here's a thought: assuming it was a stuck solenoid... the reason the computer couldn't solve it is because the solenoid is PWM controlled, whereas you shoved 12v right into it full bore. AKA you hit it harder than the computer can. basically, you hit it with a bigger (electrical) hammer. :D
That's what I was thinking. The computer eases that timing around; he just wacked with unrestricted pixies multiple times. You usually pay extra for that kind of action.
Yeah. Our shop mostly sees GM products, despite Ford's being the majority ownership where I live. Sometimes, my boss and I will fight over who gets to work on something different other than GM.
20:42 as a Ford tech, you are exactly right. Once that solenoid sticks and the PCM sees the incorrect camshaft position. All VCT operation is disabled until the codes are cleared. That is why it wouldn’t have fixed itself. You needed to manually actuate the solenoid to clear the debris. Then once the PCM saw the cam timing was correct again, then VCT operation is allowed to resume.
Heya Eric, from Australia. You activated the solenoid with straight 12 volts whereas the activation from the PCM is PWM. I think you inadvertently hit the solenoid with a 12 volt hammer and freed it up.
@@2secondslater Oh yes the PCM would never "Hammer" the Solenoid, you are correct there. I was agreeing in the first place. I should have been more clear.
Hey I’m a ford tech and the most common issue with the pre 2018 5.0’s is the phaser solenoids getting weak and causing timing codes, with the miles I recommend to replace all 4 solenoids to prevent further issues.
I can only tell you from my experience with them, if you replace one, within a couple months it will be back for another one- they get weak and then the timing starts to wander and set codes.
@@SteelheadTed You do realize a dealer tech doesn't get the ticket price, right? His advice isn't wrong. You are already without your truck when it runs wrong, you're already paying for a diag. If one of the solenoids is weak and they all are the same age you are money ahead to change them all while you are in there to keep the truck reliable. Do you change your spark plugs as a set or do you just change the one that misfires so you aren't getting "ripped off"? I just do sidework now as I went into welding years ago, but I would make the same call to replace all 4 to prevent comebacks. Especially since if I just do one a few months later when another one fails I'll be accused of being a hack ripping people off since I was the last one who touched the truck.
Those solenoids have a spring at the bottom of the spool valve that opposes oil pressure. Over time that spring can get weak and it will cause problems.
Ford requires synthetic blend oils at a minimum for the cam phasers to work properly. They do not recommend conventional oils. They recommend oil changes at 5000 miles. I hope this helps anyone with a newer ford vehicle.
Owners manual says 10k mi with motorcraft synthetic blend oil and filter. I will go to a max of 8k mi. My 2012 has 222k mi. Zero issues. Never had a check engine light.
Not a good idea to go 8k miles with synthetic blend engine oil. You are going to destroy your trucks engine once it hits 100,000 miles at that interval rate. with cam phasers and small oil passages, that is a recipe for disaster. I use Full Synthetic Oil and I change it every 4,000-5,000 miles, I don't believe in oil lasting to 6,000 miles. If you want to run synthetic blend then I suggest every 3,000-4,000 miles on every oil change and nothing more.@@wyattgardner3552
Intermittent issues like this always bothered me, but shouldn’t as long as the customer is aware. Classic Eric O nails it with his saying: “I didn’t design it, I didn’t build it, & I didn’t buy it!”
I had a stuck lifter on a 89 mazda at 105k miles. Put atf in there and drove it ez for 2 heat cycles, maybe 20 miles. Ticking went away, engine outlasted the frame, 165k. No way Eric is going to do that because of the engine shitx its on him
I agree with you about the engine flush. People need to understand this is your shop, reputation, and insurance policy on the line. You have to have as little liability in it as possible to protect you and your investment. Those flushes are not recomended by any manufacturers that i have seen so i dont do them either. If a manufacturer were to recomend it in service data about using something specific, then i would consider it only if the customer understands it is not a guaranteed fix. I feel like those are more bandaid type solutions for a bigger problem.
We fixed a cam timing problem on a sludged up Hyundai with the BG dynamic restoration service. We've now done a few of these now and are still amazed at the results! It's the only thing I've seen that fixes sludge, as long as it doesn't already have bearing damage...
I do not believe in extended oil changes. I use Mobil 1 full Synthetic and change it every 5,000 miles. My 2008 GMC Sierra with the dreaded 5.3L Displacement on Demand had 248,000 miles on it when I sold it to a friend 2 1/2 years ago, it now has 280,000 miles and is running great and no lifter problems. Change your oil sooner rather than later.
If we're going off single user case studies, I've got a 2000 f150 with the 2 valve 5.4 with 440k miles on it on 10k oil changes (Mobil 1), and a 2011 with the 3.5 Ecoboost with 350k on 8-10k oil changes (also Mobil 1) Edit: I've recently started to believe that the choice of filter is just as important as choice of oil (Purolator)
@@mattmanyam yeah I’m in LA. Mountains to desert to ocean. Plus I drive my truck hard. I don’t think I would trust extended service for my situation but I know it can work for some people and their situation.
Just a tip for DIY mechanics out there. Many times a stuck VVT solenoid can be cleaned up with some throttle body cleaner. So if the meter shows okey Ohm value give the cleaning a try before buying a new one.
I was fixated on #5 cyl. coil bringing disconnected when you were clicking the solenoid. I'm like Eric will see this pretty soon l hope! You never disappoint! LoL. There's that attention to detail thing again. I have had success exercising different manufacturer 's solenoids.l always figured power probe blast was more intense than pcm pulse width modulation and that's what freed it up? Good tech buddy as usual,beats reading woke newspaper before work. You have actually inspired an old tech to get after it again. Thanks young man!!
Thinking outside the box. If solenoid was stuck -- Power Probe (great tool) may be able to flow slightly more current to the solenoid as compared to what ever level of current the PCM supplies to solenoid. More current may encourage solenoid operation. I also maybe out in left field. Just a thought -- as always good video.
The reliance of those retardation mechanisms on the *hydraulic* properties of oil just underscore the importance of regular oil changes (and no o flushes!!) For years, nobody cared about anything other then oil that lubed and cooled. You just can't do that anymore. Thanks as always, Eric!
All caught up on Cam Phaser 101 lesson....you really have taken the mystery out of how these things actually work....2 of my 6 Ford coil pack connectors have zip ties...typical...thanks SMA
I just had the same issue on a Ford F-150 a couple weeks ago. Those solenoids are really close tolerance between the spool valve and the barrel so it doesn’t take much to stick them. When you start the engine you have oil pressure acting on the solenoid spool valve as well. So when you shock the solenoid with 12v and the engine off you have also removed the oil pressure from the equation which allows more freedom of movement with the spool valve. This freedom of movement without oil pressure can be all it takes to unstick the solenoid but chances are it will stick again. It’s also a good test if you are trying to determine if it’s a bad phaser or solenoid problem. Phasers usually don’t fix themselves.
