OPG - Which one?

[J_Maher_AMG]

Do you guys that are holding out on replacing your opg's to billet gears really think it's not going to happen to yourself? And if it does happen, do you think it'll happen within the warranty period?
What I'm trying to say is, many of us will not have 36000 miles on our cars in 3 years. In 3 years and one day the OPG could fail and you're still out of luck and will have to repair/replace the engine with out of pocket expense.

Honestly the way I am justifying it to myself is this:

1. If it fails within the first 3 years, I'll have the engine replaced under warranty, thus saving me from having to fork over $25-30K CAD for a new motor.

2. If I swap in an OPG now for piece of mind regarding that singular failure mode, if something else were to go wrong or the engine fails, then I am looking at a massive bill for a new engine, in which case I will have to wait to save more just to buy a new engine.

So ultimately I plan on upgrading the OPG just before the warranty expires. I for certain will not come anywhere close to the 60K km warranty mark, but my 3 years time frame will at least provide me another 3 seasons of warranty. Can't justify upgrading now to prevent one failure mode and throwing away 3 summers worth of "peace of mind" in regards to not having to face paying a massive bill IF something else were to fail.

I would have paid an extra $1000 on the MSRP if simple shit like that just been done right and installed from the factory :(

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[Voodooo]

My car is 14 months old. I'm not waiting. I can not put my faith in a warranty and take the chance of it failing.
Not to mention having a dealer work on my car after everything I've done to it. I'm very meticulous and picky. I guess it's the selfish side of me being that I do all my own repairs and service. I've spent hours and days grinding, smoothing, painting, finishing everything the way I like it to have some careless person ruin what I worked hard at. But even if I'd had it 100% stock I know I still couldn't take it back. I'm going to order the TSS opg's and sprocket. Once I get time I'll swap everything out. I'll post everything as I go unless someone else does so before me. I also been thinking of making an engine support bar to hang the engine from that will bolt to the strut tower bolts once the strut tower is removed. I will be dropping my K member to remove the oil pan.

 

[J_Maher_AMG]

My car is 14 months old. I'm not waiting. I can not put my faith in a warranty and take the chance of it failing.
Not to mention having a dealer work on my car after everything I've done to it. I'm very meticulous and picky. I guess it's the selfish side of me being that I do all my own repairs and service. I've spent hours and days grinding, smoothing, painting, finishing everything the way I like it to have some careless person ruin what I worked hard at. But even if I'd had it 100% stock I know I still couldn't take it back. I'm going to order the TSS opg's and sprocket. Once I get time I'll swap everything out. I'll post everything as I go unless someone else does so before me. I also been thinking of making an engine support bar to hang the engine from that will bolt to the strut tower bolts once the strut tower is removed. I will be dropping my K member to remove the oil pan.

To be frank, I would be 100% doing the swap to the TSS gears as well if I were further on in my career and could easily absorb a $25K+ hit for a new engine. It is 100% a financial concern for me right now in regards to not taking the plunge, I wish I could swap them out, but I can't afford to take that risk. In another 3 years I won't mind so much, because the warranty will be gone anyways and I'll be further into my career at that point.

Yes please let us know what you find out and how you get on with the install. You are going to become the Mustang OPG Hero if you do a writeup on the OEM OPG & Pump as well as install for the new gears!

 

[mustang1]

Do you guys that are holding out on replacing your opg's to billet gears really think it's not going to happen to yourself? And if it does happen, do you think it'll happen within the warranty period?
What I'm trying to say is, many of us will not have 36000 miles on our cars in 3 years. In 3 years and one day the OPG could fail and you're still out of luck and will have to repair/replace the engine with out of pocket expense.

standard power train warranty should be 5 year. And I think you can get Ford's extended warranty out to 6-8 years. For a similar price as swapping in billet OPG. That's a lot of time to wait and see, where the main risk is needing a new engine and line items showing up on carfax, oasis.

 

[Voodooo]

standard power train warranty should be 5 year. And I think you can get Ford's extended warranty out to 6-8 years. For a similar price as swapping in billet OPG. That's a lot of time to wait and see, where the main risk is needing a new engine and line items showing up on carfax, oasis.

I'm a mechanic so I'm not waiting. Nor will I let those morons work on mine.

 

[xXANCHORMONXx]

I'm a mechanic so I'm not waiting. Nor will I let those morons work on mine.

Service department: Scott we have good news and some bad news. Good news is that your new motor got installed. Bad news is that the tech had his foot slip off the clutch and the car went through a concrete wall. Anyway car is ready to be picked up anytime before 5.

Scott: (dead silence)

 

[Voodooo]

Service department: Scott we have good news and some bad news. Good news is that your new motor got installed. Bad news is that the tech had his foot slip off the clutch and the car went through a concrete wall. Anyway car is ready to be picked up anytime before 5.

Scott: (dead silence)

Lmao exactly!
Or your car fell off the lift.

 

[65Terdlingua]

I understand that. But it can also be too hard. I'd rather use 4140.
But on the chart I posted they show normal and annealed. That's like comparing a chrome socket to a impact socket. The chrome socket is brittle.

This thread has really escalated quickly. Just fyi, 9310 is used for probably millions of gears every year that transfer more torque than an oil pump gear would ever see. The great thing is it has a tough surface for improved wear properties, but the center stays more ductile to absorb loads. Saying its 'too hard' is really a quantifiable claim. I'm not claiming its better or worse than anything else, just depends on application and desired properties. Selecting a material for something like a gear requires a lot more than just looking at a chart of mechanical properties.

 

[HISSMAN]

All of the sciencing in this thread is above my head. I'll go with Boundary. Why? for the money I think it will be good enough. Will I ever run my car into the 9's.. Nope.

