1997 Ford Taurus Sho: engine knocking or ticking

Filed Sep 20, 2006 · Engine · 124,851 miles · OH

Dt*: the contact stated while driving 40 MPH on dry road conditions, all dashboard lights illuminated and went out immediately. There was also smoke coming from the radiator. Under the hood, coolant was observed leaking and the timing chain bracket was fractured. The vehicle would start when attempts where made, but there was a ticking noise. The dealer was contacted and recommended that the manufacturer should be notified. The manufacturer offered no resolutions. Updated 10/6/2006 -

Filed Sep 5, 2005 · Engine · OH

There was a chain like ticking noise coming from the engine, I as a technician observed it to be a camshaft getting ready to fail, when it failed my pregnant wife was driving luckily on a side road where the vehicle had lost all power and making it nearly impossible to steer, now the 1997 sho just sits b/c I can not afford the expensive repairs! Especially with a baby on the way.

Filed Jun 6, 2005 · Engine · 86,000 miles · MI

I own a 1997 ford taurus sho. The first sign of problem began when I kept hearing a tickng sound in the engine. I took it in to a ford dealer and it was diagnosed with a mis- firing cylinder. I could not afford to have the dealer fix it so I found a mechanic willing to work on this type of car. I had the two mis-firing cylinders replaced. The ticking in the engine still went on. Before anything could be done the car acted like the engine had blown. Finding a mechanic that has actually worked on these types of cars is hard to find, inlcuding a ford dealer mechanic. I had a ford mechanic that now works out of his own garage look at the vehicle. The diagnosis was a broken camshaft 4 bad valves and bent pistons. This car only has 86,000 miles on it. The mechanic feels that this is a design flaw in the engine. I have also done research into a class action lawsuit against ford regarding this problem. To date there are 550 vehicles that have had the same problem. This is more than just a freak incident with just my car.

Filed Jan 14, 2005 · Engine · 94,440 miles · TX

On december 21, 2004 my 1997 ford taurus sho began making a ticking noise. Two days (and about 20 miles) later, the left exhaust camshaft sprocket failed, causing the car to stall and not restart. As a result of the sprocket slipping, the no. 5 cylinder's piston was cracked due to coming in contact with an open valve (this is an interference engine). 15,000 miles ago, the left intake camshaft sprocket failed, resulting in a $2900.00 repair bill from a ford dealership. Unable to afford the cost of such a repair at this time (not to mention unwilling to deal with the same ford customer service that wanted me to believe that this hardly ever happens and that I must have done something to cause it the first time), I opted to attempt the procedure myself. After finding and removing the faulty camshaft, I thought my problems were solved until I changed the spark plugs. The no. 5 cylinder plug was covered in oil, which means there is a bad piston/ring, and most likely valves. I am considering my options to repair or part the car out now. I believe this needs to be addressed immediately by ford due to the safety issues that will arise when this happens to someone on a freeway. The loss of power brakes and steering that are associated with a stalled engine could make it difficult to maneuver through traffic to a "safe" spot on the shoulder. There is quite a bit of information on this issue at www.v8sho.com (it's interesting to see so many registered failures without the acknowledgement of a problem by ford).

Filed Feb 26, 2004 · Engine · FL

I recently purchased a 1997 ford taurus sho used.after I purchased the vehicle I did some research and found some disturbing news the cam sprockets are will more than likley fail and just to metion ford new this and screwd people. *ak anyways the other day about 2 days after I bought the car I heard a ticking noise that youaslly and more than likly meens your cam has already failed it just hasnt slipped yet when it slips you have anywhere from 4,000 to 6,000 in engine repair's now mine hasnt slipped and hopefuly it whant but it has the ticking noise like your driving a ticking time bomb and you dont know when it is going to go off.the problem I have with this is I love my car and I love my life and the reason I say that is when the motor goes you lose all your power like your brakes,power sterring now if you have any concern for human life you would ask for a recall on this automobile and save people the greif that ford is putting us through again my motor is still functional thank god but it is a ticking time bomb hopefuly we will get justice and ford will have to recall all ford taurus sho's and hopefuly it will cost them some money and trouble since thats what there putting us through not to metion the trans problems that they also knew about but I want go into that other than they surge clutch goes bad 1st-2nd gear are harsh when shifting alot of other things I appreciate your time and concern sincerly dayne a. Gomez

Filed May 2, 2003 · Engine · 69,000 miles · MI

A ticking noise could be heard from the engine compartment especially when the car was in idle. I talked to a ford dealer and was told that the camshaft problem was affecting my car. I was quoted around $6000.00 for the repairs. I did som research and found that the secondary drive gears for the camshafts were the source of the noise.

Filed Jan 7, 2003 · Engine · 64,000 miles · OK

My husband and I purchased a 1997 ford taurus v8 sho in 2000. We had maintenance and oil changes performed on a regular basis and never experienced any problems until the end of december, 2002. (the total mileage on the car is approximately 64,000 miles). In late december, 2002, the car started ticking very loudly so we took it to a local mechanic on january 3, 2003, who wasn't sure why the car was ticking but he performed an oil change and flushed the engine. On sunday evening, january 5, 2003, I was driving the car and the engine just died. It locked up as if it were out of gas and I had to manually steer it to the side of the road. Once the car was inspected by our local ford dealership we were informed that the engine problems are due to a cam sprocket failure. It is our understanding there are many of these failures on 1996-1999 ford taurus sho's. I believe ford should replace the defective engines before someone is hurt in a road accident.