It will prob take a few hours to drop the pan on a SD due to the crossmember. I haven't done one a SD but have done bunches of F150s. According to the shop manual the engine has to be raised up. You could get it hot then drain the oil through some cheesecloth to see if there is any metal in the oil. Or cut open the oil filter and inspect for metal.

 

Thanks much for the reply Longbed! What specific steps to check for Crankshaft endplay, where is it measured? Feeler gauge method I suspect, but I'm no expert, can you walk us through that? Also you said for oil pressure check, that the plug was in the rear of one of the heads and a pain to get too. Do you recall what size fitting is needed to thread into that for O/Pressure testing? I know this is your profession, so I feel kinda sheepish asking all the questions for nothing more than reps, but it might help Alan in diagnosing his problem.

 

Alan,

Sounds like dropping the pan requires raising the motor & trans in the super duties. I'd count on about 4-5 hours for that bit of work. See my post here on the forum titled repairing oil leak at filter cooler adapter. I didn't pull the cross member but had to remove D/S motor mount and loosen P/S mount to get clearance to remove the adapter. Put a short 2"x6" under the pan and lifted it up with a floor jack for clearance. Not difficult but time consuming, getting the bolts to the mounts off the cross member is easy but freeing the mounts from the block was a pain. Maybe you could just unbolt them from the crossmember and jack it up with block under the trans for access.

Hope this helps you man, and prbly should rep Longbed for the assistance he's provided us.

 

Once you get the pan off it will be easy to see if the thrust bearing has failed. To measure the endplay I force the crank backwards with a screwdriver against a counterweight then use a dial indicator on the crank pulley bolt to measure how far it can move forward. I always measure oil pressure at the sender near the filter.

 

I am having similar problems and have a question. Does the vtc valve energize to set the camshaft to retard at higher rpm then de-energize allowing the oil to flow to the other port pushing the phaser vanes back to the normal advanced position for idle? Is there a spring return for infinite variability? Alan said that his stayed energized at idle. I changed out the problem side vtc valve (no effect) and found a cam lobe shedding a small spot on the hardened surface of a cam lobe, how long do I have before this becomes an issue?

 

"found a cam lobe shedding a small spot on the hardened surface of a cam lobe, how long do I have before this becomes an issue?"


Already a problem. They go quick once past the hardening.

 

Camshaft and Lash Adjuster Design Change for Ford 5.4L-3V Engine


"Do not use 2005 MY parts when servicing a 2004 MY engine, or 2004 MY parts when servicing a 2005 MY engine. If parts are intermixed during a service repair, the engine may exhibit noises on affected cylinders and engine damage may result.

ACTION
Order and install parts for the correct model year engine. The following Inspection Procedure can also be used to visually confirm the application of a part.

Note: The engine model year should be confirmed by checking the engine tag located on the valve cover. A 2004 MY engine will have code 4G-692-AA and a 2005 MY engine will be identified as 5G-692-AA.

INSPECTION PROCEDURE
2004 and 2005 MY camshafts can be visually identified by the location of the variable cam timing phasers (VCT) pin notch in relation to the machining lug, as seen on the end of the camshafts (Figures 1-2).

2004 and 2005 MY lash adjusters can be visually identified by the presence or lack of an identification groove cut into the lash adjuster boss (Figure 3). The 2005 MY parts will have this identification groove cut Into the boss, while the 2004 MY parts will not.
Some or all of this information was provided by the AutomotiveParts Remanufacturers Association (APRA)."

 

I have a 2006 with similar issues was told need new engine, it was idling around 420 rpm at idle replaced throttle control body over 900 miles and no more timing issues