FYI, this engine is still running over a year later. I installed new VVT solenoids, new guides, new tensioners, a used timing cover and put it back together as is with the old chains and phasers.
I just bought a 08, & it's doing the same when it's hot. The owner put $3,000 into new timing kit from Cloyne. I'm glad you wrote that the engine is working good for a year now, cause I'm going to put money into it. Thanks again
I'm glad to hear you were able to help this poor guy out of a really bad situation into a sad situation . At least he's getting some use out of his investment . Let the buyer beware .
My ole 7.3 may clatter, but she's pulled more 5'4's, 6.0's, and every other truck made by just about all manufactures, back from wherever they broke down at, to where ever they had to go. She's not a tow rig, but when your friends know you have a trailer, and a 7.3 to pull it with, then you get calls whenever they break down. If it isn't their truck, it's one of their kids broke down needing help. So be kinda easy on how you talk bout 7.3's, you might need one sometime to haul one of yours back for you. lol snicker, especially if'n it's a Dodge.
These bad dealerships and untrustworthy mechanic shops made me decide 10 years ago to do all maintenance on our vehicles myself from then on. I never looked back since even when it's not always that easy. Your vids are a great help and source of inspiration. I thank you for that sir.
Yeah it’s like I say do it yourself and you can afford to do it wrong at least twice compared to what you pay the local mechanic I’ve been doing all my own work for years these are not rocket ships they’re pretty easy to fix
Exactly the case with me. After multiple Ford stealerships cheated me, scammed me, and showed incompetence, and then being cheated by other shops, I started learning and doing everything myself.
same same. one game changer for me was buying a good scantool thats bidirectional. i picked up the autel mk808bt pro. much more helpful than a code reader. for certain things, a bidirectional scan tool is a must. it wasnt cheap but cheaper than two trips to the stealership.
@@tedwilliams8766 For me it's hard to justify a really expensive scan tool with a very expensive yearly subscription fee like the Autel's here in Europe. I still get by with less expensive (partly bidirectional) scan tools. Fixing my own car is about saving lots of money and that also means not buying very expensive tools instead and certainly not giving it to the stealerships.
Haha yea, I said to the wife during the road test part of the video "this is a 5.4 L V8 petrol" her response- "It sounds like an old 3 cylinder diesel tractor!"
thats the hard part sometimes about being an honest mechanic , having the tell your customer that the people before you took them for a ride , , sort of makes us all look bad . nice work though , definitely a head scratcher , great job figuring it out
Keep being honest - your customers will trust you and keep coming back. Its really hard to find an honest mechanic, even here in the UK but when you have a problem they are worth their weight in gold.
Out of all of this, the fact that you took the top end apart and showed us EXACTLY what the root cause was and described it where the average car guy and car gal could understand makes me very honored to have watched this. I know what engine to avoid now.
Hey Wes, I'm an amateur home mechanic meaning I do mostly work on my own vehicles. You're very through with process and elimination. You open up a whole new Avenue of mechanical work I've very rarely understood until your course. I appreciate your videos and advice. Cheers from Michigan
Ha had this job done on my '09 F250. New Cam phasers, timing chains and guides ect. Ford now has a kit part # for all the bits you need. Ford knows they fk'd up. Upgraded Melling Oil Pump mod. They replaced all coil packs and plugs. Lucky that this engine they went back to the regular 1 piece spark plugs. All in $3500. At 5 years going after the repair, plowing snow all this time. Has turned out very well no problems.
I had to stop and make a coffee when you said the 'Change Engine Light' was on...I was laughing too much to pay attention...haha!!! Wes...I hope folks local to you realise what a diamond you are! Main dealers are useless robbers!
And "THAT' is precisely why they are called STEALERSHIPS ! Kommie Kommerce at it's worst. . . ugggh ! * I needed 2 quarts of STRONG coffee to get through this . . . Wes is a man of conscience , it's a shame the customer got sold this 'bill of goods' / rolling scrap pile ! :(
@@WatchWesWork I can tell you that most fathers I've run into don't have the patience to play with their kid or fix something with them. Let alone be kind and understanding when they come into the shop when your working.
This is my first comment, I was blown away by your work on this engine. I hope your channel brings you compensation for the above and beyond work you do. You deserve it!
Watching all this makes me really miss my 1977 Ford with the inline 300 cid straight six. So easy to work on and not all that electronic crap to go wrong. I put almost 200k miles on it with very little trouble. What trouble I had was easy and cheap to fix. Those were the good old days.
My 1978 F250 Super Cab had over 500k miles on it when I sold it. I replaced the motor once at 300k and the original C6 transmission was still putting power to the wheels. Best damn truck I ever owned. My 2005 Expedition has been the worse POS I’ve ever been held hostage by for the last 8 years. Only 54,000 miles driven on it in 8 years and it has been the most expensive junk of a vehicle I have ever owned. Look forward to unloading it some day.
@@kristopherdetar4346 I see this all the time and it doesn't have to be. Both Ford and GM keep going down in quality and wonder why Ram is outselling GM and gaining rapidly on Ford. Such a shame. But Ford and GM both let Toyota, Nissan, Kia, and Haundi run them out of the ar business. Sad.
I had 1995 150 with inline 6 with 5 five speed with o.d. gear easy work but Midwest rust made it little difficult it 250 went I sold brought it from fleet auction with 187000
@@conorcuomo4283 I have never had a rust problem living in Texas. I now have a twenty one year old Nissan Frontier and you can look under it and nothing is rusted. I am keeping this one as long as it will run.
Daniel YES my 79 Ford 351 engine. Very underpowered but that was my fault. Thought it would get better fuel mileage. 12 MPG weather loaded up on rear or empty. My 2000 with 10 cylinder gets the same mileage. Like you said those old engine's the 351 was so easy to work on. The sad thing was I sold it myself no trade in. The guy that bought it destroyed it saw it like a month later, he just used it to haul junk. Wish I had kept it as a power up truck sense I really did not have to sell it. I had a 4 speed in it with granny gear first. It was a nice truck with the square headlights. The old style body before they made the very Ugly front back in body headlights. I sure miss that old girl, just like you you could work on those Engines even V-8s.
I love the fact that you not only stopped what you were doing to fix Thomas for your son, but that you also included it in the video. You seem like a good dude and I hope you, your family, and your business are doing well during these difficult times.
i knew where this was going when i saw the title. i have done many of these. many were done after the owner tried his hand at saving money. the snow ball effect is alive and well in this engine. where do you stop? metal in the oil....metal in oil passages, damage to crank bearings, crank, rod bearings, rods, oil pump and what else? this is one of those that you hate to look at. they always end up the same. if you want it fixed properly, it needs to be completely torn down, hot tanked and rebuilt....or replaced. replacing with a reman makes it a more cut and dry cost....expect for the usually surprises.....rusted power steering line, bad pulley, cracked exhaust manifolds. cost wise the best thing to tell the customer to do is "close the hood, play taps and walk away".
Yeah I agree. What a crap design. I gave him prices from $3400 to $4900 to do the heads, used engine, or complete reman. The truck might bring $5000 on a good day.
@@WatchWesWork Not trying to be a smart A$$, having looked over some of the response's, I think what needs to be put on the table also is: Just what will say $5000.00 allow you to purchase in a "new to customer / owner vehicle" vs rebuilding what he's got and how long to expect from that rebuild. The situation really doesn't get better no matter which fork in the road you take. Just thought I'd throw my 2 cent's into the pile of horse manure, the poor customer has to deal with.
The other problem is if you decide to dump the truck and look for something else 5k doesn’t get you much as far as trucks in good shape .Atleast not in Canada , I bought what I thought was a mint 2000 GMC Sierra 1500 only to fine out the rear end spider gears were shot and one spot of the frame was rotted . I already paid 3k for truck plus another $2900 on new parts to get it safety so I decided to get frame fixed and a low mileage rear was put in
Main dealers man, I used to put witness marks on stuff they were supposed to change. Had more than one stand-up in service receptions. Thanks for the interesting vid fella.
