Jan 22, 2015, 03:49 PM
Last edit by: IB Advertising
Issue: Is your F-150’s engine idling loudly?
The eight cylinder engines are notorious for this due to the cam phasers. For the unaware, cam phasers are responsible for adjusting the camshaft position to improve fuel injection into the cylinders, which leads to better fuel efficiency when idling and the ability to draw power from the engine more quickly. However, after anywhere from 60,000-100,000 miles, they also cause rough, loud idling due to wear and tear.
While the cause can typically be linked to the cam phasers, solutions to the problem vary widely. Some of the top recommendations include:
Read the full thread to find out which of these solutions is best for your truck.
The eight cylinder engines are notorious for this due to the cam phasers. For the unaware, cam phasers are responsible for adjusting the camshaft position to improve fuel injection into the cylinders, which leads to better fuel efficiency when idling and the ability to draw power from the engine more quickly. However, after anywhere from 60,000-100,000 miles, they also cause rough, loud idling due to wear and tear.
While the cause can typically be linked to the cam phasers, solutions to the problem vary widely. Some of the top recommendations include:
- While the noise is annoying, the cam phaser itself isn’t actually breaking. If you can live with it, your F-150 will be fine.
- If the truck is under warranty, bring it to the dealership.
- It’s possible they may need to either replace the cam phasers, or even the cam phasers and camshaft as well.
- Install a coil spring behind each cam phaser to reduce the rattle as it moves.
- Swap the cam phasers from a larger engine so that it sits more tightly, reducing the rattle.
Read the full thread to find out which of these solutions is best for your truck.
5.4L cam phasers.. What goes bad?
Junior Member
Joined: Mar 2012
Posts: 7
Likes: 0
From: eastham, ma
i have replaced all of that also, and just replaced the injectors, she runs like a champ but still does have a ticking coming from the passanger side, lifters are basicly the only thing that i havent touched.....and have no plans on doing so, im learning to live with the ticking, still love the truck!
Senior Member
Joined: May 2012
Posts: 157
Likes: 5
Originally Posted by twthomas1
Hello there Johnny, I have replaced everything you have and a little more. My phasers i dont beleive is bad because i dont have the rapping in it and also the codes are not showing up on mine any more. the only problem i am having now is that i have low idle in gear and it stalls out as soon as you put it in drive. what i have found out is threw all the bs is that when it ran like crap and thought it was the cam phasers going bad and misfiring it caused my right side cat to break up in to dust in the front half of the cat and plugged up the back half of the cat, so i had a notion one day at work to come home and pull out the o2 senser and a cloud of dust no lie a cloud came out. also i was getting so much back pressure when i took off the oil filler cap it about blew it out of my hand. So i took for a test drive loud as hell but no codes or miss fires, so i replaced that cat and drove it then it started not idling and coasting to a stop or at a stop. Now it still sits as it has for 8 months and i wound up replacing a vaccum line and the intake gaskets to no reval to solve the idling issue but will idle in park as like it was never broke. I am sorry for the long story but wanted to tell you everything i have done, i hope i have shed some light on the subject.
Senior Member
Joined: May 2012
Posts: 157
Likes: 5
Before anyone starts throwing money at rough idle when warm, but ok when cold-Check oil pressure at cold and warm temps. If you have lower than 25psi or so this will cause the cam phasers to not work correctly and the timing will be off causing erratic/poor idling.
Junior Member
Joined: Jul 2012
Posts: 2
Likes: 0
Hi guys, just wanted to see what if any of u guys could give me a hand on my project quickly. Im new to forums in general so please bare with me as i hope i am posting in the right place!! I have a 2004 F-150 5.4 Lariat. This is my 3rd f150 in this series with the all famous cam phaser tick, exceptttttt.... after 30,000k the tick became a harsh rattle. I grabbed my stephoscope and managed to pin point the location to the middle/lower portion of the chain case. I am fairly mechanically inclined and usualy do not shy away from very many projects. Thus being my daily driver I asked the dealer first tho what we could be looking at. They said at least 13 hours to open it up and close it, plus parts and all other labour costs. so not wanting a 2-3000 dollar bill.... I drove the truck home and got into it. After removing the case, i found the rattling to be coming from a very very slack chain on the upper portion of the chain on the passenger side (litterally sagging so much it would almost touch the lower part of that chain) This problem had managed to shatter the upper chain guide in the mean time. I tried rotating the crank by hand to see if building oil pressure would help tighten the chain up, the drivers side chain then went limp and the passenger side chain tightened up! In the meantime i had noticed parts of the busted slide falling into the oil pan so i had removed the oil pan and cleaned out all busted pieces of the slide. After that was done, im thinkin the tentioners are probly shot. Off to ford. $380 later i have new tentioners on and the new upper passenger side slide... Problem presists. i even cranked the motor by hand multiple times to make sure that the oil pressure had time to build but its just not helping. Chains will be tight one second.. and litteraly 2 degrees more of a turn on the crank and INSTANTLY one of the chains will go slack then randomly another turn or so later they will INSTANTLY go tight again. I dont get it. I am very confused and dont know where else to be looking!! The truck ran perfect up till point of tear down with the exception of phaser tick and timing chain rattle. The only other things noted are a week or 2 prior to the tear down, the low oil pressure light would appear on the dash for 2-3 seconds after start up. Wich i had never seen before that period. Also while i was cranking motor by hand Oil started leaking down from cam phaser area. Is that going to be normal? Any help or suggestions on where to look next would be so appreciated!! My next thoughts are going to be based on a low oil pressure assumption causing the tentioners to fail. Thanks again guys and i appologize for the long message, as i surf these threads i realize just how important good description is!
