Cam Phaser/ Engine Failure Poll

Have you had or have a cam phaser or engine failure on your Gen 2?


  • Total voters
    628

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GCATX

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TwizzleStix

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The current sales slump for ALL vehicle manufacturers has zero to do with Ecoboost cam timing components.
 
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Bhollier

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common problem to a mechanic or service advisor or service staff means different things to different people. Even with as many --individual-- people as you have here reporting the failure, it’s less than 1%. add up the -actual- individual, unique reports, discounting the dog piling and you see why.

I’m not saying that to make light of the issue, especially to those who have had to endure it, just trying to illustrate why it’s just getting fixed the way it is.

- it’s a system, consisting of the phasers, actuators, gears, chains and tensioners.
- if a part in the system goes south, there’s a chance other parts could be over stressed. Think of it like tendon damage.
- if the actuators aren’t working, what’s the collateral effects?
- if the phasers themselves are actually bad, what does that affect?
can one lead to another component failure?

The answer is ... it depends. You may have nothing but bad actuators. Or, you may have had a marginal phaser and a bad actuator and it stretched the timing chain or worse.

Or you could have no problem at all with phasers like 99% of the eco boost owners.

Common problem to the guy who has to do the actual repair means more to the guy pulling the engine apart than it does to us sitting here on a keyboard complaining about it.

It’s not being recalled because it’s not a “safety issue”. The closest thing we’ve seen to a safety issue reported on FRF for the 2017+ is the low oil condition that brings on limp home mode when you floor it. That’s a legit safety issue because you could be injured or killed as a result of the problem. I’m not aware of a cam phaser issue causing limp home mode... maybe there’s been one? anyway, that’s why there’s no recall. It’s still profitable for Ford to fix the errant vehicles under the warranty.


All good points. I refuse to bring mine into the dealership for anything other than a recall so I am just waiting for it to crater to give me an excuse to do more work on it other than regular maintenance.
 

smurfslayer

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All good points. I refuse to bring mine into the dealership for anything other than a recall so I am just waiting for it to crater to give me an excuse to do more work on it other than regular maintenance.
I just can’t bring myself to do this. I’ve had couple cars that were problem children, but just couldn’t bring myself to drive them to destruction or catastrophic failure. It’s one thing to bin it in a race or even just pushing it hard, but running while it has a problem doesn’t sit well with me.
 

smurfslayer

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C’mon. it’s ok to come out. We know. it’s the repetitive trolling that gets you banned or makes you have to abandon accounts.

The sasquatch gifs are like... tenor.gif
You don’t want the red card.
 
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Bhollier

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I just can’t bring myself to do this. I’ve had couple cars that were problem children, but just couldn’t bring myself to drive them to destruction or catastrophic failure. It’s one thing to bin it in a race or even just pushing it hard, but running while it has a problem doesn’t sit well with me.


I typically wouldn't do it either. Normally I would sell it off and start from scratch but I really do like the Raptor. Style, performance, interior comfort, just an all around very good truck. Hard to let this one go like the rest I have had.
 

FordTechOne

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My issue is that I have already modified my engine beyond what a warranty would cover. If I have major issues I would rather just swap the entire engine out, rather than fixing in hopes the problem will not come back in the future. Plus I really don't trust mechanics at the Ford dealership. I don't even trust them to do a basic oil change, why would I want them to do major engine work.

Warranty still applies unless the failure is related to the modifications.

In your case, modifications will not cause cam phaser failure in the TSB. The phasers themselves were the issue. I recommend finding a dealer with good reviews and having it repaired. Although much of the hesitancy to go to the dealer is warranted, the majority of technicians out there are experienced and do quality work. These are guys who literally tear down engines every day and have memorized every bolt location, torque spec, and labor operation procedure. They work flat rate, so if they get a come back it's on their dime. In other words, if they don't time it right and it sets codes, it's on them to fix for FREE. If they don't follow the Workshop Manual procedure to reseal the front cover with the specified RTV, its on them to fix for FREE. Nobody likes working for free, and good technicians don't stay employed at dealerships by doing poor work. Workmanship mistakes cost everything - the customer's satisfaction, the service department's profit, and the technicians pay. None of that is good for a dealer or technician.
 

FordTechOne

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@FordTechOne I noticed today that if I allow my engine a cool down period, 2-5 min before shutdown. When restarting I have no strange noises (cam phaser rattle), is there something to this? All my temps and pressures are as the are during a normal shutdown. Just wondering if I allow the engine the extra period to return to an idle phase if this helps. I typically do not shutdown my engine after running it hard, I always allow some time to shutdown after running it hard such as highway driving or towing. Curious as to your thoughts on this, as my other turbo vehicles don't behave the same way.

Possibly. The phaser issue lies within the manufacturing of the unit; it's possible that running the engine at idle before shutoff allows the phasers to properly return to the locked position (pin locked in), preventing the erratic operation on the next start. Regardless, if the issues manifests itself, have the phasers replaced because it won't get better. The TSB includes a new PCM calibration as well, which I assume changes the variable oil pump output on cold start to feed oil the the phasers more quickly.
 
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