I keep telling everyone to use Marvel MYSTERY OIL. The stuff works. It keeps sludge from building up in tight clearances, and keeps rubber seals pliable. No, I'm not paid by them. I'm 77 and I've been using it since I was 12 on the advice of an old timer, now long passed. RIP.
From one tech to another, you are correct in assuming the code shut down the solenoid function. I see it alot in the GM products. Great troubleshooting BTW.
354,500 miles on my 2011 5.0 Ford F150 (same engine). Use only recommended Ford Motorcraft semi-synthetic 5W-20 with Ford oil filters every 5,000 miles or close. Uses oil but never any issues. Going strong. I believe in regular maintenance and lots of luck!
@@badrobo21 Oil labeled "full synthetic" in the usa is still petroluem oil, just refined, its group 3. You need to get group 4 or 5 oil from companies like amsoil or redline to get a real synthetic oil. Synthetic blend is a joke, i am not aware of anything regulating the blend amount, so it could be 10% group 3 "synthetic" and 90% group 2 conventional...
Ford recommends motorcraft filter and motorcraft synthetic blend 5w-20 with 10k mile intervals... I will take it to 8k mi max. Filter every time. A few times other brands based on sales at parts store. My 2012 5.0L has 222k mi. Zero issues. Never had a check engine light.
just did one of these on a 2011 Ecoboost F150. Check engine light after a timing job, that was not what I wanted to see. Come to find a faulty exhaust solenoid, had the phaser fully advanced. The factory flow chart is helpful to a point, at least on Alldata, if you've never encountered this problem. Love the videos, and your diagnostic approach. It's helped me become a better tech.
Ford tech here, those phaser solenoids are common issue in the 5.0s. Haven't had one stay stuck like yours but you more commonly get them they are partially stuck and you can watch the vct pids swing + to - constantly as it tries to correct itself.
As a diesel technician, I would have to agree with your comment on once it throws the code it shuts down that circuit for self preservation. See it on Cummins engines and also see it on the multiple modules that are on the vehicle itself. They see something they don’t like and shut that circuit off. Mainly see it myself when the signal wires aren’t happy or short to grounds and short to highs.
If the engine has been so neglected to where there are gooey bits floating around plugging things up, if you do flush the engine, you're just going to break loose more and bigger gooey bits which will cause the engine to detonate. My suggestion is to change the oil regularly, use a high quality oil and filter, then your engine won't have any gooey bits floating around in the first place.
My co-worker has a 2016 Eco boost 3.5 and just had to replace the motor to the tune of $12,000 . Sadly he just paid it off a couple months ago and now it is like he is buying it all over again.
Had the same issue with a Kia Optima 2.4 yes the recall blow up engine. The vvt solenoid was always clogging with dirt. Found out the customer was following Kia recommendations for oil changes every 5000 miles. I talked them into every 3000 miles and the problem went away. The OEM service is not always right. Great job Eric as usual
@@insideoutsideupsidedown2218 As a toyota tech myself, Theyre great vehicles but i still never recommend over 5k for oil changes. The engineers arent the ones setting the mileage intervals. Theyll last great at 10k services until the warranty is up.
@Russell Hltn I was just pointing out the fact that the marketing team keeps pushing back oil change intervals to say that they require less maintenence than their competitors. As long as it makes it out of warranty they don't care. As for 5k oil changes, we really don't make money from them.
Another fine diagnosis. I love that you truly take the time and research to come up with an plausible reason for problems instead of loading the parts cannon.
I'm a 78 yr old shadetree mechanic. I didn't believe in engine additives/flushes either until I saw the Project Farm video where he gave his Ford Ranger a triple dose of Seafoam, gas, intake, and oil. Afterwards the noisy lifters had quietened down. Anyhow, the last couple of oil changes on my 2002 F150 5.4 with 170k miles I added 6 ounces of Seafoam to the oil about 30 miles before changing. The oil was blacker upon draining and the engine is a little quieter on cold startups now. I plan to continue doing it. The truck had 69k miles on it when I bought it and I don't really know how often the oil was changed before I got it in 2009. I had my oil changed at a quick change place in Illinois I think when I was working there and their standard practice was to add a cleaner to oil before they drove it into the bay. Poed me at the time.
Thanks for sharing, it looks like there's not much more that you can do as you documented it now working and not failing. I have also noticed that you sometimes (rarely) can free up the phasers/cam gears while continuously manually switching on and off the solenoid and sending oil to the phaser while the engine is running and there is the slight chance that it too can free up and start phasing correctly like how your situation did here on the f150. Other than that, if it doesn't work, then obviously internal work is needed. Thank you for sharing once again and glad yours got operating correctly!👍👍
The main problem I have found with quite a few cam timing problems is lack of use , by which I mean revving the engine under load so that they come into use. The oil is clean but the owners drive gently to save gas, but when they do a quick pull out the engine flags up a fault as in the vvt sprocket the oil is old and thicker. I have this on a couple of Toyota's and Honda's where all I have done is get them hot , then held them in lower gears and taken the revs right up several times . The oil gets flushed in the sprockets, they start to move and the car has regained it's youth ! Most of the cars were owned by retired people and the transmission shifted well before vvt really came into play , none could be described as road burners.
There's a service message we have for basically doing what you did giving the solenoids 12 volts to try and clear any blockages. I haven't replaced any solenoids on the 2nd gen 5.0 trucks but have on the 3rd gen trucks.
Great diagnostic! Maybe I'm mistaken, but I think Ivan got one solenoid stuck with a piece of its internal filter (removed with tweezers, as proof of concept, before replacing). Oil and filter change might be a good idea.
AMSOIL user here. I change oil once a year on January 1st. 185000 on a 2012 hemi. Never had any lifter or phaser problems. I used to be the change oil every 3000 kinda guy until employment at dealerships and other garages and realized that even a 20000 mi engine can fail.
Yep. People buy $50,000+ vehicles and take them to the shop every 3-5k, and the shops use the cheapest oil and filters they can buy. Many people go 2-3k over the oil sticker, and many don't check their oil. And people wonder why their VVT, timing chain, AFM, etc. has issues. Not to forget, the "full synthetic" fraud i would call it, of advertising group 3 petroleum oils as synthetic, when they came from the ground! Oil quality is super important in today's engines, with vvt, direct injection, and turbos.
