My F150s really do suck!

[motion]

My highway miler 2006 F150 with 136K miles developed a very loud valve ticking sound on my last trip (to San Francisco). The thing sounds like a nasty diesel. I've replaced all kinds of things on this truck, and all its ever seen is back and forth Montana-California on the I-15. Pretty sad. I had to put a new rear end in it last summer.

My 2005 4x4 F150 is constantly having problems and it only has 90K easy miles. Latest was new rear bearings, seals and rotors.

So, my options are:

1) Drive it till it dies

2) Spend $2K-$3K rebuilding the heads

3) Spend $3K-$4K installing a low mileage salvage engine

I think I'm leaning towards #3. I really like the truck, except for all the issues. I'll buy a new truck eventually, but not now. This one is new like the day I bought it. Drives real nice and quiet and smooth. Cowboy Cadillac

[unclebilly]

5.4? Cam phasers... Right side is the loud one right?

It is a time consuming but inexpensive repair that is well documented.

[KFC911]

Originally Posted by motion

...

3) Spend $3K-$4K installing a low mileage salvage engine

I think I'm leaning towards #3...

Well that sux...you might want to consider a crate motor from Autozone, etc. Went that route once and the pricier Jasper option once too...happy both times.

For clarity...those weren't in F150s....mine has 165k...no issues.

[HardDrive]

F-150 suck? Oh please. Machines break down. I guess everyone in the USA is an idiot, because they keep selling an awful lot of those F-150s......

[chapo]

Man I hate it when my 12 year old high mileage vehicles need maintenance!

[chapo]

tried to put that in green, think my 2008 Mac might be slipping��

[ckelly78z]

Very well known problem with the 5.4L Ford V8, also having the spark plugs breaking off when attempting to change them. Every make of vehicle out there has some issue that is well documented like these problems.

[onewhippedpuppy]

My father in law has a 2008 F150 5.4 Supercrew 4x4 that has been nearly perfect. He bought it new and it now has about 150k on it, he just handed it down to his teenage son. Other than oil changes every 3k it has needed almost nothing. My 2013 is phenomenal, as was my 2012.

[kaisen]

If it sounds like a diesel at idle and quiets down over about 1,400 rpm it's cam phasers.... common on those 3V 5.4Ls, and not a super complex fix.

[fintstone]

My F150's engine (4.6 v8) only lasted about 100k miles as well. Similarly for the Chevy wagon I had. Every other car that I have owned is still running reliably with many, many more miles. My '94 Toyota 4Runner has over twice the miles and my Porsches, Lexus...and even my Cayenne run perfectly with many more miles.

That is why I don't buy American cars any more. An engine requiring rebuild or replacement is not maintenance. It is catastrophic failure.

[motion]

Originally Posted by unclebilly

5.4? Cam phasers... Right side is the loud one right?

It is a time consuming but inexpensive repair that is well documented.

Not sure, I will check for that. Thanks!

[motion]

Originally Posted by HardDrive

F-150 suck? Oh please. Machines break down. I guess everyone in the USA is an idiot, because they keep selling an awful lot of those F-150s......

I don't think its too much to ask these days to expect 150K trouble free miles out of a new vehicle. I have had constant issues with both of them.

[motion]

Originally Posted by kaisen

If it sounds like a diesel at idle and quiets down over about 1,400 rpm it's cam phasers.... common on those 3V 5.4Ls, and not a super complex fix.

Thanks. I'm going to take it to my local mechanic and will tell them to check on these.

[manbridge 74]

Originally Posted by fintstone

My F150's engine (4.6 v8) only lasted about 100k miles as well. Similarly for the Chevy wagon I had. Every other car that I have owned is still running reliably with many, many more miles. My '94 Toyota 4Runner has over twice the miles and my Porsches, Lexus...and even my Cayenne run perfectly with many more miles.

That is why I don't buy American cars any more. An engine requiring rebuild or replacement is not maintenance. It is catastrophic failure.

Sadly this is not just American vehicles. The cam phasers on 4.8L DFI engines found in Cayennes/Panameras are held on with one-time use ALUMINUM bolts. They shear off whenever they fell like it, and the bits go down in the engine. Most guys in the trenches don't bother removing engines to find pieces. Eventually all these will need replaced with updated design.

[manbridge 74]

My 05 F150 is getting close to 150K and has phaser noise and various other maladies. Not gonna kick it outta bed just yet.

[BlueSkyJaunte]

Holy smokes, I google "cam phaser" just to see if it is what I think it is, and very first hit is:

"Ford 4.6l 3v & 5.4L 3v Camshaft Phaser Knocking Noise Fix - YouTube"

[kaisen]

I had a 2006 Lincoln Navigator in 2009 that had bad cam phasers. Not under warranty (just out) and I had them done. Not a big deal. Also, not a big deal to leave them... you're not hurting the engine, apparently.

[Tervuren]

There has been a lot of new tech in the 2000's to get performance numbers not before attained. I think you'll have problems with about anything these days.

[Tobra]

Shoulda bought a Cheby

LS for the win

Rear end went bad with the miles that low. Are you towing a 5th wheel over the Rockies regularly or something?

[Bob Kontak]

Originally Posted by kaisen

I had a 2006 Lincoln Navigator in 2009 that had bad cam phasers. Not under warranty (just out) and I had them done. Not a big deal. Also, not a big deal to leave them... you're not hurting the engine, apparently.

2005 F150. Customer ran it down to 2 quarts of oil in the summer. Topped off oil and cam phaser noise was still present at lower RPM. 120k miles.

THEN started reading. Ugh.

This may be sacrilege to the 5.4 but I put a quart of flush in, idled it for a while, drained and went to a slightly thicker viscosity. Told him to come back in late fall and we would revert to correct weight before winter.

Not a peep from him in three years with respect to the phaser noise. May have just been fresh crud from the low oil level that restricted flow that was cleaned out with the flush out?

Had the distinct pleasure of changing his plugs as well. God bless Lisle extractors.