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I'm brand new to the 5.4 3V engine, but recently purchased a 2004 F150 with 134K that is starting to show signs of needing the timing chain and associated components replaced. I've watched a handful of videos on the subject and the procedure and am getting ready to start it. I see where there is a special tool ( OTC 6024) used to hold the crankshaft at TDC for #1. The question I have is if you are removing all of the roller followers before installing the timing set, what does it matter if I have the crank precisely at TDC for #1 as long as all the timing marks line up ? If there's no followers in to actuate the valves, I'm not understanding why the precision of having the engine exactly at TDC for #1. Understand this is an interference engine, but I think that issue is solved by removing the followers.
I could be completely wrong here and would appreciate someone with more experience to explain this to me.
If you are removing the rollers first then no, there really is no practical reason you would absolutely need the crank tool as long as you get the timing marks correct.
However, I am assuming you are asking due to the high price of the tool. If that is the case just buy a cheap set on Amazon. it will work just fine trust me, that's what I did when I did the timing on my own 5.4 (And also my 4.6 2v about 2 years after). This is the exact product I bought back in 2020 and for both the crank and sprocket tool (which you will definitely need to tighten the phaser bolts) It is literally 10% the cost of just the crank tool from OTC.
Replace the oil pump with a melling M340HV (high flow standard pressure). You're already going to be all the way in there, so there's no better time to do it and it isn't very expensive at all. Not only will it extend the life of your phasers and top end, but on my truck with almost double the miles of yours it builds oil pressure in a literal half second or less, faster than it takes for the instrument cluster to turn back on and move the needles after the engine fires up.
Buy only motorcrap timing components. It's more expensive, yes, but there are so many accounts of aftermarket phasers and such failing within a few thousand miles It's not worth the savings imo. You may be able to get away with cheaper chains and guides, but phasers and rollers and such absolutely not.
Buy the 2 valve cast iron tensioners, not the plastic ones. They are a machined metal to metal seal, No gasket to blow out, And plus they are ratcheting So the tensioners can never go too slack While the truck is off. Some people don't like their ratchets since they think they can over tighten and then cause accelerated cam journal wear during spirited driving, which is fair enough, but consider this isn't a 9,000 RPM dual clutch racecar, It's a truck engine that literally explodes above 5,001 RPM because of its absurdly long stroke (Ok that's a little hyperbolic but you get my point) mated to a lethargic 4-speed auto from the 80s. However if you still don't like the idea of the ratchets they can be removed pretty easily without consequence.
Its an idiot gauge. In case you dont know what you are doing and you try to reinstall at the wrong point. You need to have the crank dot at six but you also need to check the cam lobes on number 1 and 5 to see if they are pointing correctly per ford manual .
Knowing how this engine works to get 4 strokes will help a lot . Always check piston valve clearance at finish of timing by rotating engine 2 complete rev"s . Do not turn engine backwards , turn it clockwise but it will take 122 rev's to get back to that timing point . Forget that, its to hard just start over . If you get too deep in wrong timing just lift cams so no valves are pushed down . then you can put crank back to six oclock dot .
If you are removing the rollers first then no, there really is no practical reason you would absolutely need the crank tool as long as you get the timing marks correct.
However, I am assuming you are asking due to the high price of the tool. If that is the case just buy a cheap set on Amazon. it will work just fine trust me, that's what I did when I did the timing on my own 5.4 (And also my 4.6 2v about 2 years after). This is the exact product I bought back in 2020 and for both the crank and sprocket tool (which you will definitely need to tighten the phaser bolts) It is literally 10% the cost of just the crank tool from OTC. https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B07T9DFLZK
Also if I may offer some unsolicited advice:
Replace the oil pump with a melling M340HV (high flow standard pressure). You're already going to be all the way in there, so there's no better time to do it and it isn't very expensive at all. Not only will it extend the life of your phasers and top end, but on my truck with almost double the miles of yours it builds oil pressure in a literal half second or less, faster than it takes for the instrument cluster to turn back on and move the needles after the engine fires up.
