I picked up a 2006 5.4 lariat from a buddy. He was told by the dealer it needed a motor due to sludge and metal shavings. He parked it and bought another car. I had it shipped to my office here and now I guess it is my problem . Anyways it has 81k on it and to tell you the truth it doesn't sound like the engine is bad. It does stall at lights sometimes and it feels like it is running on 3 cylinders. I really just drove it to and from my home about 15 miles total so far. My code reader is dead and I am waiting for the new one I ordered. I check the oil and I do not see shavings. I think the dealer may have been milking him. What should I check 1st?

There is a video of startup.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AGIlMYy1oA0

 

I figured someone could make something of this invoice from the ford dealer.

A C/S Check engine light is on. engine stalls when idling, just had both cam sensors replaced, check and advise 79.99 diag

12000s diagnose fuel and/or electrical and computer management systems

705 oliva, dave lic# 260000
c

81173 tech 705. . 1.0 scope engine, Cam sensor codes, perform tests, customer declines engine at this time, engine sludged and metal in oil.

He got and oil change and diagnostic fee.

 

is your buddy the original owner of the truck or did he buy it second hand? what is the maintenance history of the vehicle? i find it hard to believe a 2006 with low miles would be sludged up if the maintanence was done on schedule. these engines are pretty easy on oil and will not build up much if any sludge as long as you use a good quality oil and change it every 5-6k miles. the new ones even specify 7500 miles i believe.

 

I have to agree. He has all of the maintence and says he changed the oil regularly. every 3-5000 miles. I am going to drop the fresh oil in there and look for metal but My guess is there is none. He bought it new.

 

the truck doesn't have a fram filter on it by chance does it? that bit of noise at startup sounds to me like a faulty anti-drainback valve as is common on fram filters.

the invoice you have states that there are cam sensor codes. that could definitely cause the truck to stall at lights. i would find out what those codes were. the dealer probably won't give them to you since they want you to buy an engine. go by autozone or one of the many places that do a free scan and find out the codes. politely decline the parts they try to sell you and come here to research the codes they give you. i would check into that first.

also you don't mention when the last time PM has been done on the truck. i know you said oil changes were done regularly, but how about fuel filter, air filter, spark plugs, etc. a little maintenance can go a long way to make the truck run better.

also, if the plugs have been done recently, were motorcraft plugs used? that is the only plug i would put in a ford engine as they are VERY picky for some reason.

 

Maybe its just me but every time you hit the gas and let the RPM's drop I heard some air being released from somewhere. Possibly an air leak?

 

Well I picked up a code reader this moring. The computer had 5 codes stored.
p0300 Multiple misfire
p0303 cyl. 3 misfire
p0307 cyl.7 misfire
p0345 camshaft position sensor a circuit bank 2
po 349 camshaft position sensor A circuit intermitant bank 2

I cleared these and got p0345 and p0349 back.

It has a motorcraft filter on it now. The dealer changed the oil.

 

I don't hear one but any idea where a common leak area would be? Can the vacuum system be presurized like you would on a turbo car?

 

the code indicates an issue with the cam sensor on bank 2 (obviously). this could be the sensor itself, or any of the wiring between the sensor and the PCM. or even the PCM itself. most often it is the sensor that is bad, but without a proper diagnosis procedure, it is impossible to tell. i'm not at work right now or i would pull up the procedure. look for any broken or loose wiring on the cam sensor harness and wires themselves. depending on how difficult it is to swap out the sensor, you may want to try swapping a known good sensor to see what happens.

as far as the misfire codes, they are probably a result of the rough running from the cam sensor being out of whack. i would diagnose and repair the cam sensor issue first, then worry about the misfire codes later if necessary.

 

I have a reciept for around $150 to replace both cam sensors. Any chance that they didn't replace them correctly?

 

how long ago was that work done? was it done to fix this particular issue? if it was recently and still within warranty, i would take the truck back to the shop that did the work. let them deal with it.

 

It was actually $400 to replace both cam sensors. It was done about 2 months ago. He did take it back and was told something is wrong with the motor and to take it to the dealer. The dealer got the same codes and determined he needed a motor. I cannot take it back as the truck is now in Michigan and the work was done in Florida. I assumed worst case it would need a motor. I am just really questioning that. I am thinking of picking up a new cam sensor and replacing bank 2. That are only $25 on ebay for new ones. Which is bank 2 ?

 

1S4Z-6B288-AA Is that the correct sensor?
The manual just states 6b288?

 

i looked up that part number at rockauto and it came up as a "distributor ignition pickup" for an '04 Focus. not sure if that's the part you're looking for or not.

 

Well I ordered up a cam sensor from Rockauto for $22 I replaced the drivers side. got the same code. po345 and po349. So I swapped them and got the same codes. So the sensor is not it. Should the sensor be covered in oil?