2003 f-150 triton 5.4
 

Looking for some help! Had some ticking noise coming from the front of the engine. Friend suggested it might be timing chain causing noise. After some reserch on the web. Confirmed noise was from chain. Due to lack of resources ($) at this time i took apart myself and see that the timing chain guide on the passenger side is broke and also see that the tensioner is stuck. I know i need to replace these two items. My concern is that the chain seems to have a lot of slack on the top side. Is this normal and will the slack be taken up when the engine is running once the two parts are replaced? The engine only has 60,000 miles on it. Any help would be appreciated.
Thank you,

If you have the coin save your self a head ache down the road. Go ahead and replace the chain, guides, and tensioners.

starting to believe thats the way to go. thanks

Yeap^^^^ agreed. do it all!

:fyi:
the other thing is you have a 03' with only 60k and the timing guides are shot:eek: ....you clearly have a a nice low mile unit, 9yrs old, that is only ~6700 miles per yr....but, those low miles say this doesn't get driven much or very short trips when it does. Short trips are the single hardest thing on a truck...or any engine for that matter. When you get this back together just make sure when you drive this...drive at least 25 miles before you shut it off.

The point is....if this is short tripped a lot there is a good chance that there is sludge build up in the oil pan/ lubricating system. Which may have contributed to the early demise of timing chain components. The sludge build up is a more critical issue with the next gen of 04' and up with the 3valve engines...but still holds high importance for any engine.

How to fight this, drive more than 1/2-5 miles before shutting it off & try to Avoid stop & go traffic (drive closer to 20-25 miles if possible). Change your oil and oil filter more often 2000-3000 or every 3-4 months regardless of miles, & use motorcraft oil filters and correct engine oil weight (5w20)...cheep aftermarket oil filters are not where to save money here.

sorry for the soap box preaching...you have one of the more sought after vintage trucks , a very good year:)

This all sounds like good advice so my question is do you wait until you have an issue before you take action? I have a 92 5.0 XLT that I've never done any major work on with 202,000 miles and also I just bought a 2002 FX4 5.4 with 133,000 that runs perfectly. Should I have a mechanic check for timing belt issues as preventive maintenance or follow the approach of if it ain't broke don't try to fix it?

the 92' you obviously are doing well with...just keep up on regular maintenance.

If your concerned on your 02'...I'd definitely do plugs on unless you have maintenance history on it that says its been done. If you do this make , sure that the new plugs are motorcraft and torque to 28 ft/bls and dry ...no antiseize. while plugs are out do a compression check on all lungs. This will tell a-lot of info on the overall health of your engine.

At 133k on your 02', prolly isn't too much of a concern unless you're have information of prior ownership that would indicate otherwise. Like given to the original poster, avoid short trips...don't be afraid to take it out and drive it...these things were designed to work, not get daily groceries. (unless you stock up for month).

Seeing as you are relatively new to the 02'... I also swap out all fluids.. tranny, punkins gear oil, anti-freeze, brake fluid....and watch carefully all the levels....too make sure you don't have unwanted consumption

Thanks for the reply enriched. I do not have any history on this truck at all. It looks very clean under the hood and the inside is very clean also so it appears to be well cared for. I will swap the fluids and plugs as you suggest given the unknowns.
Thanks!

enriched,

Thanks for the response. I only work a 1.5 from home and only really travel any distance on the weekends. I will follow your advice especially about changing the oil. I was following the manufacturers recomended 5,000.
Thanks for the help.