Buy only motorcrap timing components. It's more expensive, yes, but there are so many accounts of aftermarket phasers and such failing within a few thousand miles It's not worth the savings imo. You may be able to get away with cheaper chains and guides, but phasers and rollers and such absolutely not.
Buy the 2 valve cast iron tensioners, not the plastic ones. They are a machined metal to metal seal, No gasket to blow out, And plus they are ratcheting So the tensioners can never go too slack While the truck is off. Some people don't like their ratchets since they think they can over tighten and then cause accelerated cam journal wear during spirited driving, which is fair enough, but consider this isn't a 9,000 RPM dual clutch racecar, It's a truck engine that literally explodes above 5,001 RPM because of its absurdly long stroke (Ok that's a little hyperbolic but you get my point) mated to a lethargic 4-speed auto from the 80s. However if you still don't like the idea of the ratchets they can be removed pretty easily without consequence.
Thank you for the information. Exactly what I was thinking. I have an all Ford timing / phaser set coming and the oil pump you mentioned already. Didn't know about the tensioners, but they sound similar to the ones motorcycles have used for years. I'll have to check them out.
Do you reccomend changing the followers or just inspecting?
no prob. The tensioner gaskets blowing out is easily the #2 biggest reason for timing failure (#1 being phasers of course), once it blows it takes a lot longer to pressurize, allowing chain slap, which breaks guides. That's exactly what happened to my 4.6 as a matter of fact.
However even though I gave you my POV on the subject make sure you DYOR and make an informed decision. I don't think the heads on these engines use replaceable bearings, just machined journals, so you could potentially scrap the heads as well as the cams If I happen to be wrong.
As far as lifters, me personally I would just replace them for two reasons: One being there is an updated design with an enlarged squirter that improves oiling of themselves and the cam so they don't fail, as they were another less common failure point back in ye early days (if they fail they will damage the cam lobe, and can even get kicked off the lifter, get jammed under the cam and break lifters or even cam towers). two, they aren't expensive and if you're taking them off anyway... right? I think it was like 80 bucks for a set back when I did them back at the tail end of the "before times", but even now I wouldn't imagine they would be more than 100, maybe 120 bucks a set. However if you really want to put it off, they aren't the absolute worst thing in the world to replace on their own since it only requires removing the valve covers and spinning the engine to do them. And of course you will need a spring tool to do that regardless. Again, this is the tool I used and it worked like a charm, but it doesn't seem that Amazon has any new ones in stock at the moment.
no prob. The tensioner gaskets blowing out is easily the #2 biggest reason for timing failure (#1 being phasers of course), once it blows it takes a lot longer to pressurize, allowing chain slap, which breaks guides. That's exactly what happened to my 4.6 as a matter of fact.
However even though I gave you my POV on the subject make sure you DYOR and make an informed decision. I don't think the heads on these engines use replaceable bearings, just machined journals, so you could potentially scrap the heads as well as the cams If I happen to be wrong.
As far as lifters, me personally I would just replace them for two reasons: One being there is an updated design with an enlarged squirter that improves oiling of themselves and the cam so they don't fail, as they were another less common failure point back in ye early days (if they fail they will damage the cam lobe, and can even get kicked off the lifter, get jammed under the cam and break lifters or even cam towers). two, they aren't expensive and if you're taking them off anyway... right? I think it was like 80 bucks for a set back when I did them back at the tail end of the "before times", but even now I wouldn't imagine they would be more than 100, maybe 120 bucks a set. However if you really want to put it off, they aren't the absolute worst thing in the world to replace on their own since it only requires removing the valve covers and spinning the engine to do them. And of course you will need a spring tool to do that regardless. Again, this is the tool I used and it worked like a charm, but it doesn't seem that Amazon has any new ones in stock at the moment. https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B075ZHX1BS
I have the compressor, but the price I got for the Ford followers was 600.00 from Amazon.
