03 4.6l F150 sludge build up

[02supercrew]

I'd check the timing chain tensioners / guides / arms. The 2v mod motors love to idle and won't kill timing components if they're idling 24/7 .. like a police car or taxi.

What kills them is short tripping. Especially once they start to get older in age and the tensioners themselves start to bleed off. What happens is on a cold start, the tensioners have retracted and the chain slaps the tensioner arm. Eventually it will wear through and be riding on the piston. The noise you're hearing is probably chain slap. I had a weird top end sounding noise in the original engine on my 4.6 and turns out it was the tensioners and guides/arms worn completely down. My 5.4 had a bit of a rattle (not the piston slap) and it was bleeding off tensioners but nothing had worn through yet.




My 5.4 with 240K on it is VERY noisey on a cold start, but the harder it gets run the quieter it gets. I don't think the rest of the truck has enough miles left in it so I'm not entirely worried about it breaking a skirt or something. But the bores are very ovaled out - I discovered that when I had to change a head gasket.

Yeah this was my first fear and expectation when I bought it.

It’s really not showing any signs of of needing a timing chain replacement . One of the first things I did after changing the crappy filter and getting the fuel pump going was to cut the serpentine belt and check it with a mechanic sthethscope. I went all over the engine, thinking it might be an exhaust leak, whole front end ect. The clatter if it happens now is always loudest on the top drivers valve cover between the 1st and second cop from the front towards the rear of the motor. Absolutely minimal or no apparent noise in the chain or guide area.

I could be wrong but the scope usually doesn’t lie on the sound.

No codes and fuel trims, O2 ect are right down the middle.

 

[Fordiesel69]

I do not have my password to ford-trucks.com so I hope I can reply here until I figure out my password. I hope you used a chassis paint and not a rubber coating on the frame restoration. I also hope you are planning to use any of the big three cosmoline based Wool Wax / Fluid Film / Blaster shield after your paint dries. If not I will be happy to email you photos as proof with my current 2003 F150 that is almost rotted apart. A rubberized coating over the frame will increase rust the moment any small impact / void occurs in the coating. Or when the rust expands and pops a hole in the rubberized coating. Lanolin and even petrolium based products are the only way to go on these older trucks. It will slow the rust down so the whole truck ages out at once instead of having to scrap it just for the rust. If money is tight bar and chain oil is better than nothing at all.

Now onto your oil sludge question. In 2003 people were still working off 2-5 year oil surplus (or in some rural stores even older stock). I was still using API Service SH in lawn equipment, and SJ in cars back in 2005. Those older oils would leave some varnish if left in the engine over 3K and especially if short tripped. SF and SG oils were dirty garbage and every 302 / 351 we ever owned were sludge monsters. Once the switch to SL and newer oils this was no longer an issue. For our fords once we used mobil SJ rated oils the sludge stopped. We got it on clearance.

Now as for the 4.6L engine itself, due to age and the year 2003 ford did have faulty timing chain tensioners in 2000 upwards to 2003. This is the source of your clatter. It bleeds the head down, as the oil leaks from around the hydralic tensioner assy where it bolts up to the front of the engine. I would not touch any roller rockers or lash adjusters just yet and instead do a timing job using genuine OEM parts. Then your issue will go away. The plastic on your tensioner arms will be brittle orange plastic. I know you have low miles but this is also an age related failure to some extent. If you want a visual try the fordtechmakuloco channel and watch all his 5.4L 3V videos, and the same issue that occurs to those little black tensioners is the same issue to some extent that happens to the 2V version engines. Except it is slightly less critical as you have no cam phasers.

As for the varnish issue, aside from the timing chains eating into the arms ( and aside from owners running them low / out of oil) these engines are near bullet proof. I would not try to clean it with any additives. It is normal for these older engines to also use a little oil. Although it is a labor nightmare pulling the spark plugs, I would however consider a piston soak overnight. Possibly 2 or 3 cycles to help free up the rings just because of all the sitting and the sludge you mention.

Unrelated info:
-Make sure you inspect the braided hoses near the master cylinder and ABS unit. They are stainless but the lines are just plain steel and swell and rupture causing total brake loss. I had this happen last year I ended up safely coasting past my stop. Had there have been a car in front of me it would have been ugly.

 

[02supercrew]

I do not have my password to ford-trucks.com so I hope I can reply here until I figure out my password. I hope you used a chassis paint and not a rubber coating on the frame restoration. I also hope you are planning to use any of the big three cosmoline based Wool Wax / Fluid Film / Blaster shield after your paint dries. If not I will be happy to email you photos as proof with my current 2003 F150 that is almost rotted apart. A rubberized coating over the frame will increase rust the moment any small impact / void occurs in the coating. Or when the rust expands and pops a hole in the rubberized coating. Lanolin and even petrolium based products are the only way to go on these older trucks. It will slow the rust down so the whole truck ages out at once instead of having to scrap it just for the rust. If money is tight bar and chain oil is better than nothing at all.

