jagans

Ok, Ill definately defer to Brian. I just remembered. I left my crankshaft position sensor unplugged and turned the engine over for about 10 seconds for three or four times before I fired her up. Im pretty sure Brian said to do this, but it just made sense to me. Youll be fine Im sure. My truck is a 2004 also, and it runs like a watch. I replaced everything up front while I was in there. Water pump, Thermostadt, PS pump, all idlers, Belt tensioner, Trans cooler lines etc I did not want to go back in a week later because I was too foolish to change everything. I had 157K on her at that point, 164K now. Everybody curses this engine out, but I think its mostly people that didnt change their oil regularly, Mine runs really smooth, as Im sure yours does. Yeah, the plugs suck, but Ive got that one down to a science. Change all your fluids, do the OD upgrade to the tranny as Brian recommends, change that damn stupid fuel pump modulator, and you will be fine. Of, and use a pint of Marvel Mystery Oil at every oil change, and use 5-30 oil. I assume you upgraded your oil pump to a mellingHV right?

ford-struggle

Update - she is back together. I think, I say think, i've got the oil leak resolved. I did use some permatex around the valve cover gasket to hold it in place this time.
I've still got some smoke, but there was A LOT of oil so hopefully it's just taking it's time to wear off.

I figured out that mystery connector, I had laid a cable across the intake manifold with the air filter housing off, and forgot it, when I put the air filter housing back on, it hid that little sucker very well.

On that metal vacuum tube, I think I got it back in that bracket, I pray, pray, pray that it isn't actually disconnected from the back of the manifold, but just can't verify via feel or camera. So fingers crossed she runs correctly long term.
She is running well so far, but haven't driven it too much this morning, just enough to see if i'm bleeding oil or not. Will test drive more this afternoon.

Thanks for all the tips and assistance this thread and all involved over the past decade saved me a ton of cash, and helped me progress further into my auto/engine hobby addiction :-)

Fingers crossed, that all is good and i'm not back asking for more insight.

michaelholt

That's awesome news @ford-struggle !

ford-struggle

And.... I'm back.

Driving good, no issues, much quieter for sure, I now think I understand the fuel injection noise complaint :-)

And of course I'm not that lucky (or good), after driving a while, it was idling a bit rough. Pulled the codes, P0022.... Timing Over-Retarded Bank 2..... dammit...
I'm highly confident that I got the timing nailed (and really, really, really don't want to tear the front off again).

I didn't replace my VVT solenoids as they are pretty much new moto-craft units with just a few thousand miles on them. I also cleaned them out and did a pretty thorough visual on them, didn't see anything that looked out of place, etc. Screens looked good, etc.
I took off and cleaned the VVT housing, as well, nothing in there either. And since this is a 2008 with that horrid design change that requires pulling the valve covers to replace the VVT, I probably should have just done them as well.... sigh... But I really would like to avoid pull that damned thing off again.

Since it's Bank 2, I do know that my camshaft sensor pigtail needs to be replaced, it's missing the clip, but never seems to have come loose when I check it. Could that be contributing in any way?

I'm going to double check the connector on top of the VVT when the engine cools off, and I've got the battery disconnected again to do the "relearn" procedure properly. But I'm doubtful that will impact it.

Any other ideas or guidance on where to go next that don't involved repeating the past few weeks......

Joe

ford-struggle

Well, fingers crossed, it just needed the ECU reset procedure done fully, or just needed a bit to level out, as the code hasn't returned and it is running very smooth, quiet and level now. Fingers crossed any future posts on the forum are related to other topics.

Thank you again to everyone on here, both those in the early years who may or may not look at it any more, and those more recent.

stankyjeans

Another happy ending! YAY!

jagans

Anyone that has "Sludge" in their engine deserves what they get. The facts on the 5.4 are simple. The oil that ford recommended to be used in this engine to meet CAFE standards was too thin, based on the oil pump they put on it. You have to use 5-30, and I strongly recommend a pint of Marvel Mystery Oil with each change at 5K. You will never have "Sludge" if you do this.

stankyjeans

+1 on the 5W30 ! That's what I switched to after my timing job. I even changed my oil cap to match! LOL!

I ran 5W20 before the job and my engine really wasn't that dirty from sludge. Very little in fact, but then again I changed my oil religiously. Something my Dad pounded into my head during my early car years. He was OCD about oil changes and I seen first hand what that did. You could have ate off the inside of that engine. Spotless.

I also recently switched to the WIX filters after many people reported problems with their Motorcraft filters. Apparently the Motorcraft filters were falling apart or the pleats were separating inside.

I haven't tried the Mystery Oil. I've heard many people having good luck with it. I should start adding it too.

jagans

I will be 77 next month. When I was only 13 years old I got a job working in an automatic transmission repair shop. That was 1960. The old timer that owned that shop told me that if I used MMO in any motor I worked on, it would extend the life of the motor. I built and flew gas powered model airplanes back then too. I remember reading an article in Model Airplane News telling people to bathe your engines in MMO when you stored them for the winter. I had a K&B Allen a McCoy and a couple others back then. They said that it would neutralize the acid produced by burning the fuel we used in those little glow plug engines. I have been using it ever since. After hearing all the hubbub about the 5.4 engine, I decided to preemptively do a complete timing job on my 2004 F150 at 157,000 miles. When I opened her up the engine was absolutely pristine inside. Frankly I could have waited, but after listening to Brian over at Fordtechmakuloco, I was worried about a roller follower coming apart, so I did a complete job, including new lash adjusters and roller followers. My 5.4 Runs like a watch, and I have no doubt that it will go 300K miles without any doubt. The spark plugs suck. Thats a given. The fuel pump modulator is a ridiculously stupid design, placing aluminum in intimate contact with steel. The vacuum solenoid below the windshield gutter is ridiculous. The 4WD system is stupid. I have addressed all of those things, plus the OD transmission issue, and my truck runs great. One of the real benefits of Marvel Mystery oil is how it preserves rubber seals. I hope this helps you. Good Luck, and God Bless

UnboundPony

Hi Stanky, seems like you're very knowledgeable on the subject. I've been doing a lot of research and my F-150 with the 5.4L needs this ASAP.

I read up a little more about you guys talking about products that are not good. Could you point me in the right direction as of now what you think is the best course of action in terms of parts to get started on this job? This truck is really all I've got and I want to take care of her.

I ordered the Cloyes 90391SB Timing Chain Set which I think is pretty standard for everyone, not sure if that needs to be OEM. But, there are currently OEM kits on Amazon going for about $450 that's a timing chain set and is all OEM, including phasers. Just doesn't have the solenoids. I would really appreciate your input on this since I use this truck to work and get it fixed as quickly as possible, even if I have to buy part by part with my paychecks. Thank you so much.