Wes, terrific video. The triton three valve hand grenade with the engine change light on was a prescient opening statement. Great explanation about how the failure of the chain tensioner gaskets created a catalogue of oil starvation related issues down stream.
Wes. you defiantly reminded me why i decided to stop being a mechanic. Many years ago. i found out i don’t have the patience. every new model change i wanted to dynamite the new design rather than try to repair it. Because it showed i needed another degree in electronics, mechanics, or brain surgery. And i never knew which one was best. Wes you do great. Keep up the great work. God bless.
Having worked in electronics for years, when you mentioned BNC and banana connectors, as well as computers and PICO scopes, it really made me realize how much auto technology has been turned into electronics driven machinery. You're doing well working with electronics. The truck's owner isn't doing so well. He got taken badly by the seller and the dealership.
Yeah, scopes have been used for ignition diagnostics forever, since the 1960s at least. But, now guys are using scopes for all kinds of things. The pressure transducers are really cool. They are able to see details of compression, vacuum, timing, etc.
Very impressed with your thought process and how well you explain issues...i am an engineer and am just learning that I dont want a 5.4 / 3 valve in a used expedition.. seems the oil sludge and cam phasers are a nightmare in these engines
I'm 69 and have owned many vehicles, and I have never had a positive experience with a dealership. Find a competent mechanic and stick with him or her. Thanks, Wes. I enjoy your videos.🇨🇦
Man talk about a flashback. I had the same issue with my 05 F150. I got a used motor from junkyard and all the cam bearings were trashed. At that point I was ready to dump it. Decided to get reman tho after it sat for year
This is the best, complete video I've seen on UA-cam. Hats off to this guy! I'm experiencing similar issues on my 05 f150 5.4. I also have reconditioned a 260z and everywhere I've search for either car the videos seem to skip over the actual work right at the point I need more info.
I hope you checked out Brian at Fordtechmakuloco, he walked me through the entire phaser timing chain, oil pump and everything else on my 5.4 Mine runs like a Swiss Watch.
Hey Wes, I only found you recently, courtesy of Lord Muck. You do some great work here, and it is so refreshing to find someone that knows how to test and diagnose a part, rather than the old guess and replace things that aren't faulty. Dealerships so often employ young 'fitters' (they call them technicians I believe) and not experienced engineers that can actually figure out a problem and solve it. Keep up the great work. Your honesty is admirable, as is your modest presenting style and excellent video production. You have a new subscriber :)
i work for a dealer in new zealand and we are very honest and would not rip anyone off otherwise you lose customers and no satisfaction in your job , i love fixing cars
Hard to find i hated working at dealers but a lot of tech are honest guys the service managers are the liars. Yes you will get lazy techs but usually its leadership telling them to do less so they can charge more. I no longer do tech work unless the person is poor and needs help. Otherwise ots not worth the shit pay. Yeah dealer charges 150 an hour. Know how much avg tech gets of that? 15-25$. So you get what you pay for. Dont automatically hate on dealer techs they are usually honest guys in shit situations just trying to pay their bills. Most ppl get mad cause they do not understand cars not because stuff was done wrong. Just trying to give full perspective here
@David Johnson we have to do training and cars are not like they used to be as we have electric cars and if you don't like it just fix your own car and don't complain when your corner garage screws up your car , we have set prices from the manufacturer they make the cars it's their product so they can do whatever they like
Installed a reman 5.4 in my sons 09 F-150. Talked about doing the transmission but didn’t. It failed 3 months later. Such great trucks! Pulled the cab for the engine swap.
You nailed it ! Feel the pain :( I ditched my 97 4.2 stick cause it needed a clutch job. Frame was rusted so I did want to spent $$$$ for nothing. I retired and on an extreme budget but need a pick up to finish the major re-build on my house. Found a clean 04 up from the south....no rust no rot and it ran. Up here in Canada old F150's are rusty everywhere. I knew at some point I would have to do the timing set ....but didnt know it would crap out suddenly after8 months driving. I do all my own work and did drop the pan.....full of metal and oil pickup clogged with timing guide debris. Guides were broken....tensioners blown...VTC 's full of crap and stuck. Changed oil pump....this is manditory ! The OEM pump was pathetic on these. $1500 in parts and truk off road 2 mths I proudly went out for it's first run and the driveshalf puked.....barely got it home only a couple of miles thankfully.. Then it was a string of little stuff...vacuum problems.....coil boot problems.....PS pump lines leaking. All related to taking aparr a 16 yr old vehicle. That said it runs good for now....get my project done and its GONE !! The 04's and beyond were a clean slate design..they could have done anything. Instead Ford made the most difficult to deal with truk ever made.. In hind site a reman would be the only way to go.....I'm up and running but still have old engine and heads....exhaust manifolds and god knows what else. New truk is way too much $$$$$ so I just pray and hope. Thats why the junk yards are full of them.
Wow, a JB weld'd timing cover! looked like it would have worked if he would of did it right! I knew from the sound of that motor, it wasn't going to be good! Great job, Wes! Sorry for the owner of this one!
When timing is done upgrade to Melling high volume oil pump and the upgraded iron timing chain tensioners. I would also recommend 5w30 in Fords modular engine.
@@fjolaez There are two options when that happens, phaser lockouts you program the PCM to not throw code for phasers not working, or there are a couple of PCM updates that Ford Tech Makuloco recommends that increases your idle speed to help maintain a bit more oil pressure. I'm unsure how much that idle adjustment is needed if you go with a Melling 340hv or 360hv pump. Same pump, 20% more oil flow in each, one has a 40psi spring, one has a 60psi spring. Lots of people have had good luck putting back together semi-scored cam caps and cams with an upgraded oil pump and full OEM timing set w/ phasers. I just did my own, chain, phasers, rockers, lifters, oil pump, solenoids, etc. With a Melling 360hv pump, the engine is now silent. Ford Tech Makuloco recommends 5w30 instead of 5w20. I still am running 5w20 in mine as I have a bunch left to burn through. 04 f150 with 171k on the mill, lighter scoring than in the video, but still plenty to catch your nail on. I haven't hooked up my mechanical oil pressure gauge to mine after rebuild, but I have a feeling with minimum 30-40PSI of oil pressure at idle and near full 60 psi driving, I should get some more life out of it.
@@tylerschaub1791 Motocraft oil and filters are garbage. The Motorcraft synthetic blend is 10% synthetic and 90% cheap oil. I used nothing but Motorcraft synthetic blend oil and Motorcraft filters on my 2007 F150 and changed every 2000 to 3000 miles until it had 94,000 miles. At that point, the engine became so dirty it ran really rough and a Ford deal told me I needed a new engine. It took three engine flushes, but I got the engine running properly again. I then changed to Walmart full synthetic oil and Mobile 1 filters. The truck has 220,000 miles now and no more problems. Ford does not want your truck to last 300,000 miles because there is no money in it for them. Their Motorcraft oil is designed to make sure you never get there.
They weren’t trying for as much back then, I have to wonder though if it would be a good idea to switch entirely to gear drive on these newer engines with active camshafts, just to avoid any extra issues.
It’s a good thing you’re an honest man that documents your work And tales the customer what he really needs Keep up the good work and I look forward to the next video
I was watching this video and when u showed the valve covers and how it got poor Maintenance of oil change goes to show how the last owner neglected regularly oil changes then it went on words. I am in awe.
