2017 XLT LKQ engine already having problems

[Langer]

Hey all,

I have a 2017 expedition XLT that had the engine replaced at roughly 95k miles, with an engine that supposedly had 65k miles, last summer. Forgive the essay below, but I felt some history was relevant…

My family just moved from Chicago to Naples, FL. While I was driving down with my 5500# trailer, the truck went in to limp mode/wrench icon multiple times through the Tennessee mountains, Georgia, and into Florida. Before it shut down, I nearly ran it empty by mistake in Nashville and was forced to get gas from a place that did not seem to be of fantastic quality.

When I pulled over each of these limp mode times, I shut off the truck, and restarted. I was then able to resume as normal, but showed this code each time:


I spoke with a couple friends, one of which was formerly a ford tech, and we attributed it to bad gas, as after I had been through a couple (presumably) good tanks, this limp mode did not reappear.

I’ve been barely driving the truck the past few weeks as we’ve been unpacking and getting settled, however, the past few days, I’ve been experiencing more (different?) issues. No true limp mode wrench symbol, but have had flashing check engine light with reduced power, both with, and without, the trailer under heavy throttle. Now I have a steady CEL shown on the dash.

See below codes:



Here’s a bit of history from my saga:

2017 XLT Timing Chain?

Hey all, a couple weeks ago, a mile away from my house (thank god) on my way back from a 1200 mile road trip, I had flashing check engine light, severe reduced power, loud ticking, and I basically rolled into the driveway. I have a Bluetooth OBD scanner plugged in, so I checked the codes, here’s...

www.expeditionforum.com

https://www.expeditionforum.com/threads/63000-“certified”-3-5l-eco-boost-replacement.47689/

Thankfully, the warranty for the engine I received from the warranty company is for 18000 miles and/or 18 months, as I am just shy of 12000 miles and 12 months, which is what I though it was.

Anyway, thanks for sticking with this long story, but does anyone have insight into this gaggle of codes and behaviour from this engine? The plugs we’re supposed to be new from last summer, and I replaced the throttle body off a guess in the fall.

TIA

 

[JasonH]

Check your plug gaps. I put in new Motorcraft plugs around 90k to address a misfire. By 135k I had consistent misfires again on full throttle. The gaps were too wide on some of the plugs. I didn't check them before installing. Regapping all to within spec fixed the misfire. No misfire for the last 4,000 miles, even while towing.

It might not fix your issue, but it's relatively easy and is the first thing I would check. I don't think a timing issue would be intermittent.

 

[JasonH]

Last week I had a similar issue while towing. Codes were P0019 for Bank 1 Sensor B timing and P0299 low boost. A mechanic on another forum said to try cycling the driver side VCT exhaust solenoid with 12V, as they get clogged from oil gunk. I haven't towed since I did that, but the error hasn't returned. Might be worth a shot if the plugs check out ok.

 

[Motorcity muscle]

Have you ever checked the voltage at battery when these codes appear?

 

[JasonH]

Have you ever checked the voltage at battery when these codes appear?

No, but if alternator output was low it would be apparent. My last trip when this appeared was 800 miles. The issue only appears when towing. I suspect the ECM advances timing at high loads and can't advance enough to its satisfaction.
I took a short 150 miles trip this weekend and the issue has reappeared. It only happened after I had been towing for a few dozen miles. I suspect the chain is stretched, so assessing the tensioner will be the the next step. The truck has 141,000 miles, so I'm probably going to sell it to a dealer before the economy slows any further. Now that there's a fix to the 4th gen phaser issue I'm ready to upgrade.