Ford 5.4 Cam Phaser noise??

Status
Not open for further replies.
Joined
Jan 3, 2009
Messages
15,116
Location
Illinois
A guy I know has a 2004 F150 and says he has Cam Phaser ticking that is driving him crazy. He says the truck is fine except for that constant ticking that Ford says is from the CP. He may even sell the truck over this issue. The truck is still under warranty, but claims Ford will not replace the part and says no damage will occure from this ticking. No, it's not an oil filter. Anyone heard of this or had the problem themselves?
 
Ya it is pretty common. There is a TSB for it which includes replacing the phaser, solenoid and lifters. Also changing to a Motorcraft filter, if you have seen one of these apart you wouldn't use anything but Motorcraft. The other filters have media that come apart in very small pieces and clog the oil feed passages to the phasers.

What kind of warranty is this under? It should be out of the NVLW, possibly an extended warranty?
 
+1 on what bdcardinal said, there's a TSB for this issue. Also, I've heard of another TSB, which is using 10w40 motor oil IIRC.
 
There are kits available to lock the phasers defeating the VCT and stopping the noise with some performance loss.
 
Originally Posted By: tig1
A guy I know has a 2004 F150 and says he has Cam Phaser ticking that is driving him crazy. He says the truck is fine except for that constant ticking that Ford says is from the CP. He may even sell the truck over this issue. The truck is still under warranty, but claims Ford will not replace the part and says no damage will occure from this ticking. No, it's not an oil filter. Anyone heard of this or had the problem themselves?


Is it both phasers (driver/passenger-side bank)? How many miles are on it? Does it do it only when it is at operating temperature? If it has been well maintained (no sludge/excessive varnish), then most of the time changing the VCT solenoid will solve the problem. Unplug the VCT solenoid plugs from both banks while the engine is off. Start the engine and if the noise is gone, chances are you have bad VCT solenoids. The VCT phaser also has a micro-mesh screen in the passage that feeds oil to it. If the oil gets too dirty or debris accumulates, then it can develop VCT phaser noise.
 
Originally Posted By: modularv8
Originally Posted By: tig1
A guy I know has a 2004 F150 and says he has Cam Phaser ticking that is driving him crazy. He says the truck is fine except for that constant ticking that Ford says is from the CP. He may even sell the truck over this issue. The truck is still under warranty, but claims Ford will not replace the part and says no damage will occure from this ticking. No, it's not an oil filter. Anyone heard of this or had the problem themselves?


Is it both phasers (driver/passenger-side bank)? How many miles are on it? Does it do it only when it is at operating temperature? If it has been well maintained (no sludge/excessive varnish), then most of the time changing the VCT solenoid will solve the problem. Unplug the VCT solenoid plugs from both banks while the engine is off. Start the engine and if the noise is gone, chances are you have bad VCT solenoids. The VCT phaser also has a micro-mesh screen in the passage that feeds oil to it. If the oil gets too dirty or debris accumulates, then it can develop VCT phaser noise.


I like how on some of the applications you can get that filter by itself, but last time I checked for the 3v you can't. It always messes with my head on a car that does when i search for a 6731, Ford basic for an oil filter, and I get asked if I want the one for the oil cooler or cylinder head.
 
Originally Posted By: bdcardinal
Originally Posted By: modularv8
Originally Posted By: tig1
A guy I know has a 2004 F150 and says he has Cam Phaser ticking that is driving him crazy. He says the truck is fine except for that constant ticking that Ford says is from the CP. He may even sell the truck over this issue. The truck is still under warranty, but claims Ford will not replace the part and says no damage will occure from this ticking. No, it's not an oil filter. Anyone heard of this or had the problem themselves?


Is it both phasers (driver/passenger-side bank)? How many miles are on it? Does it do it only when it is at operating temperature? If it has been well maintained (no sludge/excessive varnish), then most of the time changing the VCT solenoid will solve the problem. Unplug the VCT solenoid plugs from both banks while the engine is off. Start the engine and if the noise is gone, chances are you have bad VCT solenoids. The VCT phaser also has a micro-mesh screen in the passage that feeds oil to it. If the oil gets too dirty or debris accumulates, then it can develop VCT phaser noise.


I like how on some of the applications you can get that filter by itself, but last time I checked for the 3v you can't. It always messes with my head on a car that does when i search for a 6731, Ford basic for an oil filter, and I get asked if I want the one for the oil cooler or cylinder head.



I believe these screen meshes are serviceable but requires getting to the VCT phaser (ie, removing valve cover/VCT solenoid assembly).
 
Our F-150 at work has cam phaser noises also (or at least I believe the noises are from that, based on the symptoms described in the TSB). It's annoying, but since it's not my vehicle, I can't exactly just take it down to the dealer and have them check it out, nor can I specify a different grade of oil at oil change time. I do recall the TSB advised running 10W-40 oil to alleviate the noise.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top