I took my wife's 03 cobra to the track friday night and on the second run, I launched pretty good on street tires and when I shifted in to second I heard a boom noise. Car would not go any were in any gear. I had to get towed off to the side of the track. Some 03 cobra owners said I broken a half shaft to the rear. Have any one seen or heard about this. I hate to see what it would have done If I had drag radials on. Is this a problem for these 03 cobra's. My wife is about to shoot me. any info would be good. I have appointment this tuesday for the car.thank's 
03 cobra half shafts broke
- Thread starter Angel Cosme
- Start date
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MystiChrome Coupe
Founding Member
No help, only condolence. Makes me wonder if I should ever take mine to the track. Don't really seem worth the risk.
Sorry to hear about it. Maybe try not to mention to the dealer that it happened at a race track.
Sorry to hear about it. Maybe try not to mention to the dealer that it happened at a race track.
DirtySanchez
Founding Member
Angel Cosme said:I am going to tell the dealer my wife was driving it. And the car left her stranded on the side of the road.
Clean the rubber out from under your fender wells, or you'll get busted. If the dealer decides you've been racing, they can void your warranty.
BZ's_03_SVT
New Member
Angel Cosme said:I am going to tell the dealer my wife was driving it. And the car left her stranded on the side of the road.
99 for f150 ext,cab 4x4
93 teal cobra #3672
03 white cobra # 981
best approach...be the pissed off husband that had his wife on a loney road at night by herself....hehehe....my wife would throw me a sheet in the garage and tell me you can come in when its fixed....lol
I have launched a few good times at 3000 rpm with no problems...but it maybe a right time right senerio thing that got ya....hope it isnt a poor maunfacturing job...like ford heads!!! (dont get me started about F150 4.6L heads)
COBRA90GT
Mod Dude
Yup, sounds like a busted halfshaft. It's quite common on these IRS snakes. Since you were racing, you should take it like a man and pay for it on your own. Purchase a replacement halfshaft (see fordpartsnetwork.com or your local parts dept) & install it yourself. You'll save a LOT of money that way and there's always the *BIG* chance that the dealer may void your warranty if you take it in for the breakage...heh - how would your wife treat you if she found out the cobra's warranty is no longer valid? :eek2: 
Again, more incentive to fix it yourself...
See Joe Lynch's page for halfshaft removal instructions:
http://www.lx.net/jlynch/pumpkin.htm
Main page:
http://www.lx.net/jlynch/
If you want to play, you got to pay (consider halfshaft upgrades, such as GKN, etc).
Again, more incentive to fix it yourself...See Joe Lynch's page for halfshaft removal instructions:
http://www.lx.net/jlynch/pumpkin.htm
Main page:
http://www.lx.net/jlynch/
If you want to play, you got to pay (consider halfshaft upgrades, such as GKN, etc).
The money I paid for that car. It should have not break. I am still going to get the dealer to fix it. Thats the first time my wifes car been run hard. What if the axle had a defected from production?COBRA90GT said:Yup, sounds like a busted halfshaft. It's quite common on these IRS snakes. Since you were racing, you should take it like a man and pay for it on your own. Purchase a replacement halfshaft (see fordpartsnetwork.com or your local parts dept) & install it yourself. You'll save a LOT of money that way and there's always the *BIG* chance that the dealer may void your warranty if you take it in for the breakage...heh - how would your wife treat you if she found out the cobra's warranty is no longer valid? :eek2:
See Joe Lynch's page for halfshaft removal instructions:
http://www.lx.net/jlynch/pumpkin.htm
Main page:
http://www.lx.net/jlynch/
If you want to play, you got to pay (consider halfshaft upgrades, such as GKN, etc).
103
Founding Member
Yeah, get the dealer to fix it. Racing on street tires shouldn't break a half shaft. Especially on a shift. Imagine if your wife was on a two lane highway trying to pass a semi and shifted hard...
Vic_Ferrari
New Member
Yeah....usually they break when the driver tries to power through wheel hop.....if this is the case, it's no ones fault but the drivers. I've also seen cases where repeated wheel hop has weakened them and caused them to finally break on a hard 1-2 shift.
