Oil pressure, the 5.4, a P0016 and a sense of unending dread

[Arguably]

Hey, y'all! Short version: I've heard there are new specs for oil pressure on the 5.4, could that be causing my P0016 code even though my 2011 Expy Limited seems to run just fine?

The longer version: A few years ago we got the crankshaft position code (and something else I'm not remembering right now) that I mentioned up top, and my mechanic replaced the notorious cam phasers and fixed all the timing stuff. But the code shortly thereafter came back.

Eventually they hypothesized that it was an oil pressure issue that really wasn't fixable - it was 17 psi - and that it was going to seize in "two days or two years." Well, I'm coming up on two years. My wife loves this car and we'd like to keep it. Also, I really trust my mechanic, he's been great to us over the years.

Some details:
- It sounds quite awful on start up, then levels off.
- It eats oil, especially in the summer. Sometimes I can put in a quart every two weeks. But now in the fall, not so much.
- It runs rough at idle, but that also comes and goes.
- It doesn't seem to be burning oil.
- My mechanic now has 20w 50 in it.
- Runs fine at speed, no loss of power or that awful thing engines do when the crank is in the wrong position.
- I have not tested the oil pressure lately, I likely will in a few weeks.
- There is no low oil pressure alert on dash.

But I can't get the p0016 code to go away.

Recently I came across a Makuloco video on oil pressure in the 5.4s (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S7VcYQj7tT0) and he said Ford changed the oil pressure specs from 25 to 15.

Here's my question: Could it be running just fine within those new specs but because the computer doesn't know any better, it keeps throwing the P0016?

Or, would a high-pressure oil pump be a better option than replacing the whole engine?

Thank you in advance, and thank you to everyone for all the good information that I've received from this forum over the years.

 

[twodollars]

Do you know what all was replaced with the phasers? I'd be suspicious that the either the bad component was missed or that the assembly didnt get the crank and cam timing relation correct. Can you tell what side of the engine the noise is coming from? I wonder of the followers and or lash adjusters on the passenger side head are sloppy and need replacing.

So for the oil consumption, you burn more in the summer than the winter? 20w-50 is heavy stuff, and when it's cold will take time to flow through the engine on cold start up. Is that being run just to try and generate higher oil pressure?

 

[GaryH]

The P0016 code stands for “Camshaft Position A – Camshaft Position Correlation (Bank 1)”, which means your crankshaft and camshaft are not in sync. Some of the common causes of the P0016 code include a damaged timing chain or belt, a faulty camshaft or crankshaft reluctor wheel, and a bad camshaft or crankshaft sensor

 

[mr_dave]

Something (or likely more than one thing) is way off on that engine. I agree with twodollars that something on the was probably mis-timed, which would explain that P0016 code and rough start & idle.

As for the oil, that is not normal at all. I run 5w-30 all year and have had zero oil consumption. Also, 15psi is laughably low. I'd assume Ford changed that spec so they didn't have to deal with it, not because it's good for the engine.