Well I would clean those injectors. you tube has a homemade set up for that. If you can't get a good spray pattern in there its not going to run very well .Your filter may keep clogging ,that tank may have a lot to break loose . you seem to have a fuel delivery problem but what else is the question . A plugged cat is going to give some of the same problems . If it can't breathe in or out .

 

So I pulled the driver side VCT solenoid off and it seems fine, mesh still intact and looks clean. I’m gonna look online on how to further inspect this. I’ve attached pictures of all around the solenoid. Let me know if you see anything.

I also took apart one of my coil packs and found a lot of corrosion on the terminal, so hopefully after cleaning the terminals, and replacing boots and springs, it will run better. I know I should put dielectric grease on the bottom of the boot but should I also put it on the contact inside the coil?

I did look down and see the tensioner intact. The part that the tensioner presses against seems tight. I also used a magnetic pickup tool to grab a hold of the chain opposite from the tensioner and tried to move it to test for slack. I’ve made a YouTube video to show what I mean.
Today the plan is to remove the passenger valve cover and inspect that side and do the same checks, then I’m gonna be replacing the water pump, coolant crossover and gaskets, cleaning injectors, new boots and springs, and then putting it back together to check if things are any better. Next step will be spark plugs...

 

When looking at the VCT, the bottom

screen just split in two? I can put them back on and they stay in place but was wondering if this is normal?

 

I’m starting to clean up some of this sticky varnish and am wondering how you did it?

Should I drain the oil and then scrub the top end with kerosene and let it run down, and then clean the oil pickup tube and pan? Or should I block off oil passages and clean gently with carb cleaner?

 

I don't think it's ideal for the chains to have that much slack. You may have some tensioner leak down, chain stretch, broken guide/s, or a combination of these.

Did the VCT screens come off by themselves or quite easily? Either way, I'd be inclined to install new OEM.

You could do a hand scrub of the varnish, but honestly it's not that bad. As I suggested before, I'd clean the valve cover including the integrated PCV baffle as much as you can. I soaked mine in thinners and then power washed it. Then when you have it back together, do a short flush with some Marvel Mystery Oil or Motor Medic etc. coupled with a short oil change interval.

To answer your blue exhaust question, it's possible there's some blow-by suggesting the piston rings may need replacing - not sure. Have you had occasion to smell this exhaust? It could be from unburnt fuel also.

 

Thanks for your answer. The VCT screens came off quite easily, they didn’t just fall off though. I’m thinking I’m gonna run to the junkyard and pick up some screens from a different set just to run the truck and test everything. I cleaned out the VCT and put power to it and the valve is functioning. If I need new ones, I will do that.

I just finished cleaning up the valve covers, cleaned everywhere that I could reach.

 

And yes I smelled the exhaust, honestly it doesn’t smell different from any other exhaust. It seemed that the smoke goes away after 10 minutes or so of running, so maybe the seals just need time to warm up and expand?

 

I can across a different forum on here of a guy with the same rough idle and it turned out that his thrust washers were toast. Is this something I should explore as a possibility?

 

I tried using a prybar on the crank to see if it moves and it seems to. But even without moving it, it seems like the crank has walked outwards. According to fordtechmakuloco, it seems like it should be a lot closer to the front cover. I’ve attached pictures and would really appreciate what you guys think. Is this gap normal?

 

I dunno that looks fairly normal to me, but I don't know what normal really is for that gap. There does need to be some clearance there so the pulley can spin, it shouldn't be touching. I'd say .060" minimum?
I've only seen the endplay measure with the oil pan off so you can pry it one way and then use feeler gauges to see how much gap there is, or a dial indicator to see how much the crank moves when you pry it the other way.
Do you have a dial indicator or feeler gauges?