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^^^^ This...I change my oil between 4-5000 miles ALWAYS a new filter. Ford oil light essentially recommends a 10K oil change and it's all nonsense. This is how they get more sales and they keep their service bays full with high dollar repairs outside of warranty. It's all about creating perpetual buyer demand and planned obsolescence.
Are you sure they used the new style cam phasers? The cam phasers fail due to oil issues so it stands to reason if your pan was full of sludge, that exacerbated the issue.
My advice is sell it for what you can and buy another vehicle.
Change your oil every 5,000 miles on the 5,000. Full synthetic oil. Filters get changed every oil change too. They're $10... its worth it not to have to remember when you last did an oil change or last did a filter.
I totally agree with you. Had a 2019 STX 2.7 EB, oil changed every 5k miles (+- few miles). Traded in for new in 2024 after 196K miles, no issue with the engine.
Currently owning 2023 Tremor, 71K miles (purchased new in June 2024 with 2k miles, was a display model at dealership), and changing engine oil in same 5k mile intervals.
My coworker owns a 2016 3.5 Lariat, original engine with 345k miles. Same oil change interval. He did replace turbos and transmission around 260k miles.
And it is full synthetic oil
The phasers have locking pins that engage when the engine shuts off. Upon startup, before the engine can get sufficient oil pressure to hold the phasers in place, the pins are what maintain position. The original phaser is a flawed design and the pin retainers wear out. At startup, the pins aren't holding the phasers in place and there's not enough oil pressure yet, so the phasers rattle back and forth.
The root cause of the initial design's failure isn't insufficient oil pressure, the root cause is a flawed phaser design.
If he installed the updated phaser design and those failed, then I'd start looking elsewhere as the updated phasers seem to be much more trouble free. There are LOTS of reports of original phasers failing in the 50-90,000 mile range even with perfect maintenance and perfect oil and perfect running conditions, so we can all drop the blaming the owner narrative.
I went to the shop today unannounced and took my own Boriscope and went into the oil pan. Them telling me it was full of sludge was complete BS. Did it have some? Absolutely. Any engine with 176,000 miles does.
Does this look like an abused engine to you? Like someone who didn't do routine maintenance on their vehicle or just look like an engine that has twin turbos at 176,000 miles..... The only spot in the entire drain pan that even had minor build up was under the pickup tube, which is where it collects because it is the lowest point.
You have learned the shop is not trustworthy. Time to get your vehicle out of there.
Even if they said sorry, we'll do any work for free would you trust them? I wouldn't.
I went to the shop today unannounced and took my own Boriscope and went into the oil pan. Them telling me it was full of sludge was complete BS. Did it have some? Absolutely. Any engine with 176,000 miles does.
Does this look like an abused engine to you? Like someone who didn't do routine maintenance on their vehicle or just look like an engine that has twin turbos at 176,000 miles..... The only spot in the entire drain pan that even had minor build up was under the pickup tube, which is where it collects because it is the lowest point.
After doing an image search, those don't look like OEM phasers. I may be wrong, but had mine done last year. Ask anyone, they'll all tell you only OEM phasers will work.
