Colorado SHO - Looking for advice

[Gorgon_SHO]

Hey everyone!
Never thought I'd own a Taurus, but I found an amazing deal on a well-maintained Black 2012 SHO (non-PP) with 91k miles that is completely stock, and I jumped at the chance to have a reliable daily driver that I could have a little fun with. This platform really intrigued me because of the potential it offers. Looking to get some advice...

I've been looking through quite a few posts here, to try to get a feel for my best course of action. Over on the SHO forums SM105K's Ownership/Performance/Maintenance Thread that led me here and gave me an idea of what first steps I'd like to take with my SHO.

I've always been a VERY hobby-level mechanically inclined individual, and have made some basic mods and repairs to previous vehicles. Changing fluids, bolt on parts, spark plugs, belts, and even some suspension/axle replacements. Nothing crazy. That said, I was hoping to expand my skills a bit and take some new steps with the Taurus.

Roadmap
For my wallet's sake I want to take these steps slowly, doing a mod/service every 3ish months.

Initial Maintenance
Looking to follow SM105K's example and start with fresh fluids.
- PTU (1st one done and it was a pain)
- Engine (Filled with Castrol Edge EP gold bottle)
- Transmission (1st Change done and it needed it)
- RDU

I've purchased a manageable fluid pump for the PTU and RDU and already gotten the Redline Shockproof Gear Oil. Probably going to attempt the PTU in the next couple of weekends. EDIT: DO NOT BUY THIS PUMP. It had zero suction and was unusable. Could be just a single bad one, but i returned it and will be purchasing a different one for future PTU and RDU oil changes.


Potential Repair
I took it to a nearby reputable garage to have it inspected post-purchase. They were very thorough, and said it was in good shape. Included photos of all the "problem areas". A few cosmetic issues that I already knew about (paint checking on hood is very strange), but the one thing that concerned me that I wasn't expecting was an oil leak potentially emanating from the rear turbo. No apparent signs of turbo failure when driving though. They included two photos of the leak:


So after a little investigating I read somewhere (Here and here) that over time the connectors from pipes to the turbos can go bad and cause a leak. Not sure if this is my problem. I've never had a turbocharged vehicle and so I probably need to educate myself a little more on how the oil cooling works in order to understand this. Any advice on what I'm looking for and how I should go about diagnosing the problem is greatly appreciated.


Performance Mods
My priorities with the SHO are pretty simple. I want to increase performance without sacrificing reliability and all while maintaining the extremely comfortable ride that the SHO is known for. This is going to be my daily driver for a long time, and I live in an area that gets a good amount of snow in the winter. I will not be taking this car to a track, but some stoplight speed is always fun. So, with that in mind, and with the idea that I can probably only afford a performance mod every few months, I would really appreciate any guidance on the order in which to do the below(or any other recommended performance mods) and how to prioritize the mods that kind of work together. Also please throw any and all recommended vendors my way for a corresponding mod, as I'd like to weigh all my options.

Thermostat, Sparkplugs, MAP Sensor, Tune (Power Package)
Unleashed Tuning
Gearhead
Ortiz Performance

   
• 3/1/21 - I ended up going with Unleashed due to price and responsiveness. Upgraded to a 3 Bar MAP sensor. Will report back once all upgrades are installed and tune has been implemented.

Trans Mounts
AD Trans mounts

Brakes
EBC Yellow Stuff Rotors (Need some help picking out rotors)Brake Booster (Saw this somewhere and I'm not sure about this yet?)

Cold Air Intake
EcoPowerParts
Airaid?
mDesign

Hotpipes (w/ Noisemaker Delete)
EcoPowerParts

Downpipes
Stainlessworks
PPE
OBX

Intercooler
Gearhead

Exhaust
Custom? I like the sound of the Corsa exhaust (and the no drone factor)

Methanol
Snow? This is pretty far down the line, and may not even be in the cards, depending on the reliability factor.

