2008 Ford Taurus X wagon, 96,000 miles, NA 3.5L V-6, auto transmission. Bought it brand new from the dealer, kept the oil, fluids, wear items replaced as necessary. The check engine light came on for about two days. Two shops who did not scan the engine said "cam phasers are shot, sell the car." Drove the car yesterday from Los Angeles to Boise, 1050 miles with zero issues, runs smooth, 23.5 mpg, no smoke or engine rattles.. Are there specific codes for identifying the cam phasers? Any other ideas are appreciated, thanks.
Are there specific codes for identifying the cam phasers?
There are codes that can potentially identify a problem in the cam phaser circuitry which may or may not be due to the cam phasers themselves. Since the check engine light turned on what code(s) did you see when you scanned?
I'm going to see if the Ford dealership will scan it without a fee.
Ford mechanics won't touch your vehicle without some form of payment guarantee. I took my Mustang to the dealer a day after the bumper to bumper warranty expired, with a guarantee through Ford itself that they wouldn't charge me. They still charged for a hour of labor and they couldn't find anything wrong. I bought a scan tool myself shortly after, and a code was stored. CEL wasn't actively on.
An auto parts store is your best bet. Tell them to scan the car with a higher level scan tool.
Don't know, we were on the road away from home garage. I'm going to see if the Ford dealership will scan it without a fee.
Stay away from dealers, your best bet for service is a good independent shop. (Stay away from chains as well.) Most auto parts stores will scan for codes without charge.