Well, my 04 F-150 5.4 3v with 82000 miles is making some new noises. A couple of mornings ago I cranked up my truck to go to work and noticed is was making a new rattle. My truck always made some valve train/ timing chain noise when first cranked up but is would only last 2 or 3 seconds then it would go quite until the engine warmed up and I would get the phaser tick. Now it rattles fairly loudly until it warms up (a couple of minuets), then the rattle goes away and the phaser starts to tick again.

My guess is that the tensioner is sticking somehow, but it does not seen to make since why it would be affected by engine/oil temperature.

My question is, has any one had this issue with their 3V? What is the best solution to my problem? Has anyone else has tensioner or guide failures, and what symptoms did you notice?

Thanks everyone with your help. I need to get my truck fixed and would feel better with your insight and experience before I start ripping the front of my motor apart.

Andy

 

Yesterday, leaving work, I cranked my truck and the chain was rattling just like I explained in the previous post. However, this morning I cranked my truck when completely cold and it had no chain rattle, nice and quite.

So please tell me what's going on!

Could a tensioner have an intermittent loss of pressure? Has anyone else had a similar problem?

Thanks

Andy

 

I had one fail last year no noise at start up Was driving to my camp stopped to get gas
smelled oil burning opened hood saw oil on passenger side valve cover but could no see where it came from
Ford dealer in the town 3 miles away checked oil was still in save zone. went to dealer they came to show me the hole the chain put in the valve cover where toe oil was leaking opened the front of motor timing chain tensioner broken chain jumped broke valve cover and sensor in cover. $ 1000.00 later all was well
They said if chain jumped 2 teeth instead of 1 motor would be fried
no more problems so far 200600 klm on it now.
You will need to pull the front covers to check them good luck. keep us posted.

 

Most of the Tensioner failures that I know of the people had no idea there was a problem and then 1 day the chain jumps Valve hits the piston and they buy a new motor. If yours is giving you warning signs Get it fixed NOW! These are interference engines and being off timing is no joke.

 

One my buddies had his tensioner guieds come apart on him, at least that's the best guess. Anyway the motor went into self destrut mode. But at least still ran on five cylinders. Well he swaped in an 09 motor.

 

5W20 Oil!
I've towed a few that the tensioners failed.
The last one was 10 minutes out of a quick change oil joint.
Wrong oil in it. Was that the cause?
Nobody would take the blame.

 

5.4 3 valve engine, the grey hair creator, just had to replace mains rod bearings timing chain phasers all guides, sylinoids all sensors had to pull cams refurbished all my lifters and roller rockers, and oil pump... Got it all the way back together and it has a labor knock to it.. in which I believe it's 180 degrees OUTTA time due to not being placed on TDC on compression stroke... I have it all back apart with all these new parts in place torqued to specs and it on TDC before I've taken anything else off, my question is can I put the vise grips on to hold in place and get bottom Mark lined up and use the pair of vise grips to turn my phaser to it's correct position without having to remove any of my roller rockers... I ordered the tool to compress spring just curious if I have to remove any before I did so

 

Also I just put the timing chain tensioners on is there any way to reuse since there new, if so how do I reset the tensioners

 

With cams removed no valves are down . Get cams pointed in correct direction before bolting cam back down at timing point . If cams pointed correctly on 1 and 5 you don't have to find TDC it's not timed right at TDC anyway its only close .



It helps to have someone have socket on cam phasor to fight valve springs while the other guy puts chain on .
Ratcheting chain tensioner has a release in a hole or on mine there is a screw on side to undo ratchet have a pin ready to lock it open . It has heavy spring on it ,you have to turn a screw driver in hole to release but both the ratchet plunger and main plunger have to go all the way to bottom to get a pin in it . You need a pin at least an inch long, the ratch pin will be sticking out the other side when you get it bottomed out . I didn't have any luck removing screw might be lock tighted . . Its a bugger to get it clamped . Maybe an old hand has a procedure or a trick . Wire pin can't be too thick , maybe a small latch pin from hardware store about a 16th of an inch thick cut one side off less than 2 mm ?

 

Screw that valve compression tool . I do like the toothed phasor holding tool . I don't like using vise grips on cam . If you set up timing right and have helper after carefully reinstalling cams with rollers in place is a easier go to me . If at timing point no valve to piston contact should be a problem . Cam torque is around 8 foot pounds a little at a time in sequence .