I loved seeing that spark plug wire disconnected during the solenoid testing and seeing how long it would take for you to see that, haha. I used to see that a lot on spark plug connectors at the ford dealer. I think people get a little too rough with them clips and they just start pulling and prying to get it out. Great video as always, I've been watching for 8 years now! Learned a lot from you, including that I need more tools for this profession 😅
As others have said, those cam phaser solenoids are famously weak and prone to breakage. Not sure if true in the 5.0, but in the 4.6, the cam phasers are at the "end of the line" of the pressurized oil system, so they seem to suffer from gunk accumulation and acute sensitivity to low oil pressure. Replacing the solenoids MAY help, but if there's a worn main, rod, or cam bearing somewhere it can drop the system oil pressure which can also cause cam phaser problems.
Just sharing experience. I work as an electronic tech in a steel mill. One problem I encounter all the time with low voltage solenoids is the connectors. When they live in a harsh environment with extreme heat, cold, and moisture, such as in an engine bay, the plug contacts can get a little corrosion/oxidation on them and they stop passing power. The fix? Pull the connector off and reseat it, which scuffs and cleans the contacts. That may have been your solution right there. How did the O-rings look on the plug? I've seen solenoids stick many times, but it's not as common as the connector issue. Especially when hydraulic fluid is maintained and kept clean. With higher voltage coils, that little bit of resistance doesn't matter as much, but with 12 volt, it can be a big deal. Then there's the other problem you can have. The bad wire that's making intermittent contact that always seems to be making contact when you have your ohm meter on it. Time will tell on this one, but I'd bet money you just fixed it.
As an aircraft mechanic I can relate. Often we'd just re rack the component in question and voila! Fixed. Working on L1011s they had boxes full of PC cards for the autopilot, auto brakes, auto land, direct lift control, etc. The first thing when faced with such a write-up was to remove the corresponding PC card and take a pencil eraser to the edge connector. Probably an 80% fix.
I have had good luck cleaning the VVT solenoid valve. A lot of times a piece of trash gets stuck in the valve. Taking valve out of the engine and using a power probe hook to pulse the solenoid on and spray brake cleaner thru the valve fixes the valve 90% of the time.
I had the cam shaft correlation (p0016) on my car. Dealer diagnosed it to a EGR valve/cooler !!!. Moved the car to a non auth shop, they changed the cam sensor, worked for years now 1000usd vs 200usd bill.
Makes sense, hitting them with the power probe gave them a jump start, and possibly the exhaust one is on its way out, best to replace it as You said. Nice diag work!
I knew a mechanic from the neighborhood when I was young. Everytime I asked him about something on my car, he said.....I got a big hammer! 😂 BTW....Thank You! I have a 2015 Platinum. A bit ago, I plugged in a tool and was looking at live data and saw my timing all over the place! I was freaking out! At idle, 5, 7, 10.5, to 16 degrees! But fluctuating back and forth, up and down the whole time? When rpms were upped and steady it advanced steady. That's how I ended up watching this video. I also saw someone elsewhere say that Ford controls the idle with timing?
Hey Eric, this doesn’t have anything to do with this ford, but I just wanted to thank you. My 2010 Silverado had a P0449, tank vent valve solenoid open circuit, I used what I learned from watching your channel that the solenoid is bad. Checked power and ground at the solenoid when switching on with scan tool, all was good. So I am replacing solenoid.
I did the math. Created some algorithms, did some 3D calculus, I did complex 3 dimensional geometry, and wound up with a truly fantastic Bloody Mary. And, watching you, I realize that you are (in my personal opinion) completely right. No engine flush, change the oil and drive it. If it happens again, then bite the bullet and change all 4 phasers, and we have a happy camper... er.... customer. I'm off to mix up another Bloody Mary. Cheers! Thanks, Mr. O. Great video!!
I was going to say something about the cyl 5 coil unplugged. If you scroll back to when you were activating the b2 exh solenoid you can see its unplugged.
I worked with PhD engineer who worked on Mobil 1 formulation. He told me conventional oil breakdown is apparent before 3000 miles. Told me to change oil every 2000.
Your advice to not ever do engine flush is spot on but if anyone want to flush it to kill their engine, destroy the oil pump and regret it then go ahead. Oil and filter change is enough and modern oils are full of additives.
Awesome diagnostic approach! I am thinking it was the solenoid(s) electrical connector that did not have a good connection or intermittent connection. Hopefully, it is now connected well. Or, what the Ford Tech said in the comments that these solenoids get "weak" over time and use.
My wife's Kia Soul has 163K, which is the highest mileage engine I've ever dealt with. It was my daughters car that we bought at 147K rather than "giving" it to the dealer when she bought her new one. She had a maintenance contract on it but never knew what they used in it. I started it on a diet of HM synthetic and a few hundred miles before the oil change, dump 8 oz. of MMO into it. First couple of drains did seem a bit darker than was on the stick before adding the sauce. Now, it's about the same. So, anecdotally, I think there is some good to be said about a little extra "cleaner" being added on a temporary basis. But, running it on straight "magic juice" of some kind? Strikes me ass a bad idea, too.
There could be a slight chance that the dirty stuff in that old oil that doesn't drain out normally may get pushed around somewhere it doesn't belong when you add the cleaning/thinning agent to flush it out. I am guessing that is why Eric is not willing to take that chance for liability reasons.
Thanks for all the videos almost everyday! I've learned a a lot over the years, even if I don't work on cars almost ever. I need a shop like your around where I live, Care to move to Nova Scotia Canada haha.😅
Hi Eric bonus resolve for the customer if that is truly a fix. I would agree with the snake oil ways to fix the problem. When I worked in the trade I use to cringe at the thought of using flush products to try and fix anything. The cam and crank float on a thin film of oil and putting anything other than oil in the crank case introduces the risk of metal to metal contact if even for a split second this happens it's over for the engine. The best thing to do at that point is change the oil 4 to 6 times at about 2500 to 3000 Kms and hope the additive package in the oil does it's job.
Had an 04 Infiniti i35 with the VQ35DE. Had over 200k miles. It would throw vvt codes. Replaced gaskets, opened the sensors and cleaned them. Then changed the oil. Codes stayed off until 3k miles was up and I'd change the oil again and it would automatically clear the codes until it needed an oil change. Ive owned and sold over 200 cars and that was the only one that would throw a code when it was time for an oil change. Pretty sure it was coincidence, but clean fresh oil in the variable valve timing system is KEY
When I worked in a mechanical telephone switching office way back in the 60s-70s we had a saying in troubleshooting a piece of switching equipment usually consisting of banks of relays that have to operate in a sequenced order and that troubleshooting technique was called "stare and compare" the operation to a good unit. It worked rather well in conjunction with the wiring schematics.