My truck has been start up rattling since I bought it with 99k miles in 2009. Ticks also. I now have 204k miles on it and I’m just now starting to get a coil pack five misfire code pretty often. I’m going to keep driving it until it blows up. I’ll put a new motor in then. With 204k miles I can’t justify throwing money at it. Great video with great info. Thanks
My 2008 super duty with 5.4l 3v at 243k miles a month ago started rattling at start up goes away after oil is added to it or if I let it warm up to operating temp and it's fine, I doubt mine will break anytime soon im trying to snag a 2v v10 super duty this January to have as back up in case she does die
another good vid Wes! i was so hooked to watching i didn't even know it had been almost an hour lol. and then sad when it was over. the troubleshooting is always fun.
Change engine light is on..... love it. You could be talking about a few GM Europe products there. I think this trucks next journey is down a long road off a short jetty!
Just moved to heavy line at work first job is the exact same Truck swapping the motor.all data is a massive help and having guys in the shop that will help you is also good. It is challenging.
It was running when it came in. If it were mine I’d replace those parts and forget about the cam. If my 24 year old truck ever needs work I’ll ship it to you. It would be fun to watch Wes work on my truck and video it. Almost zero rust even underneath.
We'll I guess that's why it had the "change engine" light on! No further diagnosis need. Nice work as always Wes. Shame on that dealership. I'd be back in there to school them and review the bill.
I can't believe you totally missed the DTC for dog head stuck in front guard! Clearly, there's your problem. Thanks Wes (and family) all the best. (PS thanks for sharing the first time ever using the PICO, doing anything first time, let alone on video, is fraught with a danger!)
Nice. Well put together informative video. Showing the camshaft caps was great - once the valve covers are off it's a must to check them for wear. No use spending a bunch of money on timing chain stuff if the heads are shot. The oil pressure switch is pretty difficult to get to - but there is an adapter available that threads on in place of the oil filter. Easier to check pressure from there. If anybody checks pressure on these engines often it might be a good purchase. There's DIY versions of the adapter, too. Thanks for the video.
Some day I would love to hear you do an evaluation from a mechanics viewpoint on all the major engines you have a good working knowledge of. The junk to stay away from would be some good info.
I have two F 150 pickups 03 two valve and a 06 with with 3 valve 5.4 and they both have well over 300 thousand miles on them . Most problems are from people not doing required service……….. my buddy just bought a 2021 1/2 ton Silverado and it’s a nice truck except for the fact that the 6.2 motor blow up at 9000 miles
3 valve triton hand grenade LOL...change engine light LOL...love it.. I own one of these disasters, mine is a 2004 with a 2007 rear axle ( the ONLY warranty repair), a 2010 transmission, and a 2014 engine. The engine is a noisy bugger, my reman runs great, or it seems to, yet the darn fuel injectors make a hell of a racket, leading the nervous among us to think something is wrong, when that is normal noise LOL. Spent a small fortune to keep all stuff working. My latest and greatest is the electric shift motor for the transfer case is showing its 2004 model year age, fixed that with a little love tap from a claw hammer and it works like a champ again, all other 4x4 failure points were addressed about 4 years ago and those are holding up, periodically check the the front IWE to make sure more things arent spinning than are supposed to. 5W-30 mobil1 twice a year oil changes weather or not I make the mileage. 1 thing about these engines is they a very picky for clean oil with those narrow passages and cam phaser. Though the factory engine failed at 107K with religious 3000 mile oil changes, but I used the recommended 5W-20 and that turned out to be a mistake.
Your son is a GEM. He Want's to know it all. He can't believe you fix Thomas. WOW ''You'' are a good mechanic. lol Nice diagnostics fine on the truck and future fix on the F-150
You are an amazing mechanic. I wish you were closer to me. Amazing how you logically think your way through the complete process. You take the time to learn exactly how all the systems work, before you throw new $$ parts $$ in. Thumbs up.
Melling makes machined cast iron tensioners without gaskets. They are for older trucks but fit the 5.4. The gasket blowing out is one of the main reasons the timing slips.
Lack of oil was very evident. My buddy has the same Ford 298k miles and no issues. He changes oil & filter every 4k miles like clock work. Belts every other April.
The other thing I learned was you got to go to a heavier grader OL one once you do that you don’t have no problems remember and all the other countries they don’t have these problems are the 5.4 it’s only in America where the EPA is gotten involved trying to raise gas mileage oh I wanted gas mileage add a bought ugo
Hey Wes, here is some food for thought, this may sound crazy, but think about it for a little bit.The way I see it, he has a few options, (1) Scrap the truck and take a total lost. (2) He could go back to the person he bought it from and demand his money back “good luck with that“ (3) Sense you’re already this far into it, replace the two chain tensioners and guides, the VVT solenoids, JB weld the front cover, don’t worry about the cam bearings, once you restore the oil pressure, they'll be fine, you may get another 50,000 miles out of that engine, put every thing back together, flush the engine and send it down the road. Of course you have to let the customer know what you’re doing, "FULL DISCLOSURE" He should also go back to the Ford stealer/dealer and demand his $500 back and use that money to buy the parts needed. Now! That’s definitely not the way to do things, but it’s probably his best option right now. Just something to think about.
I have the same vehicle, a 2005 F150 5.4 3 V engine with 346,000 miles. Used 5-W-20 until I learned I should switch to 5-W-30 motor oil. I always used Royal Purple Fully Synthetic oil, just switched to 5-W- 30 about 100,000 miles ago. Never ever did anything internally to the engine except change the VCT solenoids because it seems like the trendy thing to do. There was hardly any burnish marks on the metal of the VCT's, and the screens were very very clean, and no plastic framing on those screens were missing. The innner side of the screens werre also very very clean. I do get some ticking noise, but I live with it. I have original everything on the motor and all the componets, etc except the VCT solenoids. I only changed the starter at 190,000 miles. It has original alternator, muffler, tailpipe, and brake lines ( I think stainless steel). Original catalyitic converter still original. I did virtually nothing to this motor. I am a believer in changing parts before a breakdown, but in this trucks history, there's no indication of having to do anything. They say you should change the timing chains every 100,000 miles. I guess then I shoudl've done that three times already, but it too is original. So what did I do to deserve this? I don't know. Am I just lucky? The truck has always been hooked up to a trailer hauling soils and mulch in my business, so it's always at the ready, and it never fails me. Oh, and the transmission is original too. Never a hint of a problem. I just change the filter at 100,000 miles, and I think only 1 more time after that. And it hits the mark switching gears on the automatic trans everytime. Is it the Royal Purple fully synthetic oil? Maybe. That seems the only thing I believe in that could've given me longevity. I think it will take me to 400,000 miles. It only started to rust about 3 yeares ago here in Michigan, so I do have to swallow my pride with rust around the wheel wells, but I want to know just how far this motor will take me when most other people think this motor is nothing but trouble. For me, it's the best Ford truck I've ever owned because the incidence of repair is almost perfect. Since it is a work truck, I do store it outside in the winter and not subject it to salt on the road. THUMBS UP!!! Great UA-cam video!!
If you work the truck, that is actually better, unloaded stop and go city driving with prolonged oil changes is one of the killers of these. In my case it was poor build quality, I bought new, have the sticker and have found other folks with builds from the same plant in the same month have terrible outcomes like me. I have reman engine, transmission, and rear axle. Nailed the bastards for the rear axle under warranty, which is pathetic to have a failing axle at 35K miles. 3K mile oil changes couldn't stop my pig from failing under the hood
In all honesty I would put new tensioner gaskets and a chain guide and run it until it blows, may make it a month may make it a year but there’s no sense in throwing away all that money
I went to my local SuperCheap Auto store and as a joke asked the girl at counter for a set of spark plugs for my diesel Pajero, she actually started to look on their system for them... I had to explain to her what I had done. Sad as this girl was not a checkout chick type but higher up the chain.
Really have to feel for the owner as he sure was taken for a ride buying this vehicle. On a positive note Thomas is now working just dandy. Stay safe up your way bro and family
Hands up, how many people just instantly hit the like button once they open a WWW video??? ✋✋✋✋✋✋ I'm 13 seconds in and I already know this is going to be a good one...
