does anybody own or know somebody that owns a Taurus SHO? I ant to know if they're reliable vehicles??? Mainly about that 3.4 V8 under the hood? anything would be great.

Thanks,
Eric

 

they are good cars but they had issues with the cam. some people have had to weld the cams

 

SHO:

Super
High
Operating expenses...

 

i had a '92 sho for 5 years. the engine is very reliable, its the whole rest of the car that isn't. lets see if i can remember all the stuff i had to fix after the warranty was up.:
3 clutches-$1000.00 ea
electroinc climate control unit-$600.00
ac compressor-$550.00
water pump-$380.00
aig bag clock spring-$???
mine had the yamaha built v-6. i dont if they got much better with the newer style, but i would tell anyone to run away from a 89-94

 

Stay away from V8 SHOs unless you have documented Cam repairs. Check out www.shoforum.com

 

Yea, I was just reading that, the cam gears come loose or something, is it expencive/time consuming?

Just wondering, I like the looks of this car, alot because it's a real sleeper, that and even though I'm a truck guy, I like the overall layout/looks of this newer taurus, and need somthing better on fuel(if this car even applies).

 

I had an 89 SHO 5 speed V6 Yamaha and absolutely loved it. The V6 5 speeds are actually faster than thier V8 counterpart. I never had a problem beating a newer one in my 89. I just got rid of it a month ago and used the money for my 79 F-250 460 TS. I never had a problem with the car and it had about 80K when I got rid of it. I would say try to find a 95 with low miles and a 5 speed. You will be very happy with it in my opinion. For a driver they are nice and fun, they are quick, handle well and like you said definitely a sleeper. Just buy one with LOW mileage so you know it has not been beat. I know a lot of people who took on others problems when buying a SHO. Do some searches on what to look for like oil in the plug wells etc and you will be fine also if the car has over 60K miles ask if the 60K service has been done whick includes CPS, plugs, wires, water pump etc. I never did one on my car because it still ran great at 80K and I always used Mobil 1 in it. Hope this helps. Bill

 

Is that cam design used elsewhere or is this a SHO specific item?

 

I know the engine is in the new Thunderturd and the Lincoln LS, don't know if Ford learned its lesson and redesigned the cams.

 

This was the reasoning behind my purchase of our 2000 Ford Taurus. Even with the so called wimpy 3.0L vulcan it can still haul some serious butt.

 

That is a SHO specific problem, the Lincoln and T Bird do NOT have a Yamaha power plant.

 

You are correct, I hadn't realized Ford developed (or paid for the developement) of two of these small displacement engines - 3.4L & 3.9L. Neither of which seems to be all that successful.

 

The cam problem is for the sho motor only. Ford designed it and it is their screwup. The cam gears are pressed on the camshaft and nothing else holds them on. It is not a question of if they will go bad but when. If you can find a good running car, spend the $500-$800 to get the gears welded.Finding one cheap with a bad motor is a waste of time. The motors are several thousand dollars even used.