I just had a 16 193k crankcase pressure sensor codes pretty easy diagnosis one of the detail guys will drive it in the morning to get it through inspection
Hey Mr O...my son was driving an 07 5.4 F150 and it had the cam phaser issue. Pull the solenoid out and it had sucked it's own screen into the bore (or the oil was dirty and pushed it in) thereby causing the solenoid to stick open. If this truck was a bit closer to the 07/08/09 model years I would have pulled and replaced all 4 of them. Also an oil flush would not hurt either. PS Love your channel, "if I can do it, you can do it!"
I would not use flush in an old engine either. Learn not to be a Dick and change the oil often. Manufacture recommended change times are so large because it's a selling point. Purchase this vehicle and save money on oil changes this engine will run well on sludge.
Another possibility could be an electrical connection on the plug having high resistance till you removed and refitted the plug and make a good electrical connection? Just a thought. With these modern crapboxes, if a particular code enables, it may disable certain system functions until you clear the code? i.e. it had a glitch and triggered the code, and if the glitch had cleared, simply clearing the codes may have restored the engine?
I had a 12' F-150 with the 5.0 Coyote and it blew a head gasket and milkshaked the motor at 90k miles. 90k... That was the last in a long string of serious problems with Fords. The very last.
Great video,again! My antique 2004 civic SiR has the dreaded cold start VTEC actuator rattle. If its 0 degrees outside it rattles, it its 5 degrees, no rattle. What gives!
I agree with all you say and did. None of all that flush stuff. What a mess. My bank 2 code popped, intermittently. I changed the oil, due anyway. Didn’t fix. All read ok. Just replaced the one VVT solenoid with gasket. Code reset. 1000 miles still good. Some people just clean the solenoids, not sure about that.
Keep the oil changes frequent. Every 4000 miles or 6 months which ever comes first.. OIL IS CHEAP, ENGINES ARE EXPENSIVE! USE A GOOD REPUTABLE OIL. I use Mobil 1. Just my personal preference. Good one Eric. Hope this vehicle keeps going well now.
Never use engine flush! I agree Eric! All you'll do if the engine is gunked up is you'll break crud loose and it plugs oil galleys! Instant oil starvation... time for a new engine! Best solution: Change the oil frequently a few times.
Eric funny you don’t recommend oil flushes we had an ageing car in the early 2000’s and mechanic recomended an oil flush as it had done nearly 200,000 k’s motor blewl up less than 2000k’s later, worst decision I’ve made as it had been perfect no oil use no probs at all! Your spot on as it could dislodge all kinds of garbage and block oil pick ups all sorts can go wrong. Great job on the ford by the way👍 cheers from Australia 🍻
here's a thought:
assuming it was a stuck solenoid...
the reason the computer couldn't solve it is because the solenoid is PWM controlled, whereas you shoved 12v right into it full bore. AKA you hit it harder than the computer can. basically, you hit it with a bigger (electrical) hammer. :D
Thus proving once again that every tool has a hammer end!
I was thinking the same. Givin it the full beans woke it right up.
Thought he said 8 volts was put to it?
@@buckaroo1278 I think you're confusing volts with the resistance he stated...
That's what I was thinking. The computer eases that timing around; he just wacked with unrestricted pixies multiple times. You usually pay extra for that kind of action.
Finally something other then a Chevy
Tell me about it haha
Can knock everyone for buying the best American car out there
I wake up and salute the General every morning has made 65%of my paychecks.
Fix or repair daily!! I’ll stick to a bow tie!!!
Yeah. Our shop mostly sees GM products, despite Ford's being the majority ownership where I live. Sometimes, my boss and I will fight over who gets to work on something different other than GM.
I don't know about anyone else but that ford chime just drives me absolutely crazy.
@mailmanjoe that chime that keeps going off isn't the f150.
20:42 as a Ford tech, you are exactly right. Once that solenoid sticks and the PCM sees the incorrect camshaft position. All VCT operation is disabled until the codes are cleared. That is why it wouldn’t have fixed itself. You needed to manually actuate the solenoid to clear the debris. Then once the PCM saw the cam timing was correct again, then VCT operation is allowed to resume.
Heya Eric, from Australia. You activated the solenoid with straight 12 volts whereas the activation from the PCM is PWM. I think you inadvertently hit the solenoid with a 12 volt hammer and freed it up.
Nice analogy but the PCM does close to a 100% if no change is detected
@@ralfsautomotive noted yet I would find it unusual for a PCM to modulate from 0v directly to 12v, would more expect a gradual modulation up to 100%
@@2secondslater Oh yes the PCM would never "Hammer" the Solenoid, you are correct there. I was agreeing in the first place. I should have been more clear.
@@ralfsautomotive All good, we both agree
@@righteousone1 you are very righteous
Hey I’m a ford tech and the most common issue with the pre 2018 5.0’s is the phaser solenoids getting weak and causing timing codes, with the miles I recommend to replace all 4 solenoids to prevent further issues.
Hey look, a dealer mechanic recommending to replace ALL the parts! 😅
I can only tell you from my experience with them, if you replace one, within a couple months it will be back for another one- they get weak and then the timing starts to wander and set codes.
@@SteelheadTed You do realize a dealer tech doesn't get the ticket price, right? His advice isn't wrong. You are already without your truck when it runs wrong, you're already paying for a diag. If one of the solenoids is weak and they all are the same age you are money ahead to change them all while you are in there to keep the truck reliable. Do you change your spark plugs as a set or do you just change the one that misfires so you aren't getting "ripped off"?
I just do sidework now as I went into welding years ago, but I would make the same call to replace all 4 to prevent comebacks. Especially since if I just do one a few months later when another one fails I'll be accused of being a hack ripping people off since I was the last one who touched the truck.
Just buy another Ford truck. 😅
Those solenoids have a spring at the bottom of the spool valve that opposes oil pressure. Over time that spring can get weak and it will cause problems.
The best way to flush your oil is to drain the old oil and fill it with new oil and repeat every 3,000 miles.
actually, adding a splash of kerosene into the crank and running it at about 3k RPM for a few min then draining it hot cleans an engine out nicely!
@@cigarsgunsanddiesel8032 Kerosene, diesel, Marvel Mystery, Seafoam. Pick your favorite cleaner.
