Should I swap my engine? 2005 5.4L
12-16-2015, 03:42 PM
#1
Should I swap my engine? 2005 5.4L
So I'm having the cam phaser problem bad that's apparently super common with these engines and my engine is knocking badly when I come to a stop after the engine warms up and I have to rev the rpms in neutral to keep the engine from stalling out or stopping. It's crazy.
I'm not tech savvy at all when it comes to working on my truck. I've replaced engine coils, brakes, fixed some random speaker problems I've had, but when it comes to the inner workings of the engine I'm lost.
I'm in the Coast Guard and going to tech school at the moment so I don't have an abundance of time or money. My question is directed to more experienced people with these engines. Should I do an engine swap? I've looked into getting a cam phaser lockout kit like the one livernois sells but I heard that you lose a lot of top end power doing that. I don't really want that to happen in case I decide to get a boat and need the power to tow it or something.
Replacing the cam phasers I heard will just fix it temporarily and come back to haunt you later. What is the best fix for this? If it is to swap the engine what engine should I be looking at. Thank you for any help at all I really appreciate it.
Sorry for the wall of text .
I'm not tech savvy at all when it comes to working on my truck. I've replaced engine coils, brakes, fixed some random speaker problems I've had, but when it comes to the inner workings of the engine I'm lost.
I'm in the Coast Guard and going to tech school at the moment so I don't have an abundance of time or money. My question is directed to more experienced people with these engines. Should I do an engine swap? I've looked into getting a cam phaser lockout kit like the one livernois sells but I heard that you lose a lot of top end power doing that. I don't really want that to happen in case I decide to get a boat and need the power to tow it or something.
Replacing the cam phasers I heard will just fix it temporarily and come back to haunt you later. What is the best fix for this? If it is to swap the engine what engine should I be looking at. Thank you for any help at all I really appreciate it.
Sorry for the wall of text .
12-16-2015, 06:50 PM
#2
Senior Member
So I'm having the cam phaser problem bad that's apparently super common with these engines and my engine is knocking badly when I come to a stop after the engine warms up and I have to rev the rpms in neutral to keep the engine from stalling out or stopping. It's crazy.
I'm not tech savvy at all when it comes to working on my truck. I've replaced engine coils, brakes, fixed some random speaker problems I've had, but when it comes to the inner workings of the engine I'm lost.
I'm in the Coast Guard and going to tech school at the moment so I don't have an abundance of time or money. My question is directed to more experienced people with these engines. Should I do an engine swap? I've looked into getting a cam phaser lockout kit like the one livernois sells but I heard that you lose a lot of top end power doing that. I don't really want that to happen in case I decide to get a boat and need the power to tow it or something.
Replacing the cam phasers I heard will just fix it temporarily and come back to haunt you later. What is the best fix for this? If it is to swap the engine what engine should I be looking at. Thank you for any help at all I really appreciate it.
Sorry for the wall of text .
I'm not tech savvy at all when it comes to working on my truck. I've replaced engine coils, brakes, fixed some random speaker problems I've had, but when it comes to the inner workings of the engine I'm lost.
I'm in the Coast Guard and going to tech school at the moment so I don't have an abundance of time or money. My question is directed to more experienced people with these engines. Should I do an engine swap? I've looked into getting a cam phaser lockout kit like the one livernois sells but I heard that you lose a lot of top end power doing that. I don't really want that to happen in case I decide to get a boat and need the power to tow it or something.
Replacing the cam phasers I heard will just fix it temporarily and come back to haunt you later. What is the best fix for this? If it is to swap the engine what engine should I be looking at. Thank you for any help at all I really appreciate it.
Sorry for the wall of text .
phasers/chains/guides/tensioners/vct's / rockers/lifters
still less then 1.1k in parts.
12-16-2015, 07:06 PM
#3
This is the general consensus in my eyes regarding this problem. Have Ford do a true oil pressure test on the engine. This will involve them getting it HOT during a good test drive, NOT a trip around the block, coming back and hooking it up to an oil pressure gauge. This will determine if the phasers are worth doing.
My dealership says anything less than 15 psi HOT IDLE is not worth repairing. If it is borderline and you have the leaky oil chain tensioner issue then repairing that may get it above the magical number of 15psi but that's an expensive repair. ($1500 in parts OEM in my neck of the woods) A good indicator of leaky timing chain tensioners is a slapping sound lasting 2-5 seconds on engine start up after a cold soak (like overnight). If you go ahead and have all the timing components done they will check for scoring (caused by lack of lubrication) in the valve train. If there is scoring found they will likely (hopefully) halt the repair and contact you regarding a new engine.
If you end up replacing your motor, Jasper engines are a solid option. Remember Motorcraft (Ford) filters only. http://www.jasperengines.com/ford-triton-engines
Any further questions feel free to ask.
Devon
My dealership says anything less than 15 psi HOT IDLE is not worth repairing. If it is borderline and you have the leaky oil chain tensioner issue then repairing that may get it above the magical number of 15psi but that's an expensive repair. ($1500 in parts OEM in my neck of the woods) A good indicator of leaky timing chain tensioners is a slapping sound lasting 2-5 seconds on engine start up after a cold soak (like overnight). If you go ahead and have all the timing components done they will check for scoring (caused by lack of lubrication) in the valve train. If there is scoring found they will likely (hopefully) halt the repair and contact you regarding a new engine.
If you end up replacing your motor, Jasper engines are a solid option. Remember Motorcraft (Ford) filters only. http://www.jasperengines.com/ford-triton-engines
Any further questions feel free to ask.
Devon
12-16-2015, 07:13 PM
#4
Unfortunately not that simple, if there is a sludging/restricted oil galleries issue resulting in a lack of lubrication to the top end it WILL come back. That is why testing the oil pressure is a good indicator of whether or not the repair is worth doing. There are some exceptions here (such as a plugged oil pick up tube) but this is a forum and we speak in generalities.