regards to compensations
• Redirect your "frustration" and energy at the Ford Customer Service Team, never at the repair team or department. You'd be surprised how much bureaucracy bullshit dealerships have to deal with when processing paperwork with Ford Corporation. I encourage you to build rapport with the service repair team.
• If vehicle is purchased through a third party company like Military Auto Source for example, utilize and get them involved!
• Lastly be persistence when interacting with Ford Customer Service Representative, do not take no as an option. You can still be professional when inquiring, requesting, or demanding things. Just use a little tact though!

To share my thoughts on why I decided to keep the vehicle instead of going through the alternate routes:

• The buyback process is a long arduous process, you need to have a lot of patience and time. Both of what I do not have with my current profession.
• Did not want to get myself into a legal battle even though I had met all the prerequisites of the Lemon Law by my state
• When I bought this vehicle, I was able to get this car MSRP without paying sales tax, I knew I was not going to find another better deal than this
• I had PPF (Paint Protection Film) and tinted windows installed already. I've also bought a bunch of other goodies (Oil Air Separator, Resonator Delete, BMR Jacking Rails, etc) None which would be refunded if I were to go through the buy back process.
• Lastly, when I bought this vehicle, I intended to keep it for a while, maybe forever. I wasn't going to garage queen this car, I was going to drive the shit out of this car. To put it perspective, my first and only car I've ever owned was a 2004 Toyota RAV4 with 250,000 miles. To this day I'm still driving that car, and I plan on driving the GT350 for quite some time. Sure the resale value is going to take a hit, but at the end of the day I'm at peace with keeping this car... especially with the extended Ford Premium Care Warranty . I'll cross that bridge when I have to in about eight years if I want to sell it..... Until then I'll continue to provide status updates of my vehicle.

Thanks for the info. My Car is LO167. They were built the same day.....

 

[Stevbas]

My car is LO 167. Just 3 cars after yours.

Steve.

 

[Brmiller49]

My car is LO 167. Just 3 cars after yours.

Steve.

My car is LO 167. Just 3 cars after yours.

Steve.

We are going back and forth about keeping ours. Dealership has offered $60K on a refund, but they have drastically cut back on staff to be able to process it. It is beautiful, and maybe that failure at 206 miles was our only problem. Wife really loves the car, I guess I’ll get to where I trust it. We have until the end of the month to decide.

 

[overdrive714]

Definitely some quality control issues with these cars being so nearly built so close to each other. Stevebas and Brmiller49 did they figure out what the root of the issue was with your motors? Brmiller49 I definitely understand your dilemma, but you haven’t even been able to own it post break in period to finally have a better assessment of whether or not to keep the car. Glad to hear they’ve removed a lot of the hoops for you to jump through. As I say, make sure you guys document your whole ordeal!

 

[Brmiller49]

Definitely some quality control issues with these cars being so nearly built so close to each other. Stevebas and Brmiller49 did they figure out what the root of the issue was with your motors? Brmiller49 I definitely understand your dilemma, but you haven’t even been able to own it post break in period to finally have a better assessment of whether or not to keep the car. Glad to hear they’ve removed a lot of the hoops for you to jump through. As I say, make sure you guys document your whole ordeal!

We got some pictures from the service tech and a summary. He mentioned slight scoring on cylinder 8 wall, valve washer retainer found in oil pan, intake valve dropped inside cylinder 8 that was smashed between the cylinder head and wall. Most of this doesn’t mean a lot to me.
On another note, if we do keep the car, what is a recommended break-in procedure? I’ve read a range of ideas, from driving the hell out of it to measured driving periods. This car, if we keep it, will get treated very well. Also, can you help me with oil consumption ideas? I will now check the oil very often! The dipstick doesn’t give a lot of information! How to tell actual amount? Do I use Ford synthetic? Thanks!

 

[overdrive714]

We got some pictures from the service tech and a summary. He mentioned slight scoring on cylinder 8 wall, valve washer retainer found in oil pan, intake valve dropped inside cylinder 8 that was smashed between the cylinder head and wall. Most of this doesn’t mean a lot to me.
On another note, if we do keep the car, what is a recommended break-in procedure? I’ve read a range of ideas, from driving the hell out of it to measured driving periods. This car, if we keep it, will get treated very well. Also, can you help me with oil consumption ideas? I will now check the oil very often! The dipstick doesn’t give a lot of information! How to tell actual amount? Do I use Ford synthetic? Thanks!

