Ford 5.4 3v 320k miles - bad rocker arm

[TXCarGeek]

Was taking care of a coolant leak on my brother’s ‘08 navigator and heard the tell tale ticking of a roller follower going bad on these engines. Took off the driver side valve cover and found the #5 exhaust valve follower was toast! Looks like it had made slight contact with the cam but the cam was fine and I am not jumping at replacing it on a vehicle with this amount of miles. Vehicle is quiet and drives fine after the fix.

Local dealer had one in stock so slapped that sucker in and now the engine is quiet again.

Passenger side bank had this issue about 8 years ago and wiped out a cam lobe so I replaced the cam and all the followers and lifters. Driver side was original however so you’re looking at a roller with 320k miles!

These 5.4s have a bad reputation but they’re not difficult to fix if you know what you’re looking for. I’d rather fix this than pull the heads and replace AFM lifters on a peaky 5.3.

 

[Fordiesel69]

Good job catching it in time. BUT you have not reported if you plan to order and replace the rest of them soon.

 

[TXCarGeek]

Good job catching it in time. BUT you have not reported if you plan to order and replace the rest of them soon.

TBD. Unsure if my brother wants to spend money on this vehicle and get into a new vehicle instead—he and his wife are expecting and he may need a minivan

 

[emmett442]

Not uncommon on these. They are only this simple if they are caught early and the cam is spared. For most average drivers, that's not the case.

 

[panthermike]

You're a good brother!

 

[TXCarGeek]

Not uncommon on these. They are only this simple if they are caught early and the cam is spared. For most average drivers, that's not the case.

Yup have been through this on the passenger side about 8 years ago! Had to replace the cam along with all the followers and lifters. More common on the passenger bank than it is on the driver but all bets are off with the high mileage.

 

[TXCarGeek]

You're a good brother!

I try to help friends and family when I can! Hate hearing wallet busting stories from the mechanic shop from people I care about!

 

[bdcardinal]

I try to help friends and family when I can! Hate hearing wallet busting stories from the mechanic shop from people I care about!

I was that way for a while, you are a better person than I am for still doing it.

When I opened this I was surprised it was a driver's side one, since we usually do passenger side arms on these. But then I rear the passenger side had been done already so that made sense. I always think with these trucks, they are a bargain if you are mechanically inclined and know how to fix them.

 

[BISCUT]

Way to be for your brother! I than an 04 in a F150. Mine ended up in the 220k area (I sold to friend) last I knew with no engine issues. 3 Owners and all of us knew each other as religious with maintenance.

 

[TXCarGeek]

I was that way for a while, you are a better person than I am for still doing it.

When I opened this I was surprised it was a driver's side one, since we usually do passenger side arms on these. But then I rear the passenger side had been done already so that made sense. I always think with these trucks, they are a bargain if you are mechanically inclined and know how to fix them.

I too thought it was interesting that a driver side roller bit the dust but I guess that’s what happens at this age and mileage.

Have you ever had issues with the brake booster hose popping off at the back of the manifold when doing work on the driver side valve cover? It did for me. HUGE vacuum leak at first start up after the repair. Quite the annoying ordeal to get the hose back on but luckily found an old recall for the F150 and Mark LT that showed how to get to it from beneath the vehicle. Likely going to replace that hose soon because the rubber had swollen and despite having a clamp, still popped off.

Yup, see 5.4 3v vehicles pop up every so often really cheap on marketplace and they’re very tempting. An entire new engine is about $4500 from Ford so if you get the vehicle cheap enough and the vehicle is clean enough, could always drop in a new engine!

 

[bdcardinal]

Have you ever had issues with the brake booster hose popping off at the back of the manifold when doing work on the driver side valve cover? It did for me. HUGE vacuum leak at first start up after the repair. Quite the annoying ordeal to get the hose back on but luckily found an old recall for the F150 and Mark LT that showed how to get to it from beneath the vehicle. Likely going to replace that hose soon because the rubber had swollen and despite having a clamp, still popped off.

That was actually a recall. 6L3Z-9W431-A is the part number. It has clamps on the hoses.

 

[TXCarGeek]

6L3Z-9W431-A

Yup, that’s the recall I found to guide me! ‘08 navigators were not included unfortunately. The hose on there now had one clamp on the end that attaches to the manifold. No clamp on the end that attaches to the pipe.

I’m going to order the part used to perform the recall on the F150s for $7 vs the entire metal pipe plus rubber hose with only one clamp for $50