...and I was wrong on the oil pump. I purchased the M360HV, not the 340.
I have the compressor, but the price I got for the Ford followers was 600.00 from Amazon.
...and I was wrong on the oil pump. I purchased the M360HV, not the 340.
When I saw 600, I thought that can't be right, that just must be some Amazon scam price. I went to fordpartsgiant where I bought them before, went into my history and sure enough, it was $74.16 For a complete set of 24. I said, yeah, that's what I thought, That makes more sense. Let me just check the part number now and see what they are And I'll send him (you) a link. I opened the part number and now they are $22.23 a piece, and I almost choked.
So yeah, with that absolute bullshihtzu scam pricing being the case, you should just inspect and replace only what is required and maybe in the future when things cost what they're actually worth again and you can replace them all for less than the cost of a junkyard motor.
When I saw 600, I thought that can't be right, that just must be some Amazon scam price. I went to fordpartsgiant where I bought them before, went into my history and sure enough, it was $74.16 For a complete set of 24. I said, yeah, that's what I thought, That makes more sense. Let me just check the part number now and see what they are And I'll send him (you) a link. I opened the part number and now they are $22.23 a piece, and I almost choked.
So yeah, with that absolute bullshihtzu scam pricing being the case, you should just inspect and replace only what is required and maybe in the future when things cost what they're actually worth again and you can replace them all for less than the cost of a junkyard motor.
yes, if we were talking about 100 for the set, we wouldn't be taking about it. I'll have to check out that store anyway. I'm looking for a set of plugs and don't trust Amazon to get an authentic set. Thanks for the help.
yes, if we were talking about 100 for the set, we wouldn't be taking about it. I'll have to check out that store anyway. I'm looking for a set of plugs and don't trust Amazon to get an authentic set. Thanks for the help.
Ford genuine parts at decent prices. fordpartsgiant.com. No I'm not affiliated unless you count all the money I've spent with them lol.
fpg is great for speed, selection and prices yeah, I'll give them some free shilling too. Bought a good number of things from them over the past few years and never had a problem, including the aforementioned timing set. rockauto is also a viable choice and usually (but not always) slightly cheaper. the sp546x plugs you need are actually about $2.30 cheaper at ra right now vs fpg for example, and basic shipping is also usually a couple bucks cheaper for about the same delivery speed too.
Just received my "genuine OEM" VCT control solenoids off Amazon from what I believe is the link in Fordtechmakuloco. Complete garbage. Unsealed generic bags and one of the seals was pinched in the orfice. No,no,no.
^^^^I've had Amazon sellers try sneaking their own aftermarket brands into my orders too----fortunately Moog has very distinctive appearance and packaging as well so this did not go un-noticed, Amazon swapped the correct parts without hesitation. Fordtechmakaloco does have a somewhat extensive video showing how to determine whether you've received Motorcraft or Ford genuine parts too FWIW. To my eye the parts and packaging you show are a great indication they are not Ford/Motorcraft parts.
Regarding FortPartsGiant they're the real deal and most times they are cheaper than others however once their shipping costs are added for me its often times buying direct from a local Ford dealer works out less. Same with most any other on-line parts seller. Rarely do I buy from or even look at RockAuto for a number of reasons, price almost never the sole determining reason I do or do not buy from them.
At the cost of labor and the trouble to get to replace same I would try my best to replace roller followers . Tensioners - I would go to the metal ratcheting ones , some guys cut the last few teeth off ratchet so that it it doesn't stick at a high oil pressure event . There is no gasket to blow out on the metal ones . Gasket failure makes the oil just dump right back in the pan losing critical oil pressure on top end .Loss of pressure on tensioner leads to whipping chains and guide failure and pieces blocking oil pickup resulting in more loss of oil flow ..
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