 

[Lexluther]

Do you guys that are holding out on replacing your opg's to billet gears really think it's not going to happen to yourself? And if it does happen, do you think it'll happen within the warranty period?
What I'm trying to say is, many of us will not have 36000 miles on our cars in 3 years. In 3 years and one day the OPG could fail and you're still out of luck and will have to repair/replace the engine with out of pocket expense.

I argued both sides to give merit where its due and not to be bias so ppl can make up their own minds. I already mentioned if your that one guy left out in the cold than you are 100% SOL and nothing else matters at that point.

For me the decision is emotional I only take mine out during the weekend to decompress and relieve stress. Nothing would cause more stress than if it blew up covered under warranty or not. My situation is also unique to where the dealer is covering the labor so I've got both brain and heart covered on the decision to make it a GO!

Scott if it were possible to only loosen the K member where it drops down a bit without disconnecting it completely to pull the oil pan. Than it may be possible for the average joe home mechanic to do the job in their driveway. Saving the labor cost would sway many and might just be the push needed. You'll be talking only hundreds in parts at that point.

 

[firestarter2]

To be frank, I would be 100% doing the swap to the TSS gears as well if I were further on in my career and could easily absorb a $25K+ hit for a new engine. It is 100% a financial concern for me right now in regards to not taking the plunge, I wish I could swap them out, but I can't afford to take that risk. In another 3 years I won't mind so much, because the warranty will be gone anyways and I'll be further into my career at that point.

Yes please let us know what you find out and how you get on with the install. You are going to become the Mustang OPG Hero if you do a writeup on the OEM OPG & Pump as well as install for the new gears!

This is wear I am at. While Im capable of doing most things my self time and money are always an issue.

 

[Lexluther]

This thread has really escalated quickly. Just fyi, 9310 is used for probably millions of gears every year that transfer more torque than an oil pump gear would ever see. The great thing is it has a tough surface for improved wear properties, but the center stays more ductile to absorb loads. Saying its 'too hard' is really a quantifiable claim. I'm not claiming its better or worse than anything else, just depends on application and desired properties. Selecting a material for something like a gear requires a lot more than just looking at a chart of mechanical properties.

In my write up the main issue was cyro-treating to gain Rockwell hardness vs. heat treating. The cyro and the mfg. process is to blame for the MMR failing not the metal itself. Even if that is ignored there are many failures you can google while the other OPG options have't had any failures, so just call it peace of mind. Also for the cost there are better options with a better mfg. process and higher tolerances. Its not black and white looking at a chart and picking the right alloy.

 

[Voodooo]

I argued both sides to give merit where its due and not to be bias so ppl can make up their own minds. I already mentioned if your that one guy left out in the cold than you are 100% SOL and nothing else matters at that point.

For me the decision is emotional I only take mine out during the weekend to decompress and relieve stress. Nothing would cause more stress than if it blew up covered under warranty or not. My situation is also unique to where the dealer is covering the labor so I've got both brain and heart covered on the decision to make it a GO!

Scott if it were possible to only loosen the K member where it drops down a bit without disconnecting it completely to pull the oil pan. Than it may be possible for the average joe home mechanic to do the job in their driveway. Saving the labor cost would sway many and might just be the push needed. You'll be talking only hundreds in parts at that point.

The oil pan to K member clearance is 5/8"-3/4" if I remember correctly. I don't remember if the rack and pinion is closer or further away allowing more or less clearance. I mentioned this in a pm to another member. It's possible to lower the k member without removing it. I myself and removing mine just as I did the rear Irs cradle to powder coat it and do my mods. But absolutely, I strongly believe it could be lowered slightly enough to remove the oil pump from the pan. Either way the car needs an alignment afterwards. Or you could also try raising the engine enough to lower the pan and not need a alignment.

 

[machsmith]

Just out of curiosity, if you took part to a ford dealer and had them install the gear, would it retain warranty? Would think if the manufacturer has a warrantee and the ford Mechanic has his ass covered, what's the big deal? Sure I don't want them touching my car either and I feel pretty confident in what I do. I know I could do the job but if something else fails down the road, still within warranty, would be better if ford took care of it.

 

[Lexluther]

To be frank, I would be 100% doing the swap to the TSS gears as well if I were further on in my career and could easily absorb a $25K+ hit for a new engine. It is 100% a financial concern for me right now in regards to not taking the plunge, I wish I could swap them out, but I can't afford to take that risk. In another 3 years I won't mind so much, because the warranty will be gone anyways and I'll be further into my career at that point.

Yes please let us know what you find out and how you get on with the install. You are going to become the Mustang OPG Hero if you do a writeup on the OEM OPG & Pump as well as install for the new gears!

The TSS OPG has a very low probability to void your warranty. Its made better and has only a small part number laser etched to identify it. Also the outward appearance and color of the metal matches the stock pieces because they both use the same heat process to harden the metal during mfg. It would be hard to tell as a mechanic but easily as a Ford engineer. You could change that easily by sanding through the laser etching use emory cloth and it would be exactly like stock. Only a metallurgy test would reveal a difference.

Point being other than visual inspection unless the OPG let go there would be no reason to suspect or focus on that part if your engine failed. If the OPG did fail well ford knows about it and it would be lumped in with all the others if it were smooth with no identifying marks like the stocks.

Lastly your at 8k to rebuild labor and forged lowers vs. 25K or more buying at the dealer parts counter a crate motor which has the same flaws as the motor your replacing. Most dealers are at 24hrs to swap engines so let say 100 per/hr thats 2,400-. You could take it elsewhere if you don't want to flag your warranty and get it done at half that either way your looking at 10k not 25k.

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