Taking bets - lets see who wins armchair diagnosis!

[2018ExpyPlatinum]

@LokiWolf ......very well said! I find it amazing that for years (decades?) manufacturers say don't change the plugs (and for that matter, coolant) until 100K miles. Seems crazy. I never keep a vehicle that long, so I guess it's on owner 2...or 3.

 

[Calidad]

@LokiWolf ......very well said! I find it amazing that for years (decades?) manufacturers say don't change the plugs (and for that matter, coolant) until 100K miles. Seems crazy. I never keep a vehicle that long, so I guess it's on owner 2...or 3.

Depends on the engine. Lots of engines out there on oem tune that are extremely easy on plugs. My old Subaru and Toyotas definitely were easy on plugs. Eco boost engines not so much. Coolant as long as its not contaminated ie watered down is an easy 100k item. Over servicing fluids is just wasteful and ultimately bad for the environment etc.

Anyone changing oil at 3000 miles today on anything other than a race car is just wasting money/ time and resources.

 

[LokiWolf]

Depends on the engine. Lots of engines out there on oem tune that are extremely easy on plugs. My old Subaru and Toyotas definitely were easy on plugs. Eco boost engines not so much. Coolant as long as its not contaminated ie watered down is an easy 100k item. Over servicing fluids is just wasteful and ultimately bad for the environment etc.

Anyone changing oil at 3000 miles today on anything other than a race car is just wasting money/ time and resources.

Caveat to that oil statement is, "and using a quality oil".

We aren't talking Subaru's and Toyotas. We are talking Ford Ecoboosts. Also, the Turbo charged Subies are not easy on plugs in general, so there is that.

Most Turbo motors are hard on plugs in general. When tuning it matters more, because of the gapping. As you know, that is one of the things that they lose or gain over time is gap. Changing them with a set of quality plugs WAY sooner than the recommended interval, has a big benefit on these motors. That is very well documented. it improves startup, idle, MPG, and general performance.

 

[andyak]

The cam codes are concerning, but how many miles on the plugs?

I changed plugs and boots 2nd week I owned it - also good full syn oil, and differential & transfer case fluids all changed. Plus new design ford 180 thermostat and new coolant.

 

[andyak]

To add to the symptoms: Driving today -after about 30 miles was at a stoplight and it started to idle rough again - no codes thrown - I decided to shut it off for 30 sec and restarted it - then ran perfect again for the rest of the trip...

 

[LokiWolf]

To add to the symptoms: Driving today -after about 30 miles was at a stoplight and it started to idle rough again - no codes thrown - I decided to shut it off for 30 sec and restarted it - then ran perfect again for the rest of the trip...

VCT Solenoid...symptoms are right in line.

 

[Knut]

To add to the symptoms: Driving today -after about 30 miles was at a stoplight and it started to idle rough again - no codes thrown - I decided to shut it off for 30 sec and restarted it - then ran perfect again for the rest of the trip...

Last spring (2023), I had the same thing happen. At a stop light, and when I started driving it was just limping forward and showed the "check engine light". Pulled over and shut the engine down, let it sit for 5 min and started up again. Never had the same issue again, so far. I also ran my OBDII scanner and there were NO codes stored.

 

[andyak]

Has anyone on this thread replaced any VCT Solenoids - either bank? I read elsewhere that sometimes codes for passenger side can be caused by drivers side not letting enough oil over to passenger bank vcts - I have done just about everything on my vehicles - this is my first Ford. I just wanted to see an over view of the project and can't seem to find anything on youtube or here... any ideas, links ?

 

[andyak]

4 weeks ago I got another engine code - this time the same Bank but for the Camshaft sensor. I decided to replace as it was cheap ($23) and easy(right) - well easier than vct lol.

If you have not done the passenger side camshaft sensors - they are on the top of the engine right behind the valve cover facing the firewall and are a blind job to do by feel - not so fun.

The Great news is I haven't had a problem since, and my mileage has gone up - so I think I dodged the VCT bullet on this one! - so far no one won this guessing game... lol

 

[bmpcamry09]

Good to hear. I always forget there are those sensors hanging on the back side of the passenger head. The driver's side is so much easier to get to. Thanks for the update! I'd still budget for some VCT work later on though!!

