A warning…

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Herby

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im not worried, factory parts lasted at least 185k on mine before i noticed an issue. IF you replaced with OE parts, you should get close to the same life expectancy from the point of changing. I honestly think another root cause of issues is the pressure seal around the oil pump, a section gets clogged over time, and if it doesnt seal, you run the risk of sucking air (losing oil suction), which would definitely impact oil pressure/flow.
View attachment 72097
How often do you change your oil? Also, what brand of oil filter do you generally use?
 

jeff kushner

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JExpedition07,​


Really sorry to hear. For those that don't know, JE is one of the sharpest guys around when it comes to the 5.4, period. He does his own work and knows more than I ever will.....take his word as bank.

Some of you guys know that I build two stroke engines.....very atypical two strokes....they run hard and last! LOL

We all have been reading or experiencing these valve train failures for years. I will add my 2 cents. I never had a prob with either my '99 or the '03 with any part of the valve train..... around 223K and 165K on each respectively. I also haven't had any issues on my 3.5 in 133K.

My feeling was always from the timings, that the 5.4 in its various renditions was a torque-monster and did not like being rev'ed, AT ALL. I never ran either hard. I have a garage full of 140mph machines, I didn't need to dog an old truck.

My 3.5 is a different animal....it loves to rev of course with it's twin turbo's, if built right, could be a blast....BUT it also lacks in some of the same areas as the 5.4 before it. I do not run my 3.5 hard either.........fwiw.

Does it suck having a machine that I cannot take to its limit.....depends how you look at it.......not running them softly might BE their limit! lol

jeff
 

oldspice

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This forum is amazingly informative - thank you for sharing your experience.
I have a 2010 Honda Odyssey but have been researching the Expedition. My Odyssey requires a lot of maintenance, and just as you all have been commenting about using OE parts, the consensus from the Odyssey forms is that if it touches the engine, use OE parts (and avoid E-bay counterfeits). The Odyseey has a timing belt, and if it breaks the engine could be toast. We have to swap it out every 90k miles or so, and the job typically includes a host of other parts as well.
Please keep sharing these experiences! They are very, very helpful for those of us researching the best engine, best model years, etc.
 

Vdubnick

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For those that don't know, JE is one of the sharpest guys around when it comes to the 5.4, period. He does his own work and knows more than I ever will.....take his word as bank.
not to sound like an *******, but i disagree. did you read his timing chain thread? I would definetly not take his word as "bank". obviously he has enough skill to get it done, which is better than a lot of people, but the job is not hard at all, plenty of room to work on things, and reading his thread it seemed like he really struggled with what i would call mediocre tasks.

again, not trying to be a dick about it, i just dont want someone new to read this and take it as professional advice.
 
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JExpedition07

JExpedition07

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Don’t take my advice on engines as gospel. Got my finance degree all while running construction jobs, very little motor experience besides the research. Not worth it to me to sit underneath a vehicle, easier to buy a new one every few years. If it was the career path I took sure, but that’s not the way I went. Never been a motor head, just a motor reader.
 
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WrenchinBrit

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then get out the angle grinder and cut open where the tensioner is... if you are gonna destroy it, would be quick to rip apart and check...
Agreed .. really can't speculate. It would seem odd that someone would do all that work and just say 'i don't want to know' but make a thread about it? Something doesn't add up
 
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JExpedition07

JExpedition07

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lol. What a colossal waste of time it would be to disassemble an old truck with a slipping tranny that is going to the junk yard and spend 3-4 hours in -5 degree windchill to look at a seal. An angle grinder certainly isn’t fitting in there without spending an hour or two to remove the fan shroud and clutch assembly. I issued a warning to purchase cast tensioners so others don’t have the same failure after 50,000 miles. If it’s slapping on start up the tensioner arm has relaxed and let the chain go limp. The cast tensioners ratchet tighter and don’t allow this to happen.
 
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71Rcode

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Agree with Jeff. I too absolutely take it rev easy on my old 2001 5.4 and now my 2011 5.4. Last away from the light and take it off cruise when climbing hills on the highway. Jump on the Kaw ZX14R when I want to rev!
 

Andy Rubalcaba

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I did the timing job on my 2010 almost a year ago. Used the Melling 340HV pump and cast iron ratcheting tensioners. Absolutely no problems to report! I didn't like the idea of plastic tenioners, updated design or not!
well the 340HV pump has the same oil pressure according to FordTechMakuloco. what brand for the cast iron tensioners did you get? I had found some from Melling on amazon, also can you confirm what someone said on youtube as far as making sure to NOT use the metal backplate on the tensioners?
 

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