blk5.0

http://www.svtperformance.com/forums...kryponite.html

anyone else have this happen to them? any tuners shed some light on this to put some mids at ease.

KonaBlue5.0

It was the SCT base file, not a custom tune. The 5.0 has been out for about a year now, and this is only person to post up evidence of this happening.

Another guy, running a BAMA tune, had low compression in #8, and Ford replaced the motor without a hiccup, even with the tune still loaded when it was in the shop. The guy never found out exactly what happened, as his dealer didn't tell him.

I wouldn't worry about it. Two reports of this happening out of the thousands of tuned 5.0's out there isn't too bad.

bama5oh

I personally had the same issue. I bought my 5.0 June 28th, 2010. After a month of owning it, I bought an SCT tuner and had it tuned by someone locally. When my tuner tried to install the preloaded tunes on the first day, the device failed and I was stuck with a dead car. SCT had to send a recovery file so that we could load my factory tune back on the car. Once we got it tuned, I went to the drag strip to run it. After a couple passes and running all the 89 fuel out of it, I filled her up with 93 and tried to load the 93 octane tune. Again it failed and I was stuck at the drag strip with a car that wouldnt start. After trying to load the factory tune for two hours, I was able to drive home.

After a month of running it, my check engine light came on and i could feel that it lost power. I did the old trick of holding a dollar up to the exhaust on the drivers side and it was pulled inward but not on the passenger side. I took the car into my dealer which they said the plug wire and the spark plug went bad. After waiting three weeks, the wires and plugs came in but they didn't solve the engine issues. When I first brought the car in I asked them to do a compression test on the motor and they assured me that the compression was fine. But after their initial repairs didn't fix the issue, they told me the engine had lost compression. That tells me that they lied to me and had to try and cover it up with some lame excuse. After two weeks, Ford gave them the go ahead to replace my motor. After two more weeks I had my car back. They sent my engine back to Ford but I never found out what really happened. All I know is the #8 cylinder lost compression.

After getting my car back, I ran it for a couple weeks stock. Then I re-installed my C&L intake with the no-tune required insert installed. After another week, I updated my SCT tune files and tried to install the 93 octane tune but the device had failed. I called SCT and they told me that they had sent out a bad batch of devices and for me to return mine for a new one. I have called them on several occassions asking them if they have heard of the issue with the #8 cylinder and their answer is always "no." Even after I personally called five times and asked them the same question, their answer is always "no." Ive always felt that SCT may have been the issue but they know that admitting it would cost them dearly. But that is a personal opinion.

Ive had it back since October and havent had any issues. If SCT is not to blame, them maybe Ford received a bad batch of rings. I only say that because lots of people are tuning their 5.0's but only a few are having issues. Maybe it was SCT's original tune files they sent out, maybe not. When my engine went bad I had it custom tuned, I havent had it custom tuned since. Ive also heard that the issues may be caused by the spark plugs not being able to handle the colder heat range produced by the modifications. Brisk has come out with three different Silver Racing spark plugs for the 5.0 that are designed for the colder heat ranges, but I'm scared of the engine getting damaged again and Ford not covering the engine a second time.

When I took my car in, I had returned it to stock, including the air box. Ford gave me an extended 75,000 mile bumper to bumper warranty because of the length of time it was in the shop. It has been very hard for me not to purchase new perfomance parts to increase my power but if it goes bad again, I'm sure I would be screwed. And after my wife and I both being laid off for six months, I cant afford to have to buy a new engine. Although, I did, I would get the Boss 302 engine, LOL.

I have been thinking about calling JDM Engineering about a custom tune. But I'm afraid that if any of their customers have had the same issue, they wont be honest. If you're asking why JDM, a customer of his with a JLT intake and an off-road H pipe is making 437 rwhp, and I'm making 404 with a C&L intake and the preloaded tunes.

Anywho, I really wish this issue wasn't tainting the new engine...

QuickStang5o

I also had low compression on cylinder 8. This happened after only 3000 miles. I had been running a bama tune for 1000 of the 3000. Not sure if it was the engine or tune but ford is in the process of replacing the motor. I got the steeda intake, tune required, and I'm not sure if I want to put it on the new engine. Hopefully it was the engine at fault not the tuner.

bama5oh

I hope so as well. Sucks having to have a brand new engine replaced and not really knowing who to blame so this issue will stop. If its Ford's problem, they know which cars are going to have the issue and which are not. If it has something to do with SCT/tuners, they need to stop tuning cars, and get with Ford to figure out why this is happening. That won't happen becuase the tuners already have our money and until someone trys to sue them, their answer will always be; "no I haven't heard of this issue." Good luck bro...

t-ray

Just curious - but dealership were you using and who did you have do your tune?

stangfoeva

Scary stuff for sure! I'm on pg 2 so far and it looks like a crappy tune, and of course the guy is trying to blame Ford

MRGTX

Can anyone explain how a tune could cause a cylinder to lose compression?

t-ray

Running too lean or too much spark advance can increase cylinder temperatures. If the cylinder is not cool enough (not enough fuel), knock can occur. That basically means that either the charge ignited too early (preignition - before the spark fires), or the charge burned too long. Either way, knock can do serious damage.

However, as others have pointed out in that thread, the pictures of the actual piston surface don't show signs of detonation.

MRGTX

That makes sense. Thanks, t-ray.
So if cylinder #8 is the one that keeps showing up as a problem, is there a known deficit of cooling there or is it just coincidence?

t-ray

I'm not sure that is in fact a detonation or heat related issue. From the pictures alone, it looks like its some kind of mechanical defect of the piston/ring/ringland.

However, it would be statistically unlikely that the same defect is affecting the same cylinder number in multiple engines. I would *assume* that all of the pistons are the same.

However, so far we have nothing more than hearsay and anecdotal evidence that cyl #8 is in fact failing.

t-ray

I'd like to add that I'm not an expert. I've never built an engine, torn one down, or even actually held a real live piston in my hand. I'm just making observations.

Five Oh Brian

Seems that all of the tuner problems I've been reading about at various Mustang forums are all with SCT's. I haven't heard of a single problem reported with a Diablosport tuner. I used Diablosport tuners exclusively on my supercharged '07 GT and never had any kind of issue, and with my new '11 5.0L I think I'll buy a Diablosport tuner again.

Ronin38

I had a Diablo Predator for my last car and loved it, but I don't see the Predator for the '11+ cars. Just the Trinity, which is a lot more expensive.

I'm saving up for the Steeda CAI + SCT tuner, personally.

Jcint

Ive had the Steeda CAI and a Blow By Racing Tune on my 2011 since about 5k. I now have about 13k. Used The SCT tuner too. Changed tunes once and then back, NEVER had an issue. Car runs strong!

shadowstang03gt

its funny, i posted in other threads that mail order tunes were not a good idea. Now it looks like i was right. u Should have it dyno tuned by a good shop

fdjizm

That sure does look like a ring land failure and not a tune failure.
How does a ring land break off clean like that and there is no evidence of a melted piston/detonation? piston casting issue in my eyes ford should fix it free of charge.

This piston is in fine shape...

not burnt, not melted etc... just the ring land snapped off.
This is not a tune problem, just look at the pictures.
This is what happends with a bad tune..


Notice the ring lands are fine.

RedCandy5.0

Im sure this is why Job 1 GTs were delayed about 2 months. They all had compromised ring installs or ring issues from what has been rumored.

wproctor411

I agree.

05-1947

I has nothing to do with the with the hardware (Diablo or SCT).