I always press like on my subscriptions. I feel it's the least I can do to thank people for sharing and creating content. Blows my mind how likes rarely get about 10% on most content I watch.
From the comments i am reading, alot of people are not watching the whole video. Or maybe they need glasses. Either way to are pretty blind to what the problems are compto the real cost of fixing it. I know Wes probably grimaced at the thought of putting it back together and with fingers crossed hoping for the best. Doing what you did, for what around $1k, hell of a lot better than $6k on a truck that will last may 5 more years. Great video and good job.
Oh my aching back. Nice catch Wes, I believe that’s why people are coming to you, good or bad news, they know you will find what’s wrong, and it will be repaired right if they choose to go ahead.
Well ,Wes you got a bucket of Ford parts, lol , your son brought back memories of working my son's little cars ,in the middle of an engine change, stay safe.
i have issues at work with people not servicing often enough or wrong oil type that causes issues with cvvt , i work in mainly new cars and kinda glad that they now use electronic control variable valve timing now , ocv can clog up and cam hubs can stick , i had one where it be fine but after 90 km of driving the hub would stick then cool down and be fine and when hot stick again
Sure, you can go that route if you're hard up on money. However, it doesn't fix the failing oil pump or the blown tensioner seals that are the main issues in these engines.
I had a bad feeling from the gitgo, I had an 04 do that exact same thing. It just started rattling like hell one day, it had 75,000 miles on it. I took it to my local mechanic and he found the blown tensioner gaskets right off. It was the exact same mess inside. I had him do a reman engine and sold the POS.
Another great video Wes. :) Sucks to see a customer get screwed with a bad truck. You can guarantee that the old owner new there was massive problems with the truck. That is why I am so leery about buying used vehicles. You never know what you are going to get with new either sometimes but at least you can lean on the lemon law or factory warranty.
b t y ,, the first car i ever bought was a 78 camaro from a girlfriend who bought it brand new and had it serviced at the chevy dealer ,had 50 k miles when i got it , went thru the whole car fluids etc... dont know when the oil filter was last changed ,, but it looked like crude oil in there and i could barley see the the small holes where the sludged oil never made it into the filter ,, i learned then that it only survived because there is a bybass valve ( spring ) in the filter for when its clogged . I never trusted dealerships or oil change places since i was a kid ,, ... car still ran great for the next few years i owned it .. thanks to the good ole 305 / 350's of the day . I know better today,, that wont last ,, thanks again ...
Wes, I have a 2001 4.6 2 valve that has a trashing sound on a cold start out of the tensioner. Once warm the sound goes away, I can add/ remove tension to the thrashing goes away. I have scoped all other pulleys, they are fine. With the belt off the front of the motor there is no sound.
The only way I’d ever buy a 5.4 is if a brand new engine was sitting in the bed. It will need it sooner then later. However it was great to see you didn’t throw your hands in the air and say it’s a 3 valve needs a new engine. Great video
Great video showing what happens if you keep driving the car with next to no oil in the top end. I've seen this on MANY cars with plastic timing rails and guides. When I started watching the video I was thinking chain noise. I have a lot of experience with the vw 12 and 24v vr6 engines. The timing stuff is NOTORIOUS for failure, but the later style 'update' fixes the failure. They usually don't fail bad enough, to cause the journals or anything in the valve train to get starved for oil though, because they use a hydraulic 'cylinder' chain tensioner. The Triton motors are not terribly good from the get go. Of the ones I've worked on, A LOT of them suffer from cracked exhaust manifolds. I wouldn't be surprised if the one you have is there, or on it's way Wes. Great video bro! From one tech to the next, I enjoy your channel! Take care
@@WatchWesWork BTW, my profile picture is walking distance from my home, on the Nene Valley Railway. That is the home of the only "Thomas" named by Rev Awdry, the author of the books.
FYI, this engine is still running over a year later. I installed new VVT solenoids, new guides, new tensioners, a used timing cover and put it back together as is with the old chains and phasers.
That's good to hear at least. That poor guy.
I just bought a 08, & it's doing the same when it's hot. The owner put $3,000 into new timing kit from Cloyne. I'm glad you wrote that the engine is working good for a year now, cause I'm going to put money into it. Thanks again
New cam bearings also?
Beans?
I'm glad to hear you were able to help this poor guy out of a really bad situation into a sad situation . At least he's getting some use out of his investment . Let the buyer beware .
"...three valve Triton hand grenade....CHANGE engine light"...OMG Had me ROLLIN in first 10 seconds of video...LMAO
You sure like your toys.
@@bigsteve8408 whatt??
Trust me it did the same to me 😂🤣😂
All true sayings
He's real funny
I tune in for his remarks
One perfect mechanic
I love the nicknames you gave out. Change engine light had me rolling. Also, that thing sounded like a 7.3 diesel lol.
Was thinking the same thing lol
Ya haha 😂 brilliant
No need to pay for any diagnostic fee you simply replace the engine lol
Neil Murphy Lol yeah. Or at the rate this truck is going, replace truck comes to mind.
My ole 7.3 may clatter, but she's pulled more 5'4's, 6.0's, and every other truck made by just about all manufactures, back from wherever they broke down at, to where ever they had to go.
She's not a tow rig, but when your friends know you have a trailer, and a 7.3 to pull it with, then you get calls whenever they break down. If it isn't their truck, it's one of their kids broke down needing help.
So be kinda easy on how you talk bout 7.3's, you might need one sometime to haul one of yours back for you. lol snicker, especially if'n it's a Dodge.
These bad dealerships and untrustworthy mechanic shops made me decide 10 years ago to do all maintenance on our vehicles myself from then on. I never looked back since even when it's not always that easy. Your vids are a great help and source of inspiration. I thank you for that sir.
Yeah it’s like I say do it yourself and you can afford to do it wrong at least twice compared to what you pay the local mechanic I’ve been doing all my own work for years these are not rocket ships they’re pretty easy to fix
Exactly the case with me. After multiple Ford stealerships cheated me, scammed me, and showed incompetence, and then being cheated by other shops, I started learning and doing everything myself.
same same. one game changer for me was buying a good scantool thats bidirectional. i picked up the autel mk808bt pro. much more helpful than a code reader. for certain things, a bidirectional scan tool is a must. it wasnt cheap but cheaper than two trips to the stealership.
@@tedwilliams8766 For me it's hard to justify a really expensive scan tool with a very expensive yearly subscription fee like the Autel's here in Europe. I still get by with less expensive (partly bidirectional) scan tools. Fixing my own car is about saving lots of money and that also means not buying very expensive tools instead and certainly not giving it to the stealerships.
"They're super sharp"
"They're no...... Yeah, they are, be careful with them"
Parenting ftw!
I say the same sort of stuff to my daughter. "Yes, they're incredibly dangerous, don't kill yourself kid, love you", then go back to work.
you have to lie to children they deserve it
I’m surprised he isn’t taking Ford engines out by now, well he is three years old.
Haha, reverse psychology
He briefly considered telling him the truth, then realised that a white lie was far more efficient.
Put a pair of DIESEL emblems on the fenders and "ship it out"
LOL
Haha yea, I said to the wife during the road test part of the video "this is a 5.4 L V8 petrol" her response- "It sounds like an old 3 cylinder diesel tractor!"
@@danmackintosh6325 No kidding...the wife is right!
It's a Ford 3000 now lol
Was thinking the same thing. Had I been blindfolded would've thought this was a Powerstroke. Never heard a 5.4 sound like this before...
“The guy he bought it from said........”
The guy he bought it from said “Thanks a lot, sucker!”
Exactly the guy I bought my truck from would have said when he sold it with bad cats. LOL
thats the hard part sometimes about being an honest mechanic , having the tell your customer that the people before you took them for a ride , , sort of makes us all look bad . nice work though , definitely a head scratcher , great job figuring it out
Very true!
