What does a cam phaser rattle sound like? What are the symptoms?
'04 5.4 Triton, 65K Miles.
I just did a long trip with the truck (+2200 km; 1400 miles); at times on slight or heavy hills a noise would start. It sounded like a rattle snake or continuous baby rattle until I let up on the gas. If I pushed the gas pedal down again it may or may not have come back. It was hard to determine where the sound was coming from, but I would say the engine compartment, passenger side; but sometimes I thought it was coming from the back (maybe resonating out the exhaust?); I don't know...

Other times when the sound started I just kept my foot on the gas and let it run as long as it would until it just faded out on its own. Some times I pushed harder which did nothing to change the pitch of the sound. The noise either ran out on its own, or I let off the gas.

 

The cam phaser issue isn't a rattle really, it's a constant ticking that is most notable at idle or low RPM. Your issue sounds more like some lifter chatter or other more serious internal problems.

 

Spark Knock. Long pull uphill can/will expose spark knock. What kind of gas are you using? These trucks can/may knock on occasion... nature of the engine and timing. If the knock is constant then you need to look further into this, light ping/knock on long grades is not bad. Low grade gas will amplify this and using higher octane is not the way to fix this, these trucks are designed to run on 87 octane, anything more is usually a waste.

 

I was running Shell 87 octane. Different station every time as I was travelling. I bought a Ford Base Care ESP 3 year when I bought the truck in May; hope any issues are covered.

 

Shell is a tier 1 fuel so it more than likely is not the fuel. I have a camper shell on my truck and if I have the back power window open and am going up long grades I do sometimes hear the heat expansion ticking of the exhaust, I suspect it is the cats just heating up. I did not hear it on my 05 but it also had a magnaflow exhaust where as my current 08 has stock exhaust. This truck has done this since day one and now I just accept it as a normal noise of the vehicle.