Now onto your oil sludge question. In 2003 people were still working off 2-5 year oil surplus (or in some rural stores even older stock). I was still using API Service SH in lawn equipment, and SJ in cars back in 2005. Those older oils would leave some varnish if left in the engine over 3K and especially if short tripped. SF and SG oils were dirty garbage and every 302 / 351 we ever owned were sludge monsters. Once the switch to SL and newer oils this was no longer an issue. For our fords once we used mobil SJ rated oils the sludge stopped. We got it on clearance.

Now as for the 4.6L engine itself, due to age and the year 2003 ford did have faulty timing chain tensioners in 2000 upwards to 2003. This is the source of your clatter. It bleeds the head down, as the oil leaks from around the hydralic tensioner assy where it bolts up to the front of the engine. I would not touch any roller rockers or lash adjusters just yet and instead do a timing job using genuine OEM parts. Then your issue will go away. The plastic on your tensioner arms will be brittle orange plastic. I know you have low miles but this is also an age related failure to some extent. If you want a visual try the fordtechmakuloco channel and watch all his 5.4L 3V videos, and the same issue that occurs to those little black tensioners is the same issue to some extent that happens to the 2V version engines. Except it is slightly less critical as you have no cam phasers.

As for the varnish issue, aside from the timing chains eating into the arms ( and aside from owners running them low / out of oil) these engines are near bullet proof. I would not try to clean it with any additives. It is normal for these older engines to also use a little oil. Although it is a labor nightmare pulling the spark plugs, I would however consider a piston soak overnight. Possibly 2 or 3 cycles to help free up the rings just because of all the sitting and the sludge you mention.

Unrelated info:
-Make sure you inspect the braided hoses near the master cylinder and ABS unit. They are stainless but the lines are just plain steel and swell and rupture causing total brake loss. I had this happen last year I ended up safely coasting past my stop. Had there have been a car in front of me it would have been ugly.

Thanks for the response. Decided to stay with a rust reforming approach. Not my first rodeo on this.

I already went thru the brake system. Replaced all the questionable stuff.

Not convinced yet it’s timing chain related just yet. The symptoms just don’t point that way. If it had a leak down issue it’d be heard in the entire valve train and seen on a gauge in my experience. The sound is extremely localized to one area….if it happens at all.
It’s clearly a tap tap tap consistent to a stuck or sticky lash adjuster.

IMO Time will tell, not saying it isn’t the timing chain related, I plan on using the truck every day this week, imo, if it continues to not have clatter, but does after sitting and extended time over the weekend, I could see a case for being timing chain related.

 

[SwampSurvivor]

If you want a visual try the fordtechmakuloco channel and watch all his 5.4L 3V videos, and the same issue that occurs to those little black tensioners is the same issue to some extent that happens to the 2V version engines. Except it is slightly less critical as you have no cam phasers.

A common upgrade on the later 2v and 3v engines is the early 2v ratcheting tensioner. That's what I put on my 5.4 and will be putting on my current 4.6. I should have done that before I put the engine in but .. oh well.

If you think it is a lash adjuster that's bad, you should be able to replace it fairly easy. The valve compressor tool is pretty cheap. I bought it thinking I would have to remove the cam before dropping the head off to the machine shop but turns out I didn't need it.

 

[Chris142]

Probably has tons of hour in idle time.

 

[Furious]

I would verify the mileage

If there is a lot of sludge build up BG Dynamic is about the only product out there that is proven to actually make a significant difference to tackle sludge but obviously any kind of flush comes with risk so weigh the risks vs benefits. There is many videos on BG Dynamic you can check out on Youtube.

BG Dynamic is not available to just buy you will need to find a shop that is able to order it.

If the sludge is not major and you can confirm the noise you are hearing is not from oil starvation then I would simply run a full synthetic high mileage oil and change it every 3k.

 

[BAJA_05]

How about next oil change trying Rislone High Mileage Engine Treatment paired with a 5W30 High Mileage oil and running that 3000 miles paired with a quality oil filter.

 

[02supercrew]

So I finally wrestled one of the images off my bore scope. This one is just rear of the oil fill on the passenger head.

It’s not the greatest picture but it’s what I have without pulling the valve cover.

Finish installing the oil pressure gauge all the way to the cab this past week.

This past week I got some good road miles on it, a pair of 40 mi interstate runs (~ 75 mph) and trip to the lake pulling my boat about 30 mi each way with OD locked out.

The only time it’s ticking now is if you start it up and run it for a minute or two , kill it, and then restart it. It will tick for a minute or so and then come out of it.

I have not pulled the drivers valve cover yet ( where the tick is coming from) as it seems to be getting to be very infrequent.

I’ve got about 430 mi now on the 5w30 harvest king conventional oil 1 qt MMO mixture in the pan now.

I think I’m going to run it to around 800 mi and then dump it and cut the filter open.

I bought some 5w30 Kirkland synthetic when I was at Costco and I’m thinking that’s what I’ll fill it with along with the fl820s factory filter.

 

[02supercrew]

Probably has tons of hour in idle time.

