He has a 2001 f150 with the 5.4, his truck just turned 24,000 miles. not long after his last oil change the truck sounds like it has slight knock when cold. not right at start up but about 30 second after starting and knocks for about a good minute then goes away. he took it into ford and told them he had extended warrenty bumper to bumper, they gave him a memo that said the trucks with the 5.4 from 1999-2003 have this problem but it doesn't effect the longevity of the motor, my firends a little bit of a push over, I said I think their giving you the run around, I said does that memo state that theses trucks with the 5.4 99-03 do this from new, cause if they do I doubt anyone would buy one, and If the 2004's don't do it then they fixed the problem, which is proof it is a problem, it never did this before, and now its doing this I think they should fix it, can any of you guys give me some insite on this thanks Randy

 

its got what i call short skirt syndrome.....they made the piston skirts a little short but when the engine warms up the piston seats properly,, and the type of oil and filter can have an affect on this...ive got a hundred thirty thousand on mine it has done this for about the last 80 thousand or so...

 

Sounds like the piston slap problem. If you do a site search and include the 4.6 & 5.4 forum, as well, you might find more insite.

-Kerry

 

what kind of oil and filter should he use?

 

i use a motorcraft filter's and pennzoil but there are alot of debates about this....i tried several brands till i found one that works "okay*. i have a habit of letting my truck warm up for 5min every morning or if it sitts longer than 4hrs....but i drive then again i put about 250,000 to 350,000 miles on my trucks in about 4-5 years...of hard use...my 95 f150 w/5.0 e40d had 360,000 onit when sold it ,i got it with 40,000 miles on it. with this F250 Light duty 5.4 e4od 4x4 i hope to get at least 300+ out of it....i firmly beleive in warming it up ...espeically the trans...i hope this helps your friend out..you can also seach the 5.4 forum on oil and filters...and maybe Racerguy or Torque1st will jump in ...and give there .02's on this ?'s...

 

WIX FILTERS ARE #1

Bryan

 

I dont think that different oil or filters will change the noise any. Some oil filters dont have good anti-drainback valves in them but that usually makes for a lifter ticking type of noise when started cold.

The Special Service Message from Ford says.......
SOME 1999-2003 E-SERIES, F-SERIES, EXPEDITION/NAVIGATOR, 2000-2003 EXCURSION AND 2002-2003 BLACKWOOD VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH A 5.4L-2V/4V OR 6.8L-2V ENGINE MAY EXHIBIT A LIGHT TICKING OR RATTLING TYPE NOISE AFTER A COLD START WHICH MAY LAST UNTIL ENGINE WARM UP. THE NOISE IS DUE TO THE COMBINATION OF LIGHT LOAD OPERATING CONDITIONS AND THE NORMAL BORE CLEARANCES PRESENT IN A COLD ENGINE. THIS NOISE DOES NOT AFFECT PERFORMANCE OR LONG-TERM DURABILITY OF THE ENGINE.

The noise didn't seem to be there on new engines but once they got a few miles on them and they loosened up a bit it seemed to happen. And it's not on all the engines. I think the tolerances are a bit tighter on some than others. I've seen a couple that hammered pretty bad when they were cold but they never seemed to get any worse.
I called Ford once on one that was quite loud and they said not to worry about it. I asked them how the customer would ever be able to sell his truck when it was time and they didnt have an answer for me.

 

Is that the "piston slap" problem, Dave? My impression of piston slap was a loose or broken wrist pin allowing more movement upward in the cylinder causing an eventual problem within the head. It is a noticeable "ting" in the engine sound.

The way the service message describes the noise, it sounds like the noise my truck (and all trucks I've owned) make on start up. Once the oil pressure and heat builds up in the engine most of the noise goes away.

-Kerry

 

Yep this is the piston slap problem.
Usually with piston slap the noise will start up after a few seconds of running. This is different than the no oil to the lifters noise that lots of engine make when they are first started.
Piston slap is caused by the piston skirts being slightly too small for the cylinder bore when they are cold. They contract and may go out of round when cold which makes the piston to bore clearance too large. The pistons try to go up the cylinder "sideways" because the skirt isn't holding it straight.
Once the pistons warm up they go back to the right size and shape and the noise goes away.
Exhaust leaks can cause a very similar sound too.

 

i love it when short skirts heat up.......


i know ......that was ...well...you know...

 

tsk tsk

 

Dave so why does theses motors not do this when new? My buddy has 40,000 km or 24,000 miles on his motor now, thanks for the replys by the way. Randy

 

I think they just loosen up a bit as they wear. Everything wears a bit so the clearances increase.

 

Thanks for clearing that up, Dave. Jimmy said the samething in the 4.6, 5.4 forum. I was just clueless as to the reasons for the slap. I think it adds character....

-Kerry

 

Just like oil leaks are just your truck's way of marking it's territory