I'm new to this forum and this is my first thread. I have a 2013 F150 3.5l ecoboost with 126k miles. Back in October I took it to the dealer because CEL came on and it was losing power once I got up to 50 mph. They said it was the timing chain code and took off the valve covers and told me that it had heavy sludge and it jumped time due to the timing chain getting stretched causing internal damage. They said it needed a new engine and quoted me a little over 10k for a new one. It had 90k when I bought it and I have done my own oil changes at 5k miles with motorcraft 5w30. I have never seen anything in the oil to suggest heavy sludge. Has anyone else had the same situation where they just had a new timing chain and phasers and tensioners installed and fixed the problem?

 

Not sure i believe sludge, assuming you're changing the oil when it's hot, and not cold?

Timing chain stretch issues, are, well, an issue, and if it's enough, yes it can jump, not sure it means you need a new engine, just a timing job.

 

You are unlikely to see sludge while changing the oil. Timing chain issues with the gen 1 3.5 are typically caused or made worse by lack of maintenance and it sounds like the previous owner of your truck didnt take good care of it. Did they give you a reason that it needs a new engine? A worn timing chain usually does not require a new engine to repair unless it jumped time and pistons touched valves.

 

All the dealer said was internal damage, I kind of got the feeling they were just trying to get me to buy a new engine. I don't want to keep taking it to get diagnosed and pay 5-600 every time and hoping someone else had the same issue that a timing chain replacement would fix.

 

If something needs a new motor, or something is really shot, mechanically, it will be shot at all rpm and speed. ie: consistently down on power. Otherwise motor aint messed up. Its a computer/sensor issue imo. Google the hell out of it and find a good mechanic that knows his stuff.

 

Thanks, it still runs and I start it every week and let it run for awhile. You can tell it's off time a little or a sensor because you can hear it in the exhaust. If you didn't know what to listen for, you probably wouldn't hear it. I think I'm going to find a good mechanic.