Awesome, thanks for the input. I’ll definitely go through the things to mentioned and start replacing and cleaning. Any ideas why the exhaust smokes?

 

So I pulled the coil packs out on the driver side, they all looked fine, with the boots looking like new.

Pulling the valve cover revealed some caked up sludge and varnish on the back side of the cover, and mainly varnish in the valve train. When I run my finger across the cam lobes, they feel smooth, looks like some scratching on them though? They feel fine. I tried wiggling the rockers and most of them wiggly slightly, so that may be normal? I also tried reaching down the front cover and pushing down the chain with my hand, can’t really tell but may seem to be slightly lose. The middle finger on the phaser lines up with the L.










Tomorrow I’m going out to get a T27 to remove and inspect the VCT solenoid. I’m also watching a lot of fordtechmakuloco’s videos on YT to learn about inspecting these components and such.

Where do you guys think I should go from here? What do you think on the condition of the engine? Any advice on things to inspect or what to do next? I really appreciate all the input. Pictures are attached.

 

First impression, it doesn't look too bad at all. You could soak your valve cover with some Berrymans or similar to help clean it up and clear up the integrated PCV baffle.

Did you do the fingernail test across the cam lobes? Any of them make your fingernail catch significantly?

If you wanted to be even more thorough, you could remove the cam caps one at a time and see if any significant scratching under them.

Inspecting the VCT will be a good next step.

FTM videos are an excellent resource for you.

 

Yes I did run my fingernail across the cam lobes and they all feel smooth. I’m assuming if I remove the camshaft caps one by one, I need to retorque them down. Do you know the spec?

Any advice to check the roller followers and lifters? Anyway to check condition of the phaser? Anyway to tell if a timing job should be done?

I read through your sludge forum eco builder, quite impressive and gave me some hope with this truck.

 

Torque on cam bolts 89 inch pounds or roughly 8 foot pounds . There is a sequence .

 

The cam cap bolts are 89 in-lbs. Not very much.

You could shine a light on each roller and see if it 'looks' straight and not seized/scratched. To properly check the lash adjusters, you'd have to remove the camshaft which would require uninstalling the phaser.

BEFORE DOING THAT;

I'd recommend shining a light down the timing cover and see if you're able to tell what condition the chain guide is in. Also if there is any tell tale sign of the tensioner leaking. Sometimes you can see a tiny flap of the silicone gasket showing being blown outward.

The chain being kinda loose can signify problems, but not definitively. The phaser middle finger lining up with the L is a good sign but doesn't guarantee it's 100%.

Check to see if the screens on the VCT are intact and the plunger inside is not stuck. Also confirm that it's OEM(Motorcraft).

Unfortunately to properly diagnose this engine you'd have to do the same check on bank one and possibly under the timing cover.

But.......it would be worth it in the end. One step at a time.

 

I’m literally having the exact same issues! Will be tracking this thread, as I’m about to pull my covers, change an exhaust manifold and the plugs as well

 

Truck drives the same as described by OP. I can have my pedal to the floor and the truck barely moves, it will accelerate very slowly up to 15mph going uphill . Once up at 15mph it will just sit right around there and will not go any faster even with the pedal to the floor. If I shift it down to 2 from drive, it will down shift slowly and then do the exact same thing.

The only codes my truck gives me are p0345 and p0349 which has been the same all along.

So I have done the following:

new spark plugs
cleaned throttle body and reset tps
new fuel filter
new fpdm
changed crank position sensor due to the code, no change.

on my list is vct and also need to address exhaust leak I believe is the manifold.

 

you changed the CRANKsensor? The code indicates a CAM sensor reading problems. This could be a sensor, but could be just as likely a phaser that's screwed up and coming apart or sticking.

 

sorry you are correct cam sensor is correct. I figured I’d be in for a timing job.