LiveFreeClimbHard

Hopefully things don't get worse, but just try to be really observant of conditions and situations in which you hear your truck start to act up. Even document it so you can start your own diagnosis. At first I thought mine was random and the dealer was unable to duplicate it. As I paid more attention I started to learn when it was going to happen. I think it helped when talking to the technician to narrow things down. Hope you don't have further issues, but in case you do check back on this thread. I plan to documenting whatever I can from the paperwork I get back to hopefully help others.

LiveFreeClimbHard

My dealer told me if there were enough pieces that needed replacement that Ford would just have them do the whole motor. I'm not sure what qualifies as 'enough parts', but your list would meet my qualifications. Sorry man, not cool. I'm assuming the dealer is the closest one to you right? This crossed my mind only because the first time I took my truck in it was to a different dealer (and they found nothing). I've noticed a huge attitude difference between these two dealers. At the first dealer it seemed like the word 'warranty' was a four letter word. I actually called that same dealer this time around, but I couldn't even get them to return my phone calls. It was that point that I called a different dealer, for which I am much more pleased. Hopefully the repairs they are going to make will do the job, but if they don't what are the chances you can find a different dealer (if the problem returns). Obviously Ford's warranty department has a lot of pull and they make the final decisions, but I can't help but feel that the outcome would have been different if I'd stuck with the other dealer (if they would have called me back).

Fishhawk460

There is a dealer where I live and another 20 miles away (where I bought the truck). The problem is I had just driven to work in downtown Chicago and was across the street from my office in a parking garage when it start knocking and shaking. There was no way that truck was making it back home without dying. I found the closest dealer and got the truck to them ASAP. It seems like The dealer has been doing what they can, but in the end Ford Corporate has the final say.

Corylax18

My engine has been Ticking quite loudly the last 5k or so, and I only have 35k on the motor. I just installed Long tube headers last weekend, and the Mechanic that helped me siad they were some of the loudest CAm phasers he had heard. I wan to take the truck in to have them look at it, but now im afraid that they are going to try and blame it on the new headers, even though I have only had them on for about 50 miles now. Did either of you guys have any modifications to your vehicles?

Fishhawk460

For the first time on any vehicle I've ever owned I didn't have any engine mods. The mechanic did mention that I was using a Motorcraft filter and that Ford has issues with aftermarket filters. So they're still using the wrong filter excuse. I'm with you, I'd be nervous too. But anyone who has ever turned a wrench knows that a set of headers would have nothing to do with a valve train issue.

LiveFreeClimbHard

No modifications to my engine. I did try an Edge programmer with an economy tune for a while, but stopped using it because it didn't make a difference. I'd get the rough idle regardless of an economy tune or stock. I agree with you that Ford could very likely blame the ticking on your new headers, regardless of whether or not they really are causing it. It's just like those stickers that say 'Warranty Void if Removed'. It's understandable that companies don't want to warranty something that could have been tampered with.

From what I gathered from both reading about others issues and from talking to the dealer, a lot of what they seem to look for relates to maintenance. How often do you change your oil? Are you using the correct oil weight and Motorcraft filter? According to Ford, using a third party filter might cause material from inside the filter to break off and enter the engine. This would obviously not be good. How likely is it? I don't know. They will also look for sludge build up from infrequent oil changes.

I will admit up front that I'm not the most car savy guy. I can change oil and brakes, rotate my tires and check fluids. Apart from that I'm not very knowledgeable. So what I'm about to suggest my not be realistic, but I'm going to suggest it anyway just because. What you might consider doing would be to pick a dealer outside your area and give them a call. Tell someone in service what is happening and tell them you put on custom tube headers. I'd ask them right off if Ford would refuse to warranty your issue due to the headers or not. If they say 'no', then it's not a big deal, take your truck in to the dealer of your choice and get it looked at. If they say 'yes', then all hope isn't lost because your 'dealer of choice' still has no knowledge of this conversation. If you so choose at this point you could technically swap your tub headers again and take it in for service. Probably wouldn't be cheap, but could be less expensive than paying for engine repairs yourself.

Corylax18

Thats actually a very realistic plan for me, I am living and working in Kansas City right now, but I am actually based out of the Denver area. I have taken the truck to a dealer here to do the last 2 oil changes, and have complete records for all 10 oil changes I have had performed on the truck. I have it changed by a dealer every 3500 miles, and I just broke the 35 k mark the other day. I switched from the semi syn to the full syn at about 10k. Motorcraft filters everytime. I also have a K&N intake on the truck with 2 replacable filters that I clean and exchange every 10k or so. I work construction, so the filters can get dusty and dirty quick sitting onsite.

I have an SCT Livewire TS custom tuned by 5 star in the mail, so I am definately going to take it to the dealer here before I hook that up. One problem though, when I installed the headers I got a check engine light and it keeps coming back after I do battery resets. (hence the tuner) The codes that come up have just been post cat lean mix warnings though and nothing to do with Valvetrain or Timing issues. I am still however nervous to bring the truck in with a check engine light on and tell them that the problem im asking about has nothing to do with that. Haha Well I will try your advise and give the local dealer a call and see what they say before I bring it to the home dealership.

I know they have to prove tha the modifications are what caused the damage, but I also know im starting to tread on thin Ice. I will talk to the local dealership and give you guys an update.

LiveFreeClimbHard

Look forward to hearing how things go. What sort of difference (if any) did you notice when you switched to full synthetic oil? I've heard some people find their MPGs increase. Also, what brand are you using?

Corylax18

Hopefully ill be able to bring it in Friday, I will definately let you know what they say when I do. And I had them put the Full Syn in on the first change after I bought it, about 12500mi. So I didnt really have a great base line to go with, but I get really good mileage overall. Usually 17.5 to 18 mpg average. I typically do about 50/50 highway and City. When I drive from KC back to Denver I easily average 19.5 to 20.2 cruising at about 80 mph so it definately hasnt hurt my mileage.

LiveFreeClimbHard

So the dealer should have received my short block by now, but I haven't heard from them yet(I will give them a call soon if I don't hear anything). I was told they would contact me once they got the motor (ETA was Tuesday or Wednesday). I've had a couple of questions come to mind that I intend to ask the dealer, but I thought I would see what your thoughts were. All of these questions directly relate to the new motor they are going to put in.

1-Will my old spark plugs be used or will they actually install new ones? I've read about the process of installing new spark plugs in the 5.4L and it appears to be quite the process (a huge pain). If they plan on installing my old plugs I'm going to see about purchasing new ones for them to replace them with.

2-How does a new short block affect the warranty of my vehicle? My powertrain warranty will be up in about a year (or 13k miles). I would assume my transmission will not be covered at that time, but how much coverage will the motor have?

3-I'm not sure if the dealer can answer this one or not, so I'm more so looking for your opinions. I don't have any plans at this point to sell the truck, but how does a new engine affect resale value? How can you accurately find your vehicles value on a site like KBB.com when the mileage of your engine and the rest of your truck are different? How would you guys do this? When it's got the new motor does the truck have 0 miles, 47,000 miles, or somewhere in the middle? I would say all of the above, but I'm not sure how you would compute that. When talking to someone about this whole situation they asked the rhetorical question, "Would they set back your odometer?". We didn't think this would be the case since it would not accurately represent the rest of the vehicle, but we really don't know.

Have any of you been through a similar process on a different vehicle that might have some insight?

Thanks