I agree.
Keep being honest - your customers will trust you and keep coming back. Its really hard to find an honest mechanic, even here in the UK but when you have a problem they are worth their weight in gold.
Kudos for your honesty. Kept wondering what the other guys did for him.
the video proof is a fantastic thing for un-trusting clients that have been screwed before.
Out of all of this, the fact that you took the top end apart and showed us EXACTLY what the root cause was and described it where the average car guy and car gal could understand makes me very honored to have watched this. I know what engine to avoid now.
😂
Very good
ya fords
Hey Wes, I'm an amateur home mechanic meaning I do mostly work on my own vehicles. You're very through with process and elimination. You open up a whole new Avenue of mechanical work I've very rarely understood until your course. I appreciate your videos and advice. Cheers from Michigan
Cracking intro ! "Change engine light is on" was my favourite 😂
I think what's happened is the last garage changed the engine for a diesel !
Sounds like it.
Ya I think he got the displacement mixed up that sounds like a seven tree not five four
@@neilmurphy845 Sure did sound like diesel ... I thought it was just me though :)
Man, customers can wait, fixing Thomas is top priority. Good stuff, Wes.
I think there's good money in locomotive repair.
He forgot to show the cost of repair vs buying a remand one 😂
LOL, have had to repair my grandsons Thomas etc. for the same reasons
I laughed out loud 2 minutes in when you were about to correct your son on pliers being sharp, but decided to roll with it instead.
"Nnnnnn...Yes they are so be careful"! Had me LoL'n too
Ha had this job done on my '09 F250. New Cam phasers, timing chains and guides ect. Ford now has a kit part # for all the bits you need. Ford knows they fk'd up. Upgraded Melling Oil Pump mod. They replaced all coil packs and plugs. Lucky that this engine they went back to the regular 1 piece spark plugs. All in $3500. At 5 years going after the repair, plowing snow all this time. Has turned out very well no problems.
"Theyre super sharp!"
*Wes looks at dull af pliers*
"Yep! so be careful with em!"
I had to stop and make a coffee when you said the 'Change Engine Light' was on...I was laughing too much to pay attention...haha!!!
Wes...I hope folks local to you realise what a diamond you are! Main dealers are useless robbers!
Wes was right the CHANGE engine light WAS on for a good reason...great job wes as usual...love your humor and diagnostic ways
@@leeharris3061 Change engine light, another legendary quote by WESWORK, wont forget that one
And "THAT' is precisely why they are called STEALERSHIPS ! Kommie Kommerce at it's worst. . . ugggh ! * I needed 2 quarts of STRONG coffee to get through this . . .
Wes is a man of conscience , it's a shame the customer got sold this 'bill of goods' / rolling scrap pile ! :(
Change Engine Light.. heheh took me a minute to get that one
Change engine light isn't far from the truth.
I recommend this guy for the father of the year award.
Just normal dad stuff.
Watch Wes Work Compared to most i have seen over the years you are top notch. Keep it up and love the content.
@@WatchWesWork I can tell you that most fathers I've run into don't have the patience to play with their kid or fix something with them. Let alone be kind and understanding when they come into the shop when your working.
@@WatchWesWork Those two statements are in fact not mutually exclusive.
For what? Doing normal stuff? "Ermygerd"
This is my first comment, I was blown away by your work on this engine. I hope your channel brings you compensation for the above and beyond work you do. You deserve it!
Watching all this makes me really miss my 1977 Ford with the inline 300 cid straight six. So easy to work on and not all that electronic crap to go wrong. I put almost 200k miles on it with very little trouble. What trouble I had was easy and cheap to fix. Those were the good old days.
My 1978 F250 Super Cab had over 500k miles on it when I sold it. I replaced the motor once at 300k and the original C6 transmission was still putting power to the wheels. Best damn truck I ever owned. My 2005 Expedition has been the worse POS I’ve ever been held hostage by for the last 8 years. Only 54,000 miles driven on it in 8 years and it has been the most expensive junk of a vehicle I have ever owned. Look forward to unloading it some day.
@@kristopherdetar4346 I see this all the time and it doesn't have to be. Both Ford and GM keep going down in quality and wonder why Ram is outselling GM and gaining rapidly on Ford. Such a shame. But Ford and GM both let Toyota, Nissan, Kia, and Haundi run them out of the ar business. Sad.
I had 1995 150 with inline 6 with 5 five speed with o.d. gear easy work but Midwest rust made it little difficult it 250 went I sold brought it from fleet auction with 187000
@@conorcuomo4283 I have never had a rust problem living in Texas. I now have a twenty one year old Nissan Frontier and you can look under it and nothing is rusted. I am keeping this one as long as it will run.
Daniel
YES my 79 Ford 351 engine. Very underpowered but that was my fault. Thought it would get better fuel mileage. 12 MPG weather loaded up on rear or empty. My 2000 with 10 cylinder gets the same mileage. Like you said those old engine's the 351 was so easy to work on. The sad thing was I sold it myself no trade in. The guy that bought it destroyed it saw it like a month later, he just used it to haul junk. Wish I had kept it as a power up truck sense I really did not have to sell it. I had a 4 speed in it with granny gear first. It was a nice truck with the square headlights. The old style body before they made the very Ugly front back in body headlights. I sure miss that old girl, just like you you could work on those Engines even V-8s.
I love the fact that you not only stopped what you were doing to fix Thomas for your son, but that you also included it in the video. You seem like a good dude and I hope you, your family, and your business are doing well during these difficult times.
i knew where this was going when i saw the title. i have done many of these. many were done after the owner tried his hand at saving money. the snow ball effect is alive and well in this engine. where do you stop? metal in the oil....metal in oil passages, damage to crank bearings, crank, rod bearings, rods, oil pump and what else? this is one of those that you hate to look at. they always end up the same. if you want it fixed properly, it needs to be completely torn down, hot tanked and rebuilt....or replaced. replacing with a reman makes it a more cut and dry cost....expect for the usually surprises.....rusted power steering line, bad pulley, cracked exhaust manifolds. cost wise the best thing to tell the customer to do is "close the hood, play taps and walk away".
Yeah I agree. What a crap design. I gave him prices from $3400 to $4900 to do the heads, used engine, or complete reman. The truck might bring $5000 on a good day.
@@WatchWesWork Not trying to be a smart A$$, having looked over some of the response's, I think what needs to be put on the table also is: Just what will say $5000.00 allow you to purchase in a "new to customer / owner vehicle" vs rebuilding what he's got and how long to expect from that rebuild. The situation really doesn't get better no matter which fork in the road you take. Just thought I'd throw my 2 cent's into the pile of horse manure, the poor customer has to deal with.
Truth.
The other problem is if you decide to dump the truck and look for something else 5k doesn’t get you much as far as trucks in good shape .Atleast not in Canada , I bought what I thought was a mint 2000 GMC Sierra 1500 only to fine out the rear end spider gears were shot and one spot of the frame was rotted . I already paid 3k for truck plus another $2900 on new parts to get it safety so I decided to get frame fixed and a low mileage rear was put in
For remanufactured engines whom would you guys recommend?
Main dealers man, I used to put witness marks on stuff they were supposed to change. Had more than one stand-up in service receptions. Thanks for the interesting vid fella.
Wes, terrific video. The triton three valve hand grenade with the engine change light on was a prescient opening statement. Great explanation about how the failure of the chain tensioner gaskets created a catalogue of oil starvation related issues down stream.
Wes. you defiantly reminded me why i decided to stop being a mechanic. Many years ago. i found out i don’t have the patience. every new model change i wanted to dynamite the new design rather than try to repair it. Because it showed i needed another degree in electronics, mechanics, or brain surgery. And i never knew which one was best. Wes you do great. Keep up the great work. God bless.
