First of all, thank you so much to anyone who is willing to offer any assistance, it is greatly needed and appreciated. I recently did a VCT delete job on my 5.4, while replacing the passenger side cam phaser I noticed plastic shrapnel under the timing chain cover. After further investigation, I realized I needed to install completely new timing chain guides. So of course, while i had the cover removed I added a Melling oil pump and new chains and tensioners as well. After everything went back together I replaced my old intake system with a K&N Series 57 Cold Air Intake System. Then I cranked it over and it started immediately but continued to idle quite rough. After giving it plenty of time to calm down and move oil around I took it out for a gentle drive. But when I softly tried to accelerate I had almost zero power and it took forever to get going. It also rattled quite violently so I immediately returned home. After a short time the check engine light came on so I scanned the codes. This is what It had:

- P2196: 02 Sensor Signal Biased/Stuck Rich Bank 1 Sensor 1
- P2197: 02 Sensor Signal Biased/Stuck Lean Bank 2 Sensor 1
- P0351: Ignition Coil A Primary/Secondary Circuit
- P0008: Engine Position System Performance Bank 1

With this many codes I have no idea what to do, and as I just finished buying the whole timing system, I can't afford to replace every little part that could be the problem for each of these codes. Is there any kind of issue that could have caused all of these? Does anyone have experience with these codes and problems after completing these jobs?

Here is a summary:

Work Done:
- VCT Delete with PCM Tune
- New Melling Oil Pump
- Timing System Replacement
- K&N CAI Installation

Problems:
- Rough Idle
- Extremely slow acceleration
- Engine rattling violently when driving
- 4 Engine Error Codes

Vehicle Specs: 2004 Ford F-150/XLT/4WD/Triton 5.4L V8

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR TIME!!!!!!!!

 

First, did you remove the oil pickup and clean it out? They get clogged with bits of chain guide and starve the oil pump. The rich bank 1 lean bank 2 indicates a exhaust restriction on bank 1 most likely a failed cat. P0351 is a coil primary circuit code, check for a poorly connected connector. The rubber seals in the connector like to dislodge and prevent a good connection. P0008, Not sure, maybe its out of time by a tooth?

 

Its a good idea to take pictures when timing cover off . Its such a pain to get off and while I believe in self checking sometimes you have to leave it overnight . Then come back and recheck while explaining to a friend how it times ,hopefully he will deep question you at the time .. Unfortunately you just about have to start over with timing cover off if its off . very easy to put reluctor wheel on backwards.
Cams on no 1 and 5 have to be at the orientation ford pics show , links on chain must be exactly straddling marks on phasor not on crank gear ..
It does sound like you may have a cat restriction . Take a look at your crank sensor plug and wires ,it frequently gets damaged use contact cleaner on plug . I will give you some diagrams in case you go back in .




Check for all connectors locking on ,if not solder in new ones , cop/injector connectors are reasonable on line they can come in sets of eight .Heat destroys plastic connectors .
I know we are shotgunning this but its difficult when we are not there. . You should also know we are not fond of lockout kits . Make sure you have dropped oil pan and cleaned everything esp. the oil pickup screen .

 

Serious imbalance in breathing causes lean on one bank and rich on the other. With installation of lockouts SHOULD eliminate that possibility. Also, failed cat wouldn't generally drive unaffected bank the opposite direction. The Primary result of clogged oil pump pickup screen is improper VCT operation - which likewise should not be an issue with lockouts installed.

The conjunction of P0008 points to Phaser finger(s) not being in the proper position WHEN the crank sensor detect the missing tooth. PCM is trying to establish number one TDC position --- and it doesn't line up. This isn't looking good after a timing job.

If tone ring is installed backwards (with teeth pointing backwards toward engine), it has the effect of shifting the missing tooth several degrees. IDK - but this could cause P0008, but we have seen them run (just ****ty) with this. We've also seen them run (just ****ty) with one bank off a tooth and usually get a P0340 or or P0344. IDK what the effect would be if Bank1 Phaser was off a tooth AND tone ring was backwards.

