1994 ford sho

[CBDFrontier06]

I'm really sorry you're getting beat up in this thread. I always admired the SHO...2nd gen was my favorite. If it were mine: I'd start using Mobil 1 EP 5W-30 in it, and if it develops any leaks, get the seals fixed. In my opinion, you've got a car worth keeping. Yeah, yeah..it's a Taurus, but how many people can claim they have a Taurus with a Yamaha 4-cam in it? In case all the naysayers here have fogotten (or never read about it), there was very high praise for that engine and for the car as a whole. The regular Taurus never got that much fanfare, but the SHO stood out as an entertaining performer to the automotive press. I rarely see one anymore, which adds intrinsic value in my eyes. I thought they were great cars and I (and Road and Track) was sorry to see them saddle it with a V8, and then quit the project altogether.

 

[John K]

tenderloin - I found that link to be a great read, very interesting. I've always been a fan of the sho and was sad to see how poorly it did in the market place. I think I read that Ford committed to 30,000 engines a year from Yamaha, and never sold that many. Ford also had a lot of difficulty in developing an automatic tranny to handle the engine, which I never understood. Being a fan of manuals I didn't really care, but they could probably have sold more cars if they could have supplied one earlier.

 

[il_signore97]

cowsareholy, My friend has a '93 SHO 5-speed manual, in great shape. It runs and drives very well. I do get the opportunity to drive it quite often, and it's a blast to drive hard. The engine's note at 7k rpm is addictive... Anyway, one thing I've noticed on his SHO is that with 200,000 km on it, the oil pressure at low RPM's is quite low. Sometimes it's low enough to make the oil pressure light faintly flicker on and off... Mind you, he uses 10W30 GTX which is on the thin side of 30 weight. So, with that in mind, I would try thicker 30 weight synthetic oils like German Castrol 0W30, Amsoil Series 2000 0W30 (or Series 3000 5W30), or even a 0W40 synthetic oil. That should satisfy the lube requirements at both cold temps and hot temps, and low and high RPM. It should also help to keep oil pressure up when idling around in traffic.

 

[Papa Bear]

Hello cowsareholy I often say "Holy cow" when I'm working on something difficult or encounter an unexpected set-back. Don't let some of these guys get your goat (or cow), they are on average a pretty good crew. I have a '93 Accord that isn't worth anything in the Blue Book but I love it and care for it far more than I should. I say run dino in the SHO at recommended OCI's, and enjoy it. P.B.

 

[Zaedock]

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Originally posted by 427Z06:

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Originally posted by cowsareholy: any ideas on best weight oil to usefor a 1994 ford taurus sho. i dont really beat on it but i do sometimes run it up to its 7k+ redline. im guessing i should run syn over dino but any suggestions would be helpfull. thanks

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If the oil pressure is within factory specifications, use what's recommended in the manual which is 5w30, IIRC. Quality synthetics handle temperature extremes better and may keep your engine cleaner. But unless you push the oil temps, or live in a very cold climate, any 5w30 SM/GF-4 should be adequate for shorter OCIs (read severe service mileage as defined in the service manual).

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Good advice to follow (too bad the others didn't post like this) I've always liked the early Taurus ever since the first Robocop movie when they used them as police cars. Back then they looked "futuristic". Anyway, to the board. I was born a Rhode Island'er (Lincoln) and still have plenty of family there.

 

[gtx510]

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Originally posted by cowsareholy: **** i ask what kind of oil i should use and im told my car is junk that its a pos its worthless. wow this forum is great. i cant wait to ask more simple questions ill probably be told dont even change the oil the cars junk just let it blow up and take the loss

