I went and talked to the service manager today and looked at my engine with the valve cover off. The cam did walk forward about a 1/2 inch and the end of the contact point on the cam gear chewed up the cam sensor. There is all kinds of copper and plastic in there from the sensor. The cam is also scored and some of the lobes wore on the edge from hitting the sides of the rockers. There is quite a bit of visible damage. I don't know how much metal made it to the lower end or what it looks like under the other valve cover? They were talking about sludge on the phone? I thought it looked clean? There was no sign of sludge around the cam, there was just a small amount on the inside of the valve cover that you could scape with your finger nail? Very minute, and the engine has 45k on a work truck. They think the oil feed to the cam got plugged with sludge?

It seems like for whatever reason they just don't want to get involved? I talked to the service manager and he told me that he doesn't think ford will cover it because I don't have any service records? He says on his claim form they will ask if it was purchased at their dealership,(no) do I have any service records, (no). So therefore he doesn't think they will cover it. He doesn't even want to try unless I come up with slips showing oil changes? Then when I question him about the small amount of sludge he says its not just because of that, I would still need maint records?

I have had warranty work done before and never run into this? Now it is sitting in their yard apart with a $99 bill? Any good ideas?

 

Call another dealer.

 

It was mentioned that they think it was a clogged oiler that caused the problem. Don't they have to prove that first in order to deny warranty coverage?

 

Yes and no.
To put it simply, only if Ford calls for it.
Sometimes (depending on circumstances) Ford will instruct you to tear down whatever
portion of the motor failed and determine the root cause. If it's a situation that occurs often, sometimes they will simply approve or deny it based on circumstance.

I've seen many would-be warranty claims turned into customer pay for a lifter tap (an example) ruining a head because the owner didn't use a Motorcraft oil filter that may not provide "sufficient flow" (as stated by Ford) to the cam oil rails.

It can become a very sticky situation for the customer if not handled properly.
If you don't have proof of oil changes for every oil change due, and no history of
scheduled maintenance, they can void your warranty being as they are saying it is an oil cause. You have to remember that the person tearing down your motor under warranty has to be certified, and Ford recognizes his certification. If he says lack of maintenance cause the clogged oil rail, Ford will go with what he says unless you can come up with some receipts or they send an engineer to inspect the motor and prove different.

Yeah it sucks for the customer, but sometimes that's just the way it happens.
My advice... for every oil change/rotate/fluid exchange/anything, take it to the dealer.
Yeah it may be more expensive, but if something does happen they CAN NOT say it's from lack of maintenance because you've taken it there and have proof in the system. It's all about loopholes with warranty... see it every day.

-Patrick

 

Any update on this?

I have the exact same issue. Truck started running badly, engine light came on... Took it in and its throwing a cam timing sensor error on bank one. Dealer tells me, $369 for a new sensor and labor, pick it up this afternoon...happy happy.

NOT. Get a call back right before I go and pick it up and they tell me the cam is moving forward and damaging the sensor but they dont know why (OBVIOUSLY its the cam bearings!!!!), minimum $1490 assuming "there is nothing else wrong"... How about THE CAM, BEARINGS and any other incidental damage in the valve train not to mention any of the crap plugging oil passages or getting to the bottom end.

They have never heard of this happening... This motor is 100% hosed isnt it?

I will never buy a used truck again... 1,200 lousy miles out of the extended 75,000 warranty I purchased!!!!

I AM SO INCREDIBLY DISSAPOINTED!

 

I'm glad I found this. I am pretty sure my 2008 F-250 V10 has the same problem at 74,000 miles. I had a rear main seal leak- repaired under warranty. Then two days later I'm driving and the oil pressure gauge drops to zero, and also the mpg rests to zero and the oil light comes on. I went to turn left into a gas station and it stalls. Start it and limp into gas station. Called dealer back and had it towed. That was 16 days ago. I too am getting the " need maintenance records" which I make a log for my truck, lawn mower and atv and it hangs in my garage and I put the date and miles when I change the oil. Now this week a Ford esp inspector is coming to look at the truck and they are probably gonna try and pull the "lack of oil changes " on me but I'm gonna shoe them this thread. If three of us on here have the same problem then imagine how many others that aren't a member here have had the problem. Stay tuned and if anyone else has had the same problem chime in here cause I'm gonna make a ruckus and get to the bottom of this obvious defect in the V10 heads!

 

This sounds like a vendor problem. Ford has possibly changed vendors, or the build criteria for their camshafts, and this is causing the issues you guys are seeing. The way the cylinder heads are manufactured, the camshaft has to have a "thrust" face on the cam for keeping the camshaft aligned properly. Sounds to me like the thrust face is not the proper dimension, or assembled incorrectly, allowing it to move/fail and letting the camshaft move forward. There are NO bearings in the cylinder head-it's a machined bore in the aluminum casting that the cam rides on.
I've never seen ANY modular camshaft fail like this in hundreds of thousands of miles,and the cams are all designed/manufactured the same. If there are instances of this happening now, then it appears that it's a supplier/lowest bidder issue.
JL