Worked for Ford for 10 years. Then I totally quit being a mechanic. Took the love of cars right out of me.
Hey Wes, the misfire counter ( power balance) can be found under "Cylinder" in the "Hot Functions" menu on the Autel
Yeah, I figured that out later. Sorry, been a while since I messed with a newer Ford.
Most Ford dealers just replace the engine when this happens. Thanks Wes😃
Having worked in electronics for years, when you mentioned BNC and banana connectors, as well as computers and PICO scopes, it really made me realize how much auto technology has been turned into electronics driven machinery. You're doing well working with electronics. The truck's owner isn't doing so well. He got taken badly by the seller and the dealership.
Yeah, scopes have been used for ignition diagnostics forever, since the 1960s at least. But, now guys are using scopes for all kinds of things. The pressure transducers are really cool. They are able to see details of compression, vacuum, timing, etc.
Very impressed with your thought process and how well you explain issues...i am an engineer and am just learning that I dont want a 5.4 / 3 valve in a used expedition.. seems the oil sludge and cam phasers are a nightmare in these engines
I'm 69 and have owned many vehicles, and I have never had a positive experience with a dealership. Find a competent mechanic and stick with him or her. Thanks, Wes. I enjoy your videos.🇨🇦
Those are the super-sharpest pliers I’ve ever seen!
I doubt we'll ever see them again.
@@WatchWesWork So Right
@@WatchWesWork OH, you'll find them alright; with the lawn mower!
Man talk about a flashback. I had the same issue with my 05 F150. I got a used motor from junkyard and all the cam bearings were trashed. At that point I was ready to dump it. Decided to get reman tho after it sat for year
The damage to that engine scores high on the carnage scale!
This is the best, complete video I've seen on UA-cam. Hats off to this guy! I'm experiencing similar issues on my 05 f150 5.4. I also have reconditioned a 260z and everywhere I've search for either car the videos seem to skip over the actual work right at the point I need more info.
I hope you checked out Brian at Fordtechmakuloco, he walked me through the entire phaser timing chain, oil pump and everything else on my 5.4 Mine runs like a Swiss Watch.
Hey Wes, I only found you recently, courtesy of Lord Muck.
You do some great work here, and it is so refreshing to find someone that knows how to test and diagnose a part, rather than the old guess and replace things that aren't faulty. Dealerships so often employ young 'fitters' (they call them technicians I believe) and not experienced engineers that can actually figure out a problem and solve it. Keep up the great work. Your honesty is admirable, as is your modest presenting style and excellent video production. You have a new subscriber :)
Wes, another great video. I love that you do a deep dive into the issues. I have learned so much from your skills and logic. Keep it up.
Great intro, the way you pronounce the "common" problems. "It's got the 3 valve triton handgrenade under the hood" got me on the ground😂😂
That's why you need a honest mechanic not dealer scums
i work for a dealer in new zealand and we are very honest and would not rip anyone off otherwise you lose customers and no satisfaction in your job , i love fixing cars
Hard to find i hated working at dealers but a lot of tech are honest guys the service managers are the liars. Yes you will get lazy techs but usually its leadership telling them to do less so they can charge more. I no longer do tech work unless the person is poor and needs help. Otherwise ots not worth the shit pay. Yeah dealer charges 150 an hour. Know how much avg tech gets of that? 15-25$. So you get what you pay for. Dont automatically hate on dealer techs they are usually honest guys in shit situations just trying to pay their bills. Most ppl get mad cause they do not understand cars not because stuff was done wrong. Just trying to give full perspective here
@@captaintoyota3171 Oh it's the manager's are the problem but why did they pick that job in the first place if it's such a shit job.
@David Johnson we have to do training and cars are not like they used to be as we have electric cars and if you don't like it just fix your own car and don't complain when your corner garage screws up your car , we have set prices from the manufacturer they make the cars it's their product so they can do whatever they like
Installed a reman 5.4 in my sons 09 F-150. Talked about doing the transmission but didn’t. It failed 3 months later. Such great trucks! Pulled the cab for the engine swap.
You nailed it ! Feel the pain :(
I ditched my 97 4.2 stick cause it needed a clutch job. Frame was rusted so I did want to spent $$$$ for nothing. I retired and on an extreme budget but need a pick up to finish the major re-build on my house.
Found a clean 04 up from the south....no rust no rot and it ran. Up here in Canada old F150's are rusty everywhere.
I knew at some point I would have to do the timing set ....but didnt know it would crap out suddenly after8 months driving. I do all my own work and did drop the pan.....full of metal and oil pickup clogged with timing guide debris.
Guides were broken....tensioners blown...VTC 's full of crap and stuck.
Changed oil pump....this is manditory ! The OEM pump was pathetic on these. $1500 in parts and truk off road 2 mths I proudly went out for it's first run and the driveshalf puked.....barely got it home only a couple of miles thankfully..
Then it was a string of little stuff...vacuum problems.....coil boot problems.....PS pump lines leaking. All related to taking aparr a 16 yr old vehicle.
That said it runs good for now....get my project done and its GONE !!
The 04's and beyond were a clean slate design..they could have done anything. Instead Ford made the most difficult to deal with truk ever made..
In hind site a reman would be the only way to go.....I'm up and running but still have old engine and heads....exhaust manifolds and god knows what else. New truk is way too much $$$$$ so I just pray and hope.
Thats why the junk yards are full of them.
Wow, a JB weld'd timing cover! looked like it would have worked if he would of did it right! I knew from the sound of that motor, it wasn't going to be good! Great job, Wes! Sorry for the owner of this one!
Woah, that turned out to be quite a list of problems. Nice work, Wes!
When timing is done upgrade to Melling high volume oil pump and the upgraded iron timing chain tensioners. I would also recommend 5w30 in Fords modular engine.
When does the reprograming of the pcm comes into play when doing a timing job
@@fjolaez There are two options when that happens, phaser lockouts you program the PCM to not throw code for phasers not working, or there are a couple of PCM updates that Ford Tech Makuloco recommends that increases your idle speed to help maintain a bit more oil pressure. I'm unsure how much that idle adjustment is needed if you go with a Melling 340hv or 360hv pump. Same pump, 20% more oil flow in each, one has a 40psi spring, one has a 60psi spring. Lots of people have had good luck putting back together semi-scored cam caps and cams with an upgraded oil pump and full OEM timing set w/ phasers. I just did my own, chain, phasers, rockers, lifters, oil pump, solenoids, etc. With a Melling 360hv pump, the engine is now silent. Ford Tech Makuloco recommends 5w30 instead of 5w20. I still am running 5w20 in mine as I have a bunch left to burn through. 04 f150 with 171k on the mill, lighter scoring than in the video, but still plenty to catch your nail on. I haven't hooked up my mechanical oil pressure gauge to mine after rebuild, but I have a feeling with minimum 30-40PSI of oil pressure at idle and near full 60 psi driving, I should get some more life out of it.
I agree its best to use 5-30 full synthetic. Stay clear of the Ford synthetic blend oil and the Ford oil filters.
@@herbb8547 lmao Motorcraft is all you should be using in a Ford
@@tylerschaub1791 Motocraft oil and filters are garbage. The Motorcraft synthetic blend is 10% synthetic and 90% cheap oil. I used nothing but Motorcraft synthetic blend oil and Motorcraft filters on my 2007 F150 and changed every 2000 to 3000 miles until it had 94,000 miles. At that point, the engine became so dirty it ran really rough and a Ford deal told me I needed a new engine. It took three engine flushes, but I got the engine running properly again. I then changed to Walmart full synthetic oil and Mobile 1 filters. The truck has 220,000 miles now and no more problems. Ford does not want your truck to last 300,000 miles because there is no money in it for them. Their Motorcraft oil is designed to make sure you never get there.
