Great post thanks for contributing.

 

to answer above question about cost...

not really sure yet, I have the ESP so hopefully most of it should be covered other than the deductable

 

hello there wheelin
my name is kevin and your post about the ticking and cam phasors has gotten my attention.i would like to get your opinion on my sittuation and maybe a good diagnosis. my troubles started a few months ago while driving i lost oil pressure and engine shut down
started right back up with good oil pressure.changed oil and filter next day all seemed good! then it started shutting down after traveling aroun 70mph when i took my foot off gas. had it looked at nothing found but dirty throttle body.all was good again for about a month. now it gets bad .wife was driving truck with horse trailer behind when engine light came on and started running real bad. its surging and poping had codes read .dont remember the # but it said cam was to retarded .now from what i have read on here i am thinking major work needed . if so in your opinion what will need to be done? kevin

 

Hey Kevin, You covered alot of ground very quickly with limited info for me to go off of. When the problem first started you said you lost oil pressure and it shut down.... Are you sure that it just didnt stall and then you looked down and there was no oil pressure due to the engine wasnt running or did you see the oil pressure drop and then the engine shut down ??
I am assuming that you are talking about an 04 or up 5.4l 3v engine ?? It would be good also if you could remember the code that was retrieved, It would help alot ! However you said the code definition said cam too retarded, that is very possible if the vct solenoid got stuck, depending on which way it sticks you could be too advanced or too retarded.... do you remember which bank the code was for?? bank #1 or bank #2 ?? bank #1 is the passenger side and bank#2 is the driver side ( sitting in vehicle )
I will be glad to help, just need as much info as possible.....
I have a couple of ideas of what the problem could be, just some of the info doesnt really make sense.....Cam phasers only need about 15 pounds of oil pressure to operate properly,and the engine wouldnt shut down from a bad phaser. A phaser could be stuck at full advance or full retard and engine would still run.... So i dont think thats causing your stalling.
I also dont think that oil pressure is causing your stalling, that engine will not shut down because of low or no oil pressure.... I mean that it doesnt have a safety shutdown or anything..... If it didnt have oil pressure it would only run for a couple of minutes and shut down ( or throw a rod ) and it wouldnt restart and be able to be driven at 70 mph....
Give me as much info as you can and I will try to help you out....Bob

 

hi bob
sorry about the lack of info! let me back up for you.yes your right about the stalling now that i think back. when this all started the first set of codes had to do with bank2 vct selenoid. in front of head right? replaced it .cleaned throttle body. idled and ran better than ever after that! now this . its surging,poping through intake.cant go over40. took to mechanic where he did some research .vct selenoid bank 1, too retarded bank 2 . he said in some cases that an engine flush and a oil change might fix the problem.did that with no luck. i dont know if this means anything but engine light is flashing not steady lit. has 120k on it never had dreaded plug issues in fact just changed them before all of this and to my surprise came out easily. i hope this helps you get a better understanding! i been in my garage for the past 3 months so i have to think back on things.
thanks for your help kevin

 

Kevin, What brand spark plugs did you use ?? What year truck are we talking about ? The VCT solenoids can become clogged if you dont change your oil enough and get oil coking, small pieces get clogged in the small screen at the end of the solenoids. Depending on year of truck, the solenoids may be able to be removed without pulling valve covers, I would definitely pull them both out and clean the screen at the bottom. A FLASHING check engine light is NOT good, usually caused by a severe misfire. Do not drive this vehicle until problem is resolved, I would hate to see you have to put a engine in it ! Also, call the guy that researched the cel for you and get me specific codes... It would be a great help. Bob

 

bob the truck is an 04 new body style 5.4 . i went to see the mechanic today to see if he had record of the codes and of coarse he didnt ,my luck!
i used motorcraft platinum plugs # pzt41f.also i think i am getting two things mixed up , cam position sensors and vct selenoid, the cam position sensor is in front of head and vct on top of valve cover? if yes i replaced the cam position sensor on bank 2. i will continue to look for the specific codes you need and post as soon as i can thanks for your help with this . kevin

 

Kevin, Good choice on the spark plugs, yes the cam sensor is on the front of the engine, it slides into the timing cover and variable reluctance sensor ( it reads cam position from cam phaser ears that pass by the sensor ) The VCT solenoids stick out the front of both valve covers. It is quite posssible you have a bad vct solenoid, just dont wasnt to guess at it and have you wasting money. Anyway let me know when you find out and remember DO NOT DRIVE IT IF THE LIGHT IS FLASHING !! Have fun, Bob

 