To flush your oil you really need to use a 100% synthetic oil and change it per OEM requirements. 3,000 mile oil changes went out in the 1990's
@@Boodieman72 just because they 'went out' doesn't mean you have to stop doing them.
@@agenericaccount3935 You could change the oil after each trip if you want.
Thanks for being a great, honest , and honorable mechanic !
Ford requires synthetic blend oils at a minimum for the cam phasers to work properly. They do not recommend conventional oils. They recommend oil changes at 5000 miles. I hope this helps anyone with a newer ford vehicle.
Owners manual says 10k mi with motorcraft synthetic blend oil and filter. I will go to a max of 8k mi. My 2012 has 222k mi. Zero issues. Never had a check engine light.
Not a good idea to go 8k miles with synthetic blend engine oil. You are going to destroy your trucks engine once it hits 100,000 miles at that interval rate. with cam phasers and small oil passages, that is a recipe for disaster. I use Full Synthetic Oil and I change it every 4,000-5,000 miles, I don't believe in oil lasting to 6,000 miles. If you want to run synthetic blend then I suggest every 3,000-4,000 miles on every oil change and nothing more.@@wyattgardner3552
I've had a zip tie holding my broken Ford red connector "until the connector gets replaced" for 5 years now. Holding strong.
I didn't even bother with a zip tie. Still holding.
Intermittent issues like this always bothered me, but shouldn’t as long as the customer is aware.
Classic Eric O nails it with his saying: “I didn’t design it, I didn’t build it, & I didn’t buy it!”
I’m a fixer of most things mechanical and electrical, and my famous words are ( you can’t see it from my house.😝😂😝.
and I didn't break it !!
I'm with you on the engine flushes. I've never seen any kind of snake oil fix something that is broken or worn out. Thanks
Engine flushes don't fix mechanical issue.
I had a stuck lifter on a 89 mazda at 105k miles. Put atf in there and drove it ez for 2 heat cycles, maybe 20 miles. Ticking went away, engine outlasted the frame, 165k. No way Eric is going to do that because of the engine shitx its on him
AutoRX, cleaner.
My friend tried this on his old Mercedes, a piece of head gasket came out of the oil when he emptied the flush. Then he REALLY had problems.
A good synthetic oil is all the engine flush you'll ever need. Give it a few OCIs.
Love that you troubleshoot the issue and do not just throw parts at it in an attempt to fix an issue
"problem" not issue. Issues are magazines and newspapers
Nice to see honest mechanics still exist
It's the hallmark of a real pro: Making everything look soooo easy 😊. As always, top notch trouble shooting!
I agree with you about the engine flush. People need to understand this is your shop, reputation, and insurance policy on the line. You have to have as little liability in it as possible to protect you and your investment. Those flushes are not recomended by any manufacturers that i have seen so i dont do them either. If a manufacturer were to recomend it in service data about using something specific, then i would consider it only if the customer understands it is not a guaranteed fix. I feel like those are more bandaid type solutions for a bigger problem.
We fixed a cam timing problem on a sludged up Hyundai with the BG dynamic restoration service.
We've now done a few of these now and are still amazed at the results! It's the only thing I've seen that fixes sludge, as long as it doesn't already have bearing damage...
Interesting fix. Great video, btw, your speech is getting better Mr. O.
Gotta stay on top of oil changes, so many, solenoids, small orifices, and filter screens.
When you pulled in the truck, that was a good look at your building. It looks good with the new metal on it. I like it
A ford Makuloco special.
BTW, your speech is getting much better. You're still the best, most professional mechanic on UA-cam!
I agree with you on no Engine Flush That’s a no no
I do not believe in extended oil changes. I use Mobil 1 full Synthetic and change it every 5,000 miles. My 2008 GMC Sierra with the dreaded 5.3L Displacement on Demand had 248,000 miles on it when I sold it to a friend 2 1/2 years ago, it now has 280,000 miles and is running great and no lifter problems. Change your oil sooner rather than later.
If we're going off single user case studies, I've got a 2000 f150 with the 2 valve 5.4 with 440k miles on it on 10k oil changes (Mobil 1), and a 2011 with the 3.5 Ecoboost with 350k on 8-10k oil changes (also Mobil 1)
Edit: I've recently started to believe that the choice of filter is just as important as choice of oil (Purolator)
@@mattmanyam that also depends on the environment you live in, driving style and use of vehicle.
@@boudroux1 agreed.
(I live in central NY, with about 70% of my miles coming in the summer)
@@mattmanyam yeah I’m in LA. Mountains to desert to ocean. Plus I drive my truck hard. I don’t think I would trust extended service for my situation but I know it can work for some people and their situation.
I have a 07 Sierra 4.8 that has 205,000 and running great use valvoline blended and changed every 3000 miles
Just a tip for DIY mechanics out there. Many times a stuck VVT solenoid can be cleaned up with some throttle body cleaner. So if the meter shows okey Ohm value give the cleaning a try before buying a new one.
Why? On that Ford you have to remove the valve cover to remove the solenoids, so it would be better to replace them with OEM and be done with it.
That's a good job for FordTechMakuloco !
How dare you...
Brian has seen that i bet 100 times
I was fixated on #5 cyl. coil bringing disconnected when you were clicking the solenoid. I'm like Eric will see this pretty soon l hope! You never disappoint! LoL. There's that attention to detail thing again. I have had success exercising different manufacturer 's solenoids.l always figured power probe blast was more intense than pcm pulse width modulation and that's what freed it up? Good tech buddy as usual,beats reading woke newspaper before work. You have actually inspired an old tech to get after it again. Thanks young man!!
Thinking outside the box. If solenoid was stuck -- Power Probe (great tool) may be able to flow slightly more current to the solenoid as compared to what ever level of current the PCM supplies to solenoid. More current may encourage solenoid operation. I also maybe out in left field. Just a thought -- as always good video.
The reliance of those retardation mechanisms on the *hydraulic* properties of oil just underscore the importance of regular oil changes (and no o flushes!!) For years, nobody cared about anything other then oil that lubed and cooled. You just can't do that anymore. Thanks as always, Eric!
All caught up on Cam Phaser 101 lesson....you really have taken the mystery out of how these things actually work....2 of my 6 Ford coil pack connectors have zip ties...typical...thanks SMA
I just had the same issue on a Ford F-150 a couple weeks ago. Those solenoids are really close tolerance between the spool valve and the barrel so it doesn’t take much to stick them. When you start the engine you have oil pressure acting on the solenoid spool valve as well. So when you shock the solenoid with 12v and the engine off you have also removed the oil pressure from the equation which allows more freedom of movement with the spool valve. This freedom of movement without oil pressure can be all it takes to unstick the solenoid but chances are it will stick again. It’s also a good test if you are trying to determine if it’s a bad phaser or solenoid problem. Phasers usually don’t fix themselves.
