It goes from bad to worse. Removed my oil pan to clean out broken chain guides and to make oil pump replacement easier during my full monte phaser-timing refresh and I find thrust washer in the pan. Crank end play is around .125 but surprisingly, mains and rods seem tight.

Has anyone replaced the thrust washers from the bottom with the engine in place?

 

Hi I know this is a very old post - but I’m in the exact same situation. What did you end up doing?

 

you don't want to know.... I replaced the thrust washer(s) in place. Twice. They didn't hold up. The Cranks thrust surface was worn enough that it just chewed through the new washers in short order. The full phaser job didn't las long either. I ended up junking the engine but not be before dumping almost $1500 and too much labor into it. Worst experience I've ever had with an engine.

 

Thanks for replying. Sorry to hear that, I’m going through the same thing. This engine is one nightmare after another. Thanks to your info I’ve stopped the phaser job and am closing it back up, new seals but everything else the same. I want to give the thrust washer change one shot, don’t have much of a choice. Can you give advice on how you changed them? Saw a video showing how to get to them when the engine is out. With the engine in was there anything that was very difficult when changing them?

 

It's been about 2 years or more since that nightmare but the memory of it sucking is still vivid! Getting the oil pan off was no fun and then working underneath with the constant drop of oil falling on you as you work- sucked. In my case, the first time only half the washer was in place the other half was in the pan. The piece remaining on the crank had deformed enough that it wouldn't rotate out with the bearing cap removed. It took some time to work it out. The second time it went a lot better but the repair was equally short lived. I found that forcing the crank to point of highest clearance helped with removal and installation BUT be careful s moving the crank too far with the washer out stresses the chain and chain guides.

 

Thanks for replying with those details. About how long did the thrust washer change last between the first and second fixes?

Really appreciate the info. With what you’ve given me I’m taking a day or so to decide if I’m willing to put $3500 or so into a reman engine and spend days of my time putting that in, vs fixing the thrust washer and waiting for that to break again. Scrapping/parting out the truck is an option too but that’s my last, and most financially painful option.

Tip for anyone preparing to do a timing job on an 2007 07 or 2008 08 F150 - check your oil pan FIRST before you buy all those parts and start all that work.

 

I rechecked the thrust washer at the first oil change (3000 mi) because noise had returned. It was intact but worn and crank endplay was well outside the spec so I changed it again. The second didn't last 3000 miles either. I gave up on the engine because even the new FORD OEM phasers and guides were acting up after just 4 months. I looked into remans and found troubling info. Some shops won't touch them (too many issues), of the ones that did them, only a few were respected enough by the community to warrant going that route and they were the most expensive option. A couple of the reputable suppliers would not give warranty support to a DIY install.

 

If the 'cause' of excessive thrust being exerted on crank one direction or the other isn't identified - replacing thrust washers is a futile effort. They WILL just fail again as @jav1 says. I have no good suggestion how to identify it - but one has to wonder how one engine can run hundreds of thousands of miles without wearing them and the other wares them out in three thousand miles. I wonder if a mild, non catastrophic hydro lock might bend a rod slightly? Or vehicle frame be slightly warped from some stressful event might cause torque convertor / transmission to be mis-aligned pushing forward or pulling back on fly wheel? Just some off-hand thoughts. But I would be for trying to figure it out as part of the replacement effort. If it were bent rod, one should be able to spot it by centering crank play and removing rod caps to see if one was fighting crank position.

 

It has been said (Mentioned by FordTechMakuloco on a video regarding the 5.4L issues) that late 2007, early 2008 5.4's have issues with wearing out thrust washer bearings more easily than other model years.