Bob, I hope I'm not helping to beat the same horse but my 2004 F150 is exhibiting similar problems as those on this post. Mine seems to be a bit different so I'm curious as to whether I have the same problem or something different. My 2004 F150 is a late '04 model (made in June '04) and has the 5.4L 3V Triton V-8. I've owned the truck for two years with no issues other than replacement of the rear axle pinion seal. The engine has never made any odd noises since I bought the truck up until about two weeks ago. The truck mostly sits and is mainly used for pulling my 30' camper or hauling anything I can stuff into the box. The noises began shortly after doing my last oil change. I have always used Mobil 1 5W-20 synthetic oil and a Motorcraft FL-820S filter. The previous owner of the truck purchased it new and from the records he kept in the service brocheure, used Quaker State 5W-30 and a Fram PH-2 filter. This was up until the truck reached 31,000 miles which is when I bought it. The truck now has just over 54,000 miles. I change oil in it every 5,000 miles which is what is called for in the manual. When I start the truck up after sitting for as little as a few hours, there is a pronounced noisy ticking which seems to come from the passenger rear of the engine. After a few moments, the noise subsides and goes away all together. However, when I take off with the truck, there is a noticible ticking coming from the engine. It seems to do it only under part throttle and is most noticible when driving around 55-60 mph in overdrive. Pressing the throttle down enough to put some gas to the engine but not hard enough to get it out of overdrive will make the noise very noticible. When cruising with a light throttle, the noise dissappears. Flooring the gas from a standstill will make the noise noticible up to about 4500-5000 rpm where it either goes away or I just can't hear it over the shriek of the engine. When the truck is parked and I step on the throttle, the noise can be heard for a very brief instant in the transition from idle to high-revs. The engine service and check engine lights only light up on intital start-up and go out after a few moments. Neither of the lights has ever come on while driving the truck since I've had it. The truck seems to be running as smooth and powerfully as the day I bought it. There is no odd vibration or any hinting of missfiring. Any thoughts or am I in need of new cam phasers or simply have a valve lifter that isn't building up pressure? I also wonder if it might be a leaking exhaust manifold or loose connection between the manifold and header pipe. Everything is packed so tightly in there I can't get down to take a good look at the manifold. Any insight as to what may be going on is greatly appreciated! Thank you for your time. Also, I wanted to add that the oil pressure gauge in the dash alwys shows just to the right of the middle mark. I haven't tested the oil pressure using a mechanical gauge.

 

By your description it sounds like your are going to be looking for a exhaust manifold leak, which is not uncommon with these engines.... I have done quite a few of them and they are not something I look forward to doing... If your planning to attempt the repair yourself have plenty of different size extensions and swivel sockets and a case of your favorite beer.... and some band aids !! Only one of them that I did had broken bolts causing the leak.... the rest were just plain leaking with no broken bolts.
Youy may be looking at two different problems....... a leaking manifold that you can hear when the engine is under load and timing chain tensioners ( tapping noise when first started ) It is hard to say for sure.... The 5.4l 3v is known for the o-ring gasket for the tensioner pushing out and oil pressure bleeds off causing a ticking/clacking noise upon start up... The noise usually goes away within 5-10 seconds,as the tensioners gain needed oil pressure. However if the noise upon start up lasts like 2 or 3 mins you are probably just looking at an exhaust manifold leak and the noise gets less as the manifold heats up. Maybe get someone to listen by the wheel wells when you start it and see if they hear it and can pinpoint where the noise is exactly. The more ears the better.... if you do have an exhaust leak you should be able to visibly see black soot where the leak is... so look very carefully at every exhaust port on that side ! Hope i was some kind of help to you.... Good luck, Bob

 

bob, just wanted to give you an update ! i removed the vct selenoids today
and found somthing interesting on bank 2 , the side where this all started.
part of the screen on the selenoid was missing so i am going to replace both
sides along with the cam sensors and see if i have any luck ! i have done some looing for the selenoids and havnt found anyone who knows what they are. is it safe to assume that this is a dealer item? thanks again for your help!! kevin

 

Kevin, Yes the VCT solenoids are a dealer only item for now anyway, Im sure down the road there will be aftermarket ones. I have seen some where the screens get brittle and break off, try to shine a flashlight where you pulled the solenoid out of and see if you see the broken part of the screen and see if you can get it out. The part that the vct solenoid slides into is the vct valve body.... alot like a valve body in a transmission. Let me know how you make out.... Your definitely on the right track ! Bob

 

Bob, I have a ticking sound coming from the motor on a 2001 f150 5.4, a buddy of mine said that it is just the injectors and the only time i can hear it is when i have the windows rolled down and the radio off. And i can only hear it when my foot is on the gas and in drive, its makes no sound when it is in park and i hit the gas. just wondering what you thought
thanks Jaosn

 

Thanks Bob for all the input!!! Guys like you are what make this site worth while!!! Welcome to the site!!!

If you guys want to learn about the VCT system on the 5.4 3v engines click the flat rate tech link in my sig.

 

Bob,

Thank you for the reply and the info. I greatly appreciate it. I was able to take a good look today at the exhaust manifold on the passenger side of the engine and do see an area where there is some black soot. Looks like I'll be changing manifold gaskets sometime in the future! As for the timing chain tensioners, what would be the cliff notes version of how to go about repairing(replacing) those? I have a lot of mechanical knowledge and background so I feel pretty confident rolling up my sleeves and digging into my engine. Are there any things to watch out for or any hints to make it smoother? Your insight and help are greatly appreciated!