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Cougar V6 Duratec Died
Hi, I’m new to your forums and but frequently on them at ukcougar.com, I have a 2000 Ford Cougar V6 and my engine has just blown big time and for no apparent reason, research has shown that some other Duratec owners globally have suffered a similar fate and I’m trying to gather information.
My Cougar is 4 years old, I have had it for 3 years, the previous owner was Ford, it has done 51k with FSH, always services by Ford, no modifications and driven with pride and consideration (I'm 57 and no boy racer), it has never used oil and has never had a problem apart from a blown bulb or two. I love the car.
The problem occurred when I came down a dual carriageway at 75 to 80mph up to a small roundabout, (no heavy braking, plenty of time, decelerated and light braking) I had to take exit 3 and a so a 300 degree right hand turn was taken on it. I come off the roundabout and up an incline towards a main carriageway when I noticed a dramatic loss of power, followed by a slight engine noise (not heavy like a big end but sharper, tinkling sound). I scanned the dash for management and oil lights etc ready to cut the engine if necessary as I felt something was wrong, but no warning lights showed and the engine temperature was ok, I continued up the incline at a slow speed as there was nowhere to pull over but there was no improvement, I was concerned even though there were no warning lights so I reached out to cut the ignition, at the same time the management and oil light come on so I cut the engine instantly and coasted to the kerb and called the AA (vehicle recovery).
When he arrived the AA engineer asked me to briefly start the engine, when I did so he immediately diagnosed a crankshaft problem probably caused by oil starvation and that the engine was finished, he then towed me back to my home address where the car is now. The car still had oil almost to the MAX on the dipstick and there was no oil leak or smoke, steam etc.
I am aware of other Cougar V6 and also Mondeo owners with the same Duratec engine that have had this problem, not just in the UK but globally.
One problem seems to be with the early oil pumps aerating the oil which restricts the oils supply to the crankshaft and initially I thought this might be the case, but I have also found that many have blown after taking a sharp right hand turn (as in my case) which may be due to the early sumps allowing the oil to wash away from the crank/pump (?). I believe Ford later fitted a redesigned sump fitted with baffles to prevent this from happening but did not see it as a recall issue.
Terry Haines has given his expert opinion that its 'spun bearings' which Ford is trying to ignore at all costs.
I believe the warranty is 36 months or 60k, mine is 45 months old and has done 51k, and I can’t afford to replace the engine (£3.5k!!) so the car is dead for the foreseeable future.
Can anyone give me feedback or opinion on this apparent problem please, espacially if they have suffered the same fate?
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