Expy 2010 rattle sound when 1st start in the morning

max78 said:

I'm guessing you have it all back together now, but I installed a Melling kit with cast iron ratcheting tensioners and a high volume pump. kit did not come with phasers, those are still original. I would definitely put a high volume pump in there if its still open.





Some people definitely do, but what they don't realize is that oil is bleeding out of the tensioner due to a blown seal and that's causing low oil pressure at the cam shaft. That low pressure can cause accelerated wear, and the head has no cam shaft bearings, it rides directly on the aluminum head. So if it gets too bad you are out a cam and cylinder head. . . This combined with the already low oil pressure the 5.4 has at idle (so much so Ford turned the gauge into an idot light because too many complaints) its really a recipe for disaster.

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17expi said:

That's why I put a gauge in mine (right above the gas pedal) but very little oil pressure is lost through a tensioner since it takes all night to leak down the tiny chamber and it's replenished in seconds. It's the cam phasers you have to worry about. Not true that Ford went to the idiot light because of the 5.4. Most vehicles use the idiot light because it's simpler and cheaper. Due to the passenger cam getting oil last I would put a real gauge in but my 5.4 had 160k miles on it with tons of pressure.

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max78 said:

Just because it takes a while to drain down does not mean its not leaking enough to cause low oil pressure up top. Even a small hole can make a big difference. These engines generally idle less than 20psi then you toss in a 4 or 5 psi loss due to the tensioner and you are in the danger area. Rattling is also not a good indicator to determine how much pressure is leaking out of the tensioner. I don't think mine ever rattled but the tensioner seal was blown out. Make sure your mechanical gauge is plumbed into the cylinder head to get an accurate reading of overall oil pressure.


Maybe I didn't word it properly, on the early 3v expeditions and F-150s the gauge would tell you approximate pressure, they reprogrammed it to be an idiot light after too many concerns with low oil pressure. At lease that's what I heard from the internet and ford tech friend.

As you can see from the pictures, its not a small hole, and I dont think it ever rattled. It was leaking so bad that it cleaned that side of the timing cover due to the oil spray.

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