[SM105K]

Welcome! It looks like you have a solid plan going forward. Yes replace all of the fluids and go from there. 


The leaky turbo could be a multitude of things.  You are correct it could be a oil return tube issue or possibly a feed issue.  If there isn't any smoke coming out of the tail pipes I would assume your turbo would be good.  Just keep an eye on it.


Upgrades are always run.  I would look at a reputable tuning and get a solid tune first.  Most tuners offer power packs ect.  Cold air intakes, and downpipes can be added later. 


Have some fun with your new ride!

[Gorgon_SHO]

Wonderful. Thanks!

Yeah I was thinking that the power packages would be a good first place to start for me. Not too pricey, and I'd get a tune in right away.

I'm assuming i'd need to get it retuned after more mods down the line?

[ridered74]

Wonderful. Thanks!

Yeah I was thinking that the power packages would be a good first place to start for me. Not too pricey, and I'd get a tune in right away.

I'm assuming i'd need to get it retuned after more mods down the line?

Depends on which mods you add, but most of the ones worth buying would require a tweak to the tune. Most places don't charge you for an entirely new tune tho, it's usually just like 50 bucks for an update if you add something.

[Gorgon_SHO]

Wonderful. Thanks!

Yeah I was thinking that the power packages would be a good first place to start for me. Not too pricey, and I'd get a tune in right away.

I'm assuming i'd need to get it retuned after more mods down the line?

Depends on which mods you add, but most of the ones worth buying would require a tweak to the tune. Most places don't charge you for an entirely new tune tho, it's usually just like 50 bucks for an update if you add something.

Well that's good to know. Just based on what everyone is saying about Gearhead, I think that'll prolly be the place I'll go with for the initial package and tune. May try out unleashed or APJTurbo down the line.

[PDSHO]

Greetings from Nebraska.


Greg

[Gorgon_SHO]

All right. I have officially done most of the fluid changes I mentioned above.

Engine oil was in good shape, not too dark or anything.

Transmission fluid was a little dark, and only about 4.5 quarts came out when I drained from the drain plug on the bottom. I refilled with 5 quarts of Mercon LV, and when I rechecked the level after shifting through the gears I was slightly above max. I have driven it about five miles since changing and it seems to shift smoother. I plan on checking the level again tomorrow.

PTU fluid was the last one for this weekend and it was frickin mess! I was able to get the plug off by way of several extensions through the passenger front wheel well, and then I fished the tubing through from the underside of the car into the case. Unfortunately the pump I bought had almost no suction (even when attached to my compressor) so I ended up using a hand pump from harbor freight and a plethora of tubing.
I got about 5 oz of Stinky thick black sludge in my pitcher and another 3-5 oz in the tubing and on my garage floor. Hard to get my tubing to the bottom of the case so that's all I got. I pumped enough redline shockproof into the case until it had a steady drip out the fill hole.
Spent about an hour cleaning up after I was all done.

I'm glad I did all of that (and a brake pad swap) this weekend but it all took a lot longer than I expected.

Thanks again to everyone for the advice!!

[Gorgon_SHO]

All right guys, I'm ready for the first "real" mod. I am debating between Unleashed and Gearhead for the power package. One of the people at Unleashed (Leslie) reached out and gave me free shipping and a link to upgrade for the 3 bar sensor (extra $30). So as far as I can tell, the only differences between the two at this point are:

   
• Spark Plugs: Unleashed = NGK, GH = motorcraft
• Tuning
• Cost: Unleashed = $629 shipped, GH = $665 shipped

Since I have a 2012, AO isn't a deciding factor.

Any input from anyone?




UPDATE: I ended up going with Unleashed as they have been quick to answer any of my questions and the price was right. I figured, when I add more mods down the line (downpipes, exhaust, Intercooler, etc.) I can go with Gearhead to see if I like their tunes any better.