I keep telling everyone to use Marvel MYSTERY OIL. The stuff works. It keeps sludge from building up in tight clearances, and keeps rubber seals pliable. No, I'm not paid by them. I'm 77 and I've been using it since I was 12 on the advice of an old timer, now long passed. RIP.
very interesting
From one tech to another, you are correct in assuming the code shut down the solenoid function. I see it alot in the GM products. Great troubleshooting BTW.
354,500 miles on my 2011 5.0 Ford F150 (same engine). Use only recommended Ford Motorcraft semi-synthetic 5W-20 with Ford oil filters every 5,000 miles or close. Uses oil but never any issues. Going strong. I believe in regular maintenance and lots of luck!
Perfect for the 5.0. Don't use conventional motor oil.
@@badrobo21 Oil labeled "full synthetic" in the usa is still petroluem oil, just refined, its group 3. You need to get group 4 or 5 oil from companies like amsoil or redline to get a real synthetic oil. Synthetic blend is a joke, i am not aware of anything regulating the blend amount, so it could be 10% group 3 "synthetic" and 90% group 2 conventional...
Ford recommends motorcraft filter and motorcraft synthetic blend 5w-20 with 10k mile intervals... I will take it to 8k mi max. Filter every time. A few times other brands based on sales at parts store. My 2012 5.0L has 222k mi. Zero issues. Never had a check engine light.
just did one of these on a 2011 Ecoboost F150. Check engine light after a timing job, that was not what I wanted to see. Come to find a faulty exhaust solenoid, had the phaser fully advanced. The factory flow chart is helpful to a point, at least on Alldata, if you've never encountered this problem.
Love the videos, and your diagnostic approach. It's helped me become a better tech.
Ford tech here, those phaser solenoids are common issue in the 5.0s. Haven't had one stay stuck like yours but you more commonly get them they are partially stuck and you can watch the vct pids swing + to - constantly as it tries to correct itself.
should I preemptively change my phaser solenoids? crossing 200k
As a diesel technician, I would have to agree with your comment on once it throws the code it shuts down that circuit for self preservation. See it on Cummins engines and also see it on the multiple modules that are on the vehicle itself. They see something they don’t like and shut that circuit off. Mainly see it myself when the signal wires aren’t happy or short to grounds and short to highs.
South Main Auto: "If it falls behind, it's retarded."
Me: "Story of my life."
If the engine has been so neglected to where there are gooey bits floating around plugging things up, if you do flush the engine, you're just going to break loose more and bigger gooey bits which will cause the engine to detonate. My suggestion is to change the oil regularly, use a high quality oil and filter, then your engine won't have any gooey bits floating around in the first place.
take the frame oil filter off. And put a motor craft from ford filter.the check valves inside the filters make a difference
Yet another score for top notch diag.skills and experience. Well done sir...well done.
There is a TSB on that cam actuator, bank 2 exhaust. Calls for replacement of the actuator.
Good night to kick back and watch some South Main Auto, never lets me down and I hope maybe one day I can be like him
My co-worker has a 2016 Eco boost 3.5 and just had to replace the motor to the tune of $12,000 . Sadly he just paid it off a couple months ago and now it is like he is buying it all over again.
Had the same issue with a Kia Optima 2.4 yes the recall blow up engine. The vvt solenoid was always clogging with dirt. Found out the customer was following Kia recommendations for oil changes every 5000 miles. I talked them into every 3000 miles and the problem went away. The OEM service is not always right. Great job Eric as usual
Buy a Toyota.
@@insideoutsideupsidedown2218 As a toyota tech myself, Theyre great vehicles but i still never recommend over 5k for oil changes. The engineers arent the ones setting the mileage intervals. Theyll last great at 10k services until the warranty is up.
Hi got both a kia and a Toyota no problems with either one JUST change the oil at good intervals. Kia has done 300 plus kilm, Rav same .
@@Kazuma.- Correct. What you read in the manual has the fingerprints from the sales department as well. 5K oil changes is a nice sales line.
@Russell Hltn I was just pointing out the fact that the marketing team keeps pushing back oil change intervals to say that they require less maintenence than their competitors. As long as it makes it out of warranty they don't care. As for 5k oil changes, we really don't make money from them.
Another fine diagnosis. I love that you truly take the time and research to come up with an plausible reason for problems instead of loading the parts cannon.
I’m a ford tech, when we see these codes we check oil level right now. Those gen 5.0 are notorious for burning oil
The 2015 doesn’t burn oil- 2018 and up burns oil
I'm a 78 yr old shadetree mechanic. I didn't believe in engine additives/flushes either until I saw the Project Farm video where he gave his Ford Ranger a triple dose of Seafoam, gas, intake, and oil. Afterwards the noisy lifters had quietened down. Anyhow, the last couple of oil changes on my 2002 F150 5.4 with 170k miles I added 6 ounces of Seafoam to the oil about 30 miles before changing. The oil was blacker upon draining and the engine is a little quieter on cold startups now. I plan to continue doing it. The truck had 69k miles on it when I bought it and I don't really know how often the oil was changed before I got it in 2009. I had my oil changed at a quick change place in Illinois I think when I was working there and their standard practice was to add a cleaner to oil before they drove it into the bay. Poed me at the time.
That was a great vid. But, I'd change to a modern cleaner for something like this Coyote.
Thanks for sharing, it looks like there's not much more that you can do as you documented it now working and not failing. I have also noticed that you sometimes (rarely) can free up the phasers/cam gears while continuously manually switching on and off the solenoid and sending oil to the phaser while the engine is running and there is the slight chance that it too can free up and start phasing correctly like how your situation did here on the f150. Other than that, if it doesn't work, then obviously internal work is needed. Thank you for sharing once again and glad yours got operating correctly!👍👍
The main problem I have found with quite a few cam timing problems is lack of use , by which I mean revving the engine under load so that they come into use. The oil is clean but the owners drive gently to save gas, but when they do a quick pull out the engine flags up a fault as in the vvt sprocket the oil is old and thicker. I have this on a couple of Toyota's and Honda's where all I have done is get them hot , then held them in lower gears and taken the revs right up several times . The oil gets flushed in the sprockets, they start to move and the car has regained it's youth !
Most of the cars were owned by retired people and the transmission shifted well before vvt really came into play , none could be described as road burners.
Needs an occasional Italian tune up.
