What other maintenance?

Howdy, new to the forum.

2011 exp xlt. 2wd 81k miles.

Truck ran good for a couple months (bought it used) then I noticed it was sluggish around 3-4k rpm and didn't want to get up to speed quickly while entering freeway.

I've done the following with decent results.

Cleaned MAF sensor.
Cleaned Throttle Body.
Replaced all spark plugs.
Tested ignition coils.
New air filter.

I plan on doing the transmission fluid and filter.

The vehicle seems like its much improved with those maintenance items I listed. Are there any other relatively easy things to service that anyone can recommend? With longevity and performance in mind.

I do have the dreaded ticking noise as well. Ill dig into that with a stethoscope and the dealership.

How about fuel filter change and four wheel alignment?

Just had two new tires put on in rear as they split on the sidewall due to the previous owner driving them while low or flat. Ill check the receipt to see if they did an alignment though. As far as fuel filter I think my truck has one of those "lifetime" filters integrated with the pump. Although I will get under the truck to confirm one isn't visible.

DesertFordRat said:

As far as fuel filter I think my truck has one of those "lifetime" filters integrated with the pump. Although I will get under the truck to confirm one isn't visible.

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Correct. It's not a maintenance item, but as with all "lifetime" parts it's lifetime until there's a problem.

ManUpOrShutUp said:

Correct. It's not a maintenance item, but as with all "lifetime" parts it's lifetime until there's a problem.

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I got under my truck last night. Disappointed not to find a fuel filter but also found that I have the HD tow package. Winning!

I will be calling the stealership tomorrow about the cam phaser knock. I see they gave me a "free" 100k mile powertrain warranty. Ill be putting that to use and probably canceling my extended warranty I purchased. Reading the fine print on that thing has me convinced that nothing will be covered.

DesertFordRat said:

I got under my truck last night. Disappointed not to find a fuel filter but also found that I have the HD tow package. Winning!

I will be calling the stealership tomorrow about the cam phaser knock. I see they gave me a "free" 100k mile powertrain warranty. Ill be putting that to use and probably canceling my extended warranty I purchased. Reading the fine print on that thing has me convinced that nothing will be covered.

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As with all of Ford's warranties, the powertrain/extended warranties are great for things that clearly and definitively need replacement (e.g. a pinion seal), but things get murky quickly beyond that. For example, Ford specs allow for the burning of 1 qt per 1,000 miles on these engines. If you're burning that much oil you clearly have a very serious problem, but Ford will usher you away as it is "within spec." And when the spec starts allowing for too many warranty repairs, they just change it. For example, the minimum oil pressure spec for this engine used to be 25 psi; Ford then lowered it to 15 psi. If you talk to the techs on the side, they'll tell you that at 15 psi it's just a matter of time before something goes horribly awry - but you're within spec and thus not covered by warranty. When it comes to noises or sporadic issues, they can be especially difficult. Ford won't pay the dealership for anything unless a part is ultimately replaced, so dealerships can become downright vicious when it comes to issues with an indeterminate cause.

I'm at the dealership now. Drove 45 min to get here. The service managers met with me to listen to the noise. He said, are you talking about that ticking/knocking? That's normal. I said no its not, then he started laughing and said no I'm just kidding. We discussed the cam phasers and he took it to be diagnosed. Crossing my fingers.

Confirmed it is the cam phasers. Waiting to see what the warranty department says.

Warranty people are asking how the part broke, as if I had something to do with it. They must not believe the dealer when they tell them the parts/design is simply faulty. Maybe they should have researched that engine before giving me a warranty. This is a third party warranty, not Ford. The dealer said they will be replacing the phasers and vct solenoids. I will be a happy camper once that's done.

DesertFordRat said:

Warranty people are asking how the part broke, as if I had something to do with it. They must not believe the dealer when they tell them the parts/design is simply faulty. Maybe they should have researched that engine before giving me a warranty. This is a third party warranty, not Ford. The dealer said they will be replacing the phasers and vct solenoids. I will be a happy camper once that's done.

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You're far better off. Good luck.