Loss of power, no code.

[JonFrancis76]

I just got home from a 3k Mile road trip. Averaged 18 mpg there and 13 mpg home... fully loaded both ways. The engine had much less power on the way home. It had to drop 2 gears to go up a hill or pass someone. It still ran pretty smooth, it would still rev but with much less power.
I could hear what sounded like a lifter clicking. It was very faint when we got on the road and pretty loud after the trip. Right (passenger) side.
The oil level was good, I changed it with synthetic before we left.
The engine never ran hot and oil pressure stayed up.
The check engine light never came on.

I'm thinking the problem would be a cylinder not firing. That could be coil, spark plug or injector. I don't know where to start without a code to tell me what cylinder could be the problem. Should I do a compression test on each cylinder? If I'm doing that I might as well replace the plugs.

I'm a pretty competent mechanic, just not sure where to start. I won't take it to a shop unless I have to. Any suggestions will be very much appreciated.

2011 Expy xlt 5.4 Triton with 104k miles

 

[1955moose]

I would not only do a compression test, but an oil pressure test, and pull the valve cover your hearing the ticking. The bores that house the cam followers get frozen due to heat and oiling problems. If compression, and cam and followers look good, and not stuck, do a back pressure test on the 2 front 02 sensor ports to be sure you don't have any cats clogged.

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[JonFrancis76]

Thanks... I think you're right on.
I found the Makuloco videos on YouTube. He has videos on the roller follower and adjuster faliures. He also mentions the tentioner gasket failures that cause reduced oil pressure to the right bank.
I think I can do this job myself. It will take me some time though. Luckily I don't need my expy to daily drive.
Hopefully it's not the cam or head.

Today I'm recovering from the 18 hour drive yesterday. I'll be sure to update when I start taking this apart. Hopefully tomorrow. I might need some moral support lol.

This is a very good video that sounds like my problem...

 

[bobmbx]

If its the cam follower, IIRC you can replace them without pulling the head or the camshaft. I had that issue on a 4.6L and had them replaced, although I wasn't experiencing any power loss, just the incessant ticking.

 

[JonFrancis76]

Yeah... As long as the cam isn't damaged. Hoping it's just an adjuster or follower.

He mentions installing a high volume oil pump and replaceing the tentioners too. Has anyone here done that? Overkill?

 

[1955moose]

There's a Melling replacement pump that works better than stock. You can visually see if all the rockers are rising/ closing the same. A worn cam lobe you should see the rocker not raising/closing as high as the others. Obviously remove all eight plugs and have an assistant to Crank the motor from the lower pulley. Ideally you can use a dial indicator and record the measurement at the rocker arms, but not totally needed. Good luck, take your time, you might want a Ford repair DVD/book before you jump in.

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[JonFrancis76]

I finally had time to start disassembly.
Found a bad roller follower and the cam shaft lobe is bad. To replace the cam I have to remove the cam chain so I might as well install the upgraded oil pump too.
Looks like about $350 on Rockauto and probably 2-3 weeks (nights and weekends) worth of work.
All this at only 106k miles after a fresh synthetic oil change. That's pretty frustrating. I'm hoping that after installing the upgraded oil pump I wont have any other issues.

 

[1955moose]

Jon, sorry for the bad news, especially on such a low mileage motor. Well at least you got a handle on the problem. I had thought by 2010 Ford got the cam/followers problem taken care of. Id definitely put in the better Melling pump, and chains/guides. It's up to you, but you might want to swap in new timing phasers while you got it apart, keep the ones you pull out for spares, never know. September/October will be educational for you, were all here for backup/support.

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[JonFrancis76]

Thanks. I appreciate that. I'll update my progress here as it happens.
Never know what happened to this engine before I got it. I've only had it 6 months.
I'm not going to do the chains and phasers now just due to the cost. The Ford kit is over $800. They seem to be fine. Really, there is very little sludge under the valve covers. I'll be using 5w30 from now on though.

 

[1955moose]

Sounds good, as long as the chains are tight, and the guides aren't chewed up you'll be ok. When you pull the pan, inspect for debris.

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