Got my truck done today. New timing chain kit. New Melling M360 oil pump, phaser locks.
Found one of the thrust washers in the oil pan. It seems it was lucky I did. Put in a new set of rod and main bearings(w/thrust washers) and all is good. Nothing got damaged amazingly with the thrust washer coming out. Block and crank looked good, bearings had wear I would consider reasonable considering the 200K on the odometer.
The truck runs really smooth now. I was having issues getting my new tuner programs loaded into the tuner. Turns out windows 10 got me again! What a bonus that was.
So MPT took care of it for me. The tunes are in my SCT tuner now and will be loaded into the truck in the morning.
Can't wait to see what the tunes do for it. I have an economy , towing and performance tune. Nothing wild as it is stock. I will run it in economy for a while and see how power and mileage work out. Before this job the truck was getting 12.6 MPG. Power wasn't impressive, but I realize it was sick. Driven a lot of 5.4L trucks, they usually have good power. At least I have an idea of what to expect out of a 5.4 that runs good.
What I can tell you right off, is the engine runs very smooth and quiet!

 

Got the economy tune loaded in the truck yesterday. Drove it around town a bit then drove it to work. I put probably 65 miles on it yesterday. Runs nice. Engine is quiet now, and smooth! MPT told me I need to drive easy for a bit to let the PCM learn things after the tune was installed. I won't be able to accurately track mpg yet as it might be in learning mode, but the truck was telling me it was at 12.6 mpg before all the work. Yesterday it was at 14.7 when I got home from work. And this is while it is getting its stuff together. I will drive it through the weekend and reset my mpg counter next week. So far I am not disappointed. It runs good, and no noises!

 

Well, the saga continues. The truck ran great for 2 days. On way home from work stopped at a red light, truck stalled. Seemed weird, started right back up, put it in drive, and it started to labor like it was going to stall again, so I gas a little gas, valves started ticking on left side, before light changed it quit, this time sort of hard. Had it towed home as engine wouldn't turn over. Battery turned out to be junk. Put a new battery in, fired right up. I thought I dodged a bullet. Let it run for half hour, idled good, started good, sounded ok aside from a slight lifter tick it had anyway. Decide it might be ok, take it for a drive . I got a few miles from home and it began ticking on left kind of loud. It stalled. It started back up but kind of hard. Pulled into a parking lot, and it quit again. barely turns over, as if something is seizing. Headed it for home, had to stop part way as it was not sounding too good. Let it cool a bit. Started up and sounded almost normal. Not for long! lol the ticking became a knocking, sat this point I am already annoyed with this engine, so not stopping now. Got home anyway. So here is what I think has happened. Maybe someone has some input here? When I did the timing chain, oil pump, I found thrust washer in oil pan. It was shredded and the other thrust washers that were in place where very worn leaving metal filings in the pan, and I assume everywhere else in the engine. So I am thinking that maybe an oil galley feeding the heads might be plugged up with debris left over in the engine from the failed thrust bearings. I am thinking the left cam is trying to seize to the journal? At this point I am considering the engine junk and will be needing a replacement. This ends my battle with the phasers anyway! lol Maybe the guys at Ford are right, when oil issues seem present maybe a new engine is in order after all??

 

Very sorry to hear that. But it sounds as though it could be premature to pass judgment on it. The noises you describe don't seem to be related to "stalling". The wild card, seems to me, is the replacement of rod and main bearings "Engine IN". That, of course, is laden with potential problems. BUT since you report it started up and ran smooth and very quiet initially (presumably without knocking or screeching from a binding bearing), especially with new oil pump (and presumably good oil flow), doesn't seem like lower end disaster should have been lurking. The immediate question - is Oil Pressure known? If not I would arrange for it before even restarting it again, under the circumstances.


Ticking (from lash adjusters) is definitely a possibility - and mine used to "come" and "go" before I replaced all of them as part of my Phaser job. It would especially be intermittent after I did several heavy duty engine flushes on short intervals. (The lash adjusters will collapse under spring pressure with engine off. Then, if they are 'sticky', they don't pump up good or quick.)


As for your OIL GALLEYS being {Quote} "plugged" with "debris" left over in the engine from the failed thrust bearings... I would submit that that is VERY UNLIKELY. It is 'all but impossible' for ANYTHNIG foreign (of any significant size) to ever get into the oil galleys. Consider this: Oil from the pan must pass through the pickup screen (a fairly course strainer), then pass through the oil pump into the oil filter. Only the smallest of particles could get through the oil filter (provided no junk is permitted to get in the threads on filter install). After that, the oil (under high pressure) flows through the galleys - "EXITING" only through the smallest of passage way clearances to surfaces to be oiled - such as the main / rod bearings AND thrust washers. Almost impossible for something to go BACKWARDS against that pressure 'into the oil galley'.


