[Shotimes] Rod Bearing Change @190K miles

[Dave Garber]

Where is there an official definition stating that lugging is at 500 RPM's? 
I can't say I've ever seen that? IMO, anything below 2k rpm's with any kind 
of throttle opening in a SHO is lugging as they simply don't make much oil 
pressure at those crank speeds.

 I agree with Ron on this one. You can most certainly 'lug' an ATX - at 
least you can with modern ATX's (not so much with older non-lockup AT's). 
Both my 99 SHO and my 96 CVPI do it at least once every time I drive 'em. 
It's damn irritating actually as often I have to go over half throttle to 
force the damn things to downshift (my Vic is worse than the SHO) where all 
it would have required is for the converter to just unlock. Other times, it 
doesn't happen (Ford automatic transmission programming strategy's are the 
worst of ANY car manufacturer IMO) at all! It's funny that this came up as 
just last night I was explaining this very subject to my fiance' who now 
drives my 99. Coming up a fairly decent grade headed to my house I was able 
to demonstrate this to her. The car simply wouldn't disengage the lockup and 
was most definitely lugging. Took half throttle to alleviate it and instead 
of a part throttle unlocking of the damn converter, it downshifted to second 
gear! If I had kept it just under half throttle, it would have continued to 
lug. And that is most certainly enough throttle to constitute lugging. 
Again, it doesn't do this all the time, but it does it often enough. One of 
these days, I'm gonna get a tuner for both cars and eliminate converter 
lockup at anything below 50 mph.

Is it the same as an MTX? No. Of course not. It is much more pronounced in 
an MTX when someone keeps the car in 4th at 30 mph thinking they are saving 
fuel while mashing the gas at those low RPM's. But the effect on the rod 
bearings is the same nonetheless.

I see what you are saying Don. But I disagree with you relative to what 
constitutes lugging and what kind of lugging does damage to an engine. I 
imagine that running an engine at 500 rpms at full throttle is going to do 
way more damange than having an engine at 12-15 hundered RPM's at 1/3 
throttle. But that doesn't mean the latter isn't doing harm to the engine 
that's cumulative and observable. I've rebuilt dozens of engines over the 
years so I feel I speak with some authority here as I've seen it time and 
time again..


Dave Garber
Pittsburgh, PA
99 White, 94k


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Donald Mallinson" <dmall@mwonline.net>
To: <shotimes@autox.team.net>
Sent: Wednesday, February 01, 2006 10:02 AM
Subject: Re: [Shotimes] Rod Bearing Change @190K miles


> Exactly Jim, that is why I have been trying to point out that true lugging 
> is down around 500 rpm!  True lugging that does damage is way down where 
> the engine is just about to die.  YOu can feel every power stroke (or it 
> feels like you can) and you have a decent amount of throttle applied.  1/3 
> or more throttle!
>
> I have never seen an unmodified properly working automatic that will allow 
> big throttle openings in a high gear at low speeds. Just never seen it 
> possible to apply that much throttle without a kick down.  the SHO ATX 
> will normally kick down, and even if you run it in 2nd gear where it stays 
> in 2nd, the torque converter won't lock up at low speeds with lots of 
> throttle applied.
> So if you don't have all these conditions it isn't lugging:
> super low rpm (500 or so)
> High gear
> big throttle positions
> and Low speed.
>
> It ain't lugging.  and it isn't going to happen in an ATX
>
> Don Mallinson