2001 Ford E150. Overhead cam 5.4 liter BEFORE the age of cam phasers. 219,xxx miles. Purchased this van six years ago when it had 201,xxx miles. Runs fine. Have installed a new water pump, alternator, belt, pulleys, spark plugs, Motorcraft coils and new trans filter. Burns only a small amount of oil between oil changes. Need to take a 3,000 mile road trip between New York and Texas in two weeks. Recently thought about my timing chains. They don't make any noise. They probably weren't ever changed.
Local garage says "Drive it. The timing chains are fine."
Are they really fine or is it just a job they don't want to do? Have heard that some mechanics steer away from this engine. Don't see any cam position sensors for that year so there won't be any codes for it if there's a problem, right?
I'm probably just going to drive it, but I would appreciate opinions.
Thank you.
If the engine doesn't have variable valve timing there wouldn't be cam position sensors.
The usual symptom of worn timing chains or bad tensioner would be a rattling noise, especially when the engine is cold.
Unless that engine has a design flaw, if it has been treated to regular oil and filter changes at about 5000-mile intervals over the last 22 years the timing chain(s) should be fine. (I've run engines 300,000-400,000 miles on their original timing chains with no problem.)
Of course what's going to happen when you take a decades-old vehicle on a 3000 mile road trip can't be predicted. It would probably be a good idea to sign up with a towing service like AAA just in case.
3000 highway miles shouldn’t be too dramatic. Timing chain should be fine.
Check the battery and coolant. Take an extra quart of oil and check it before you go home.
And Howdy to Texas!
If the engine doesn't have variable valve timing there wouldn't be cam position sensors.
not true.
OK, I stand corrected. (None of my vehicles have ever had VVT or cam sensors.)
@chucktobias
Then they're probably still on a distributor. CMP sensors are used for distributorless electronic ignition timing. Thank goodness. I hated distributors and the constant failures and maintenance they needed.
@mmj, actually not the case for Saab, at least their earlier distributorless systems. No cam sensor, only a crank sensor is used, and the P0340 code is used for something else. (Also no knock sensor. The spark plugs are used to detect knock. Saabs are weird.) But yeah, other vehicles I've worked with mostly have distributors.
Actually I have to correct myself. The distributor would select the cylinder, and the computer would control the precise timing.
That's the way the AMC Eagles I used to have with the 258 six worked. That setup could even control timing on the individual cylinders on the fly. It was the bees knees for the early 1980s.
They probably weren't ever changed.
you don't replace timing chains. Just drive it
Don't see any cam position sensors for that year so there won't be any codes for it if there's a problem, right?
wrong
