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had a 2007 E 450 towed to shop, complaint engine knock and shutdown, reviewed codes and pulled these codes, P0171, P0300, P0305, P0316, P0460, with these codes, noticed engine miss, and, then proceeded to start engine, noted a slap noise, and, decided to remove valve covers, and timing covers, noted cylinders 2,3,4 cam retainer bolts were backed out and allowed the cam followers to fall out in bottom of cylinder head, this engine has only 56K on it, and is 6 months out of warranty and so far Ford said there is nothing they can or will do about this, has anyone else had any similar issues on these engines? a new head is going to cost over 1000.00 bucks plus gasket and timing chain, fluids and labor, I am expecting this to cost the customer around 2800.00 to fix something that is a factory defect, any input would be appreciated, I can email pics to anyone interested, can't upload on here, b/c I am a free member, oh well. thanks
as a result of loose, cam retainer bolts, cam is broken, reccomended, replacing cylinder head, customer does not have funds and is asking me to install new cam and reassemble engine, and that he is excepting all responsibility of this decision, something does not feel right about this,
Pardon the dumb question but what maintenance, or lack thereof, would've caused this? Are cam retainer bolts to be checked every so often? If so, how often?
I'm stepping into the V10 ownership role soon and want to be sure I'm doing everything I should be doing for maintenance.
My brother who is a Ford mechanic has seen his share of problems similar to those you mentioned and most of them are from waiting too long to change the oil. I change my oil every 3000 miles and have never gone more than 4200 miles between oil changes. There are those occasional engines that have problems but they are few. What does the oil look like, is it thick and gummy? Was the proper weight oil used? These engines have such tight clearances, the proper weight oil is very important.
Please note, I am not accusing, just sharing my experiences.
It does not appear to have been properly maintained, oil is very discolored, and thick sludge was found on the heads, even with poor maintenance, I don't see how the bolts could have backed out. this seems to be a poor example of our so called quality workmanship these days. ford wont even look into this. I am looking to find a used head for this, as I am not at all comfortable reusing this one, I have a reputation to maintain, and I would not re-use it in my own vehicle. These engines have had some issues, with plugs welding to head, and or falling out. But this is a first for me. Anyone else ever see this happen? has only 56K on it. Thanks for the replies
My brother who is a Ford mechanic has seen his share of problems similar to those you mentioned and most of them are from waiting too long to change the oil. I change my oil every 3000 miles and have never gone more than 4200 miles between oil changes. There are those occasional engines that have problems but they are few. What does the oil look like, is it thick and gummy? Was the proper weight oil used? These engines have such tight clearances, the proper weight oil is very important.
Please note, I am not accusing, just sharing my experiences.
He told me, he was using a synthetic oil, and the recommended intervals were 7 or 8K miles, it was very discolored and this sludge was found all over this engine, I question the oil that he has been using as well, ans the lack of maintenance, even still this don't make any since, thanks for your reply
Proper oil weight and proper filter are extremely important. 7 or 8k between oil changes is in my opinion lack of maintenance, especially in a commercial vehicle.I hope it all works out for you.
Thanks deulwheels66 I have since found a used head to install on this engine, I never imagined what I had to go through to find one, only 3 listed in the country, anyways, I will have it Tuesday, and hope it is in good shape. I feel much better about the repair now. I will keep ya'll posted on this one. Hopefully, he will take better care of this vehicle, when I am done with it. thanks for all who replied