jm0502

I know thats the problem. Just cant get that dealer to acknowledge that there is a chain rattle. It sat 10 hrs last night and didnt do it. Ive started recording the startup in the morning. I should have it on video soon.

OddBall

Oddly enough my EB did not have the CEL on the morning I took it. However, because of that, I was able to stand in front of the truck, record it and do a remote start with the rattle. The nice part is I could show the service advisor the date/time on the video. Unfortunately some dealers will step up and some will not.

Not only are they doing that they are doing everything I asked them to look into, including the Sync problem. They replaced the entire APIM unit, aka, the computer for the Sync system. And I found out you -can- get the defroster fixed under warranty very easily. The problem is most dealers are not coding the repair correctly and ordering glass when they should be looking at the defroster itself. My argument all along was the part failed and it's covered. It did not matter that it happened to be attached to the glass. They covered it.

You might want to work through one of the Ford reps on this site. I did and the actual rep, James, has been communicative and helpful throughout.

Rougen123

It was my understanding that one of the most recent TSBs dictated that the chain AND phasers be changed at the same time if that TSB is being done?

Probably misunderstood

maplelakeduckslayer

Yeah, That tsb is done if you have a rattle. If you have a cel they just do the chain

OddBall

So I got it back yesterday and they did a ton of work. Sheehy Ford in Warrenton Va did the work.

The service advance trac light came on again when I was maneuvering around the lot to drop it off. It went out but I let them know.

They replaced the steering rack due to the advance trac after performing the test procedure
Free alignment
APIM replaced (failed the test procedure) for the Sync system.
New phasers, timing chain, guides and a cam sprocket were replaced. I saw the cam sprocket...it was worn badly
Rear glass replaced
LOF
70K maintanance
Flashed the ECM
Replaced the driveshaft yoke assembly. (I had a clunk not related to the shudder on take off)


One minor but annoying problem; the BT mic doesn't work so back it goes next week. They may have forgotten to plug in the mic. No big deal, it happens.

Observations:

Idle is much improved and I do mean much, Still a slight occasional idle rattle which I can fix by replacing the plugs which are nearing replacement time.

Throttle tip in: just fine and it pulls the way it should. After having the rental Focus for 2 weeks it really is odd to feel how quietly and quickly the truck pulls (stock everything)

I haven't had a chance to really see if fuel economy is up or down at this point but I have picked up a mpg or so since I dropped it off.

I'd say the ESP paid for itself at least twice the original amount just in this visit alone and probably 3 times over for the life of the vehicle. If anyone is thinking of getting a new EB get the ESP. I'm guessing very near $5000 for the repair work. The ESP has also provisions for a free rental up to ten days.


This last visit was a complete 180 from the previous. The service dept was very helpful, they talked to me, listened to me, addressed every single one of my concerns without questioning (other than confirming my complaints). They covered 12 days of rental at no charge. This is meeting and exceeding all my expectations for this visit. I don't think this is an anomaly at all. They've changed the way they do business and it's for the better.

So often people complain but I am enjoying giving compliments. We pay a bloody fortune for these vehicles so being treated this way is nice.

Now I see if the repairs worked and this means setting my oil life to 50% and monitoring it for noise.

Rougen123

I just don't get how this can't be electronically tuned out so it quits happening. A buddy of mine has a Subaru WRX and gets rattle occasionally. Internet says for his car it's nothing to worry about, and aftermarket tuners can even adjust parameters around so it'll quit occurring.

Wishing things could be more simple....

paperassgasket

So I noticed yesterday that my 2011 f150 3.5l ecoboost was a bit down on power. This morning I heard a clanking noise from the engine, regularly occurring at around 2500rpm. It sounds exactly like the video posted earlier in this thread. This afternoon on the way home my engine threw a p0365 code. I know it's not the p0016 code Ford has a TSB for but it's about the same symptoms.

I'm sitting in the parking lot of Battlefield Ford in Manassas. I'm about to drop it off for diagnostics. I'll post back and let you know what they say.

David at service was very friendly and helpful. He took it in right away and I showed him the noise. He says it could be a solenoid or actuator, but we'll see. Hopefully it's not timing chain stretch but I should know tomorrow.

paperassgasket

Whelp the dealership just called me back. It's the timing chain.
The noise is the chain slapping the valve cover. The dealer is going to open a case with Ford on my behalf and we'll see where it goes from there.

50,000 mi and the powertrain warranty ended in March.

murf

I've always been interested in this thread. I have a 2011 and the rattle started over 2 years ago. It's very random, but as soon as I hear it I change the oil. It usually happens when the oil is about 6,000 miles old but I also haven't heard it in quite a while.