How small we're the bits of tensioner you found in the oil pan? We're they really small?
Are these chains slacking and tightening all in 1 rotation of the crank? Or multiple full rotations of the crank....
When you changed the tensioners, did you replace the little proportioning valve that feeds the oil to them? The seals on those are prone to leaking.
Take some pics or maybe even a video. Upload it to you tube and post the link...
There is also a guy named Svares that has a thread in the 04-08 section... He can help if you post up there as well.
Are these chains slacking and tightening all in 1 rotation of the crank? Or multiple full rotations of the crank....
When you changed the tensioners, did you replace the little proportioning valve that feeds the oil to them? The seals on those are prone to leaking.
Take some pics or maybe even a video. Upload it to you tube and post the link...
There is also a guy named Svares that has a thread in the 04-08 section... He can help if you post up there as well.
Junior Member
Joined: Jul 2011
Posts: 3
Likes: 0
Hey guys, kinda new here just wanted to share my expirence. A few months back i expirenced the "cam phaser" issue on my 06 f150. First had the dieseling noise which quickly gave way to the timeing jumping all over and the truck often droppiong four cylinders to go into a "safe mode". Anyhow i put alot of miles on my truck, swapped the cam phasers out myself in a day and got her back together. Turned key and she purred smooth with no ticking...... BUT now no oil pressure. Figured "great plastic shaveings in the pickup screen". Ripped her back apart and drop the pan "oh goodie no plastic shaveings, but OH NO!" In the bottom of the pan lie the remains of my thrust washers.
So New oil pump, new thrust washers, main bearings, rod bearings,timeing set,waterpump,CPS'S, pickup tube, and finally power steering pump. Accidently hit the shaft on the power steering pump well prying on something, prybar slipped and blew the shaft through the back of the pump. Got it all together again, turned key and fired. Purred beautifully but went to drive her today and the one thing i didnt change the Vct sensors crapped out so she drop idle super low then dies. Unplugged um and she runs great. So looks like im pulling the valve covers again....... Point here dont let the cam phaser issue keep getting worse or youll end up replaceing all the **** i did.
If you want to see if its the VCT sensors or the phasers, unplug the VCT sensors one at a time and run it. Im kind of glad the oil psi issue popped up cause the bearings were showing ware (but didnt damage the journals) and the thrust washers were distroyed. If anyone needs any tips or hints feel free to contact me 4192831569, text me first cause i ignore numbers i dont know. Hope this helps some guys out.
So New oil pump, new thrust washers, main bearings, rod bearings,timeing set,waterpump,CPS'S, pickup tube, and finally power steering pump. Accidently hit the shaft on the power steering pump well prying on something, prybar slipped and blew the shaft through the back of the pump. Got it all together again, turned key and fired. Purred beautifully but went to drive her today and the one thing i didnt change the Vct sensors crapped out so she drop idle super low then dies. Unplugged um and she runs great. So looks like im pulling the valve covers again....... Point here dont let the cam phaser issue keep getting worse or youll end up replaceing all the **** i did.
If you want to see if its the VCT sensors or the phasers, unplug the VCT sensors one at a time and run it. Im kind of glad the oil psi issue popped up cause the bearings were showing ware (but didnt damage the journals) and the thrust washers were distroyed. If anyone needs any tips or hints feel free to contact me 4192831569, text me first cause i ignore numbers i dont know. Hope this helps some guys out.