Welcome, Carl..
I am glad to see that you are, obviously, a fairly intelligent member, and I am remarkably impressed to see your use of the sites search feature.. That will prove MOST helpful to you in the near, or distant, future.
As for your worries, yes there are some problematic thing with this platform, but what car doesn't have those, right?
Things to look out for, and the ways to avoid them..
1. Waterpump. FAR more likely than the spun bearing. All duratec engines manufactured before the 99 model year (actual build date is unknown to me) were produced with a black plastic impellar within the waterpump housing, which was found to become brittle and crack/shatter with age/heat (heat.. hmm.. you mean hot circulating coolant??) Overheating condition, and possible warped heads can result if not caught in time. Average lifespan is reported anywhere from 55k-90k, though some have been pushing 110 and nothing yet, but I would NOT rely on that being a commonplace occurance.
Fix is easy.. replace before it shatters, preferable with a revised WHITE plastic impellar, or even a metal impellar, though some have reported to have gasket leaks on the metal ones.. heresay from me, though..
2. Oil starvation. Design of the oilpan causes a probable oil starvation issue, especially on high-rpm right hand sweeping turns (think: clover leaf on-ramp), causing the oil light to flicker as little as even once. This should be a heart-wrenching feeling to see...
Fix: multiple ways, all compounding upon one another:
Most people run 6.0 to even 6.5 qts of oil, instead of 5, to fill the pan more, and provide more oil, to eliminate a drop in pressure.
Accusump oil primer pump - provides an additional 1 Qt (hmm.. you mean making it 6 qts like above?) at any time the pressure drops, then reclaiming it, again, later..
Revised oilpan from Ford, though I don't know the concensus on the ACTUAL help, or harm the redesign actually did.. someone will chime in on the results.
Moosing/Throttle Hang: You'll know it when you hear it... Nothing harmful at all.. just ANNOYING.Check the FAQ on the main page of
Contour.org for the complete list of details and fixes.
As for the differences between the SVT and SE, there are tons, and very few at the same time. (that WILL make sense to you later on... lol..)
Anyway.. welcome to the CEG, and enjoy your stay.
Ray
