Had a P0019 crop up a couple times now with associated rough idle/stumble/stall.
The truck has the signature click 'n clack from the engine but nothing too alarming. Decided the best course of action was to replace the VCT solenoids and inspect the valve train.
Here’s what I found-
Both VCT solenoids look fine and function. The screens on the exhaust solenoid are pristine clean. Replaced both anyway.
Cam lobes- not a big fan of the look but the surfaces are still smooth. Unloaded rockers have the expected amount of play. Even on the worst looking lobes. So doubt there are rocker bearing issues, which they are known for apparently.
Despite how they look, the lobe surface is smooth and no surface gouging detectable by feel. Lighting has a big effect on the visual image…
Will put it back together and see if I get any issues returning. But curious your thoughts on the cam lobes, especially if you are familiar with these 5 liter Fords.
I wish I could take credit for that but I’ve only owned it for a little over a year. I was certainly pleasantly surprised when I got the valve cover off. One owner and the maintenance records for oil changes was on a 5k mile schedule from what I saw. I am heeding Mustangman’s advice to continue that regimen for this engine- they do not like extended changes…
Something I forgot to ask- based on the difficulty removing the cover, it has been in place for some time, if not original. The cover had two dabs of RTV up near the front bolts, you can see it in the first pic. Is that recommended on these? Gasket looks pretty decent but there is a slight step in the deck wall there…
Yes, I noticed that when looking closer. Also accessed the repair guide and saw it was called out there as well.
Absolutely.
It’s back together despite the hot weather here. No real wear to be seen or felt and no flakes in the oil so I stopped looking I am concerned that it could escalate quickly if the surface hardening gets compromised. It’s not really hard to get that cover off despite the vehicle height and engine position. The passenger side is a different story with the fuel pump and coolant lines…
My thoughts exactly.
Other possibility is a wiring/connector issue. Everything is solid at the engine. Might walk it back just to see if there is anything suspicious in the harness or control module interface.
Still want/need a way to see the control and feedback settings…checking my tool later today to see if it has that in the live data section.
Just to follow up, after changing the bank 2 VCT solenoids, the problem seemed to get worse. I now had a P0022 as well as the P0019 come back up. Idle was slightly rough and vacillating up and down.
So I bought the camshaft position sensors and a new crankshaft position sensor. The cam sensors are ridiculously easy to swap out so I did those first. Voila! Immediately had much smoother idle. Cleared codes and went on a vacation towing my ATV 4 hours each way. No issues, no pending codes.
Knock on wood, the problem appears solved. Initially, they were further down the list of suspects just because other failure modes were more often reported and likely based on what I was seeing online regarding these engines. I may dig into the failure of those simple sensors just out of curiosity…
I am concerned that it could escalate quickly if the surface hardening gets compromised. It’s not really hard to get that cover off despite the vehicle height and engine position. The passenger side is a different story with the fuel pump and coolant lines…