Hi everyone! I'm new here and need some assistance. Hopefully this isn't a rehash of old stuff. I am truly at a loss with my searches on here and other forums.

I have an '06 f150 w/ 5.4 3v. K&N cold air intake, cat back exhaust, and Gryphon on level 2. ~65K miles and just replaced the timing chains, phasers, etc. but not VCT solenoids.

I am having a couple of issues since the replacement. When I start it up cold, it seems to run fine and drive fine as far as I can tell. When its warm, it has a hesitation and misfire under moderate acceleration and at high rpm ~3500-4K. When overdrive locks in, it also acts a bit sluggish while cruising until overdrive unlocks. It is not hard to start, and idles fine no matter what the engine temp is.

I finally got a P0171 code this morning which is Bank 1 Lean. I took it to the dealership and they told me that COP 2 needs to be replaced. I plan to do that this afternoon. However, the tech did not say anything about the P0171 code. He did say that he thinks the cam timing is off.

I don't think cam timing is off. When I did the timing, I put the dot on the crankshaft gear at about 6-6.5 o'clock. Then lined up the links as shown on every diagram online. The crank had the single link on the dot for both chains. The left cam with the "L" up and dual links straddling it. The right cam with the "R" straddled by two links. The tension on the left chain "tight side" was about .5 inches of slack maybe less, but not as taught as the matching side on the right chain. I figured this was due to the valve springs pushing on the cam slightly. When I installed the tensioners, the left chain tightened up and the right chain was still tight.

Here are my questions:

• If cam timing were off, would it idle normally?
  
  
• Does my Gryphon change timing on level 2?
  Is it possible the technician didn't realize that when he told me that the timing was off?
  My Gryphon displays timing between 1-5 at idle and anywhere between 38 and 50 when I'm cruising.
  
  
• Can COP 2 cause P0171 without the matching COP code?
  I've replaced COPs before and have never seen P0171.
  
  
• Can P0171 be caused by a vacuum leak?
  If so, would my overdrive issue also be a symptom of that vacuum tube on the back to the engine?

 

I should also say that FRP is about 38 psi all the time.

 

Probably not - unless both sides were off exactly the same direction exactly the same amount. And your discription of timing sounds like you did it right. (So long as your marks align as you describe, it REALLY doesn't matter if its timed on the EXHAUST stroke or properly setting on INTAKE stroke of Cyl # 1 so long as nothing is moved while chains are off.) So I do not think that is the problem.



I'm know little to nothing about Gryphon - but it seems certainly it could screw up readings for a technition who was not aware of it. But the readings you mention seem near what I see with my Torque Pro app showing Retard in crankshaft degrees on my STOCK 5.4L 3v.


NO. P0171 indicates the PCM has "increased" Fuel Trim > 25% trying to get the proper fuel/air mixture at the O2 sensor. A COP malfunctioning will result in a misfire, dumping the unburned fuel into the exhause - and the PCM will "reduce" Fuel Trim on that bank trying to get the proper fuel mixture at the O2 sensor. That's an OVER RICH condition.



YES. On these engines, a common spot is the Intake Manifold Gasket or an "O" ring at the manifold end of a fuel injector. You can pin down the source of such a vacuum leak quickest by monitoring LIVE O2 data on a 'graph' display while spraying starting fluid or carb cleaner around the intake manifold, vacuum lines and/or injectors. When you hit the leak the O2 sensor reading will go CRAZY.


Not sure what OVERDRIVE issue you are having but it is electrically driven instead of vacuum, so I doubt any effect.




Also - nothing to do with the P0171, but I'm wondering - why did you opt to not change the VCT Solenoids with the timing job? Those damn things are frequently the source of phasers acting up.




Good Luck

 

Thank you for your response. That is pretty helpful.

1st, I actually did replace the VCT solenoids, but the truck was running like straight ****. So, I swapped the old ones back in and it fixed like 75% of my original post timing chain problem. Maybe I got defective solenoids?

2nd, When I removed the right valve cover, I inadvertently twisted the injectors on cylinders 1, 2, and 3. They twisted so far that the clips made some noise when they moved. I twisted them back into place. They are noticeably easier to move than the other 5 injectors.

I guess when I moved those injectors, I could have damaged one of the "O" rings? The tech at my dealership was able to pinpoint the misfire to cylinder 2. Is it possible that if the #2 injector had a damaged "O" ring, that it would cause the P0171 code and localize the misfire to cylinder 2?

 

I would say "YES" - it is possible. It is certainly a place to look, but keep the old saying in mind "The weakest link of a chain will break first". It doesn't mean a leak is AT Cyl 2. If there is a vacuum leak anywhere ("O" ring, or intake gasket, or vacuum line), if it is a large leak, it might cause the closest cylinder to be so lean as to misfire. But any leak causes the PCM to increase injector pulse width to ALL injectors on that bank. And cyl #2 could be misfiring because of too much fuel for THAT plug / COP efficiency / or specific compression to fire the mixture in that cylinder.
P0171 says there is "unmetered" air getting into the combustion process - as determined by the O2 sensor on that bank. (Keep that LAST part in mind). The code could be the result of a "lazy" or "out of calibration" O2 sensor on that Bank. Nevertheless, the first step is to eliminate ANY possibility of a vacuum leak - anywhere.
Do you have a scanner capable of displaying live O2 data on a graph, OR live Short Term Fuel Trim? Hook it up and watch either of those signals while spraying starting fluid all around and under the intake manifold. The readings sill NOT change AT ALL if there is no leak.

 

Unless you have CUSTOM tunes, you are running excessively lean with that K&N. Put the stock intake back on or get a tune written specifically for that intake.

At 65k it's about time for new spark plugs.

 

I wanted to do an update on this. I have noticed that since I posted last, I pulled the COP on cylinder 2, cleaned it and cleaned out some dirt that was lodged in the plug hole with my air compressor. I also used some starting fluid to spray around all of my injectors, intake manifold and any vacuum hoses that I could find. I could not identify any vacuum leaks or leaks near the injectors as we discussed before.

The transmission was about a half a quart low on fluid from removing the dipstick to get the right valve cover off. I topped it off and my overdrive issue is gone.

Furthermore, after driving a couple of times yesterday after picking it up from the dealer and this morning on my way to the gym and back home, it is no longer hesitating/misfiring. There are also no codes coming up on my scanner.

My theory is that the PCM being unplugged for two days while I was doing the chains and all associated components, lost all of its stored data. With the CAI, exhaust, and tuner, I believe that the default settings on the PCM (being based on a stock configuration at sea level) were too conservative until it adapted to the additional parameters caused by those mods.

I've had two different trucks (an 04 and 06) with these exact same mods for a combined total of 6 years. Although the CAI may make it run a tad lean, my experience says there is no catastrophic damage being done to the engine. Furthermore, K&N makes these products with guarantees attached to them. If this CAI causes damage to the engine, why would K&N continue to make them with this design but guarantee anything? Lean air/fuel ratios that damage engines are not usually synonymous with performance. Logically the argument that the K&N intake damages the engine makes no sense, K&N would surely be suffering a class action lawsuit by now if it were true. If my engine were to grenade due to a lean condition cause by my CAI, I would lawyer up and hold as K&N accountable as possible. I'm sure many other people wouldn't hesitate to do the same.

 

I would like to say thank you to you guys for your advice. I always appreciate the sanity checks on my troubleshooting theories! I consider the book closed on this until a DTC shows up in my tuner again.