Possibly …however no way to confirm on a 03 f150…the ecm isn’t that smart. Newer Fords you can read the engine hours easily.

OTOH the engine bay is immaculate…all the plastics are still nice and shiny…hoses are nice and pliable. No real evidence of heat degradation.

I’m leaning towards tons of short trips. Morning coffee and back home type of stuff.

 

[hemitom]

i wouldn't start digging in to the motor just yet !
put some miles on it and maybe run some 10w30 hdeo through it let it clean itself up some.

 

[Thermo1223]

Why is Auto-Rx not a good choice anymore? I used it as well with no problems.

I will echo what was said already and just use short drain intervals with a high solvency oil or not care and just run Rotella T5 10w30 and be done with it.

If you want an experiment than use HPL and document the filter changes with valve cover pictures.

 

[Brian123]

Why is Auto-Rx not a good choice anymore? I used it as well with no problems.

I will echo what was said already and just use short drain intervals with a high solvency oil or not care and just run Rotella T5 10w30 and be done with it.

If you want an experiment than use HPL and document the filter changes with valve cover pictures.

Auto-Rx is not a good choice, because the only thing this product did was clean out your Wallet of Cash instead of doing what it was Claimed 2 do.

HPL is not an Experiment, they are an honest company and they have let members here know what there Engine Cleaner can do versus using there Motor Oil.

 

[Lavrishevo]

Liqui Moly flush and then 2 bottles of cera tec with fresh 5w-40.

Liqui Moly 2037 Pro-Line Engine Flush - 500 Milliliters https://a.co/d/82f1rsd

LIQUI MOLY Oil Additive Cera Tec 3721 Ceramic Wear & Tear Protection for Petrol & Diesel Engines Smoother Engine Performance, Less Friction & Lower Fuel Consumption 300 ml https://a.co/d/0DNsRjr

 

[wavinwayne]

Just do a couple more frequent oil changes (3k) without any chemicals. If you do not see a heavy sludge buildup in the oil fill hole, I would not get too obsessed with it.

Once upon a time I had a '97 Expedition with the 4.6L engine. FWIW, the engine in ours was bulletproof. If I were you, I would do exactly what is suggested above and nothing else.

 

[02supercrew]

Possibly …however no way to confirm on a 03 f150…the ecm isn’t that smart. Newer Fords you can read the engine hours easily.

OTOH the engine bay is immaculate…all the plastics are still nice and shiny…hoses are nice and pliable. No real evidence of heat degradation.

I’m leaning towards tons of short trips. Morning coffee and back home type of stuff.

I live on a dusty gravel road but this pic shows how clean the engine bay is

 

[02supercrew]

So I finally wrestled one of the images off my bore scope. This one is just rear of the oil fill on the passenger head.

View attachment 177987

It’s not the greatest picture but it’s what I have without pulling the valve cover.

Finish installing the oil pressure gauge all the way to the cab this past week.

This past week I got some good road miles on it, a pair of 40 mi interstate runs (~ 75 mph) and trip to the lake pulling my boat about 30 mi each way with OD locked out.

The only time it’s ticking now is if you start it up and run it for a minute or two , kill it, and then restart it. It will tick for a minute or so and then come out of it.

I have not pulled the drivers valve cover yet ( where the tick is coming from) as it seems to be getting to be very infrequent.

I’ve got about 430 mi now on the 5w30 harvest king conventional oil 1 qt MMO mixture in the pan now.

I think I’m going to run it to around 800 mi and then dump it and cut the filter open.

I bought some 5w30 Kirkland synthetic when I was at Costco and I’m thinking that’s what I’ll fill it with along with the fl820s factory filter.

Not my best work on the mount, but this is at hot idle after a 10 mi run. The color is a bit off and I need to rotate the gauge a bit.

 

[Oliveoil2]

You have no gas.

 

[02supercrew]

You have no gas.

Lol yes, I need to fill it. I was planning on it in the morning.

The current tank has Techron in it and I like to run the tank down as far as safely possible inorder to keep the right concentration.

 

[02supercrew]

OK, but the photos of the frame in the other forum look as rusty as my 500,000 mile 2003 Toyota Sequoia.

this is what 20 year old rust belt trucks look like that lived in a city. Fortunately the big three use a lot of extra steel in their frames.

There’s a reason you don’t see very 20 year old Toyotas in the rust belt….their frames are long gone. Not a slam on them, it’s simply the truth. You got to get away from the rust belt to find them.

 

[buster]

I'd throw HPL Engine Cleaner in it. Or Valvoline Restore Gen2.

Why is Auto-Rx not a good choice anymore? I used it as well with no problems.

I will echo what was said already and just use short drain intervals with a high solvency oil or not care and just run Rotella T5 10w30 and be done with it.

If you want an experiment than use HPL and document the filter changes with valve cover pictures.

I'm not sure Auto-Rx worked. There were never any photos or visual indication from anyone that I could remember that showed it was working.

Also, these products need to be thoroughly tested against compatibility with all engine seals. I doubt Auto-Rx had any of that done.