There are plenty of 03 reachng and approaching the 500HP at the tire mark who have been to the track numerous times running in the mid 11's and have never broken a 1/2 shaft.
I haven't broken mine yet (knock on wood).
If I break one, I'm not going to the dealer......that's the price you pay for racing sometimes. Get a hard launch kit with upgraded shafts if you want this to be less of an issue.
If you get on it, and the ass starts hopping, STOP......blow the run.
Most of the 11 second guys are launching anywhere from 1500-2000 RPM with a little clutch slip. This limits weight transfer and usually you get less wheelhop. You can launch a LITTLE higher with a stock 03, but not much higher.
There are plenty of 03 reachng and approaching the 500HP at the tire mark who have been to the track numerous times running in the mid 11's and have never broken a 1/2 shaft.
I haven't broken mine yet (knock on wood).
If I break one, I'm not going to the dealer......that's the price you pay for racing sometimes. Get a hard launch kit with upgraded shafts if you want this to be less of an issue.
If you get on it, and the ass starts hopping, STOP......blow the run.
Most of the 11 second guys are launching anywhere from 1500-2000 RPM with a little clutch slip. This limits weight transfer and usually you get less wheelhop. You can launch a LITTLE higher with a stock 03, but not much higher.
Be very careful with the warranty claim. Ford, and every other manufacturer, can reach parts of the ECM that are "black." Various things are recorded here, such as speed, rpm, abs, etc. I'm not sure how long the playback covers but if they "see" you were racing, well..... That's how that Congressman in ND (or SD?) was nailed - they could see his speed and brake action at time of impact with that poor guy on the M/C.
It's one of the best kept secrets. I was talking with a BMW tech about a kid with a brand new Beemr that had a transmission claim. They checked the "black box" and denied warranty claim because they concluded the kid was racing. That, my friend, was a $7,000 transmission job that came out of pocket.
Some dealers are OK with these claims and work with you. Others play it by the book and can deny it. Once you're denied, they will check you every time.
LOL but that's the real world, today.
It's one of the best kept secrets. I was talking with a BMW tech about a kid with a brand new Beemr that had a transmission claim. They checked the "black box" and denied warranty claim because they concluded the kid was racing. That, my friend, was a $7,000 transmission job that came out of pocket.
Some dealers are OK with these claims and work with you. Others play it by the book and can deny it. Once you're denied, they will check you every time.
LOL but that's the real world, today.
98yellowstang
Founding Member
I guess some of you guys just don't understand.
35k for a "sports car" thats not allowed to be raced? Get real!!! I have gone round and round at a Ford dealer trying to reason with these morons. Basically they are hoping that a bunch of old people buy these car and forget where the gas pedal is. The last time I talked to a guy in a Ford dealer the basic synopsis of the conversation was that yes its a sports car that you can't drive to its full potential. You can't use WOT you can't launch hard.
The way I look at it, is that I paid waaaay to much for this car not to enjoy it. So I am going to enjoy it and they are going to fix it every time it breaks.
Later
jason
35k for a "sports car" thats not allowed to be raced? Get real!!! I have gone round and round at a Ford dealer trying to reason with these morons. Basically they are hoping that a bunch of old people buy these car and forget where the gas pedal is. The last time I talked to a guy in a Ford dealer the basic synopsis of the conversation was that yes its a sports car that you can't drive to its full potential. You can't use WOT you can't launch hard.
The way I look at it, is that I paid waaaay to much for this car not to enjoy it. So I am going to enjoy it and they are going to fix it every time it breaks.
Later
jason
Price1 said:
Can't happen in this instance... Since he didn't hit the wall when the half-shaft broke and the air-bags didn't deploy, there was no data captured in the "Black Box". Otherwise the only time the ECM captures any data would be when it throws an engine code. Breaking a half-shaft wont throw a code.
On the other hand... Since the half-shaft broke at the track be a man and pay for it out of your own pocket. The added traction available and the "need" to possibly drive through any wheel hop were most likely the contributing factors in the failure. Why is that Fords fault?
U.M.
I do believe the owners manual states that failures related to racing are not covered, right?
Vic_Ferrari
New Member
Again.
I strongly recommend that little stuff like this be fixed yourself.
2 years from now if you pop a motor......and you've had NO claims so far....