[Admin]

Nice! You won't be disappointed, these vehicles open up with a tune!

[SHOdded]

Welcome, and best of luck!

[Gorgon_SHO]

I know this is starting to border on a build thread, but I will keep going here until someone tells me I should transfer over or i think I'll get better advice by moving.

Anyway, I washed the bull yesterday and took some photos I'd like to post here for posterity. The only cosmetic mods are:
1. some chrome delete via 3m Vinyl around the windows and plastidip on the front grill and trunk chrome
2. nite shades on the tail lights

There are definitely some scratches and scuffs, but I think overall it looks pretty good for a 2012.

[Gorgon_SHO]

Big weekend for my SHO. TLDR: installed mDesign CAI, datalogged, got a new tune file from Torrie at Unleashed.


I ended up buying a used mDesign CAI off of @A 01 Badger last week and it arrived on Thursday. I installed Friday and was immediately greeted with a oil level light on my dash accompanied by a p0234 DTC. At first i thought I knocked one of the boost solenoid hoses off when installing, but I checked all my connections and nothing seemed wrong. I ended up running out to the store and getting new clamps and a larger o-ring for the air sensor. The clamps didn't do anything, but when I worked on installing two o-rings on the sensor, the light went away.






I was in contact with Torrie from Unleashed through the whole process, because at one point I thought it might have been the tune not liking the new CAI. After I got the light to go away, I ended up datalogging with my x4 on Sunday and Torrie shot me a new 3 Bar 91 octane tune with a bit more boost right away. He's been extremely responsive and helpful through the whole process.


Now that I have the colder plugs, colder thermostat, 3 Bar map sensor, an amazing mDesign CAI, and a couple 91 octane tunes my SHO is like a whole new car. I'll need to save up for a bit now, because i think my next performance mod is going to be the exhaust.


I've gotten a couple quotes from some places here in the Front Range, and a custom exhaust seems like it's going to cost a pretty penny. If there are any members with suggestions on exhaust shops in and/or around the Denver or Colorado Springs area, please hit me up.

[ridered74]

Exhaust will not help performance of the car just so you know. I have a corsa exahaust and it was the biggest waste of money I've spent on the car so far. It does not sound good aside from when you start it up cold and it drowns out the pleasant noises of the engine when you get on it. I think stock is the best sounding option, if I had to do it over again I'd have left it stock past the downpipes and spent the money elsewhere.

[TopherSho]

Exhaust will not help performance of the car just so you know. I have a corsa exahaust and it was the biggest waste of money I've spent on the car so far. It does not sound good aside from when you start it up cold and it drowns out the pleasant noises of the engine when you get on it. I think stock is the best sounding option, if I had to do it over again I'd have left it stock past the downpipes and spent the money elsewhere.

Agree .. as long as the mufflers are not reducing the diameter under 2'' leave it alone .. just get GOOD downpipes with high flow cats. 

[Gorgon_SHO]

Exhaust will not help performance of the car just so you know. I have a corsa exahaust and it was the biggest waste of money I've spent on the car so far. It does not sound good aside from when you start it up cold and it drowns out the pleasant noises of the engine when you get on it. I think stock is the best sounding option, if I had to do it over again I'd have left it stock past the downpipes and spent the money elsewhere.

Agree .. as long as the mufflers are not reducing the diameter under 2'' leave it alone .. just get GOOD downpipes with high flow cats.

Interesting. I will have to do more research now. From what I understood, a redesigned custom-built turbo-back exhaust (downpipes included) will increase performance by releasing some of the back pressure allowing the system to breath better. What I had in mind is this:


2.5" or 3" pipe with high flow cats, h-pipe or x-pipe, and then rear mufflers. I'm wanting to do high quality electric exhaust cutouts after the h-pipe and keep the mufflers really quiet. That way I can keep it in sleeper mode until I want some noise. I will also want every component v-banded so that I can drop in new components or straight pipe when I get the urge to do so.