Motor still sounds like a diesel to me, but it's definitely running much better! Great video brother
There's a service message we have for basically doing what you did giving the solenoids 12 volts to try and clear any blockages. I haven't replaced any solenoids on the 2nd gen 5.0 trucks but have on the 3rd gen trucks.
Great diagnostic! Maybe I'm mistaken, but I think Ivan got one solenoid stuck with a piece of its internal filter (removed with tweezers, as proof of concept, before replacing). Oil and filter change might be a good idea.
I remember that, it was self destructing. Nice to know Eric and Ivan are friends, two great guys.
Do you have a link to the video?
He did I remember this I also think he replaced all of the solenoids
@@karlfunnell100 👍
@@clintprice2123 Yes they are.
AMSOIL user here. I change oil once a year on January 1st. 185000 on a 2012 hemi. Never had any lifter or phaser problems. I used to be the change oil every 3000 kinda guy until employment at dealerships and other garages and realized that even a 20000 mi engine can fail.
Yep. People buy $50,000+ vehicles and take them to the shop every 3-5k, and the shops use the cheapest oil and filters they can buy. Many people go 2-3k over the oil sticker, and many don't check their oil. And people wonder why their VVT, timing chain, AFM, etc. has issues. Not to forget, the "full synthetic" fraud i would call it, of advertising group 3 petroleum oils as synthetic, when they came from the ground! Oil quality is super important in today's engines, with vvt, direct injection, and turbos.
I loved seeing that spark plug wire disconnected during the solenoid testing and seeing how long it would take for you to see that, haha. I used to see that a lot on spark plug connectors at the ford dealer. I think people get a little too rough with them clips and they just start pulling and prying to get it out. Great video as always, I've been watching for 8 years now! Learned a lot from you, including that I need more tools for this profession 😅
Coil
Brake clean it good and RTV on the plug , let dry.
You are a great mechanic Eric.
As others have said, those cam phaser solenoids are famously weak and prone to breakage. Not sure if true in the 5.0, but in the 4.6, the cam phasers are at the "end of the line" of the pressurized oil system, so they seem to suffer from gunk accumulation and acute sensitivity to low oil pressure. Replacing the solenoids MAY help, but if there's a worn main, rod, or cam bearing somewhere it can drop the system oil pressure which can also cause cam phaser problems.
Weak just like the trucks 😂
@@joeyc2103 they gapp Chevys that’s for sure
Great work! No parts required (for now). Nice video! Thanks!
One zip tie.
ivan would be proud😆
Love your discussion on oil flush, I'm old school change oil, filter refill new. Great channel
Just sharing experience. I work as an electronic tech in a steel mill. One problem I encounter all the time with low voltage solenoids is the connectors. When they live in a harsh environment with extreme heat, cold, and moisture, such as in an engine bay, the plug contacts can get a little corrosion/oxidation on them and they stop passing power. The fix? Pull the connector off and reseat it, which scuffs and cleans the contacts. That may have been your solution right there. How did the O-rings look on the plug? I've seen solenoids stick many times, but it's not as common as the connector issue. Especially when hydraulic fluid is maintained and kept clean. With higher voltage coils, that little bit of resistance doesn't matter as much, but with 12 volt, it can be a big deal. Then there's the other problem you can have. The bad wire that's making intermittent contact that always seems to be making contact when you have your ohm meter on it. Time will tell on this one, but I'd bet money you just fixed it.
As an aircraft mechanic I can relate. Often we'd just re rack the component in question and voila! Fixed. Working on L1011s they had boxes full of PC cards for the autopilot, auto brakes, auto land, direct lift control, etc. The first thing when faced with such a write-up was to remove the corresponding PC card and take a pencil eraser to the edge connector. Probably an 80% fix.
Mr. O... You are great at explaining what you think is going on. Hard to figure out what really is happening when it does start working correctly.
I have had good luck cleaning the VVT solenoid valve. A lot of times a piece of trash gets stuck in the valve.
Taking valve out of the engine and using a power probe hook to pulse the solenoid on and spray brake cleaner thru the valve fixes the valve 90% of the time.
I had the cam shaft correlation (p0016) on my car. Dealer diagnosed it to a EGR valve/cooler !!!. Moved the car to a non auth shop, they changed the cam sensor, worked for years now 1000usd vs 200usd bill.
Eric, I have the 2013 version of this truck, and can tell you that it has A LOT of self preservation strategies built into the systems.
Thanks for the tutorial ! Great teaching techniques ! I’m learning lots from you ! God bless you and your family !
Makes sense, hitting them with the power probe gave them a jump start, and possibly the exhaust one is on its way out, best to replace it as You said. Nice diag work!
I knew a mechanic from the neighborhood when I was young.
Everytime I asked him about something on my car, he said.....I got a big hammer! 😂
BTW....Thank You! I have a 2015 Platinum.
A bit ago, I plugged in a tool and was looking at live data and saw my timing all over the place! I was freaking out!
At idle, 5, 7, 10.5, to 16 degrees! But fluctuating back and forth, up and down the whole time?
When rpms were upped and steady it advanced steady.
That's how I ended up watching this video.
I also saw someone elsewhere say that Ford controls the idle with timing?
One of my dreams in life is to watch a video of yours while working on my car. Unfortunately I live in Minnesota and drive a Toyota.
Sell the Toyota and you're golden!😎
Do some upgrades.
Hey Eric, this doesn’t have anything to do with this ford, but I just wanted to thank you. My 2010 Silverado had a P0449, tank vent valve solenoid open circuit, I used what I learned from watching your channel that the solenoid is bad. Checked power and ground at the solenoid when switching on with scan tool, all was good. So I am replacing solenoid.
I did the math. Created some algorithms, did some 3D calculus, I did complex 3 dimensional geometry, and wound up with a truly fantastic Bloody Mary.
And, watching you, I realize that you are (in my personal opinion) completely right. No engine flush, change the oil and drive it. If it happens again, then bite the bullet and change all 4 phasers, and we have a happy camper... er.... customer. I'm off to mix up another Bloody Mary. Cheers!
Thanks, Mr. O. Great video!!
I was going to say something about the cyl 5 coil unplugged. If you scroll back to when you were activating the b2 exh solenoid you can see its unplugged.
Nice coincidence, got a F-150 commercial as Eric's working on a F-150
I worked with PhD engineer who worked on Mobil 1 formulation. He told me conventional oil breakdown is apparent before 3000 miles. Told me to change oil every 2000.
Your advice to not ever do engine flush is spot on but if anyone want to flush it to kill their engine, destroy the oil pump and regret it then go ahead. Oil and filter change is enough and modern oils are full of additives.
