I done a lot of reading on this and numerous other sites and I can't seem to find a solution. I recently purchased a 2005 F350 with the 5.4l engine. When I first got it it ran rough and would stall. I have the subject DTC codes and cannot figure out why. I used AllData to troubleshoot, all wiring, sensors, are good. I changed the bank 2 (drivers) VCT solenoid because a section of the screen was missing and I also changed the oil. The oil change alone made the truck run a lot better. Engine idle is now smooth and it very rarely stalls. On the highway the truck will now rev up and take off when flooring it. I still have the check engine light and DTCs. Plugs have been changed and I'm now getting new coils to see if they're causing interference. On cold startup there's no noises. After warmup the truck sounds like a diesel. I've checked the cam phaser on the drivers side. It looks straight but I can move the spring when I push on it with my fingers. I went to Ford and felt a new spring, couldn't budge it. My question is, will a weak spring cause these codes? I'm not concerned about the noise, just the codes. When I clear the codes, then start the truck, the codes come back immediately, even when engine is cold. This makes me think the coils are bad interfering with the signal because VCT doesn't kick in until temp is normal. Any suggestions/thoughts? Thank you.

 

I would say they need replaced. This was a common problem the first couple of years.
The weak spring will not hold the phaser where it should be and the sensor sees this, possibly throwing the codes. I don't think that the ignition coils are the problem.

 

Thanks for the reply. The coils came in yesterday so I'll try them first. The way I understand VCT is that the spring returns the cam to full advance and phaser is locked in by a pin on shutdown/cold engine. Once temp becomes normal the PCM tells the VCT solenoid to send oil pressure to/thru the phaser. Since I'm getting the codes even on a cold engine, when VCT isn't active, I was guessing coil(s) were the problem. I should've moved coils to the other bank to see if problem followed. Oh well.

Do you think I should replace both phasers even though problem is on bank 2? I bought this truck to turn around and sell it.

 

I can't say for sure to replace them both. I know they were very troublesome in 04/05. Perhaps the locking pin is not engaging which would cause timing fluctuation when cold, especially with a weak spring.
I guess the thing needs to be driven with the proper data reader hooked up to see what is really going on. Cam timing or otherwise.
Might be worth the 1hr labor to have the dealer drive it with their scan tool and data log all perimeters to see what is out of whack instead of spending money on parts you may or may not need.
That's what I would do.

 

Yeah that's exactly what I was contemplating today. I put the coils in and as you said it wasn't them. The truck is a lot quieter though now for some reason. I've been thinking about it all day and believe now timing could be off a tooth or as you've said the locking pin isn't engaging. I did try turning the reluctor wheel on the phaser when I had the valve cover off and it seems tight. I think I'm going to give Ford some money. I'll let you know. Thanks.

 

Good luck.

 

Went to Ford and after 2hrs ($200) they said it was the driver's cam phaser that was bad. The mechanic pulled the valve cover and found out that the phaser was turned approx 15 degrees. Each phaser has 5 "fingers", 3 on one side and two on the other. The side with 3 should have the middle one lined up with the "L" on the phaser. If I'd of known that, I could've saved myself $200. Oh well, hopefully someone else will read this and save the money. I'll get the phaser, change it, clear the codes, and see what happens. More to come.....

 

Thanks for the update. I guess it was worth the $200 in the long run so you don't have to buy any unneeded parts.

 

Changed the driver's side cam phaser. It really was pretty easy. Recommend putting vice grips on the camshaft. It will turn one way or the other when you remove the phaser. Turn it back to proper position so you can get the new phaser on. Be sure to clean/mark the chain prior to taking it off. I hand turned the engine until the "L" on the phaser was at top. Used brake cleaner to get the oil off the chain and marked it with a sharpie. When I started it up after re-assembly, I got Bank 1 and Bank 2 lean codes. Also got #5 cylinder misfire. Never had these prior to phaser replacement, so thought I did something wrong. Local Ford mechanic told me to replace the gaskets in the valve cover that go around the VCT solenoid and replace the #5 injector. Gasket replacement fixed the lean codes. Injector replacement didn't fix the misfire. I moved the spark plug to the #1 cylinder and then had a misfire on #1. Replaced the spark plug with a PZH14F (SP515), which is the new design, and misfire went away. I've got a little knock on the passenger side but no codes. Think I'll leave it alone for now.