Ideas on a rattle at high speed?

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Sandmanuva

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I have a 2018 expedition limited that started rattling at speeds above 50 mph on a road trip today. It was tied to slight acceleration, but didn’t really happen on hard acceleration. No rattling when coasting. After hearing the rattle increase for about 30 minutes, the check engine light started flashing and engine temp spiked to the max reading. That only lasted a couple of seconds before the temp reset to normal and the light went off. Rattle continued, but we were an hour from our destination and in the middle of nowhere. I was able to drive 50 mph the rest of the way and avoid any rattle. No more engine lights. Unfortunately, all mechanics are closed down for the Fourth of July weekend. Anyone have any ideas? We were supposed to be driving home on Tuesday.
 

TheDoug

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Could be something wrong with the thermostat... (maybe?) not sure it would rattle like you described though.

That is a weird situation and I have not heard anyone here on the forum describing what you have. Good luck :waytogo:
 

Soliyou

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The flashing check engine light usually means engine misfire. You should stop driving with a flashing engine light.
Take it to Autozone or any similar place and ask them to retrieve the history codes.
 
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Sandmanuva

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Update- autozone couldn’t find any codes, but said their readers aren’t as advanced. I showed up at a local dealer and convinced them to fit it in this morning. They found a code for the temp spike, but thought it was a misread. Said the cam phaser solenoid was bad, causing the rattle. They also said it was ok to drive the 6 hours home, but to get it fixed once we get home.
 

Trainmaster

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Belt, tensioner, idler pulleys, water pump, sticking thermostat as the code shows overheating. Got water? When the engine overheats, the truck cuts spark to alternate cylinders. This reduces power and causes the cylinders to pump air to aid in cooling. The resultant "miss" was reflected in the flashing engine light.

Your truck overheated and behaved as it should in that situation. Keep an eye on the temperature and pull over if it overheats. Don't know if a sticking phaser would result in momentary overheating.
 
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Sandmanuva

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Here is the exact write up from dealer. Check all fluid levels good, coolant level good no leaks, has dtc p0012 cam phaser, theres a Sam for that, and has dtc p0217 over condition, found no signs to confirm this, coolant level good, safe to return home.
 

3rd Expyowner123

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I just had dealer replace my 2018 thermostat, mine was showing temps above the temperature gauge (228-236) while driving 80mph into a headwind. Slowing down to 75 the temp numbers would disappear.
Dealer said thermostat replacements are rare.
 
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