Great video! Thanks for taking the time out to record this; I know it's a lot of work. I appreciate it, lots of good knowledge.
The key to them 5.4 three valves is good maintenance. I feel for the guy, you just can’t beat the push rod engines.
They weren’t trying for as much back then, I have to wonder though if it would be a good idea to switch entirely to gear drive on these newer engines with active camshafts, just to avoid any extra issues.
Between the ticking cam phasers and the whining alternator, it sure does sound like a 7.3!!! I agree with the diesel decals🤣🤣
Shame on the Ford Dealership, I knew when I heard it that the TC guides were shot my son had an Expedition that sounded like that.
It’s a good thing you’re an honest man that documents your work And tales the customer what he really needs Keep up the good work and I look forward to the next video
I was watching this video and when u showed the valve covers and how it got poor Maintenance of oil change goes to show how the last owner neglected regularly oil changes then it went on words. I am in awe.
My truck has been start up rattling since I bought it with 99k miles in 2009. Ticks also. I now have 204k miles on it and I’m just now starting to get a coil pack five misfire code pretty often. I’m going to keep driving it until it blows up. I’ll put a new motor in then. With 204k miles I can’t justify throwing money at it. Great video with great info. Thanks
My 2008 super duty with 5.4l 3v at 243k miles a month ago started rattling at start up goes away after oil is added to it or if I let it warm up to operating temp and it's fine, I doubt mine will break anytime soon im trying to snag a 2v v10 super duty this January to have as back up in case she does die
You're really good at fixing vehicles! You go above and beyond!
another good vid Wes! i was so hooked to watching i didn't even know it had been almost an hour lol. and then sad when it was over. the troubleshooting is always fun.
Hope you enjoyed it!
Change engine light is on..... love it. You could be talking about a few GM Europe products there. I think this trucks next journey is down a long road off a short jetty!
Just moved to heavy line at work first job is the exact same Truck swapping the motor.all data is a massive help and having guys in the shop that will help you is also good. It is challenging.
It was running when it came in. If it were mine I’d replace those parts and forget about the cam. If my 24 year old truck ever needs work I’ll ship it to you. It would be fun to watch Wes work on my truck and video it. Almost zero rust even underneath.
Props for taking the time to fix Thomas. Priorities ya' know. Also, I'm a Ford guy but I'll certainly steer clear of those engines.
We'll I guess that's why it had the "change engine" light on! No further diagnosis need. Nice work as always Wes. Shame on that dealership. I'd be back in there to school them and review the bill.
I can't believe you totally missed the DTC for dog head stuck in front guard! Clearly, there's your problem. Thanks Wes (and family) all the best. (PS thanks for sharing the first time ever using the PICO, doing anything first time, let alone on video, is fraught with a danger!)
Here, play with the pliers. Are they sharp? Uh yeah, be careful. I haven't laughed this hard in years.
You are one of the best diagnosticians that I have ever watched.
Nice. Well put together informative video. Showing the camshaft caps was great - once the valve covers are off it's a must to check them for wear. No use spending a bunch of money on timing chain stuff if the heads are shot.
The oil pressure switch is pretty difficult to get to - but there is an adapter available that threads on in place of the oil filter. Easier to check pressure from there. If anybody checks pressure on these engines often it might be a good purchase. There's DIY versions of the adapter, too.
Thanks for the video.
Great video, love all the content in your videos. And hats off to you for taking the time to fix Thomas for the lil guy 👍 well done
Some day I would love to hear you do an evaluation from a mechanics viewpoint on all the major engines you have a good working knowledge of. The junk to stay away from would be some good info.
I have two F 150 pickups 03 two valve and a 06 with with 3 valve 5.4 and they both have well over 300 thousand miles on them . Most problems are from people not doing required service……….. my buddy just bought a 2021 1/2 ton Silverado and it’s a nice truck except for the fact that the 6.2 motor blow up at 9000 miles
3 valve triton hand grenade LOL...change engine light LOL...love it..
I own one of these disasters, mine is a 2004 with a 2007 rear axle ( the ONLY warranty repair), a 2010 transmission, and a 2014 engine. The engine is a noisy bugger, my reman runs great, or it seems to, yet the darn fuel injectors make a hell of a racket, leading the nervous among us to think something is wrong, when that is normal noise LOL. Spent a small fortune to keep all stuff working. My latest and greatest is the electric shift motor for the transfer case is showing its 2004 model year age, fixed that with a little love tap from a claw hammer and it works like a champ again, all other 4x4 failure points were addressed about 4 years ago and those are holding up, periodically check the the front IWE to make sure more things arent spinning than are supposed to. 5W-30 mobil1 twice a year oil changes weather or not I make the mileage. 1 thing about these engines is they a very picky for clean oil with those narrow passages and cam phaser. Though the factory engine failed at 107K with religious 3000 mile oil changes, but I used the recommended 5W-20 and that turned out to be a mistake.
I haven't had one come in my shop yet that didn't need a engine or the entire timing set with half the spark plugs breaking off. JUNK!!!!!!!!!!!!
Sad news for the owner. but made for a great investigation video.
Well as wes said the change engine light is on
Your son is a GEM. He Want's to know it all. He can't believe you fix Thomas. WOW ''You'' are a good mechanic. lol Nice diagnostics fine on the truck and future fix on the F-150
You are an amazing mechanic. I wish you were closer to me. Amazing how you logically think your way through the complete process. You take the time to learn exactly how all the systems work, before you throw new $$ parts $$ in. Thumbs up.
Melling makes machined cast iron tensioners without gaskets. They are for older trucks but fit the 5.4. The gasket blowing out is one of the main reasons the timing slips.
awesome video, i really enjoy your explanations for a novice like me to see how this stuff works, please keep up the good work
Thanks, will do!
Looks like ford could take a lesson from the makers of Thomas. Another great video Wes thanks.
Lack of oil was very evident. My buddy has the same Ford 298k miles and no issues. He changes oil & filter every 4k miles like clock work. Belts every other April.
I have two of these trucks with these engines one has 340000 miles and other one 205000 miles and never had timing issues
The other thing I learned was you got to go to a heavier grader OL one once you do that you don’t have no problems remember and all the other countries they don’t have these problems are the 5.4 it’s only in America where the EPA is gotten involved trying to raise gas mileage oh I wanted gas mileage add a bought ugo
Blow out a plastic tensioner and you loose oil to the head
Hey Wes, here is some food for thought, this may sound crazy, but think about it for a little bit.The way I see it, he has a few options, (1) Scrap the truck and take a total lost. (2) He could go back to the person he bought it from and demand his money back “good luck with that“ (3) Sense you’re
already this far into it, replace the two chain tensioners and guides, the VVT solenoids, JB weld the front cover, don’t worry about the cam bearings, once you restore the oil pressure, they'll be fine, you may get another 50,000 miles out of that engine, put every thing back together, flush the engine and send it down the road. Of course you have to let the customer know what you’re doing, "FULL DISCLOSURE" He should also go back to the Ford stealer/dealer and demand his $500 back and use that money to buy the parts needed. Now! That’s definitely not the way to do things, but it’s probably his best option right now.
Just something to think about.
We just might do that.
