2007 5.4 engine problems. - Ford F150 Forum

coolcontractor · 01-08-2008, 10:45 PM

My '07 Lariat with the 5.4 has a pinging problem. It has 7,000 miles now but has pinged since new. Dealer has looked at it twice and hasn't fixed it. It pings and stumbles at about 2,000 RPM's with a slight load on the engine. Has anyone had this problem and found a cure? Please respond.

transmaster · 01-09-2008, 01:25 AM

Is it a knock or a ping, these are two different things. A knock is pre-ignition where the fuel mix fires too soon causing a knock as the piston forces it way up through the combustion gases to TDC A knock is a timing/ ignition thing. A ping is where you have more then one ignition source in the combustion chamber and the multiple flame fronts hit each other causing the ping.

If your present dealer can't seem to find the trouble I would take it to another Ford dealer, I am assuming your beast is still under warranty. One more thing invest in a engine code reader that way you can look over the shoulder of your dealer and see if they are blowing you off not being able to find the problem. You paid good money for your truck I would become a real a$$hole with your service manager, make it clear if you don't fix this you will take your business elsewhere. Dealers can't afford to loose business.

obusnizzle · 01-09-2008, 01:37 AM

keep taking it back until it is fixed.

is it an FFV motor? where do you live? have you tried other gasolines?

transmaster · 01-09-2008, 10:33 AM

In the short time I have been a member of this forum it seems to me like there are too many service departments at the dealers who are getting lazy, and hiding behind the OBD's to blow off a problem. I don't know how much the diagnostics would tell a mechanic but I just can't believe something isn't showing up to explain your problem when they take a reading. If this was a pre-digital fuel injected engine such a problem would make me look to see it the engine is getting leaned out, stumbling and pinging can be caused by an overly lean fuel, air mix. Do you have a good tune shop in your area I wouldn't be at all suprised that a good tuner could tweak the engine settings so that truck would run like a race car.

coolcontractor · 01-09-2008, 02:04 PM

Thanks for the feed back. My truck was new in June '07 and now has 7,000 miles on it. It has "pinged" since new and is more noticable now. Sounds like someone shaking a couple of paint cans under the hood. Most noticeable at about 1,800 to 2,000 RPM, slightly up hill with A/C on. I did try 91 octane just to see if it was crappy gas, but it didn't matter. There is a noticeable "bogg" when in second gear 1/4 throttle going to 1/2 throttle. Fairway Ford in Placentia, CA said nothing wrong after 2 visits. Hoping someone had similar problem and fixed it so I can tell Fairway what to look for. I use my truck daily so I hate to tie it up in the shop for too long even though it is under warranty. I am willing to pay for someone local to dyno it, take care of the problem and maybe even tweak some more power out of it. Again, thanks for any help you may provide. Problem right now is more annoying, but it could be causing damage.

transmaster · 01-09-2008, 06:20 PM

Yes a can of rocks is a ping, What you have sounds like a transient lean condition. If you think of your problem as if you had a carburetor the condition you have would be caused by an accelerator pump not working correctly A person who is good with a programer should be able to fix it, or at least tell what is happening to cause this. If you do indeed find a good tune shop and they fix it I would take the info' to your dealer and show him what was wrong just before you inform him you are going to take your business else where.

mypony22 · 01-11-2008, 02:53 PM

I recently took my 2007 King Ranch into the dealership for the same issue. Apparently a defect in the engine causes the problem and the engine was replaced with 11000 miles on it. The dealer said that ford was trying to cut cost and used a different distributor for an internal engine part that has been failing. I love the truck and hope it is resolved....picking it up today. Hope this helps.

coolcontractor · 01-11-2008, 06:10 PM

Hey mypony22, let me know what the actual problem was with your engine. Did they replace the entire engine or just parts? Is this a wide spread problem? Let me know when you find out. Thanks.

MTR · 01-21-2008, 10:46 PM

Cheap engine parts? My gosh....you're kidding??!!?? That's insane. Does Ford really think they're saving money by using cheap engine parts? In the long-run, it's going to cost them way more to fix warranty issues. What dopes. I was going to suggest taking your truck to that place in Huntington Beach that makes the SuperChips. They may be able to sell you a reprogramming kit because it sounds like lean fuel. However, if Curious George assembled your engine using Korean reconditioned Hyundai engine parts, I guess all the reprogramming in the world ain't gonna help your situation. My '07 4.6 will probably suffer the same hardship.

Glenn
http://www.billetmyride.com/ind.html

mypony22 · 01-23-2008, 02:40 AM

The problem with the truck came on very sudden, loss of power and a distinctive pinging noise similar to a burnt spark plug. The entire engine was replaced at a cost of $8073.57 including diagnosis for the problem. The truck is running great once again but I am somewhat skeptical and hope I did not buy a lemon. The service advisor told me that another truck came in the same day with the same issue and needed a new engine. The service adviser told me that ford immediately new about the problem and that it was posted on their internal extranet.. The actual mechanic is the person who told me that it was a defective part internally and that ford was trying to cut cost. My 2006 f-150 lariat with the 5.4 had 74,000 problem free miles when I traded it. I told the mechanic that ford better be very careful with the competitors on their tails and rethink what they could potential lose. My family has bought ford products for well over 60 years and I am still faithful to the brand. My 2005 Mustang GT convertible has been a wonderful vehicle.