<TABLE BORDER=0 ALIGN=CENTER WIDTH=85%><TR><TD><font size=-1>Quote:</font><HR></TD></TR><TR><TD><FONT SIZE=-1><BLOCKQUOTE>
On 2001-07-17 13:22, Learo2000GT wrote:
My dealer was cool about no cats... they loved the soudn off it and could care less. They can only give you grief if they can deterimne if the Off Road pipe caused a problem. And I do not see how a Off road pipe would cause any problems.
Doug Lear
</BLOCKQUOTE></FONT></TD></TR><TR><TD><HR></TD></TR></TABLE>
Here's a hypothetical. Let's say in 2 or 3 years time you develop some type of internal engine problem & take it in. They see the X-pipe & say "Well, here's the problem. This was causing a backpressure problem, which, after several thousand miles caused the rings to wear unevenly, which caused the engine problem." Hard to prove, but the burden lies on you to disprove their theory. Doubtful, but it's a possibility.
To give you a real-world example of how anal Ford can be about warranty issues, my parents owned an 85 Ford station wagon (fake wood paneling on the sides, I think it was called a Country Squire). Anyway, it had a 302 with the double-hump pan, just like the HO 5.0 in my 85 GT. Well, sometime close to the end of the warranty period, the engine seizes. Dad takes it in & fills out a questionaire. It specifically asks if the front drain plug was ever used to drain the oil. Dad says he doesn't know & the Ford mechanic said it didn't look like it had ever been taken out. So, Ford voids the warranty because the oil wasn't drained properly, allowing contamanaints to bulid up which caused the engine to seize. What a crock! My folks shelled out $2500 bucks for a brand new crate motor, installed by the dealer. Years later when I rebuilt my 302 I made a point to check how much oil sat in the front part of the pan after I drained the oil. Not even 1/4 of a quart remained & it was no dirtier than any of the other oil. So you really need to be conscious of what mods you make if you want to retain your warranty. Personally, I planm on asking the service department & mechanics about everything, because they'll be honest (I hope). They already told me I might have a problem installing 3.73's myself, especially if they're an aftermarket set like Eaton, & that includes not using Motorcraft fluids. But they said if they did it, with Ford parts & fluids, it would still be covered. Nice to know.