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Message: <blockquote data-quote="HiredHand" data-source="post: 4092374" data-attributes="member: 2469">Update… 08 Ford F-150 5.4L The original issue with the truck was poor idle/dying when coming to a stop. It would otherwise run down the road without any issue. There was a particular lack lack of maintenance that I also noted. The truck has approximately 198,000 miles on it. More recently, the truck was pushing coolant out the pressure cap and is why the BIL parked. He was convinced that it would take $$$ to get the truck drivable. I pulled the OBDII codes and got P0012, P0022, P0303, P0305, P0316, P0345, and P0349. I also got a code that indicated the engine temps had gotten high due the the cooling system issues.  A diagnosed the radiator cap was bad and replaced it. That stopped the rapid loss of coolant (water at this point), but the system was still building enough pressure to try and push coolant out, just not very quickly. Next pulled the thermostat and found it was also bad. Noted some corrosion inside the cooling system while changing the thermostat, too. New thermostat installed, refilled the cooling system and test drove it. The system performed exactly as it was supposed to and there was no loss of coolant or excessive pressure signs.  Drained cooling system and refilled with water and added cooling system cleaner. There was a lot of crud in the radiator. It’s probably going to take several cleanings to get this one back it good shape. One potential big issue resolved. After watching several of FordTechMakuloco’s videos on the 5.4L Triton motors and recognizing the symptoms the truck exhibited are fairly typical in vehicles that haven’t been well maintained, I performed the get you home test and disconnected the VCT solenoids which means the phasers don’t operate once the vehicle gets above idle. Essentially, the error codes were telling me that the VCT Solenoids were stuck and the timing was over retarded which causes stumbling issue when coming back to idle like when you come to a stop. Disconnecting the solenoids resolved the drivability issue immediately. The truck does lack some power now, but is drivable. So far the rest of the error codes have not come back after clearing the codes. I’m going to have the BIL continue to drive the truck and see if we get any further codes to pop up. The truck will definitely need to have the complete timing serviced as that is part of regular proper maintenance, including new VCT solenoids. I’ll recommend we do the plugs as well. I mentioned that several people told him that he would need a new engine. At this point, I’m not convinced that will be necessary. I checked the crankshaft endplay and I couldn’t detect any movement. The harmonic balancer is sitting close to the timing cover as it should be. I’ll preform an oil pressure test in a few days to see if the motor still has good oil pressure. If we pull the valve covers to install new VCT solenoids, we will really be able to see more of the engine condition. So far the truck is running better than it’s run in over a year and I’m into for less than $100 in parts and materials. To be continued…</blockquote>

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