Has anyone ever heard of the hellaciously large timing chains on the triton 5.4's wearing to the point that they begin to "tap" the timing chain covers? I've been chasing a "noise" for several weeks that my truck makes at approx. 3600 rpm's and a friend of mine that used to work for a local Ford Dealer said that when he worked for them they changed many timing chains out that made this noise? Does this sound feasable? This guy is an alright guy but his elevator stops a few floors shy of the top, if you get my drift, and I'm just wondering if someone who is not a highschool drop-out could give me a little insight. Thanks for any input.

 

is it a deep knock/noise?

 

yes the 5.4L have this problem... when they start gettin high miles on em.. just a common wear item. especially if u dont change ur oil like ur suppose to or abuse the motor with high RPM driving or burn outs.

 

the timing chain tensioners is the modular engines are hydrualic using oil pressure to maintain tension on the chain(s). its not too common but i have seen a couple of them done in my shop where the tensioner(s) stick and cannot keep tension on the chain. this causes a noise like what you are hearing.

 

yep yep!!

 

Unfortunatly it was a deep knock. I had to have my crank turned and had to install new bearings. $400 dollars later I have a truck that is running better then ever. All of this was caused by me running the truck low on oil on a road trip because I thought the cheap little gasket on the oil pan drain plug, that was cracked and worn, couldn't possibly leak enough oil to cause damage....WRONG Anyway... I'm back to driving my F-150 and thankful for the experience... although I wish it would have been with someone else's truck and not mine.