I posted this in the 5.4L forum but maybe you can help me find a reliable engine shop in nj...

(Previous post) I have a 2002 F350 5.4L V8 with 32K on it. I have the following aftermarket equipment installed: K&N Filter Charger kit, Granatelli MAF, Gibson Catback exhaust and Gibson Headers. Just a few weeks ago I had Ford put on the Gibson headers. They were about the same as the local shops and I thought what the heck, it is a Ford and they gauranteed it for 1 year.

Well after they installed the headers I began to hear a ticking sound coming from the engine. I checked the header bolts and made sure they were tight (following a few days driving and Gibson's instructions). I do not see any soot or deposits on the headers. Now I don't hear the noise if the engine is in neutral and rev the engine. The noise only occurs when I have the truck in Drive and step on the gas. The noise is more prominent through 1st and 2nd gear, but gets louder again if the truck is in Overdrive at a lower RPM and I step on the gas. It is constant though while in Drive and only seems to be coming from the drivers side. The truck seems a little sluggish and when I get out it smells like something is burning under the wheel wells (This could be the coating on the header burning)

(Today) Well, I took the truck back to Ford Tuesday and just got it back. The annoying ticking sound is still there. Ford said the headers aren't leaking and the noise is caused by the Gibson headers. They said that the aftermarket header is restricitng exhaust flow and causing the noise. I just can't believe that this is causing the problem. It may not have anything to do with the headers, but I think it does.

Does anyone know of a good engine shop in NJ (I am from Howell) that may be able to look at my truck. It is driving me crazy and I just want the truck to run well and Ford doesn't seem to want to help. Thanks for listening to this long thread.

Jeff

 

Jeff, try JDM Engineering in Freehold on Jerseyville ave. 732-780-0770

They are a great Ford performance shop.

 

The guys at mnmouth trucking know there stuff really well. They have a place in shrewsbury on shrewsbury ave and one in toms river too.

 

try chris at crazy horse racing in south amboy. chris is one of the top tuners in nj has shop and dyno there . and he is a no BS guy

 

i forgot about crazy horse. real good FORD people there. and they have a dyno on site also.

 

It will be a lot harder to get an appointment at JDM than it will be at Crazy Horse. I've had work
done at both shops. If it were my truck, I'd take it to JDM or fix it myself.

 

sounds like you don't like chris? just so you know he is a very good friend . maybe you did not like his price and what else he suggested you needed to do something correctly. his shop read nascar

 

Chas, you have a PM. My opinion is based solely on actual work he did on my car and other friends cars which to this day have issues after he worked on them. I won't go into specifics on a public forum because they invariably end up as he said/she said pissing matches.

The original poster asked for opinions on where to take his vehicle. I stand by my recommendation to take it to JDM.

 

In south amboy? Cool. When I get the engine in and the tuning done, I now have a local place to "sling the rollers".

 

yup. when you go over the big bridge, like you are coming to my house, you get off at the bottom and follow the signs to south amboy. after you pass the junkyards, there will be ornamental concrete statue place on the right corner, and a little shop in front. crazy horse is in back. then there is a big building with portable mix on site concrete trucks, then the overpass.


btw, did you get the air tank hooked up yet?? or are you still playing "daddy"

 

The air tank made it out of the truck into the driveway, then we had a foot of snow as you know.

Now that the snow is gone, I've been living in the basement rebuilding my web/mail/ftp server.

See, I performed and upgrade, which worked great on the other servers, and this one didn't take so I got hosed.

And since i get four hours a day "free" to do things (including fixing stuff around the house), it's been slow plugging.

So the tank sits outside with a large hefty bag over it for now

 

well at least it made its way out of the truck.
i managed to get the diesel back into the garage last Saturday, and put in all new glow plugs, and replace all the harness ends. she starts real purty now.
next on the menu is to pull the 79 in and start on replacing the bottom end of the motor before a rod comes out the side of the pan.

 

fred don't talk about computers PLEASE! mine took a dump also. power pack fried my cd drives and hard drive with 15 volts, so i just got done with a new case and drives and reprograming.
doors always open if any one wants to come north for a day

 

sorry Chas, but its way to cold up there in them mountains, and since the anti-hunters have been out protectin them bears yall got up in them there mountains, if i was to come up, one of them critters would see my big fat butt comin out of the truck and think hmmmmm............ dinner.


and i wouldn't want to get you in any trouble for feedin the bears junk food.........

 

Yeah, it did. I clamped my vice to it yesterday while tapping holes on my turbo manifolds. I'm going to hop in the shower in a few then go outside and finish up. Cool on the diesel project... I have a few of those "lingering maintanence" things to do however I've been ignoring them the past week. It's not like I'm driving anywhere. In fact, I haven't moved my crewcab in four days.

I'd love to, but let me get this server working first, then I can be more social. I was hoping my wife would be more understanding, and watch our son for a day so I could have this done... but apparently not. So 2 hours here, 4 hours there... makes for very slow server rebuilding. It just blows because I had soooooo much stuff on it. Obviously my various web pages which are not a big deal... but all the video from the last year of my son's first life was there, my entire ripped CD collection, all my DJ stuff, and more technical documentation than one could shake a stick at!

Over the past two years I've made a real effort to unload myself of paper, CD's and records, and other things that can be scanned or ripped into digital form because I'm tired of being buried in the stuff. Getting rid of the paper alone was painful, but it cleaned out a huge area of the garage. Who needs box after box of notebooks. I sure don't.

Anyway, off to the shower, then to tapping holes. What a fun life I lead.