OK so I originally posted a WTF post trying to figure out why my 2008 F350 5.4l truck would not run. Once I pulled the valve covers and looked down with a flashlight there was plastic parts everywhere on Passenger side. So I know at least part will be replacing the assembly and installing a new High FLow Oil Pump.

As I read the book on timing I was a bit worried as a few cars in the past were very complex like a VW TDI. Nope real easy at least on video and paper. So I check the existing setup. I look for the "R & L" on the. front of the phasers. Oops they are on the wrong sides. Now I question if the cams are even on the correct sides? Where are the part numbers stamped on the Right vs Left cam? Should I just replace them? Seems kinda a waste.

To be safe I am waiting on the Ford 16mm adapter so I can do a leakdown test. I would like to do a compression test but too much is torn down and to many issues with sloppy chains/ loose parts. I am thinking of just pulling the cams out as I want to see the bearing surfaces anyways. Top end is a toast golden Brown so it may have lacked oil some.

Any other suggestions? I found a shop Freedom Racing Tool and Parts in Iowa with a clean setup, good parts and mostly Ford OEM with steel Adjusters. THey offer both cam and non cam adjusters? Not sure about that yet but pricing is good and they offer overnight delivery for under $70 Master kit with After Market parts under $800 all FOrd OEM $1150.

 

OK So far so good. Radiator shroud came out fairly quick and has never been pulled or they replaced all taped wire holders on the bottom.

Fan was very easy with a Fan Clutch Wrench Kit. I could not imagine any other way. I sold these for years and had a hard time convincing mechanics it was worth the money each time. THe last one never sold when I closed my shop but it has helped me twice now. No sweat or busted knuckles.

Tension pulley and accessories all came out without a hitch. I am now at the point of the Harmonic Balancer. I have the one with the three threaded holes but they are very rusted and bolts do not go in well. So here I sit calming down before I hurt myself or cross thread something expensive.

Crank was at TDC and even though the right and left were on the wrong sides the cams were also timed correct. I do not think I had any chain slip or valves hitting pistons yet. I will know better after plugs are out, cams removed and I can spin the crank some with a borescope looking in. This is also when I will do a leakdown test. It is a lot of work if motor is toast but needed before just slapping parts on a motor,

Still could use suggestions on other issues I might run into. Will be using the Cloyes kits with some OEM parts. Mechanics here and in the field where i used to wrench all recommend Cloyes. The kit will also have Ford OEM solenoids and a Melling HV Pump.

 

hey bud there are two sections with lots of threads and info on this
one is the 5.4 modular engine section
the other is the 2004-2008? F150 section

 

82 f100 300six thanks I will read these. Today was a bad day for testing and discovery.

I have never found a motor that when I did a Leakdown Test it would not hold air. Not a single cylinder will hold air. Something is not right as it would run a short time then die before I started. A lot is wrong but nothing at all???

Oh well back at it tomorrow. I will shoot some oil down to see if it is the rings or what but still no pressure at all does not sound good.

 

Just one thing I noticed about your posting - you mentioned that the L & R are backwards on the cam phasers...keep in mind that the phasers are interchangeable from side to side, and have the markings for both positions - just 180 degrees apart.

That would also make sense why you can't get it to hold pressure.

Rotate the crank one full turn, to get the cams at the proper position; and try again.

As far as the balancer, don't be afraid to run a tap in those holes to clean things up - just don't get carried away and drive the tap into the timing cover.

When removing the cover, don't forget about the one bolt that's tucked behind the power steering pulley - easier to unbolt the pump and let it sit off to the side. Also have 4 bolts at the front of the pan.

If you're patient and careful, it is possible to unbolt the oil pump pickup without dropping the pan - I have a small 5/16 ratcheting wrench that works great for that (close enough to an 8mm)

 

It has been a while but I finally got the ugly farm truck running so now I can work on the 08. New timing kit from Freedom Racing is due in any day. I could not figure out the difference between OEM and Precision Gear Cam Phasers so I went with the delux timing set using Precision Gear Phasers and Steel ratchet adjusters. As I get it apart I will post some more. There are a bunch of threads on these motors in the F150 forums and even some great hot rod threads with the Mustangs.

 

Don't do the job twice, OEM phasers are an absolute must. Also look up the roller followers and replace them. Very common problem to address while in there. Maybe a high volume oil pump if you're budget allows.

Check out this guys 5.4 playlist and this video about the followers.A goldmine of info. He goes over indetail why the aftermarket phasers are an issue and mentions freedom racing specifically.

 

Well if it wasn't determined before it is now. I started the assembly and the left cam phaser fell apart in my hands. Freedom Racing did me right and made me a deal. I have 2 new camshafts and OEM phasers coming in now. It will cost a bit more to do this the right way but an additional $500 to prevent me from pulling everything apart a second time is well worth it.

Manufacture did not like the end of my camshafts so they refused the warranty. To avoid this with the OEM Phasers new camshafts will go in as well. Now I need to still rig in a mechanical oil pressure gage and find a way to flush out the oil lines and drop the oil pan. I am sure there is at least half of the fixed guide still down there somewhere.

