With good drive cycles they will go away . Lifting a battery terminal for ten minutes or so will clear them . Or you can have auto zone check them and clear them .
The other best thing you can do is change the oil often ,its the carbon from combustion clogging up this engine causing problems . I run marvel mystery oil 1 quart all the time as a slow cleaner , Every other oil change I do a engine flush but I have cleaned it out when I did timing job . Don't go over 5k or 3 months between oil changes ,there are too many screens and samll passages in this engine .Use mc filters as it has good drain back valve ,they are cheap at wally world .

 

So I went to the ford dealer to get an estimate kind of for kicks and giggles on a full timing job. What I found interesting is that the service guy recommended looking into a cam phaser lockout kit which he said would be about 1400 to install. Does anyone have any knowledge of these kits and or recommendations whether or not to do this?

I also asked him to give me an estimate for a full timing job including phasers, tensioners, guides, chains, seals, etc.. the quote was right around 2400. Does this seem reasonable?

Also asked him about putting in a melling 360hv oil pump and he told me that they can do that and that it is a good idea although they have to take the whole engine out to replace the oil pump! I am not sure why they do this as everywhere I have seen it is completely doable without this step.

Any advice would be great! Thanks!

 

It is 4wd so dropping oil pan is a little harder but nowhere near pulling engine . The oil pu tube screen needs to be cleaned when you have it off doing pump . Two little scews hold oil pu to oil pump with an oring gasket . Putting oil pump on crank is easy but do it carefully lined up properly . .Once the timing cover is off its a matter of setting up the timing point before pulling chains . The pump is right there 4-5 small bolts . You have oil pan off so its pretty easy . . You will be putting 2 little new gears on crank anyway for new chains ..Not moving crank after chains off is key at this point if you had timing points set up its a matter of putting new phasers on and new tensioners and lining up the dots and marked points on chains . Not much is required in special tools its just a time eater and brain work to get it right . . Anyone can do it if they study it and triple check it ..
There is more than one way to do it for sure . There are some hard points to get timing cover off but its just hard work a little trick here and there . It is nice to have the toothed holding tool to hold phaserr to take it off and re install but they are cheap on ebay . And of course you have to have a torque wrench ..
The parts for a full timing job including rollers and lashs all runs about $1400.

 

If the mechanic includes the rest of the timing and lash components with the lockout, ask him which parts and to show you the part numbers - then go home and look them up. Confirm with the parts FTMUL recommends. If they are anything else, no go. My guess is that with labor, they want to charge you $1400 for just the lockouts... not even close to worth it, and willing to bet when they get in there they will notice more and recommend a full timing job. If he did the lockouts and full timing job with new phasers as well as lash components and anything else for under $1600, I would be surprised. And then I would question the parts used.

 

A Ford Dealer mechanic that told me you have to 'take the whole engine out' to change the oil pump would not TOUCH my Truck under any circumstances for any amount of money. He either don't know his A$$ from ''Two Hot Rocks', or is a liar about mechanical technique (and probably prices/or both) - in either of which cases he's BANNED in my books.

 

The lockout and tune usually runs $700 ,save your money and put it in real engine oem parts . They fix nothing . Dealers service reps are money makers they pump up the business and get a share . There are some good ones but not many today ,the managers push them very hard and change them out. They are not your friend no more than an insurance adjuster is ..
The trick is to find a mechanic with a very good rep .
Of course us die hards do our own work . We can take more time and address other things rather than slap it together. The more you do the more you learn about all vehicles . Knowing the trouble turbos cause made me wise enough to reject the eco boost engine on my wifes 2015 explorer .And thank goodness we never got into ford double clutch transmission .
I'm also glad i'm not a boeing 737 max pilot . Engineers are not the problem the management is .

 

Thanks everyone for the great advice and info!

I just talked to a mechanic on the phone that many people recommended to me. He used to be a mechanic at the ford dealer and has done a ton of these timing jobs and now has his own shop. It was nice to be able to talk to someone near my area that actually knows something about these engines and that knows the answers to my questions! He is going to write me up a quote to do all the timing with oem parts as he recommended and get back to me tomorrow. I asked him about putting the oil pump in and he said that no one has had him do that yet but that he absolutely could. I’ll let everyone know what the quote is when I get it and if I’m going to go ahead with it.

I assume it is still a good idea to put a melling 360 hv pump in while he’s at it right? Anything else that should be changed for preventative maintenance?

Thanks.

 

Now after 60k on timing job I had put melling 360 in as the hv wasn't out yet . Its a no brainer very easy once timing cover off . Just don't force it on ,it takes a little wiggling to get it seated before putting bolts in .
There are not a lot of special tools required to do the timing job if you know the engine , Its a parts eater and they are expensive. You don't dare to use aftermarket except oil pump. Its a high labor job not easy to make a short cut . So you can't charge high hours and get it done in a third of book time . That's why shops don't like them . Nor can you use cheap parts as your call backs will eat you up .

 

Maluko has helped me on my 04 lots and you can messing him through FB

 

I got a quote from the mechanic, 2,249 dollars including all oem parts, oil, coolant, etc. I am replacing all the timing and putting the new melling oil pump in. His price seems very fair to me. He charges 80 an hour which I was happy with as well!

 

That sounds like a good price using OEM parts. Just the parts alone is close to 1k. Like redfish said it ain't cheap to fix one of these right.