My 06 F150 XLT SCrew 4WD (5.4L 3 V w/187,000) started knocking almost immediately after having the oil changed at the dealership. And by immediately I mean no more than 30 miles had been driven after the service before it started knocking. I had them come get it yesterday thinking it was too coincidental for something major to go wrong that soon after being serviced without any previous signs. They called me back this morning and said one of the timing guides broke and it needs new cam phasers, solenoids, timing chain, etc. but they recommended replacing the motor. The oil pressure gauge has been broken for some time so it's possible the pressure has been low but no way to know for sure, especially since it was previously running fine. After I started researching last night I came across a video of a 5.4 with a cam phaser knock that is the exact same tick my truck has had since I bought it in 2013 (it sounds like a quiet diesel). I've mentioned the noise before but never actually had it looked at since everything seemed to be running fine and the dealership never mentioned it every time I took it in for service. So after hearing that I'm thinking I'm lucky it held up as long as it did. Should I get a 2nd opinion somewhere else, or proceed with their recommendations? Any recommendations on best places to order a crate motor? Any companies I should avoid? TIA

 

Unfortunately this is much more common than some may realize. And many dealerships / service centers typically suggest to just replace the engine instead of addressing the root cause of your issue which is typically cam phaser related when the timing chain guides break. I take several calls a day with very similar scenarios where the dealerships or repair facilities are not aware of our solution and suggest a new engine. Then most people end up turning to the internet to look for other options.

I would suggest to install a new timing component set and our cam phaser noise repair kit while you are in there before replacing the entire engine. When the cam phasers have issues which all of the 3v modular engines will at some point in their life, it commonly causes them to break those plastic guides. Over time as these engines wear they develop a knocking noise in the front timing chain area of the engine. This is commonly caused by the cam phaser moving back and forth uncontrollable which in addition to all the noise will also send error codes to the computer and send the engine into the 'limp' mode. An engine in the 'limp' mode will run very poorly with symptoms like low power, poor mileage, rough idle etc. This permanent repair kit will change the phaser to a solid hub design and install a new tune into the vehicles computer to get it out of the 'limp' mode and return it to normal operations. Simple in design, requiring no special tools and it includes our timing chain wedge tool which makes it even easier saving you hours of time. Simply this is the the only CARB approved and most complete cam phaser repair kit available anywhere..at this time.

Here is a link to the cam phaser noise repair kit on our website for pricing and more information as well. https://www.livernoismotorsports.com/product/LPP823113

Here is a link to our video instructional showing how simple the cam phaser noise repair kit is to install.

 

Here's a 21 page cam phaser thread, just for extra background. Looks like you have decisions to make. Good luck. And I thought my 4.2 liter PO171 and PO174 errors were a pain.

https://www.f150forum.com/f68/5-4l-c...-22757/index4/