 

Well it is all done. Tried to flush power steering before firing it up but too many issues. I put the fuse back in #32 and reconnected hoses for steering. First key turn and it fired up nice. Smooth and quiet. All the slow cranking was not a bad idea as it also pumped oil up and got things wet before turning it over. Not a single leak or wet spot with any sealing surfaces. The only problem is one wire connector to the throttle body sensor has two female ends. Someone bought the wrong sensor end. So I am debating a new sensor with the right end or hard wiring it??

A few notes on the work.
1. Drop the oil pan. It was worth 3 days work to ensure it was clean and debris free. I also flushed the pickup screen and found all sorts of garbage there too. For the 2WD stock models it was easy to unbolt motor and trans mounts and jack it up. For the pan to drop one needs to pry on the tail shaft and lift it about 4 inches after the motor has been lifted to its max height. I took off the air tunnel for a bit more room. Install is the same just a little push on tail shaft and it went in.

2. Photo the living bejabers as you disassemble your truck. I still am not sure if I have the timing cover bolts right. I had an extra stud extended bolt and cannot figure out where it belongs. I put it where it was not in the way. No extra bolts but not sure why some are where they are. Online photos show too many variations to belts hoses bolts and accessories. Your truck is going to be different and time is not your friend when trying to remember one bolt.

3. Clean Clean Clean. So many issues found while cleaning that were much easier to take care of while everything was apart. I broke the Power Steering pump while trying to remove the pulley. When I removed the pump I also removed the hose attached to the pump but disconnected from the gear box. When on the bench and i removed the hose I found teflon tape trying to seal where an oring was supposed to be. New hose for $25 and all is good with no more leaks either. The oil filter once removed showed a leak with the pressure sensor. I will work on a means to add a mechanical gage later. Probably will use a hose to extend it to a frame mount with a tee fitting so I can have both gages working.

4. Fan Clutch wrenches make the job so much easier taking apart and putting together. O'Riellys rents them free and it is worth it like the pulley pullers.

5. Take the time to check out other items nearby. This truck was an auction truck from ATT and the left front wheel was rusted to the rotor. It took 3 days soaking in WD 40 and other mixtures plus a large sledge hammer to free the wheel. Down time waiting for parts is a good time to look for other small items. Now I am looking for clean cool rims for my 2008 F350. Since 2 are needed I might as well buy a set of 4 and have 3 metal spares?

6. I removed the hood to gain access to the top. It made the difference many times to beable to just climb on top. I also put a cardboard box in front of the radiator to prevent damaging the fins. Later I added one more to the motor side too. Radiator looks very nice without all the dents.

I hope everyone else enjoys their work as much as I did. Compared to the rebuild on my 97 460, this one was so much easier reassembling.

 

Glad to see you got it running - a couple comments on your list:

Item 2 - the stud/bolt combos are generally used in the bottom 2 holes (usually a little larger wrench size on those) which hold brackets for lines/wires. The remainder of them are used in the top holes on both sides - the inner 2 are where the RF doohickeys generally mount; outer one on pass side usually holds a bracket for an A/C line, and the outer one on the driver side is just for decoration....

Item 3 - that's why I never bother even trying to remove the pulley - much easier to just pull the mounting bolts and let it drop out of the way (a long extension and u-joint socket allows you to get that rear most one from right next to the lower control arm...)

 

Geez does this ever end? So it does run smooth and seems to be OK for a truck that was parked for 2 or more years. Had to replace both belt pulleys as the bearings dried up and they squealed bad. I used Royal Purple Oil as I always have on first run. I am having an interesting end result now.

After about 50 miles I start throwing codes. I do not drive the truck much so I only have 100 miles since the repair work was done. First time I threw P0011/0021/0340 and an emission code. Second time it was missing cylinders 1/3/4 and emissions but not p0011/0021.

I am used to oil sensitive motors as I drove a 7.3 diesel. Is this 5.4 motor also real sensitive? If I ran 5/20 instead of 5/30 would it matter?

My thoughts are an oil blockage or electrical failure like the ECM. I blew out the oil ports as best I can but I do not have the means to flush a motors oil passages. As far as that goes, I normally chemically dip then hot tank a motor when rebuilding the motor. This one was not even a top end job even though I replaced the cam shafts and timing chain sets.

If I reset the engine codes the truck runs great again for about 50 miles. This is why I was thinking electrical. When it goes it is just during regular driving. It will run real rough but makes it home every time. The next day it runs smooth but still has pending codes.

 

Based on those codes, I'd ask the big question - did you replace the solenoids as well? Those codes typically indicate that the cams are out of phase, usually because the solenoid isn't porting the oil where it should be.

And spec for that engine is 5w-20 - in my experience, stick with that for longevity

 

Yes the solenoids were replaced as well. I bought a complete kit with oem parts and ratchet adjusters plus the high volume pump. I am waiting on an oil pressure gage kit. Getting a tee fitting up alongside the filter does not look fun.

When I have a good oil pressure reading I can determine if I need to reopen the assembly. It is just the passenger side with is known for lower pressure. I would think thicker oil would raise the pressure?

When I add oil pressure sending unit I may also pull passenger valve cover to pull solenoid and check screen.