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sorry if you took it that way. your car may not be junk, my buddy's sure was. as for value, that's probably open to debate. It's a good motor for it's era, just a bit tough to work on (ever changed an EGR?) and source parts for (look for sparkplugs...). Couple that with an older FWD chassis and it doesn't have the same following that it used to. Decent car for what it is though. Is that PC enough for you? Back to oil. Unless you've got an oil leak you don't want to fix I'd run synthetic, xW40, maybe GC 0W30. Or a HDEO 15W40 like Delo/Delvac for a dino oil (unless you're burning oil then use PCMO). xW30 in the winter but remember that M1 10W30 is thinner than M1 5W30... If you're burning oil or leaking bad try some Auto-RX. It that doesn't help, try thicker oil. Have you changed the transmission fluid lately? and

 

[Tommy the Greek]

I have a '95 SHO with 93k miles on it..I run Castrol Syntec 5w-40 year round and the car loves it. I ran Mobil 10w-30 and heard loud clacking noises at cold start-ups. I also heard it with Castrol Syntec 0w-30. With the 5w-40 I don't hear anything. The engine is smooth and it purrs like a Yamaha suppose too. I change the oil every 5k miles, and use the Motorcraft FL-400S filter.

 

[Big Jim]

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Originally posted by tenderloin: While much of the info is on the V8 there is info on the V6..Also as you stated, information for most engines can be had in the articles. Sorry B_J the info didn't pass your muster. I'll try harder next time. Also B_J, you think the guy doesn't know the difference and needed you to point that out? Must be special to be the smartest kid in the class Oh By the way, both engines are spec'd for 5W-30

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What did I do to deserve this kind of comment? I have always liked the SHO. I see nothing in my earlier post that could have been taken in such a negative manner.

 

[Thermactor]

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Originally posted by cowsareholy: **** i ask what kind of oil i should use and im told my car is junk that its a pos its worthless. wow this forum is great. i cant wait to ask more simple questions ill probably be told dont even change the oil the cars junk just let it blow up and take the loss

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[SpunBearing]

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Originally posted by gtx510:

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Originally posted by cowsareholy: **** i ask what kind of oil i should use and im told my car is junk that its a pos its worthless. wow this forum is great. i cant wait to ask more simple questions ill probably be told dont even change the oil the cars junk just let it blow up and take the loss

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sorry if you took it that way. your car may not be junk, my buddy's sure was. as for value, that's probably open to debate. It's a good motor for it's era, just a bit tough to work on (ever changed an EGR?) and source parts for (look for sparkplugs...). Couple that with an older FWD chassis and it doesn't have the same following that it used to. Decent car for what it is though. Is that PC enough for you? Back to oil. Unless you've got an oil leak you don't want to fix I'd run synthetic, xW40, maybe GC 0W30. Or a HDEO 15W40 like Delo/Delvac for a dino oil (unless you're burning oil then use PCMO). xW30 in the winter but remember that M1 10W30 is thinner than M1 5W30... If you're burning oil or leaking bad try some Auto-RX. It that doesn't help, try thicker oil. Have you changed the transmission fluid lately? and

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EGR hard to change? Man try changeing the VSS. The VSS is the hardest part to change. Spark plugs are no problem to find, I get them in any part store. I run Autolite Double Platinums in my 93 SHO ATX. My car has 170K on it and still runs great. I change my oil every 3000 with Castrol GTX HM 10w30. uses no oil. I had the tranny rebuilt for $1,200. I work on everything on my car and find nothing hard to work on. You just have to know how to get to where you need to be. I can change my plugs with the intake on. Only thing that has been hard to find was the timeing belt tensioner and a serpentine belt idler pulley but my local ford dealer found and ordered it for me. True, the SHO has a very poor resale value but that is all due to it haveing Taurus badge on it. The regular taurus drops so the SHO does too and they have the same value. Older FWD chassis? What's that got to do with anything? I think they used the same type of subframe up untill around 98? My car has aluminum subframe bushings and will handle with most cars on the road and they can easily pass a 5.0 mustang? Stock for stock? I'm not trying to start a fuss but people need to be careful of their comments on things they know little about. Just cause that guy had a turd of a car didn't mean they all are. These cars require an extesive routein mantenence. You have to adjust valve lash, change timeing belts, sensors and other little things to keep them running good along with oil changes and tune ups. I bet the guy didn't have a clue what valve shims were.............. Good night and have fun.....

