Originally Posted by caprice_2nv
Originally Posted by dave1251
Originally Posted by caprice_2nv
https://www.carcomplaints.com/Ford/F-150/2007/engine/engine_knocking.shtml
https://www.carcomplaints.com/Ford/F-150/2005/engine/
https://www.carcomplaints.com/Ford/F-150/2005/engine/loud_ticking_knocking_noise_from_motor.shtml
This is the quickest place I can find some examples...but they are known in the automotive industry to not be very good at all.
There are about 2 million examples of this engine and the failure rate before 150K miles is below 3%. Did you account for this?
I'm accounting for how many I personally know of failing and how many I hear in traffic clacking and the fact that most owners aren't going to report their failures (especially companies that own fleets of then of which most will probably fail eventually in construction type usage).
I'm accounting for the fact that they are known to be one of the most unreliable engines whether you will admit it or not.
I even have a good friend who's always been a Ford lover and loved these trucks, but even he admits they are junk. They are one of the reasons he switched from Ford.
The 4.6 is a good engine with some problems and a low failure rate. The 5.4 is not. And when they fail, nobody wants to work on the [censored] thing (I worked in a few garages and know this as a fact).
I would never own one because I don't have the skills to fix it and all the good mechanics I know from the industry don't want to fix it either and it's very likely to need fixing. Maybe not for the guy that bought it new for a fortune and kept it for 100k, but my budget would only allow me to get a 200k mile truck and hope to get another 100k out of it, so I guess I better stick with a 5.3 or 4.8 gm truck or something even older that can be fixed by anyone.
I'll work on them....NO problem!! Some of the factory service procedures, Especially the Valve Timing/Timing Chain procedures are completely unnecessary!! If a tech is familiar with a 2V Modular Ford....A 3V is a walk in the park!
The old 2V procedure had you place the crankshaft keyway at 12 O'clock with the left & right camshaft gear timing marks pointed up. This put ALL 8 pistons down in their bores enough that a valve hitting a piston is impossible.
The 3V procedure has you place the keyway 12 O'clock, Remove 6 rocker arms with a special tool, Rotate the engine 'til the keyway is at 6 O'clock, Remove the chains, Remove both camshafts, Rotate the engine to #1 TDC using a special tool to locate TDC & lock the the crank in place.
Install both camshafts in their neural positions with the timing marks pointed up. Torque+Degree both VCT Phasers using a special tool to hold them still.
Now you can install the timing chains & rocker arms.
When in reality....The ONLY special tool you need is the VCT gear holders to torque/angle the bolts, You do the rest JUST like the old 2V engines with the crankshaft keyway at 12 O'clock (Pistons down in their bores).
I've done at least 50 3V engines this way, Why Ford decided to you NEED to find TDC is beyond me!
*Rattling VCT Phasers are a fact of life with the 3V engine, Ford updated the parts & isn't really an issue anymore, They can actually be changed without removing the Timing Cover but I usually recommend a full Timing Set to take advantage of Labor Combinations....I.E....It's cheaper to do everything at once than paying for doubled up labor operations later.
*Tensioner Seals blowing out & Guides coming apart ALSO affects 2V engines, The only reason it affects more 3V engine is because the VCT system has natural oil leakage through the Spool Valves in the Solenoids & the VCT Phasers themselves.Loss of pressure/volume at the tensioner bodies compounds the leakage that already there, Leaky Oil Pump plates don't help either.
*The Chains & Guides are oiled by the Tensioners via a orifice in the Plunger, The Tensioning Guides have a corresponding orifice to oil the Chain & Guide.
I haven't seen many '08 & up 3V 5.4L engines with bad guides or galled camshaft journals, Blown out Tensioner seals & failed Rockers as a result of lost oil volume is still an issue.
The failure rate of '04-'07 5.4L 3V's is PLENTY high enough, I don't know the percentage & would argue that no one actually knows.....I've never seen/heard of anyone report a failure to any entity!
