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GT350: Caveat Emptor

cactus_kid

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Ah yes, the MO of a certified forum troll. :cwl:
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SeattleDude

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Sure wish you'd post during daylight hours ........................ At first read, I thought your log in was Seattle Duck. :clap: 'Scuse me. I gotta go clean mah glasses. :crackup:
Nope. Not duck. Definitely not duck.
1601917610310.jpeg
 

JAJ

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... I find the notion that GM’s engineers are smarter than Ford’s, or that Ford’s engineers don’t know what they’re doing, highly lacking in merit....
I couldn't agree more. The driveline and chassis engineering in the GT350 is a good example of what a talented team can do when they're given the mandate to do it. Ford done good on this one.

The engine problems in the Voodoo seem to stem from supplier issues rather than engineering issues. The OEM supply chain that makes parts for grocery-getters just couldn't step up to a high-revving V8. They got close, but the gaps were a real pain.

Two particular gaps come to mind - valve trains have been problematic - valve heads detaching, leaking valve stem seals, broken springs, etc. There also was a rash of cylinder issues - either rings or spray liners - that led to high oil consumption in the 2017/18 engines.

Other than that, it's been a pretty reliable engine. Ford's engineers did a good job designing it and Ford's customer service did a good job supporting the customers.

Also, someone earlier in this thread said something about balance shafts to improve reliability. I don't think that'll work, in fact, I think it'll make reliability worse. It's one more thing to break in an already complex engine and it doesn't reduce the cyclical loading on the crank or other rotating components. It's a purely NVH solution - vibrations across the engine as a whole cancel out, but each individual rotating component is just as out-of-balance as it ever was.
 

SeattleDude

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Other than that, it's been a pretty reliable engine. Ford's engineers did a good job designing it and Ford's customer service did a good job supporting the customers.
I’m a little over twenty years into my illustrious engineering career. An old wise engineer told me when I was fresh out of college, “Nothing we ever design works exactly like we thought it would and we never design the exact same thing twice.” Couple that with the myriad of supplier quality assurance (SQA) issues you might have, and you end up with an assortment of root causes that have to be sorted out after the RTM (release to manufacturing) phase. I used to do R&D and design for Philips and General Electric, so I’m well aware of the back and forth that goes on between the manufacturing engineers and the design engineers.

I agree, given the challenging design and likely SQA issues for this completely new power plant, Ford did an excellent job bringing this product to market. I’m crossing my fingers that another FPC engine emerges in the near future in the Mustang lineup.
 

cactus_kid

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Time for another beer ................... :rockon:
 

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lonegunman

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I'm not in the least bit put off by the paltry few engine failures. The actual Ford engineer I spoke with loved the product and felt 150,000 miles was not out of the realm of possibility for this engine. I have 4,100 miles on mine and am going to drive it 5-7K miles during the driving season until it gives up or gets traded.

If you had bad luck, sorry it happens on high performance cars occasionally. Ford spent more than $50,000 on new engines and tried to make you happy, that is not a bad thing. I'm honestly impressed since on my side of an entire state, Ford dealers suck on steroids. Getting service at a Ford dealer on a car THEY did not sell is not a positive experience in my opinion. "Did you buy that here?" is always the first or second question when you call or walk in.

As an owner, I'd like to see a change in Ford. Moving Ford dealer service from cheap oil changes on grocery getters to an actual service department with at least one highly skilled mechanic and a service rep who does more than ratfuck every dollar from customers would be nice. Every Ford dealer in my area sucks. They have sucked for at least the last 30 years. That is just the class of dealer and way they treat people. Walking in with a $65-70K car is meaningless if you didn't buy it there and no one really cares if you are displeased.

Ford fixed your car twice and while you had some problems, two failed engines is almost unheard of in the modern automotive world. I'm willing to take my chances and keep my car.
 

Lorne34

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I'm not in the least bit put off by the paltry few engine failures. The actual Ford engineer I spoke with loved the product and felt 150,000 miles was not out of the realm of possibility for this engine. I have 4,100 miles on mine and am going to drive it 5-7K miles during the driving season until it gives up or gets traded.

If you had bad luck, sorry it happens on high performance cars occasionally. Ford spent more than $50,000 on new engines and tried to make you happy, that is not a bad thing. I'm honestly impressed since on my side of an entire state, Ford dealers suck on steroids. Getting service at a Ford dealer on a car THEY did not sell is not a positive experience in my opinion. "Did you buy that here?" is always the first or second question when you call or walk in.

As an owner, I'd like to see a change in Ford. Moving Ford dealer service from cheap oil changes on grocery getters to an actual service department with at least one highly skilled mechanic and a service rep who does more than ratfuck every dollar from customers would be nice. Every Ford dealer in my area sucks. They have sucked for at least the last 30 years. That is just the class of dealer and way they treat people. Walking in with a $65-70K car is meaningless if you didn't buy it there and no one really cares if you are displeased.

Ford fixed your car twice and while you had some problems, two failed engines is almost unheard of in the modern automotive world. I'm willing to take my chances and keep my car.
I am dismayed by the input regarding dealership service departments. I am fortunate to have a very good dealership here in Wisconsin that has been top notch every time i've taken my 350 in. Wish they could replicate those standards everywhere...
 

cactus_kid

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@lonegunman . Maybe it's time to move :crackup: Seriously. My small town servicing dealer has a trained tech do the oil changes on any high po Ford that comes in. Both the service advisors are certified track addicts. MIddle aged. Headers, no prob. Ditto FI, etc. My SA is a dirt track peep. The other is into the demo derby thing. :crying:
 

DTINDY

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Well just hit 10,000 miles after owning for about 4 months, about 1/2 quart down at last two oil changes. No issues, loving the drive.
 

cactus_kid

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Ya gotta pedal harder Duane. :crackup: I'm a little over 14k in 7 weeks. :rockon:
Mike
 

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cactus_kid

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And I should add, finally added .5 qt after the second o/c. Now that I'm past 10k I'm pushing the engine harder. More high rpm shifts.
 

nicosuave1

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Mine is a 17 and seems to need about 1/2 qt every 800 or so miles. I keep a close eye on it.

It is disappointing that it consumes oil at all, and that apparently with QC and design improvements the 19's and 20's are immune to these issues... What's a guy with a 17 to do?
Don't say trade it for a 19 or 20 lol it's out of the question.
 

lonegunman

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I am dismayed by the input regarding dealership service departments. I am fortunate to have a very good dealership here in Wisconsin that has been top notch every time i've taken my 350 in. Wish they could replicate those standards everywhere...
You are lucky, congrats.

There is a small Ford dealer out in the sticks near where I work, 90 minutes from anything. I've never seen a Mustang in stock there, but I'm going to stop in and ask them if they would service mine. They offer lifetime service on everything they sell and nearly every car in town is from them.
Yeah, every word I said is true about the two dealers in that particular city. They suck and they do not care and their parts departments are a half step behind. They'll sell you a GT350 oil filter for 150% of retail, oil is a bit more.

I'm glad to hear some people have good luck with their service.
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