drolloff

i have a 04 that is running great when it first starts up and at highway speeds, but after its warm and i come to a stop it starts running really rough and will even die on me if i dont give it gas. brought it to a mechanic that i mostly trust, he said its because of sludge build up clogging something. We're running sea-foam through it right now, and if that doesnt clear it up, he wants to run transmission fluid through it. If all that fails he suggested a new engine, ford dealership agrees with that, but if it runs next to perfect at cold and highway speeds why cant this be fixed. The codes i've pulled are: P0345 Camshaft position sensor A circuit bank 2. and P0022 intake camshaft position timing over retarded bank 2
Thought about replacing cam position sensor and/or vct solenoid. any suggestions?

BolletuH

P0022- That code right there is the actual problem. The timing is off and I'm going to suspect a minor problem with the CAM PHASER. See our engines are able to have VCT/VVT whatever you wanna call it through these things called cam phasers. They allow the cams and valves to run independent of one another by retarding them (changing degrees). When these parts begin to fail you will begin having timing issues which lead to misfires, rough idle, and decreased power. Also you mentioned that this only occurs on the highway or when the engine is warm. These phasers only activate when the engine begins to get warm or when the desire for horsepower and economy is necessary. That's just my .02 cents and I'm not a master mechanic, but instead of throwing random ideas at the engine, take the EVIDENCE pointing towards the mechanical failure. Also wanted to point out that the phasers are a common problem with these engines during 04-05 times. It was believed to be fixed during the 06 models maybe 07 I'm honestly unsure exactly. There are several TSBs out there explaining the concern of these phasers. Both codes lead to the same bank meaning you need to look at Bank 2 thoroughly before jumping the gun on the new engine suggestion.

Jorshep600

What he said ^^^ haha

Big Screen D

New engine seems a bit over the top. Assuming your oil pressure is normal, and compression is good.

Sludge, if that really is what is causing the problem can cause one or both of the VCT's or VCT solenoids to malfunction if the oil passageways are clogged. Think you're on the right track suspecting the solenoid, and if it were mine, I'd start there on bank 2 since it's easy to pull and inspect.

Episode 22 at the following link has some good info regarding the VCT on our trucks.
http://www.flatratetech.com/index.php?categoryid=4

plgalleg

My 2004 f150 would misfire at around 45 mph, Stall when coming to stops after engine was warm, idle rough after engine was warm and sometimes shake real bad at idle. Ran diagnostics and only gave code p0022. During the past year the rough idle and the shake did occur several times but turning off the engine and turning it back on would clear the problem. But as time went on all those problems up above seem to get worst. First thing I did was replace the the vct solenoid on bank 2 since the code indicated it was on bank 2 and had an oil change done by Wal-Mart(mistake). Problems still present and appeared to even get worse. Replaced both cam shaft sensors and still no improvement. During 1 drive cycle did get a cylinder 8 misfire. So I replaced all spark plugs, boots and that coil on cylinder 8. This fixed the missing at 45 mph. Pulled throttle body off and cleaned it as well as the TPS and this fixed the stalling when coming to the stop. So I still have the p0022 code and rough idle. Doing some thinking and researching these blogs I came to the conclusion I have an oil pressure issue. Many people have gone to the dealers and they tell them the cam phasers are bad. I don’t think my cam phaser is bad but time will tell. I removed my vct solenoid and noticed some oil sludge built up in that vct body. I carefully cleaned it with some long q-tips and pored some seafoam in this area. Immediately changed the oil and oil filter with a motorcraft filter and oil. Started to notice an improvement on the rough idle and p0022 was cleared. The code and rough idle does come back but less frequently and seems to be improving the more I drive. I’ll keep you informed of the results. If you take okk the vct solenoid besure and get the seal first from the dealer for about $7. Its hard to take off and will probably get damaged. It’s sad that I can’t use an aftermarket oil filter and need to make sure my oil change is done at 3000 miles. I should have bought tundra. My Tacoma has 170,000 miles and I probably go about 7000 miles between oil changes and have had only the starter go out on this truck.

kjohns

drolloff: I have exactly the same problem. We have changed out the camshaft position sensors and the VCT solenoids. The same codes are coming up although the truck is running a little better at idle. Did the other things that your mechanic tried work?

kevhead75

To the OP. Seafoam is crap. If you truely have sludge in your engine then there are a couple of options. Go to the Ford dealer and have a motorvac service done. The other thing you can try is Auto RX or I have heard good things about Kreen from Kano Labs but don't know a whole lot about it. Are you using the correct oil and a good filter? (Not Fram I hope) I don't understand why people want to replace an entire engine. If it is truely a VCT problem then the phasers can be replaced for less than a new engine. Try the simple stuff first. It could be just a cam sensor that needs to be replaced.

kjohns

I thought FRAM filters were supposed to be good filters. What problems have you had with FRAM?

kevhead75

I responded to your pm about Fram. To be direct they are garbage and should never be used on a Ford modular motor or any motor for that matter. If you are having problems with your VCT or valve train and using a Fram filter that may be the reason. Your first choice of filter and oil should be motorcraft. My personal second choice is Wix.

Uncle Buddy

Hey All,,, I'm new here and just purchased a 04 Lariat 4X4 Love it but started having the same problems this week. Run rough after warm up ,rough idle & die if I don't touch gas a little. Spent over $300 on Diagnostics this week at 3 mechanics and got 3 diff. opinions ! 2 of them say P oo22 error code and want about $3000 to fix it. Ford Dealership charged $85 for diagnostics and said Alternator was not putting out right and spiking causing computer to freak out ! Got a new alt. and gonna put it on Sat. before I change out VCT on bank 2 / passanger side ? The Ford Tech I talked to said they had just got a letter from Ford about the Tritrons having this problem of flucuating alt. current.