BadFish523

My truck still blue books for more than I have in it and I plan on keeping it for a long time. So it was an easy decision for me.

Idiggplants

where did you get the 3300 timing done? is that a high dealer number, or is that something to be expected at pretty much any mechanic?

ive never heard of a vehicle needing a timing job with a chain, at 110k. christ. the VW that everyone claims were expensive to work on had a $400 timing job on it at 100k and that was a belt. just speaks very poorly of the 5.4L. buddy has a 5.3 about to hit 300k with less $ in it. never gonna hear the end of this.

650NutKase

The issue is the phaser design wasn't a very good one. The later 07-10 trucks got the updated design that was better, but not by much. Another easy thing to check is the plugs. A loose plug can cause the 'tick' at warm idle. There is a youtube vid on this. As far as the 5.3 goes, they're not perfect either. He probably adds a qt of oil at every fill up lol

BadFish523

It was done with a family mechanic but my local Ford dealer quoted me at $3400. It is more than a timing chain. Parts alone were about $1900, including oil pump, phasers, tensioners, guides, solenoids and a water pump since he was already in there. Im about to go pay it and even give him six cold ones I'm so happy with how it runs now!

Idiggplants

hmm, that is interesting. i have another thread going for a misfire im getting that causes a hard shift, and someone suggested checking that the plugs were properly torqued. they had just been changed at 102k.

lemme put it this way... if this thing leaked oil like a civ and you told me i could fix it by putting $3300 into it, id tell you to take a walk. and keep dumping oil into it. oil leaks vs this cam phaser design issue? not even in the same wheelhouse.

BadFish523

Well an oil leak that ran the oil level to below a usable level could cause way worse issues. The phaser issue is caused by low oil pressure. A plug being loose could cause a a knocking/ticking sound. That would also be a good thing to check and maybe it will fix both your problems. They need to be torqued to 25-28 foot pounds I believe.

Idiggplants

well, i dont want to start a brand bashing/defense thing... suffice it to say, im pretty sour about the possibility of having to drop 3k on a motor with 110k on it. or 200k for that matter. ive had a half dozen cars over my life that have all ran to 150k at minimum, and this is definitely a first for me, and i find it pretty damn absurd and pitiful. this is my first truck, and i kind of expected a truck to be built better than a car/suv.

but i want to move on from that, because complaining and dwelling isnt going to get anything fixed. im committed to this car, so unless it cant be fixed, its getting fixed, not sold.

so.. im def going to put up a vid when i get a chance, but as far as test type diagnosis, i can
1. torque the sparkplugs(do i need a special tool for this, like you do when they are changed)?
2. look for exhaust manifold leaks
3. test the vct? how do i do this? i read something about unplugging them.
4. ? anything else?

if it is the timing(is this the same thing as saying "phasers"?), is it something that needs to be fixed sooner than later? is it something i can just deal with if i dont mind the sound, and dont have a noticable power loss?

BadFish523

so.. im def going to put up a vid when i get a chance, but as far as test type diagnosis, i can
1. torque the sparkplugs(do i need a special tool for this, like you do when they are changed)? No special tool is needed other than the appropriate socket and a torque wrench capable of the needed settings
2. look for exhaust manifold leaks
3. test the vct? how do i do this? i read something about unplugging them. Yes you can unplug them but it will also mask other timing problems as it basically just turns off the Variable Timing.
4. ? anything else? Being an 06 you can replace them to see fi the problem goes away.

if it is the timing(is this the same thing as saying "phasers"?), is it something that needs to be fixed sooner than later? is it something i can just deal with if i dont mind the sound, and dont have a noticable power loss? Yes when I refer to timing I mean phasers and all included. You can ignore it, some people drive forever with the problem. I recommend fixing it.

650NutKase

You can run on bad timing components to a certain point. If it lets go, youre going to be up the creek without a paddle.

Archangel72

Yep been there done that. Tried to nurse mine for more than a month. Hello new motor 7k installed factory reman.