 

[SpunBearing]

Make sure your valve covers aren't leaking by looking into the plug wells. If they are change those ASAP. Might want to check out http://www.shoforum.com/ for more help with your car and possibly more help on oil choice, since we are SHO guys and most of us work on our cars. SHOdownTN

 

[Eli89SHO]

I am surprized at a few persons responces to the question posted. I have an 89 Gen1 SHO and while many people seem to always find a way to devalue my car for me, My car has yet to lose to any foolish teen who has tried to "race" me. Yeah my SHO burns a little oil. Yeah its hard to find parts from. Yeah its collector value is higher than its monetary value, but ask anyone whose driven one. Fast, or not? Personally, I beaten one two many 5.0 mustangs in my beat up 3.0 SHO for me to think that I wouldnt put good stuff in it. Im in that car everyday, run it hard and it treats me well. To answer the original question.... The SHO is spec'd for 5W30. I've been using 10W30, but Im leaning towards trying 5W40. I usually stick to 5W30 in the winter and 10 in the summer. And to add... I fill my SHO with Redline, LC20, FP60 and I use the large Mobil1 301 filter. I've treated my SHO well and guess what? Still hasent left me stranded even after driving it to PA, FL, and Rhode Island. Dont knock the SHO, it may just get angry and blow its Diff. Pin out at you as you drive by. Cowsareholy, enjoy that SHO and run it hard.

 

[XS650]

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Originally posted by SpunBearing: I'm not trying to start a fuss but people need to be careful of their comments on things they know little about. Just cause that guy had a turd of a car didn't mean they all are. .... These cars require an extesive routein mantenence. You have to adjust valve lash, change timeing belts, sensors and other little things to keep them running good along with oil changes and tune ups. I bet the guy didn't have a clue what valve shims were.............. Good night and have fun..... [/QB]

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A friend with a 2005 Corvette still gets all misty eyed when he talks about his SHO. He's not ready to go back, but he misses it.

 

[55Test]

Weren't those SHO V6's capable of running 10,000+ rpms? I recall reading something that, without any belt driven accessories, Yamaha had those engines running upwards of 10,000 rpms during testing. Whoa. And a lot of people think only a Honda engine will run that high.

 

[cowsareholy]

ive heard of sho's with underdrive pullys running 8000 rpms all day with no problem. they keep the redline around 7k because the accessories will **** out not the motor

 

[SpunBearing]

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Originally posted by XS650:

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Originally posted by SpunBearing: I'm not trying to start a fuss but people need to be careful of their comments on things they know little about. Just cause that guy had a turd of a car didn't mean they all are. .... These cars require an extesive routein mantenence. You have to adjust valve lash, change timeing belts, sensors and other little things to keep them running good along with oil changes and tune ups. I bet the guy didn't have a clue what valve shims were.............. Good night and have fun.....

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A friend with a 2005 Corvette still gets all misty eyed when he talks about his SHO. He's not ready to go back, but he misses it. [/QB]

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If I sold mine I probly wouldn't go back. I would miss it but I would probly find love in a ThunderBird Super coupe. I do love my SHO, and probly will keep it till it blowes. But it will have to do it with me keeping up the repaires. To think of it, I think it's time to do the rod bearings and oil pump while i'm there. Simply saying, I will do all I can to keep it alive....................

 

[supercouper]

i once had a first gen SHO. boy was it quick. then it got rear ended. well i bought another rare ford, a tbird sc. like the SHO it has low book value.if i ever see a nice looking and well maintained SHO with a 5 speed around my town, id be all over it.on my tbird sc i use 15w50, but its more like a diesel in that it makes lots of low end torque. in fact at 4000 rpm my powerband is done and the SHO is just getting started at that point.i used castrol 10w30 back then, but if i were to acquire another SHO i would probably try a synthetic.