Recently acquired a 2004 F150 (5.4) not running and no start condition.
After several weeks of electrical issued I got it going. Thanks to F150 Torqued for all your inputs.
After warm up during acceleration there is a distinct ticking heard during acceleration. Sounds just like a coil arcing or a slight valve tap from the passenger side.
at full operating temperature the engine sounds like a diesel while its idling on the Passenger side. Nothing from the drivers side. Truck runs smooth and seems to perform well.
I need to get this vehicle in top condition
Soooo ..

Ready to pull the accessories.

Valve cover off.
I am in the process of the dis-assembly now .......What a royal pain. They dont make it easy.
The front of the engine is stripped down and drivers side valve cover is off. That chain is real loose ......
Tomorrow I hope to get to the passenger side and get the front cover off.

 

Subscribed : read along with previous thread and will look fwd to watching this one too. Good luck with it.

 

Good news -i don't see much sludge from the limited pics . Use all oem parts inside . They are expensive .-yes . A lot of parts are improved . make sure you clean oil pan and pu . use the new melling hv oil pump . don't use plastic tensioners with seals that blow out , melling still makes old style steel ratcheting tensioners with no seal to blow out .

 

Your 'ticking' after warmup could be either one of two things. The 5.4 is known to have exhaust manifold warp and leak. The leak can open slightly under operating heat and sound as you describe. Also, the 5.4 has 'a habit' of lash adjusters getting weak and leak down against valve spring pressure - (ticking thus like a solid lifter vehicle of by gone days). When I did my timing job (41k miles ago), I replaced all lash adjusters and roller/followers. It is an exercise I highly recommend.

BTW. You probably are aware - but a friendly caution. SET THE ENGINE on timing mark, compression stroke on Cyl 1 before teardown.

 

Question.
Looking over the parts needed. I see CLOYES 90391SBVVT has a complete timing set available. I have always used Cloyes parts in the past.
So is this set a quality made? There are other sets available for less, But for the price I just dont see a quality product.
Any help would be appreciated.

 

I bought the Melling timing kit, cam phasers, VCT soilenoids and M340HV oil pump, Ford roller followers, and EngineTech lash adjusters. So, I always suggest people use Ford OEM, or Melling. I've seen a few people have to redo their timing when using Cloyes or other cheaper products.

Total cost was $1400, including the Gates radiator hoses (upper and lower, and degas bottle hose), idler pulleys, belt tensioner, and serpentine belt, plus the three PCV hoses.

 

^^^^^^ VOTE 2x what he said ^^^^^. I'm 'queazy' about any Phasers from any second sourced vendor though. There are units out there that are 'CHINEZE' rebranded knock-offs promoted as being genuine - and even better. But we hear stories about repeat failures in a few thousand miles. It aint worth it for the hundred or two bucks saved.

 

Slow progress today. I was able to get the Passenger valve cover off. Naturally a bolt head rusted off of one of the bolts. I slammed on a 7 mm 6 point socket only to shear off what was left.
As it turned out I had removed the inner wheel well to gain access to the last three bolts. The one that had sheared off ....thankfully I got it out with a vise grip.
So how do you get that valve cover back on With a gasket in place??
It fought me tooth and nail....


Passenger side valve cover removed. Everything looks good. Tight chain .....




Now Im trying to get the hidden bolt off the power steering pump.

I modified a 10 mm box wrench to fit between the P/S pump housing and the High pressure fitting.

Any tips on getting that bolt out. It looks like I need to walk it out with the pump....I removed the oil filter to have better access.
So far the only thing I see wrong is the loose chain on the drivers side.
As soon as i can get that pump out of the way Ill pull the front cover.

 

You get the valve cover on with a gasket very carefully, it won't fall out. I had to loosen the AC accumulator and move it up some, and bend the AC lines a little, and remove the VCT solenoid to make it easier to get the valve cover out and later back in. The injectors made it hard to get out, too.

 

No aftermarket company has made good phasors . They sometimes fail immediately causing massive labor redo . I use oem select ebay or fairway ford in ohio . .
There is a reason oem phasors are expensive . I only use melling or oem inside . Melling hv oil pump is highly desirable , oem pump is lacking . use melling steel ratcheting tensioners with no gasket to blow out .The plastic ones are bad about leaking ,plus they leave chains loose until oil pressure builds each time .
So when you ask about this set -I would not use it We have seen so many company's brag about their phasors even tho we see them fail left and right . see ford tech malukoco on you tube, he is amazing .
Passenger valve cover -remove battery tray ,loosen nut on ac accumlator , put a strap on ac line gently pull it to a fixed object towards passenger side . I had a set of wood stairs on passenger side ,used nylon strap with ratchet , damned if i was going to dump ac coolant. of course your pcm and bracket is all ready removed. .