07 f150 5.4 knocking sound

[4u 2 nv]

Use air tools on full blast when pulling the plugs. Apparently you are less likely to break the plug off. I did mine by hand at sub 70k miles and broke two out of the 8.

thats the method ive seen also. Mildly warm motor..impact wrench/gun on the lowest setting possible to "shock" the plug. We will see lol. Gonna wait on the special tool. Its not something he needs as a daily so if its down for a day or three while ordering the tool no biggie.

 

[ford fanatic]

thats the method ive seen also. Mildly warm motor..impact wrench/gun on the lowest setting possible to "shock" the plug. We will see lol. Gonna wait on the special tool. Its not something he needs as a daily so if its down for a day or three while ordering the tool no biggie.

I've heard guys have sprayed the plugs with lubricant and give them about a quarter turn each day, 2 or 3 days before trying to get them out.

 

[03cobra#694]

I've heard guys have sprayed the plugs with lubricant and give them about a quarter turn each day, 2 or 3 days before trying to get them out.

I tried that, ran two cans of the Chevron fuel cleaner and one can of Seafoam through a few tanks of gas per everything I read about doing it and the ****ers all still broke, lol. 6 Hrs to do plugs, lol. Only real reason it took that long because when you break the first one it's nerve racking using the tool to push the porcelain down with all the cracking and then using the actual extraction part of the tool.

 

[ford fanatic]

I tried that, ran two cans of the Chevron fuel cleaner and one can of Seafoam through a few tanks of gas per everything I read about doing it and the ****ers all still broke, lol. 6 Hrs to do plugs, lol. Only real reason it took that long because when you break the first one it's nerve racking using the tool to push the porcelain down with all the cracking and then using the actual extraction part of the tool.

That sucks. My truck has 81K, so i've done some research for anything that will make the plug job go smoother. I'm putting if off as long as possible though.

 

[03cobra#694]

That sucks. My truck has 81K, so i've done some research for anything that will make the plug job go smoother. I'm putting if off as long as possible though.

Yup, did the same and researched the heck out of it. I've talked to guys who said they only broke a few, but they may have had less miles. What really pissed me off, my fuel mileage didn't go up, lol.

 

[SID297]

Mine sounds terrible aswell. LOL kinda embarrassing when the damn thing diesels while stopped at a light. Did Ford ever fix the new replacement phasers? For under $500 guides, chains, phasers, and tensioner's can be had. Id be pissed to replace all that and have the same outcome down the road.

My Dad's 2010 F-150 with 150,000 miles on it had phaser knock pretty bad. He fixed it by trading it in on a 2014 F-150 with a 5.0.

That sucks. My truck has 81K, so i've done some research for anything that will make the plug job go smoother. I'm putting if off as long as possible though.

You're going to think I'm insane, but here's my method for changing old style 3V plugs:

1. Remove all the COP bolts.
2. Start the truck and let it idle for 20 minutes so it gets good and hot.
3. Shut the truck off and as quickly as possible remove all the COPS.
4. Use a cordless impact to remove all the plugs as quickly as possible.
5. Install new plugs with plenty of anti-seize.

It sounds crazy, but it works. I've done it several times without breaking a plug.

 

[bdcardinal]

For the plugs, Mazda used to sell a product called "Zoom Cleaner" that was meant for cleaning out the carbon in the rotor housings on RX-8s. Our techs started using it to soak the plugs overnight on the 3V motors. They decided it had to work so well because all the warning messages were in Japanese and it had skull and crossbones pictures all over the packaging.

 

[ford fanatic]

My Dad's 2010 F-150 with 150,000 miles on it had phaser knock pretty bad. He fixed it by trading it in on a 2014 F-150 with a 5.0.


You're going to think I'm insane, but here's my method for changing old style 3V plugs:

1. Remove all the COP bolts.
2. Start the truck and let it idle for 20 minutes so it gets good and hot.
3. Shut the truck off and as quickly as possible remove all the COPS.
4. Use a cordless impact to remove all the plugs as quickly as possible.
5. Install new plugs with plenty of anti-seize.

It sounds crazy, but it works. I've done it several times without breaking a plug.

Funny thing, i've been pricing new 5.0 STX's for a couple weeks lol.

Crazy as it is, i'm not surprised it works.

 

[oldmodman]

A neighbor has that problem on his 07.

He noticed it at 78K (just out of warranty, of course). Truck now has 228,000 on it and except for really shitty gas mileage it still does the job.

 

[AustinSN]

A neighbor has that problem on his 07.

He noticed it at 78K (just out of warranty, of course). Truck now has 228,000 on it and except for really shitty gas mileage it still does the job.

My buddy's 05 work truck was the same way. I haven't seen the truck in a while but I know it still runs, it had like 275,000 on it and the phasers were knocking like they had been for the last 10 years. It appears to be a problem that is nothing more than annoying and kinda embarrassing.