Then in the heads, it is the same situation with the lash adjusters where oil pressure pushes the slightest amount out the top of lash adjusters onto the roller/followers and valve stem heads. ALL but impossible for something to get in the galleys against the pressure or through the smallest clearances. Oil in the galley way continues on to the fine screens located in VCT solenoid valve body and VCT Solenoids that captures ANYTHING that might get that far - before it can get into the Phaser or chain tensioners (where there is NO WAY FOR JUNK to ever get out). What oil weeps / seeps out of Phasers / tensioner plunger and slings around sprockets and runs down the chains back into the pan - to repeat the cycle. Bottom line - I believe it is very unlikely the oil galleys ever get plugged or clogged - even with "sludge" - because of the constant HOT oil flow, under pressure, and without moisture or air present inside the galleys.


Again, sorry the saga continues, and I hope these thoughts help sort something out.

 

As for the in vehicle engine bearing replacement, it is how most heavy duty diesel trucks are done. Heavy duty as in tractor trailer engines, not pickups. Most of those engines are rebuilt in the truck, new cylinder sleeves , lower bearings, etc. I've done a lot of them over the years. Most pickup trucks just don't have the ability to do this way as the pan usually can't be removed without pulling the engine due to axles and frame cross members in the way. As for the installation, everything went well in my bearing replacement. The main bearings had signs that something passed through there, they had marks on them. It may have been from a time of poor oil flow if the PO ever ran it out of oil??? At 200K anything is possible. With said miles, bearings weren't all that bad but they indicated less than perfect wear. Something got in there. The crank didn't have a groove on any journal. All smooth, not odd marks, nothing. Looked perfect. I always rotate engine after every bearing (per journal) to verify no binding(learned in diesel tech school in 1991) to be sure every install is good. Rod bearings could have been left in there, they showed wear but I bet I could have run them another 100K. My thought was, I am here, lets do it all so its done.
I hear what you are saying about foreign particles getting into galleys. I know it isn't likely. But I have heard Ford tell me on a company truck that a crappy oil filter will send stuff in them and cause head/cam issues. As I have only just bought this I can only guess that it hasn't always been maintained. I found sludge in the engine, to me not terrible, but to some , with this engine it might be seen as bad??
As for the stall, I will try to describe it best I can. Start it cold, runs fine. After it is up to temp it seems fine, has a lifter tick that is light and comes and goes. Drive it a little ways and all of the sudden the left side lifters start making a lot of noise, noticeably loud with windows up, and the engine is under load at this point, in neutral, you would think it is overheating and seizing, you can tell it is binding, and if it stalls it will barely turn over. Let it cool, it will start right up like nothing. It is the weirdest thing I have ever seen, and engine that does this, and comes back, and will do it again..... But when I drove it home, it was sounding pretty bad. I should have towed it really. But I was a bit irritated and pretty much had mind set up on a new engine so I just wanted to avoid a 2nd tow in 3 days. lol I might pull the valve cover and see if the cam shows any lack of oil type damage. If it scored the journal , then it needs a head. If it needs a head, it gets an engine. At this point, I have owned the truck less than a month, and have driven 500 miles give or take. The truck is in great condition otherwise. It is worth an engine, even though it is hard to swallow so soon! But I need it dependable or it has to go.
I posted a new thread "5.4l 3v reman??" , I will post there as my engine situation plays out. This thread is about phasers and timing chains, I don't want to get too far off topic with my issues. My timing chain deal went well, I just have more issues than that.
We will get through it though! Thank you for your help and thoughts. I will dig a little before throwing in the towel!

 

I had a piece of debris in my right side oil rifle feeding my cam from the rear of the head. It galded the journals on the cam hold down bracket and prevented good oil flow to the the lifters. I don't know how it got in there, but stuff sure can. A rather large piece too.

 

I am pretty much baffled. So I go out and start the truck. It sounds fine. lol I am really not sure what to do here. I guess a mechanical oil pressure gauge is a good start, and maybe pop valve cover off and see what the cam journals look like? This thing is weird! haha it refuses to die! Typical Ford!

 

I would agree with the debris portion of your post but I can assure you sludge can and does clog the tiny passageways and oil circuit of these motors no matter how hot the oil flow is. Once the oil loses its addictive package or is left in too long it will begin to almost caramelize and plus all kinds of oil sensitive areas of these motors. Both 5.4 and 4.6 motors suffer from it. Ford asked a heck of a lot from the oil specified, the filters, pumps and oil circuit in these motors. I have a motor right now on a pallet in my garage that poor oil flow/lack of maintenance killed.

 

Year and engine? I assume 2004-2008 and 5.4, but need to know from you. Also I don't trust people who say they replace things and can't show you a receipt... he could've used cheap Dorman phasers that fail before your next oil change.

 

I tripped across a youtube vidoe of a 4.6 with a chunk of gasket, looked like rtv stuck in the head, in the oil restrictor.
I can't find much info on this oil restricor but it apparently meters oil to the cam/lifters so it doesn't lose too much from the bottom end. Seems like if it is plugged things get noisey. I have nothing to lose, I will pull driver side cover off and see what I find. I think it is located under the front cam bearing cap on the driver side, and the rear one on passenger side. Not sure if this is only a 4.6 thing? I won't be touching it until tomorrow. Anyone seen these plugged? Or have more info on them?