1999BlackSnake

Hey 2FST4GM, if it isn't too personal, what was the total you spent on redoing your rear end with those parts? And, how is the handling, is it still stock-ish, or is it very, very stiff?

Well, it was indeed piston and rod bearing damage. I went ahead and replaced the lower internals with forged rods and pistons. I have to give kudo's to Higgons, the work was a little slow (but it was during the Christmas/New Year holiday). They seem to have done top notch work! So if any one around is looking for a good Ford place up near Atlanta (Douglassville, GA actually) I can now recommend Higgins Ford Performance (770-949-1234) as a palce to go. Now that the bottom of my engine is ready, I am ready for the Vortech to go on as soon as I recover some fundage :D

Okies, I have had 4 non Ford dealer people look at and listen to the engine. All have said definitely not a rod. I think we have it narrowed down to a timing chain/gear area issue or a cracked piston. Right now, I have it at Higgins Ford Performance in Douglasville, GA. They are doing the nasty disassembly to it now. The bad news is I am without a car, the good news is, if it really is a piston......hello forged internals!!!! They seem like a good shop (came recommended by my normal guy) and had a ton of mustangs being worked on there. Does anyone have any personal experience or has heard anything about this particular shop?

Have no fear. I don't trust the dang dealerships, but in my area there are no decent mechanics so that was the only way to have someone "knowledgeable" look at it. I plan to take it up to Engineered Performance in Atlanta on Friday so that they can have a go at it. Anyone know any decent repair shops for this sort of stuff in Atlanta? Let's hear it. I was just curious on this board. I thought a rod knock would be constant or at least RPM dependent. It does have a knock (sounds like marbles in a tin can) and 85k miles, but pressing the gas down reasonably hard or WOT makes it go away, it also does not exist at idle or low speeds (under 15mph). At 65mph, running just around 2k rpm, it sounds quiet. I was really just looking for some other opinions as to what this could be rather than worrying the crap out of myself for 2 days.

Well, I have a knock in the bottom of my 1999 Cobra. It isn't present at idle and WOT, but it is definitely there in the mid RPMs. It does not seem to be dependent on RPMs, it seems dependant on gas flow. Press the accelerator and it goes away. Ford dealership says it sounds like a rod and reccomeneds an engine replacement. I wanted to get your guys' opinions on what the diagnosis could be (are they right?). Also, what can be done or is replacement the best course. In addition, is the 1999 cobra engine the same as the lincoln and F150 engines excepting heads, intake and such (ie: same block, pistons, compression, etc)? Frustrated and disappointed does not even begin to describe this one