Yesterday I bought my truck into the dealer for two engine noise issues. The 1st issue is the Cam phaser TSB. My truck definately has this problem. When I took the truck into the dealer, I had the service manager get into my truck and listen. Right away, he acknowledged that my truck sounded way to noisy at idle. I made in aware of the TSB and he said no problem. The second issue is a bad engine knock at cold startup ( when the temps are below freezing). At initial startup, the truck is quiet, then when I put it in gear, so there is a load on the engine, it starts to knock. It will continue for about 1-2 miles then clears up. Almost like there is no oil in the top end. I have posted this issue before and there was a number of people that also had the same problem.

So.... I get a call this morning from a different service manager. They said there was nothing wrong with my engine and that the noise was caused because my engine was low on oil. Told them no way, I check before I brought it in and it was fine. Then they switched excuses and told me the oil was dirty. No way, changed it about 1,000 miles ago. Then they told me that the K&N filter was the cause. So, I told them fine, I'll put the stock filter back in, and change oil tonight and bring it back tomorrow ( by the way I use Motorcraft filters and motorcraft 5w20 oil.) then they said, don't bother, since it is from the Magnaflow muffler. By this time, I'm getting a little hot.

Next I asked about the cam phase issue. They told me "no problem found". Hmmmm, they acknowledged the problem yesterday, but today it magically disappeared? I asked them " what about the TSB?". They read me some other TSB for 06 trucks that had nothing to do with this! I gave them the TSB # and asked if I needed to read the whole thing to them? Of course the original service manager is not there today, so I told them to get ahold of him and straighten this out. Sitting here patiently now waiting for a call.

Just had to vent a little!!!!!!!!! Time for a different dealer.

MJS

 

NO WAY!?!

 

Just try another dealer. Some dealers are *******s. Just becase dealer ABC had a great sales department doesn't mean they have a great service department. The dealer I worked for had a nice sales staff but they didn't give anyone a deal on cars. Most of the service department worked on cars/trucks sold at other dealers.

I feel your pain having worked for a stealership.

 

I don't understand some people. If you are confident enough in your dealer that you take it there, then you should be confident enough in them to diagnose the problem.

I'd get pretty frusturated if people came to me to fix their truck and have them tell me what the problem is. I would be like, "If you know what the problem is, why dont you fix it?"

I became a much happier person when I ignored every little imperfection in my truck. As long as it drives straight, I am happy.

Good luck though.

 

Rutherk1,
I guess I don't quite follow you. I have been dealing with this dealer for a number of years. Normally they are very good.

Both are very legitimate problems and not minor imperfections by any means. You might need to re-read the original post. In the case of the cold start knock, they plain old made up excuses, one after another. In the second case, this is a known problem and the original service manager acknowledged the problem.

 

Gosh I'm really sorry to hear this is happening to you. I had very similiar problems with my dealership originally. It wasn't with the engine, but we idenfied rattles, and hard starts etcs... They would agree with me and then I'd get a call later in the day saying they couldn't find the problem, the TSB didn't exhist anymore, I shouldn't have access to TSBs, this part is no longer made, and the list goes on and on.

Finally I put my foot down and had a meeting with the dealership owner, manager of the dealership and manager of service. We went through the entire ordeal that had been servicing my truck and the list of grievances. (Which was a long list then) They fixed everything, gave me 5 free oil changes and tire rotations.

Ever since that day I have a new service advisor and my truck has been personally followed by the service manager when it's in the shop. I pick it up on time and it is spotless. My huge ordeal has paid off in the long run as service has gone up 10 fold for me. I shouldn't have had to do that in the first place. But I'm just saying that I feel your pain and it flat out sucks because it is so frustrating. If you have one available, I'd just find a new dealer. My house is out in the boon docks so it's a longer drive to a different dealer for me. That is why I fought my way through my entire ordeal.

Oh by the way, I believe you can look up some Magnus something or other law. In effect it says the modification to the vehicle must be proven to be a direct cause of the problem. Search and you'll find what I'm talking about. That should shut the dealer up from blaming it on an air filter and exhaust.

Best of luck!

Duke

 

Found it!

Magnuson Moss Warranty Act

Thread mentioning it:

https://www.f150online.com/forums/sh...&highlight=law

Link to law:

http://www.granatellimotorsports.com/magnusonmoss.htm

 

Sounds like a legitimate problem. I just know how difficult minor problems are to fix. Especially intermitent ones. A rough idle when its below freezing doesnt sound like a problem. There are some thermal properties that are just hard to compensate for in a motor. Mine will knock sometimes when its really cold but it goes away.

Im sure, compared to what alot of the mechanics drive, your truck is smooth as silk.

These boards probably dont help dealers with their diagnosis either. One person has a problem and all of a sudden you have hundreds of people going to the dealer with a TSB number saying that their truck does this and they want the TSB done. A dealer isnt going to fix something they cant consistently hear. Maybe the other service manager was hard of hearing .

The auto repair industry is pretty shady. I do my best to avoid the dealer. If my motor locks up or tranny dies, Ill take it in for warranty work.

 

Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act of 1975.

 

Just to be clear, this is not a rough idle at below freezing temps. This is a very loud and pronouned engine knock. To the point that I have had many people ask me what is wrong with my truck when they hear it in the parking lot at work.

 

I see. I thought it was rough idle.

My old 00 Excursion v10 did that sometimes.

Its probably just piston slap. As long as it goes away when it warms up, its not a problem on newer motors.

There is an easy way to locate which cylinder has the problem though. Before you start the engine, remove a spark plug wire and short it to the block. When the engine is started, that cylinder has less pressure and will push the piston sideways. If the knock or is gone, then that is the cylinder with the problem. There is little that can be done. You could try different oil.

What kind/weight oil are you using?

 

You are right on the money. It sounds just like my buddies 2000 6.0 chevy that has the known piston slap issue. It probably would not hurt anything, but for $30K, it is not right.


I'm using Motorcraft 5w20 semisyn with a Motorcraft filter.

MJS

 

Haha, lets go over some stuff:

• dealership has techs
• techs are there to make money
• no work means no money for the tech
• no money for the tech also means no money for the dealership
• the tech WANTS to find something wrong
• if something is wrong he gets paid to fix it

You are not a TECH. Just because you think something is wrong doesnt mean it is. Now granted you could take it to another fomoco service dept and they might just do the tsb and what not just to BS it and get paid.

 

Hmmm, nope I am not a tech. However I do design and troubleshooting for a living so I do know a few things about problem isolation and resolution. I also am in the middle of building my second vintage Bronco(completely on my own), so I know a thing or two about mechanical issues.


When my buddy's truck, which is almost exactly the same, is nice and quiet and mine sounds like a powerstroke when it is idling, then YES THERE IS A PROBLEM. Geez, how did this become my fault all of a sudden?

 

Thats what I use.

What you could do is rev it up to redline whenever it starts knocking . That way you will huff your motor and the dealer will replace it. It would be hard for them to not acknowledge a locked up motor.

Honestly, if I were you, I'd just make friends with the knock and talk nice to it when it happens. I have found that the stress of dealing with an engine noise is far easier to manage than the stress of going to the dealership.

It may go away in time.