They might have to think you haven't been killing the car and give you the benefit of the doubt. If they replace 3 1/2 shafts, tranny mounts, etc...they may decide to blacklist you on oasis.
This happened to a freind. His 03 cobra now has NO powertrain warranty whatsoever.
It's how it is:
Buy a car and drive it stock like grandpa, assume a warranty.
Take it to the track and start modifying it....any warranty you still get, consider yourself "lucky" but don't assume it.
Hey it sucks, but it's how it is.
I only wish Ford would offer a cash back rebate if you decided to not have a warranty at all.
I stole the car new for $28k.......can't complain.
I strongly recommend that little stuff like this be fixed yourself.
2 years from now if you pop a motor......and you've had NO claims so far....
They might have to think you haven't been killing the car and give you the benefit of the doubt. If they replace 3 1/2 shafts, tranny mounts, etc...they may decide to blacklist you on oasis.
This happened to a freind. His 03 cobra now has NO powertrain warranty whatsoever.
It's how it is:
Buy a car and drive it stock like grandpa, assume a warranty.
Take it to the track and start modifying it....any warranty you still get, consider yourself "lucky" but don't assume it.
Hey it sucks, but it's how it is.
I only wish Ford would offer a cash back rebate if you decided to not have a warranty at all.
I stole the car new for $28k.......can't complain.
Uncle Meat - Sorry, but that's not true. The unreachable portion of the ECM constantly records; like a loop. I'm not sure what the time length is but it's more than just the last few minutes. And, it has nothing to do with "throwing codes" or an air bag going off. It's a constant recording that only Ford (and every other manufacturer) can "see" with their special tools.
Some insurance companies even want to "see" this information for insurance claims to see what you were doing at the time of the accident. And, if it's your company, you don't have a lot of options. Again, it has nothing to do with normal diagnostic codes, abs codes or air bag deployment, though I'm sure air bag deployment would certainly be a recordable event.
In regards to the BMW tech, he said that the factory sends out techs in special cases that have tools and can do things that shop techs do not have the ability to see and/or do - it's a matter of the type of diagnostic tools.
And, yeah, I'm a 56-year old goat that doesn't red line it every other day, either. So, they'd honor my warranty claims. I faced the same crap when I was 20-something, too. Kids are flat-out discriminated against. However, I also did my share of dumb things, like racing on the street.
The "black box" recording is, unfortunately, not widely known.
Some insurance companies even want to "see" this information for insurance claims to see what you were doing at the time of the accident. And, if it's your company, you don't have a lot of options. Again, it has nothing to do with normal diagnostic codes, abs codes or air bag deployment, though I'm sure air bag deployment would certainly be a recordable event.
In regards to the BMW tech, he said that the factory sends out techs in special cases that have tools and can do things that shop techs do not have the ability to see and/or do - it's a matter of the type of diagnostic tools.
And, yeah, I'm a 56-year old goat that doesn't red line it every other day, either. So, they'd honor my warranty claims. I faced the same crap when I was 20-something, too. Kids are flat-out discriminated against. However, I also did my share of dumb things, like racing on the street.
The "black box" recording is, unfortunately, not widely known.
ElectricGreen99GT said:
None of the current or previous Mustang or Cobra ECM's record & save what you are doing UNLESS there is an airbag deployment or an engine malfunction code (SES), and then it only records the very basics of what was happening at the time of impact. Speed, engine RPM, gear selection, throttle position, & brake position. These aren't 747's with "Black Boxes" running in a 30 minute closed loop recording mode, they don't remember what you were doing 10 seconds ago. They record what was happeing at the time of impact, nothing less, nothing more. I imagine there are some cars out there that MAY have the capability to play back the last 30 seconds of a cars life, but the Mustang at this time does not. There is ABSOLUTELY no way they can look at the ECM and claim you were drag racing or abusing the car when the half-shaft broke.
U.M.
Just talk to the service department at the ford dealer and it was the half shaft broke and it is under warranty. Part comes in tomorrow at lunch time and it will take about an hour to do the shaft. Mechanic said it is a calming thing and that he has repaired 8 so far. So I get the car back tomorrow and probly won't drive it for a while because my wife is still pissed off. Thanks guys for your comments and drive safe. 
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