Keeps on running quiet and I have never thrown a code so we shall see.

EDIT: I have almost $85,000 miles on my truck.

EcoBeast03

I believe I am another victim of the infamous timing chain problems we have been seeing. I purchased my 2011 Ecoboost FX4 Screw last fall. Drove it all through the Michigan winter with no problems. I did continue to mildly mod through the winter. Bilstein Shockes/ Leveled, 18" Raptors and BFG TKO2s, Motocraft Plugs Gapped to .030, SCT with MPT tunes. Other than the slip yoke bump I had been working through, I couldn't have been happier with the truck.

I started seeing mpg go down , around January. I was getting around 17-18 on highway cruise even with tires and tune. I started dropping to 14-15 mpg, but wasn't too concerned honestly about the mpg, it's a truck. I then started to hear the start up rattle. I was nearing 5000 miles on my oil change. I then got a "random misfire" code. The next week I got the P0016 timing code and the truck started going into Limp Mode. So I changed the oil, Mobil1 full synthetic as normal, and swapped all plugs and gapped once again to .030. Never saw the misfire code again, and the rattle went away unless the truck sat for a few days in the cold. The P0016 would randomly come up and limp mode every now and then. After everyday driving over the next month, it turned into a daily limp mode and resetting the truck while in neutral coasting down the road.

I read lots of posts. Thought I was getting the water in CAC problem so I drilled the weep hole. I was surprised at the amount of oily water that came out. This didn't help any of my problems tho.

I started reading more on this rattle issue and was really thinking I'm in for a $4k repair for timing rebuild. Read up on all of the TSBs and was putting off going to the Ford service department. I did go just a month ago.

They took it in and ran diagnostics. Saw timing was good when it was good, but the would go way out, and throw it into limp mode. Codes don't always pop up when this happens. It they had enough data to lean towards replacing the four VCT Solenoids under the valve covers.

Success! Not really. Drove it the next day to work and it seemed I was at half power. Looked under the hood, found a plug not connected on top of the intake. It has vacuum lines from the sensor going to both sides of turbos. Reconnected and drove again. Power was back, 90% and happy at that. Looked under the hood again and saw smoke and it was smelling of burning plastic. Looked underneath and saw oil leaking and a bracket laying on top of my skid plate. So back to the dealer it went.

They said the oil was coming from drain plug loose, odd. Bracket was missed and they installed it. Plug was missed, I get it , stuff happens. So they called Ford engineers and the result was this. "You have sludge in the engine, replace the long block, $8k". Yikes! The diagnosis came from the Solenoids they pulled out had some sludge on them. I have Pics I can post later. I didn't see them until my return trip back. Definitely sludged. So they refunded my money on the initial repairs and sent me on my way since Ford won't let them do anything else. Honestly, was surprised they did that without me even asking.

So I did a few more things. Fresh oil change, Mobil1 Syn and Marvel's Mystery Oil. 650 miles, and drained and filtered. Dark oil but no particulates in the drained oil. Problem has progressed to 3-5 times a day limp mode and a continuous P0016. I also cleaned my PC and both MAP sensors and MAF (sensor by air box, I don't need feedback on what this sensor really is). After cleaning these, my idle really calmed down and when it did go into limp mode, it still had some power and was drivable unti iI could restart. One note, my MAP sensor on the intake was covered in caked on oil. so I purchased the UPR clean air seperaor mega catch can system. it's till on backorder.

So lots of hard thinking and monitoring with my Live wire SCT and I still think it's a timing issue not necessarily a sludge issue. So back to the dealer today.

I told them what I wanted to happen. Let's pull the valve covers and inspect the Solenoids. If they are packed with sludge, maybe they're right, and I'm F'ed. If they look reasonably clean, let's replace the timing. Main Chain, (4) Phasers, Secondary Chains, Secondary Tensioners, Primary Tensioner, Guides, Crank Sprocket, Gaskets and new Solenoids too. All quoted for the low low price of $3,600. Which I actually took as a fair deal for all of the work. So we shall see. Its not scheduled to get started working on until mext week Tuesday unless scheduling opens up.

So now everyone's opinions. Am I doing the right thing? Is it the timing chain and phasers? I really hope so, I can't sink $8k into it. It only has 84,000 miles now. I've only had it for 15k miles. The truck is awesome, when it's running! So what does everyone think? Also, I've been reading these forums for the past few months but just officially joined. What a great first post! I am going to document repairs with pictures if they take place so I can share the results.