Hey everyone, I have a 2010 f150 5.4L FX4 edition with only 60k miles on it, owned it for 2 years now and it runs awesome. I am well aware of the issues these motors have as they age, no sign of any problems so far. Having said that, what is everyone doing for preventative maintenance of these trucks for the long term?

I have heard about getting the high volume oil pumps, cam phaser lockouts, new timing gear etc...etc.... But should I be waiting until 100k 150k before starting into these very large jobs or is the rule " the sooner the better" applicable in this situation.

Thanks in advance for the advice

 

Your truck has less miles than my 14. I’d at least start doing the fluid. Age can be a factor too.

 

Here's my take, with what I have seen -

When it comes to phaser failure, by and large the largest contributor to this is the timing chain tensioner seal failing. Once this lets go, you basically have an internal oil leak, and a decent sized one at that. This starves the right side cam and cam phaser of oil, creating a chain reaction of events. In my case, the previous owner ignored the start up rattle, and drove it until the timing chain guide for the right side chain broke completely OFF.

My advice, run 5W30 in it if it is quiet now, and as soon as you hear the startup rattle, get the timing job done. Unfortunately, there's no real preventative maintenance for a seal that could let go.

That said, until you hear that noise, don't sweat it. My dad has an '08 with 165K on it now, still on all of the OE parts, no rattle, no knock, no nothing. I would not call it SURE to fail, but at some point the odds are better than average.

Tim

 

Thank you
That sounds like good advice

Cheers

 

Routine oil changes are key, but the above info is correct. I wouldn’t worry about it till you start hearing a rattle. I had an 04 5.4 with 192k and no rattle on original parts, now I have an 09 5.4 with 145k and not problems at all. Take good care of it and when and if you start to get a rattle take care of it sooner rather than later.