Damn, I’m glad you’re getting a new engine. And to answer most of your questions, some stuff I did while breaking in the engine and staying aligned with the owner’s manual

-First 1,000 miles, do not let the car idle too much, as soon as you start it drive her right away. And drive her easy off the bat to get the oil temperature to warm up.
-First 100 miles, I’d keep her below 4,500 RPM at most (Vary the RPM and don’t cruise at a certain RPM for a while, step on the gas and let off the gas to vary that RPM).
-After the first 100 miles, “you can perform extended wide open throttle” I personally rode her up to 7,000 RPM until I back off on the throttle for another 100 miles before I start revving her up to 8,250RPM. Again I do not go past 4,500 RPM until the engine oil temperature is at 190 degrees.
-After 200 miles, I’d then would try to get the engine up to 8,250 RPM whenever I can. Again the point is to perform a wide open throttle and vary your RPM as best as you can in order for the piston sleeves to wear in and seat properly to reduce the chances of oil consumption as you can.
-After a 1,000 miles, you can beat her as hard as you want, again as long as your engine oil temperature is at 190 degrees.
-Remember this is not your typical mass production engine, it’s a racing engine and they like to “breathe” a little and be ridden hard at least every once in a while.
-I’ve already put 3,000 miles on my new engine this past month and I’ve got no oil consumption issues (I make it a habit to check every time I either fill up gas or wash my car, some folks will check everyone 500 mile interval) just keep an eye where the oil falls on the stick.
-Did I say vary your RPM? Make sure you do that in the first 1,000 miles! Especially the first 100 miles, it’s a crucial process, and “row” through those gears as best as you can. Don’t be cruising at one RPM speed too long.
-Definitely use synthetic oil for this car, you can either stick with the recommended synthetic oil per the manual, their motorcraft oil or what others here on the forum recommend, AMSOIL.

I’ve inserted the screen shots of the owners supplement manual which you can find more information about the vehicle. Hopefully I’ve answered your questions, and I’m sure the other more experienced and knowledgeable folks will chime in:

 

[Brmiller49]

Damn, I’m glad you’re getting a new engine. And to answer most of your questions, some stuff I did while breaking in the engine and staying aligned with the owner’s manual

-First 1,000 miles, do not let the car idle too much, as soon as you start it drive her right away. And drive her easy off the bat to get the oil temperature to warm up.
-First 100 miles, I’d keep her below 4,500 RPM at most (Vary the RPM and don’t cruise at a certain RPM for a while, step on the gas and let off the gas to vary that RPM).
-After the first 100 miles, “you can perform extended wide open throttle” I personally rode her up to 7,000 RPM until I back off on the throttle for another 100 miles before I start revving her up to 8,250RPM. Again I do not go past 4,500 RPM until the engine oil temperature is at 190 degrees.
-After 200 miles, I’d then would try to get the engine up to 8,250 RPM whenever I can. Again the point is to perform a wide open throttle and vary your RPM as best as you can in order for the piston sleeves to wear in and seat properly to reduce the chances of oil consumption as you can.
-After a 1,000 miles, you can beat her as hard as you want, again as long as your engine oil temperature is at 190 degrees.
-Remember this is not your typical mass production engine, it’s a racing engine and they like to “breathe” a little and be ridden hard at least every once in a while.
-I’ve already put 3,000 miles on my new engine this past month and I’ve got no oil consumption issues (I make it a habit to check every time I either fill up gas or wash my car, some folks will check everyone 500 mile interval) just keep an eye where the oil falls on the stick.
-Did I say vary your RPM? Make sure you do that in the first 1,000 miles! Especially the first 100 miles, it’s a crucial process, and “row” through those gears as best as you can. Don’t be cruising at one RPM speed too long.
-Definitely use synthetic oil for this car, you can either stick with the recommended synthetic oil per the manual, their motorcraft oil or what others here on the forum recommend, AMSOIL.

I’ve inserted the screen shots of the owners supplement manual which you can find more information about the vehicle. Hopefully I’ve answered your questions, and I’m sure the other more experienced and knowledgeable folks will chime in:

‘Thanks for the info! I downloaded and read both the Mustang and the Shelby manuals when we got it home the first night. I have just seen so many ideas on engine break in. My salesperson said the engine needed no break in at all. This after he REALLY kicked in the butt on his part of the test drive and gasoline run!

 

[lenFeb]

‘Thanks for the info! I downloaded and read both the Mustang and the Shelby manuals when we got it home the first night. I have just seen so many ideas on engine break in. My salesperson said the engine needed no break in at all. This after he REALLY kicked in the butt on his part of the test drive and gasoline run!

Read and follow directions on your Shelby GT350 supplemental manual. Don't bother reading any internet "gurus" suggestions. The oil consumption should be fine with 2019+ engines. But check it periodical with every fuel fill.

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