 

[andyak]

Another update: Code P0011 is back! Bank 1 camshaft over advance. So it was problem free for about 6 weeks.
I called to make an appointment as I have fordprotect premium for another 40000 miles and I don't have time to repair myself. I learned that the truck had the Phasers replaced about 5000 miles ago back in Feb 2023. Would they not have replaced the VVT solenoids as well? I guess we will find out! Unfortunately they will have truck for 5 days before even looking at it! wish me luck!

 

[bmpcamry09]

The solenoids are never replaced under warranty at least. Some DIY and independent shops might swap them while they are in there, but the Ford TSB for the phasers done at the dealership doesn't allow for replacement of the solenoids. It's an easy repair on the driver side, passenger side is a little more involved since the HPFP has to be removed to get the valve cover off.

If you go the dealer route for your warranty, have them check the valve covers for cracks/leaks. Ford dealers have finally managed to restock these covers as they were cracking left and right. I have found that once the OE covers have been pryed off a time or two (phaser job already in your case), they seem to crack and leak earlier than not.

Let us know what the outcome is!

 

[andyak]

I got the exped back today. I couldn't get them to replace turbos - they said initial cold start noise was normal according to Ford. I had the TSB on valve cover replacement due to oil consumption or a code - They did not replace valve cover but instead followed Ford guideline to change the oil and mark the dipstick and have me monitor it.

What they did do is test the VCT intake solenoid and found it to be bad and replaced it (passenger side). Seems to run fine again.

I wish I could have added additions to the 'allowed' warranty repair - I would have paid extra to replace both solenoids and the valve cover since they had all the time/labor to get to that point anyway.

They acknowledged the seatbelt tensioner recall, but said it was not available to be done yet and I would have to come back when they actually started performing the recall work.

Actually was about to do the job myself until I saw all the extra work with the high pressure fuel pump mounted on the passenger side valve cover ( I can't believe all that mounted on a composite valve cover- so warranty $100 deductible gone, 3.5 fixed for now.

So... all those who predicted VCT Solenoid was the issue - you Win!

 

[JamusDemus]

I had a similar issue in the past. On a different engine, the 5.4. Ford could not figure out what was going on, I did a whole Lotta research. I’ve replaced the VCT solenoids and was told phasers and rest look good. But I actually poured some cleaner into the oil, ran it for a good while, then, did an oil change. That seem to have fixed the issues up for a few weeks. When it came back, again, mechanics cannot figure it out. So I get another flush of the system and a year later it still hasn’t come back. From what myself and some others could figure out, it was probably just gunk built up in bad spots. So doing the cleaner, actually removed the carbon deposits or whatever and smoothed things out. I’m not saying that’s what’s going on here, but I do know that some debris or dirt in the oil doesn’t always fall through the oil filter. Sometimes it stays at the top. No, you’ve got a different engine, but the mechanics of that seem to be the same. And Ford seems to have a history of roller followers or some wear issues under the valve covers. Oh, I kept getting quoted a whole new engine because they couldn’t figure out what was causing a problem. Doing a flush periodically is a lot more cost-effective in my opinion.

 

[19FX4Max]

I got the exped back today. I couldn't get them to replace turbos - they said initial cold start noise was normal according to Ford. I had the TSB on valve cover replacement due to oil consumption or a code - They did not replace valve cover but instead followed Ford guideline to change the oil and mark the dipstick and have me monitor it.

What they did do is test the VCT intake solenoid and found it to be bad and replaced it (passenger side). Seems to run fine again.

I wish I could have added additions to the 'allowed' warranty repair - I would have paid extra to replace both solenoids and the valve cover since they had all the time/labor to get to that point anyway.

They acknowledged the seatbelt tensioner recall, but said it was not available to be done yet and I would have to come back when they actually started performing the recall work.

Actually was about to do the job myself until I saw all the extra work with the high pressure fuel pump mounted on the passenger side valve cover ( I can't believe all that mounted on a composite valve cover- so warranty $100 deductible gone, 3.5 fixed for now.

So... all those who predicted VCT Solenoid was the issue - you Win!

Hey @andyak, have you had any more problems since the solenoids were replaced? We’ve had similar issues lately and the bank 2 solenoids were replaced today. Our phasers were replaced around 25k miles and we have 50k miles now. My wife was on a trip to visit her parents when all of this started and a dealer looked at it and said it would need one or all cam phasers but I was a little skeptical, plus they couldn’t get it done before she had to head back home. Our local dealer diagnosed as the VCT solenoids so hopefully this takes care of it.