jeepnf150

So I've got that ticking noise (diesel sounding) coming from my engine and I have ever since I bought it. Idk what a cam phaser is or how to change one or if its a diffucult job but I've gotten to thinking that it might be a loose spark plug instead because of the research I've been doing and the fact that my truck occasionally misses when under hard acceleration. If this could be something as simple as checking the tightness on the spark plugs and solving both those problems, that'd be great. Also if anyone could explain what a cam phaser is, thatd be great....now off to do a bit more researching.


-thanks in advance

Alright....I kinda know what a cam phaser is, but would one going bad cause it to miss?

Bennyp

For me the sign that had me first questioning something was when I smelled raw fuel when the vent was on. Just the vent, not a/c or recirc, at idle. I did some reasearch and found that it could be caused by a loose plug.

I talked to my mechanic about it, he said there was no way that it could be a loose plug and listed reason's why it wouldn't be. Such as the cop boot sealed any gases in, ect... I told him I wanted it done anyway just to make sure. #4 ended up being loose and the smell was gone. As soon as I started it I nocticed it sounded quieter. I pulled upto the side of the building and that tick was gone.

I think that responce is normal, that it can't be a loose plug...Anyway thats my experience on that. Im not sure what a cam phaser does, someone will be along who can explain it....

VFL

Cam phaser ticking generally goes away above 1200 rpm and is most prevalent at hot idle.

GrimaceTimus

I am not the goto guy on answering this, but it seems to me, in theory...yes.

The phaser is what advances or retards the timing. If one is damaged enough and basically non-operational, the timing won't advance properly during high RPMs ... potentially resulting in a miss.

jeepnf150

The funny thing is, it doesn't miss in the higher rpms, its almost always the low rpms and it can be avoided by downshifting and hitting higher rpms

Bennyp

I would start cheap, If you don't torque them yourself I think it would be between $50-$100. I paid $50 for my local one man shop to do it, I think another guy paid $100 at the dealer.

That is assuming the plugs have been changed, at least once depending on mileage. If they have never been changed, change them...

FrdTuff

Do you have a smell of gas in the can at idol? I was wondering the same... Cam phaser or loose spark plug and the dealer told me the same thing they told BennyP (that it can't be a plug) but like BennyP I told them to check the torques anyway. The dealer tightened the plugs and the tick and smell went away. It cost me $100 vs the $2000 cam phaser, vct solenoids and timing tensioner job would have cost.

Problem is many local mechanics here will not touch my spark plugs because they tend to break off on these trucks. I had 3 mechanics tell me they won't touch them. I took it to the Chevy dealership I bought it at to do the diagnosis repair and they ended up sending it next door to the ford dealer.

Big05redford

Does it happen under load when the engine is bogging down?

If it does I had a similar problem,
I had just bought my truck and had the spark-plugs replaced because I heard about all the problems. About a month later, when e truck was in 4th under load on a hill it started to miss. I must have taken the truck into the shop 15 times over and over again having them try and figure it out. Worse yet, it didn't do it all the time, so it was hard to track down. It got to the point that the mechanic did a compression test and determined said when he got to the #1 cylinder the plug was loose. Low and behold, never happened again. I had the shop pay all the bills because I was pissed and they screwed up

jeepnf150

YES!!! That is exactly it, I will definitly be checking the plugs now, probably changing them all