Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives Forums General General Crunch: Another SVT Spins its Bearings

My beautiful 2000 Contour SVT spun a bearing and went ker-CRUNCH! at about 78k miles. Same as just about everyone else - very little warning, some minor ticking that suddenly turned into major knocking, followed by a seized engine. I have a nice silver dollar sized hole in the bottom of the block.

I'm looking to do a 3.0L swap, since, well, that seems like the thing to do. I've done a lot of reading here before posting, and followed a lot of links. Since I'm more mechanically reclined than inclined, I'm going to have some friends help out with the conversion.

If there's anyone in or around the New Haven, CT area with experience in doing the swap, and wants to help out, I would appreciate an experienced hand. As it stands, I have some friends with more mechanical aptitude than myself, and the garage and tools that should allow this project to actually work... I hope.

I might be able to come help, where exactly in New Haven are you?

CSVT1214 is doing a swap now, so maybe he can help out or head you in a direction with things

I'm actually in Southington, CT. The car is garaged in Milford, at the moment. Seeing as that's about 40 miles, and my SVT's my only car, you can see where getting this job done ASAP is important to me.

I think I found a Contour beater to drive in the interim. Hopefully, I can pick it up.

ok, that isn't to far from either of us, like I said I can try to help out but have been very busy as of late

Mine is Silver Frost, but no tints and no windshield sticker. I just moved to Southington about two months ago from North Haven.

Feel free to email me if you'd like to get together and talk shop face to face. My email is al@runlevel7.org. If you're close enough, I might be able to walk over and check out your swap-in-progress, if you'd like.

It's amazing how small the world is.

uh oh i'm at 72-73k miles, am i on a countdown? is there any early signs or just *tink tink, clunk, stall*?

Kind of like that, but the clunk is louder and the stall is followed by the a deep, sad sigh, if not outright crying.

I don't know that there's necessarily a specific mileage countdown. People seem to be having this problem at just about all ranges of the scale. It would have been nicer if mine had blown at 4,000, though, while everything was still under waranty.

My experience (earned the hard way) is that if you hear so much as a tick in an SVT engine, stop driving the car ASAP and have it towed to the dealer, or a shop that you trust.

guess i just need to be willing to do a 3L or a new car but i hope it doesn't happen

My engine had start to knock on the crankshaft. I'm now at 115500kms, my extra warranty from Ford end at 120000kms. They replaced the crankshaft, all the bearings and the complete gaskets kits and bolts. I'm kind of lucky

Nic.