Livernois Motorsports

This is true that there may be other things that are wrong internally which is why we previously stated that the only way to truly tell would be to tear down and inspect. The majority of the customers purchasing our kit have already gone through this more than once with out resolving the issue with the phasers. By all means we recommend to repair anything that could possibly be wrong with the engine and timing components. Most clients call saying that the shop or dealer has charged them over $1,000 plus to repair the vehicle by putting a complete timing set on, new solenoids, brand new phasers , new oil pump etc. and the noise comes back in a very short period of time. This is because the internals have become worn, tolerances / clearances have changed, and they have no issues with oil pressure loss but the phasers continue to fail. Some customers are on the 2nd or 3rd go at this and once they have installed the lockouts the issue is gone.

By all means if there is another problem with the engine we would definitely recommend to repair the problem. But if the phasers are still in good working order aside from some ticking / knocking sound this kit can save thousands of dollars in unnecessary repairs and countless hours of labor to find everything is in good working order.

beantown617

I have the same idle tapping noise which after reading a couple hundred posts in the forum and watching videos have concluded its phaser noise coming from passenger side. Nothing when cold, about 5 mins after engine warms up u hear it. Goes away once u gas it.

I have also had a slow dripping leak of oil, so i had the oil pan dropped to put on new gasket (oil is still dripping and unfortunately likely the rear main, but getting back to my other question..) and didnt find any broken pieces of guides, etc. Is that infamous tapping noise actually the phaser, tensioner, or chain?

I guess its good news i didnt find any parts in the oil pan? 110k and drives great. Hoping i dont need to open it up.

Livernois Motorsports

That is definitely great news. The sound is the phaser that is not getting enough oil pressure to operate properly most likely. They all eventually will have this same noise as it is a design flaw that is a well known and documented problem from the manufacturer. There are many TSB's that were issued over the years that are a newer phaser design that requires less oil pressure and the issue still keeps coming back. But as things wear inside the engine and oil passages get smaller like clogged arteries, the oil has a harder time getting all the way to the phaser after the engine warms up. At lower rpm once operating temp has been reached the oil pressure drops and the phasers begin to have an issue operating properly so they make noise. This will eventually get worse to the point where bank 1 and bank 2 of the engine get out of syn with each other which causes the engine to act strange and run rough when you come to a stop. They have been known to throw CEL codes for timing over / under advance and the engine acts like it is timed incorrectly because one side is advance and the other is retard or basically not in sync with each other. Our kit will resolve this issue 100% as long as there is nothing else wrong with the engine but you will eventually need to either lock them out or rebuild the engine if it goes on with out being resolved.

beantown617

Thanks for the feedback and info. In regard to TSBs, i came across tsb 06-19-8 which seems to relate to this issue. Is this what you were referring to, or is there others out there?

Thanks

Livernois Motorsports

That appears to be one the VCT related TSBs out there. I know there is an early and late design phaser as well which was part of an attempt for them to use an updated phaser design. Both phasers eventually have the same issue. If you watch our instruction video about how to install the lockouts they show there are 2 different style phasers which have separate , yet very similar procedures for being locked with our kit.

stcolorado

Wow this thread genuinely exploded into a few different things while I was out of town, haha. So... A few quick updates about the engine. I don't believe this is a cam phaser issue at this time because the noise is noticeable primarily on colder days and mostly during cold operation. Moreover, there appears to be the slight smell of exhaust into the cabin once in a while on very cold days that seems to disappear after the metals have time to heat and adjust, further leading one to believe there is an exhaust manifold issue. To play it safe I am changing the VCT Solenoids and gaskets. Once I have some spare time and hopefully a little help I will pick up an exhaust manifold and start working on that.

If anyone is in the Denver/Colorado Springs area that would wanna help out (beer or money can be provided) it would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks!

stcolorado

Some updates...

I took the truck in to have the ball joints and control arms worked on. While he had it I asked him to take note of the idle and expressed what I felt it may be. He told me these engines can be known to cause noises and he ran tests to make sure compression was okay and that combustion is happening properly in all cylinders. We also replaced the oil pressure switch and generally made sure the engine was working well. He told me he saw nothing in the tests and when I asked about phaser replacement or VCT Solenoids he told me he didn't feel either of these would fix the current noises. When I pressed more about the knock he suggested it sounds like the fuel injectors and recommended changing gas stations if I notice it happens specifically at one place.

Today while the truck was in park I noticed the most noise its made to date. I've uploaded a video to Youtube about this in hopes that someone can give me peace of mind that I am in fact fine to keep driving or tell me what may be wrong so I can prepare my repairs.


Thanks

screamineagle

I could be wrong but that Sounds similar to main bearing noise to me. Have you had the oil pressure checked with an actual oil pressure gauge? Worn mains will generally show low oil pressure and sometimes they quiet down at higher rpm.

Does the sound seem to be coming from the bottom of the engine or the top? Hard to diagnose over the Interweb, I recommend getting a true oil pressure reading to rule out main bearings.

stcolorado

I am not sure what tests he has ran on it, but he said there were no issues flagged when he had it hooked up. The noise is most evident on the passenger side under the wheel well, as if you are near the exhaust manifold. The truck had a faulty oil pressure sensor that once changed stopped flagging any problems... However, to my knowledge it hasn't been hooked up to a true oil pressure gauge yet.

stcolorado

It may be worth noting that while this noise is evident, it is only evident if you're standing on the passenger side. I get no actual feedback to the cabin and I experience no loss of power, stalling, sputtering, or anything that would remotely feel like a misfire. Her fuel eco is actually pretty great, too, considering what Denver altitude does to an engine. I get anywhere from 12.5mpg to 13.5mpg city (on winter gas) and roughly 16-18 oh the highway, averaging about 16 combined. I was told one of the most evident issues of phasers and solenoids is that fuel economy will be impacted as the variable timing retarding/advancing will be hindered by improperly performing parts... So, maybe it is just a leaky manifold after all?