dublduty

I am new to Fords and just bought an 05 FX4. Very impressed and love the ride and feel of the truck. I traded my 03 Tacoma at a dealership for the truck and could not be happier. Anyhow, after I got the truck home I noticed the diesel sounds and ticking coming from the top of the engine. I did a lot of searching and reading through forums to see what the issue could be and see if any resolution could be made to fix it. I now know I have the dreaded cam Phaser rattle and it only happens when the engine is at warm temperature.

I read on another forum about trying a heavier oil to quiet the rattling and diesel sounds so I went to Ford and bought the proper filter (there was a motomaster filter on there) and picked up a 9.5 liter jug of Rotella 15w40 diesel oil. Did the oil change and started the truck which was already warm. I could tell because the oil that came out was hot to touch. The diesel sound was there when I first turned the key and after 3 seconds.....gone!!! Not a rattle or tick or nothing!!! From the day I brought this truck home I was told by several friends that the truck sounded like is was going to blow..it was that loud. Anyhow, I have about 300 kilometers(180 miles) and knock on wood the truck is as quiet as a church mouse.Oil pressure never changed as well.

I am not advising that people do this because I understand about these modular engines and how oil passages are tiny and prone to sludge build up but in my honest opinion I think the 5w20 is too thin and feel this was one of the issues why so many people are experiencing the same ticking and diesel sounds as I was.

I will however run the heavier oil for the remainder of the summer and drop back down to a 5w30 for the cold months. Just my .02

speeddemon86

Cool keep us updated on results!

blackbetty

You dont have a oil gauge. It is a dummy light. If you have positive oil pressure it will read normal.

Also i recommend against this. But to each his own.

speeddemon86

I hear a lot of people recommend against this... Hope to stay updated on this as well

dublduty

Wow, had no idea about the pressure gauge being a dummy light. Thanks for that.

lundgrener02

Best of luck with it, I run Rotella in both of my race quads and it has been the best decision with regards to buying overpriced atv/dirt bike specific synthetic oils. Keep us up to date on this, I would love to hear how it is a few thousand miles from now. I was hoping I could run it in my truck when I bought it until I looked into it and heard all the 5w20 stuff so I thought I would just go the recommended route.

papa tiger

It really all comes down the oil pump in the front of the motor. It's probably worn a little with slightly more clearences and welcomes the 15w40. Oil is pumped up the back of the motor, down along the heads by the camshafts where it enters the VCT's, a long run and plenty of time to warm up, becoming 40 weight. There is plenty of lubrication there when you shut it off. If it was new I would recommend a 5w30 for temps below 40 degrees. the VCT aren't going to be affected in summer. I would use 10w30, but you have a worn, used motor. You may see a slight drop of a few tenths in gas mileage. good luck

Guy9smiley2

Like putting a bandaid on a broken arm. May look like it helps ( sounds ) but doesn't fix a thing. If anything this could be worse.

dublduty

Should I break into the motor and replace the phasers and solenoids or just leave well enough alone? My biggest worry are the horror stories I have read of people spending a ton of money and then have the issue not be resolved or have the issue come back in a short period of time.

Such a shame because I was really looking forward to owning a Ford. Never had any issues with the Toyota Trucks I have owned in the past. I even had an 05 and 04 Dodge Ram and had no issues at all. Having said that, I will never go back to a Ram. What a gas hog they were. I average between 15 and 16mpg with this truck and used to average 11mpg with the dodge.

flybub

It is a shame that the 5.4 3v motor has these issues. Just wait until you go to change your spark plugs. I also have an 05 XLT and I'm scared to death to drive the thing. I do have the embarrassing ticking/rattling and it drives me crazy but I don't have the money to fix it. I'm at 70000 miles and my tranny is starting to slip so there is another issue. I love my truck but I wish ford would have done a better job on powertrain design.