Awesome diagnostic approach! I am thinking it was the solenoid(s) electrical connector that did not have a good connection or intermittent connection. Hopefully, it is now connected well. Or, what the Ford Tech said in the comments that these solenoids get "weak" over time and use.
My wife's Kia Soul has 163K, which is the highest mileage engine I've ever dealt with. It was my daughters car that we bought at 147K rather than "giving" it to the dealer when she bought her new one. She had a maintenance contract on it but never knew what they used in it. I started it on a diet of HM synthetic and a few hundred miles before the oil change, dump 8 oz. of MMO into it. First couple of drains did seem a bit darker than was on the stick before adding the sauce. Now, it's about the same. So, anecdotally, I think there is some good to be said about a little extra "cleaner" being added on a temporary basis. But, running it on straight "magic juice" of some kind? Strikes me ass a bad idea, too.
There could be a slight chance that the dirty stuff in that old oil that doesn't drain out normally may get pushed around somewhere it doesn't belong when you add the cleaning/thinning agent to flush it out. I am guessing that is why Eric is not willing to take that chance for liability reasons.
Best diagnostics video I've seen in a while. Thanks
Thanks for all the videos almost everyday! I've learned a a lot over the years, even if I don't work on cars almost ever. I need a shop like your around where I live, Care to move to Nova Scotia Canada haha.😅
Hi Eric bonus resolve for the customer if that is truly a fix. I would agree with the snake oil ways to fix the problem. When I worked in the trade I use to cringe at the thought of using flush products to try and fix anything. The cam and crank float on a thin film of oil and putting anything other than oil in the crank case introduces the risk of metal to metal contact if even for a split second this happens it's over for the engine. The best thing to do at that point is change the oil 4 to 6 times at about 2500 to 3000 Kms and hope the additive package in the oil does it's job.
Had an 04 Infiniti i35 with the VQ35DE. Had over 200k miles. It would throw vvt codes. Replaced gaskets, opened the sensors and cleaned them. Then changed the oil. Codes stayed off until 3k miles was up and I'd change the oil again and it would automatically clear the codes until it needed an oil change. Ive owned and sold over 200 cars and that was the only one that would throw a code when it was time for an oil change. Pretty sure it was coincidence, but clean fresh oil in the variable valve timing system is KEY
Very interesting. My fondness for basic mechanical engines grows daily. Spark fuel air go
Hey congrats on the Canadian Content Eric.
An F150 with a kilometer speedometer… lol😁✌🇨🇦
actually, you'd be surprised at how many modern vehicles have a metric swap over hidden in the settings for the info.
When I worked in a mechanical telephone switching office way back in the 60s-70s we had a saying in troubleshooting a piece of switching equipment usually consisting of banks of relays that have to operate in a sequenced order and that troubleshooting technique was called "stare and compare" the operation to a good unit. It worked rather well in conjunction with the wiring schematics.
Crossbar office?
@@Bellboy40 Stepper, Panel, Crossbar (1,5, Tandem), and to some extent #1 and 1A ESS worked on them all
@@draidt I worked in sxs, 5xbar, 1ESS and 5ESS.
I just had a 16 193k crankcase pressure sensor codes pretty easy diagnosis one of the detail guys will drive it in the morning to get it through inspection
Love your videos. You are the American dream. Good work.
Hey Mr O...my son was driving an 07 5.4 F150 and it had the cam phaser issue. Pull the solenoid out and it had sucked it's own screen into the bore (or the oil was dirty and pushed it in) thereby causing the solenoid to stick open. If this truck was a bit closer to the 07/08/09 model years I would have pulled and replaced all 4 of them. Also an oil flush would not hurt either. PS Love your channel, "if I can do it, you can do it!"
I would definitely say change oil. I've have seen it help just changing oil. I would definitely not use flush in oil system on newer motors .
I would not use flush in an old engine either. Learn not to be a Dick and change the oil often. Manufacture recommended change times are so large because it's a selling point. Purchase this vehicle and save money on oil changes this engine will run well on sludge.
Another possibility could be an electrical connection on the plug having high resistance till you removed and refitted the plug and make a good electrical connection? Just a thought. With these modern crapboxes, if a particular code enables, it may disable certain system functions until you clear the code? i.e. it had a glitch and triggered the code, and if the glitch had cleared, simply clearing the codes may have restored the engine?
Same thing I thought. I would have probably hit it with a little de-ox when I plugged it back in.
In a moment of weakness, I almost bought a 2014 5.0 a few years back. Glad I avoided that! New engines are all a nightmare.
Eric starting to get newer vehicles to work on lately.
This is why people brings their cars to you. You get them results.
I had a 12' F-150 with the 5.0 Coyote and it blew a head gasket and milkshaked the motor at 90k miles. 90k... That was the last in a long string of serious problems with Fords. The very last.
I had this issue on a Toyota Avalon that I had. I replaced the variable valve timing solenoid and it fixed the issue. The car ran great after that.
Great video,again! My antique 2004 civic SiR has the dreaded cold start VTEC actuator rattle. If its 0 degrees outside it rattles, it its 5 degrees, no rattle. What gives!
One of the few motors I care about from ford
I agree with all you say and did. None of all that flush stuff. What a mess. My bank 2 code popped, intermittently. I changed the oil, due anyway. Didn’t fix. All read ok. Just replaced the one VVT solenoid with gasket. Code reset. 1000 miles still good. Some people just clean the solenoids, not sure about that.
Eric O finally gets a Ford in and it fixes itself. I know what I'm buying next!
Keep the oil changes frequent. Every 4000 miles or 6 months which ever comes first.. OIL IS CHEAP, ENGINES ARE EXPENSIVE!
USE A GOOD REPUTABLE OIL. I use Mobil 1. Just my personal preference.
Good one Eric. Hope this vehicle keeps going well now.
Never use engine flush! I agree Eric! All you'll do if the engine is gunked up is you'll break crud loose and it plugs oil galleys! Instant oil starvation... time for a new engine! Best solution: Change the oil frequently a few times.
Eric funny you don’t recommend oil flushes we had an ageing car in the early 2000’s and mechanic recomended an oil flush as it had done nearly 200,000 k’s motor blewl up less than 2000k’s later, worst decision I’ve made as it had been perfect no oil use no probs at all! Your spot on as it could dislodge all kinds of garbage and block oil pick ups all sorts can go wrong. Great job on the ford by the way👍 cheers from Australia 🍻
There's actually a Ford service procedure to cycle the solenoids like you did and clear debris.