I have a 05 ford. it sat for approx 2 weeks without driving, when i started it up it was very doggy, missing a little. it was also knocking(oil changed regularly). got on forum and read some, cam phasers or rocker arms is what i have heard. I have since taken it to a shop and they started it and put it in gear, gave it a little gas and said it was the rocker arms. does anyone know a approximate price i could be looking at for this repair? i know it is all relative to what they find i am just looking for a ballpark.

 

If you're going to pull the valve covers to do one, then you might as well do the other. And the lash adjusters too while you're in there. If not, then you'll likely be going back in again at pretty much double the labor cost.

Dealer quote for phasers, rockers, and lash adjusters was about $1,800. Doing it yourself you're probably in the $1,000-ish range. I think that the phasers retail at about $250 each, and the rockers and adjusters list at about $10 each x 24 of each. That's before any discounts. I did mine for a lot less but I got a deal on the phasers that you're not likely to find.

Generally, rockers don't cause a knock. Most commonly they tap and, usually at least, the tapping is more a result of the adjusters than the rockers. Unless it's extraordinarily bad in most cases you won't find a bad rocker until you're in there looking at things and see flat spots on the rollers or other wear/damage.

Are you sure that it wasn't just that the adjusters had leaked down and were tapping? That can sound like hell sometimes but should go away after driving a little.

 

If it wasn't knocking the last time you drove it before setting up for 2 weeks then it's not the rocker arms. Rocker arms aren't going to suddenly become bad while sitting unless the rollers froze due to varnish on them. In that case you can just remove them and put them in a parts cleaner and then soak them in oil afterwards and reinstall. If you open up the covers and there's lots of varnish in on everything then you must have gotten some bad oil or overheated the engine at some point. My guess is that it's not your rockers but instead the phaser or VCT solenoids are the issue. Specifically the VCT solenoid is susceptable to sticking if there is heavy varnish or sludge in the motor which would be more likely after sitting for 2 weeks. It probably just gummed up the VCT solenoids. There easy to pull, and check how clean they are. If there sticky with varnish your going to need to get the motor cleaned out somehow, replacing the solenoids and phaser will solve the issue temporarily but will likely reoccur is the motor is already sludged up. Some here suggest the kanolabs products to clean the sludge and varnish out of the motor.
You can get the phasers for $137 each and the VCT solenoids for $97 at SilverStateFordParts.com.

 

Our resident oil engineer recommends AutoRX for sludge treatments.