I have a 2004 F150 5.4 Ltr. with 215,000 miles. Just recently i've noticed a loud knocking noise coming from the engine on the drivers side. It only happens at idle and will goes away in a very short time. I've only heard it when i'm towing my boat and the AC is on. Any ideas of what would cause this?

 

Possible cam phaser, but I would have thought it would have started way before now? What weight oil?

 

Mobile one 5w30. The underhood sticker recommends that oil. Should i use a different weight?

 

Yes 5w20. The oil pathways around the phaser are way small , hard for 5!30 to get thru. You probably are looking at replacement. How long have you run 5/30 ? But like I said I think it would have started a long time ago, another thing to look at is exhaust bolts being rusted out causing leak. Tese are just things you need to investigate.

 

i'll switch to 5w20. Is it hard to replace? I'm very mechanicly skilled or should i take it to the shop. I've been running 5w30 since i've owned the truck. I'll check the exhaust bolts too.

 

It is not hard, just slightly awkward , there is a good video on YouTube showing procedure! Your truck is 3 v engine?

 

yes...it's a 3 v. Is this something that happens commonly with this truck?

 

yes it is common, there is another post near by regarding this,

 

What Kind of oil filter are you using? Did you use a orange Fram filter last oil change?

Thanks!