I have the same vehicle, a 2005 F150 5.4 3 V engine with 346,000 miles. Used 5-W-20 until I learned I should switch to 5-W-30 motor oil. I always used Royal Purple Fully Synthetic oil, just switched to 5-W- 30 about 100,000 miles ago. Never ever did anything internally to the engine except change the VCT solenoids because it seems like the trendy thing to do. There was hardly any burnish marks on the metal of the VCT's, and the screens were very very clean, and no plastic framing on those screens were missing. The innner side of the screens werre also very very clean. I do get some ticking noise, but I live with it. I have original everything on the motor and all the componets, etc except the VCT solenoids. I only changed the starter at 190,000 miles. It has original alternator, muffler, tailpipe, and brake lines ( I think stainless steel). Original catalyitic converter still original. I did virtually nothing to this motor. I am a believer in changing parts before a breakdown, but in this trucks history, there's no indication of having to do anything. They say you should change the timing chains every 100,000 miles. I guess then I shoudl've done that three times already, but it too is original. So what did I do to deserve this? I don't know. Am I just lucky? The truck has always been hooked up to a trailer hauling soils and mulch in my business, so it's always at the ready, and it never fails me. Oh, and the transmission is original too. Never a hint of a problem. I just change the filter at 100,000 miles, and I think only 1 more time after that. And it hits the mark switching gears on the automatic trans everytime. Is it the Royal Purple fully synthetic oil? Maybe. That seems the only thing I believe in that could've given me longevity. I think it will take me to 400,000 miles. It only started to rust about 3 yeares ago here in Michigan, so I do have to swallow my pride with rust around the wheel wells, but I want to know just how far this motor will take me when most other people think this motor is nothing but trouble. For me, it's the best Ford truck I've ever owned because the incidence of repair is almost perfect. Since it is a work truck, I do store it outside in the winter and not subject it to salt on the road. THUMBS UP!!! Great UA-cam video!!
If you work the truck, that is actually better, unloaded stop and go city driving with prolonged oil changes is one of the killers of these. In my case it was poor build quality, I bought new, have the sticker and have found other folks with builds from the same plant in the same month have terrible outcomes like me. I have reman engine, transmission, and rear axle. Nailed the bastards for the rear axle under warranty, which is pathetic to have a failing axle at 35K miles. 3K mile oil changes couldn't stop my pig from failing under the hood
“How many spark plugs does an eight cylinder diesel have?” Used to be a trick question
In all honesty I would put new tensioner gaskets and a chain guide and run it until it blows, may make it a month may make it a year but there’s no sense in throwing away all that money
It still is! ;-)
Yeah, it sounds like a diesel - sounds oddly similar to the GM 6.5 diesel
I went to my local SuperCheap Auto store and as a joke asked the girl at counter for a set of spark plugs for my diesel Pajero, she actually started to look on their system for them... I had to explain to her what I had done. Sad as this girl was not a checkout chick type but higher up the chain.
Hah! I was just about to post something about "is it bad if it sounds like a late 90's powerstroke?"
Really have to feel for the owner as he sure was taken for a ride buying this vehicle. On a positive note Thomas is now working just dandy. Stay safe up your way bro and family
Hands up, how many people just instantly hit the like button once they open a WWW video??? ✋✋✋✋✋✋
I'm 13 seconds in and I already know this is going to be a good one...
My order of operations for a Wes video is Like, Watch, Comment =)
I always press like on my subscriptions. I feel it's the least I can do to thank people for sharing and creating content. Blows my mind how likes rarely get about 10% on most content I watch.
Yep
From the comments i am reading, alot of people are not watching the whole video. Or maybe they need glasses.
Either way to are pretty blind to what the problems are compto the real cost of fixing it. I know Wes probably grimaced at the thought of putting it back together and with fingers crossed hoping for the best.
Doing what you did, for what around $1k, hell of a lot better than $6k on a truck that will last may 5 more years. Great video and good job.
i believe theres a cam phaser lock out kit with billit phasers, might loose a little power but fixes the problem for ever.
3 valve hand grenade, too good! Thanks for morning pick-me-up!
Oh my aching back. Nice catch Wes, I believe that’s why people are coming to you, good or bad news, they know you will find what’s wrong, and it will be repaired right if they choose to go ahead.
Well ,Wes you got a bucket of Ford parts, lol , your son brought back memories of working my son's little cars ,in the middle of an engine change, stay safe.
i have issues at work with people not servicing often enough or wrong oil type that causes issues with cvvt , i work in mainly new cars and kinda glad that they now use electronic control variable valve timing now , ocv can clog up and cam hubs can stick , i had one where it be fine but after 90 km of driving the hub would stick then cool down and be fine and when hot stick again
When I worked at an independent shop we did at least 3 cam phaser lock outs on these came with a little tool that flashed the ecu to remove the vvt
Sure, you can go that route if you're hard up on money. However, it doesn't fix the failing oil pump or the blown tensioner seals that are the main issues in these engines.
You're a good dad Wes - he's a good boy too.
I had a bad feeling from the gitgo, I had an 04 do that exact same thing. It just started rattling like hell one day, it had 75,000 miles on it. I took it to my local mechanic and he found the blown tensioner gaskets right off. It was the exact same mess inside. I had him do a reman engine and sold the POS.
Good call!
Another great video Wes. :) Sucks to see a customer get screwed with a bad truck. You can guarantee that the old owner new there was massive problems with the truck. That is why I am so leery about buying used vehicles. You never know what you are going to get with new either sometimes but at least you can lean on the lemon law or factory warranty.
b t y ,, the first car i ever bought was a 78 camaro from a girlfriend who bought it brand new and had it serviced at the chevy dealer ,had 50 k miles when i got it , went thru the whole car fluids etc... dont know when the oil filter was last changed ,, but it looked like crude oil in there and i could barley see the the small holes where the sludged oil never made it into the filter ,, i learned then that it only survived because there is a bybass valve ( spring ) in the filter for when its clogged . I never trusted dealerships or oil change places since i was a kid ,, ... car still ran great for the next few years i owned it .. thanks to the good ole 305 / 350's of the day . I know better today,, that wont last ,, thanks again ...
Wes, I have a 2001 4.6 2 valve that has a trashing sound on a cold start out of the tensioner. Once warm the sound goes away, I can add/ remove tension to the thrashing goes away. I have scoped all other pulleys, they are fine. With the belt off the front of the motor there is no sound.
A new tensioner is cheap insurance.
I have put 3 different tensioner’s on all do the same thing.
@ 6:42 "Probably broken now" cracked me up 🤣 I'm glad you know how to put all that electronic stuff to use.
What a fantastic mechanic!! Thank you so much for this amazing video!!
Obviously the people who design these heaps never drive them! Another great video, Wes.
No they drive them just don’t have to fix them
The only way I’d ever buy a 5.4 is if a brand new engine was sitting in the bed. It will need it sooner then later. However it was great to see you didn’t throw your hands in the air and say it’s a 3 valve needs a new engine. Great video
Now your talking , spent many hours with Thomas and friends, great job and awesome video.
This insane level of over-engineering makes me homesick for the days when engines were diagnosed with a long screwdriver and a good ear.
I couldn't agree more!
Great video showing what happens if you keep driving the car with next to no oil in the top end. I've seen this on MANY cars with plastic timing rails and guides. When I started watching the video I was thinking chain noise. I have a lot of experience with the vw 12 and 24v vr6 engines. The timing stuff is NOTORIOUS for failure, but the later style 'update' fixes the failure. They usually don't fail bad enough, to cause the journals or anything in the valve train to get starved for oil though, because they use a hydraulic 'cylinder' chain tensioner.
The Triton motors are not terribly good from the get go. Of the ones I've worked on, A LOT of them suffer from cracked exhaust manifolds. I wouldn't be surprised if the one you have is there, or on it's way Wes.
Great video bro! From one tech to the next, I enjoy your channel!
Take care
At least you managed to fix Thomas!
It's the small victories...
@@WatchWesWork BTW, my profile picture is walking distance from my home, on the Nene Valley Railway. That is the home of the only "Thomas" named by Rev Awdry, the author of the books.
@@WatchWesWork keeping the wife and kid happy is the whole point!
@@WatchWesWork And I bet your son now thinks you can fix anything. :)
@@ahnilatedahnilated7703 I was already thinking that. :)
I worked for ford and mopar dealerships back in the 80s Im glad Im not wrenching anymore !!! Luv your videos Wes !!!
I’m so excited! This seemed like a bonus video because we’ve been so good this week!!🤣