 

[Steve@Tasca]

Yup, impact gun is the solution to plug removal, I've talked to a couple friends that are Ford Master techs and that's how they do it.

-Steve

 

[mrlrd1]

If the phasers are knocking the you most likely need a new engine. They knock from low oil pressure which could be either a thrust bearing or worn cam journals in the head(s). My advice: buy another truck. The 3V 5.4 was a worthless POS when new and isn't worth putting any money into.

 

[SID297]

If the phasers are knocking the you most likely need a new engine. They knock from low oil pressure which could be either a thrust bearing or worn cam journals in the head(s). My advice: buy another truck. The 3V 5.4 was a worthless POS when new and isn't worth putting any money into.

Right....

 

[03cobra#694]

If the phasers are knocking the you most likely need a new engine. They knock from low oil pressure which could be either a thrust bearing or worn cam journals in the head(s). My advice: buy another truck. The 3V 5.4 was a worthless POS when new and isn't worth putting any money into.

Lol, I'll let the place I run with a shit load of trucks with these engines know you mentioned that, along with my personal truck.

 

[kevinatfms]

If the phasers are knocking the you most likely need a new engine. They knock from low oil pressure which could be either a thrust bearing or worn cam journals in the head(s). My advice: buy another truck. The 3V 5.4 was a worthless POS when new and isn't worth putting any money into.

You have no idea what you are talking about. A great motor with one flaw that can be fixed with an aftermarket tool. Will last 150k+ miles with no problems other than noise. People like you spout crap like this and are flat wrong.

I have only seen 1 3 valve with a prematurely worn thrust bearing and it was due to the Saleen supercharger package on the Harley Davidson trucks. IIRC they have a TSB out there that specifically tells you to replace the engine with an updated part number which had a thicker thrust bearing. Other than that the 5.4L 3 valve engine is fine.

 

[mrlrd1]

You have no idea what you are talking about. A great motor with one flaw that can be fixed with an aftermarket tool. Will last 150k+ miles with no problems other than noise. People like you spout crap like this and are flat wrong.

I have only seen 1 3 valve with a prematurely worn thrust bearing and it was due to the Saleen supercharger package on the Harley Davidson trucks. IIRC they have a TSB out there that specifically tells you to replace the engine with an updated part number which had a thicker thrust bearing. Other than that the 5.4L 3 valve engine is fine.

:lol1:



Edit: for the 3 above... Let me VERY CLEARLY state a very well known FACT for you. The phasers fail and knock due to low oil pressure. They're also last in line in the oiling system. The cam journal design is PURE ****ING GARBAGE. You might see good oil pressure (Ford says 20+psi for proper VCT operation) at the pressure switch, but you won't see it at the top of the heads. I've done hundreds of phasers and EVERY SINGLE ONE HAD LOW OIL PRESSURE.

 

[Mentos]

^^^battle of the techs. So who is right?

 

[kevinatfms]

:lol1:



Edit: for the 3 above... Let me VERY CLEARLY state a very well known FACT for you. The phasers fail and knock due to low oil pressure. They're also last in line in the oiling system. The cam journal design is PURE ****ING GARBAGE. You might see good oil pressure (Ford says 20+psi for proper VCT operation) at the pressure switch, but you won't see it at the top of the heads. I've done hundreds of phasers and EVERY SINGLE ONE HAD LOW OIL PRESSURE.

Due to garbage in the system. Yes, they do gunk up with crap which lowers oil pressure due to the small ports in the oil flow control manifold on the front of the head. Enough to warrant a new engine after 150k miles? Nope.

Replace the oil flow control manifold at the front of the head with the updated part numbers and you fix a large issue. That was the reason why the original from the factory engine didnt produce 20psi at the head. Junk design with too small ports? Yes, but not ****ing garbage.

As for it burning the main thrust bearing up? No. Not even close. Crank walk was due to the Saleen blowers. Nothing more. They replaced the engines in the trucks that had the problem and that was it.

Oh and grabbing a 5.0 isnt the end all. Seems a few in the trucks have been having harness and solenoid issues also.

 

[AustinSN]

:lol1:



Edit: for the 3 above... Let me VERY CLEARLY state a very well known FACT for you. The phasers fail and knock due to low oil pressure. They're also last in line in the oiling system. The cam journal design is PURE ****ING GARBAGE. You might see good oil pressure (Ford says 20+psi for proper VCT operation) at the pressure switch, but you won't see it at the top of the heads. I've done hundreds of phasers and EVERY SINGLE ONE HAD LOW OIL PRESSURE.

Funny how they continue to run for hundred of thousands of miles with low oil pressure.

 

[20redfire03]

Found out the issue. Thrust bearing is bad. All other bearings looked good.