 

First of all, THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH!! It's awesome to have an opportunity to hear from other more experienced members of our Ford Gang! Sorry for the delayed response, I am still in High School so I have limited time. I have read all of your advice and I am afraid the problem seems obvious. First, I have pictures of every step along the way, if it would be helpful I can post the "before and afters" of the timing chain. Second, after installing the Melling oil pump, I used a borescope to examine my oil pan and found that there was in fact a terrible amount of plastic debris all over down there. I then dropped the oil pan and cleaned it with extreme detail, including the oil pump pickup screen. It was highly concerning, I had completely lost my timing chain guides and I even found the magnetic part of an old cam shaft position sensor loose inside the timing cover!! I was also very **** about insuring that the tone ring was oriented correctly (i.e. (FRONT letters) and tone ring teeth facing towards the front of the truck).
My fatal mistake, I believe, was that I assumed that the positions shown in those diagrams (referring to the crank shaft and cam shafts) were only for people who needed to retime their engine. I know this seems extremely dumb, but let me explain why I thought this: I marked the Cam Shafts AND the Crank Shaft before I touched anything under the cover, and am 100% positive that they did not move during the timing kit installation. I ASSUMED that my engine was proper when I stopped it. Which in hindsight seems VERY DUMB considering the fact that I didn't even have timing chain guides left. And so, I ignored the marks on the chains and on the cam phasers, as well as the timing dot, and only ensured that the chain was properly secured and had proper tension. Afterwards I even checked that each cylinder head rose in the proper order, however, if the chain was off only a tooth or two, I can see how that wouldn't help. As far as the electrical connections to the coils, I checked them all and they all went back in just fine. SO SORRY FOR THE LONG MESSAGE!

Here are my questions:

-Was ignoring the timing marks and assuming my engine was already on proper time my big mistake?
-And do the posted pictures of my work help?
-Is there another way to tell that the electrical connectors to my coils or sensors are bad? Seeing as they all ease right back into place.
-Will I have to buy Another new Harmonic balancer bolt?
-It is possible to reuse the timing chain tensioners that I have used now for a total of 10 minutes running time?
-Is there any way of rotating the cam shafts without hurting them and also without removing all of the followers? Such as: wrapping around them with the old chains and spinning them?
-And lastly, in yall's opinion, is it worth me finishing all if this myself or would it be cheap enough that I should just take it to a Ford Technician?

Again, Thank you all so much!!!! I can't imagine how hard this would be to figure out alone.

BEFORE #1

BEFORE #2

BEFORE #3

BEFORE #4

AFTER #1

AFTER #2

AFTER #3

AFTER #4

AFTER #5

 

If you're tackling a job of this magnitude in high school you're going to be an amazing mechanic.

I'll let the more experienced respond to your actual tech questions......but, damn, kudos! Keep wrenching and learning, kids don't work with their hands anymore.

 

So you assumed something wrong no problem we all get messed up esp in our youth . You have been deep in this engine and that's good ,you haven't done any damage .
Your question is can I do this without removing all these followers , yes you can by lifting both cams . You just have to be gentle with cam s and bolts . There is a sequence of tightening and loosening bolts , its only to not stress cams . Its not hard . Just be vigilant watching rollers when torqueing back down . That's right you will be slowly tightening these bolts in sequence and sneak up on final torque at timing point . Valve tool is expensive bulky and hard to use . Lift cams then you can put crank anywhere you want but preferably at six ocliock crank dot . ..forget that keyway stuff its just more visible from the top is the only reason they use it , 11 oclock keyway = six oclock crank dot .
With cams lifted no valves will be pushed down no problem with piston to valve contact . Torque value is 89 inch pounds or around 8 foot pounds . You will be putting it back at timing point with cam lobes pointed per ford drawing on no 1 and no 5 .

The thing to remember is all things on valve train must go back exactly as it was .
Pictures must be at timing point or they don't mean much .
You need to trust your abilities , you are doing your homework another mechanic is far from perfect its hard to find a good one . Follow ford tech malukoco / eric on south main auto .
Anytime you get into timing chain or broken guides it may have jumped time ,probably did . Yes you will need a second pair of hands to put chain on after cams installed you will be fighting valve springs . Get one guy with a socket wrench on phasor bolt while you put chains on its not hard but you don't have three hands ,not much movement is required . . . If you had certain followers out then no spring pressure and you can do it alone, that's a lot of work to avoid spring pressure . . But after double checking timing you must turn crank by hand two full revs clockwise to prove no valve to piston contact ..

 

Yes you have to use a new crank bolt ,its torque to yield , meaning it gets distorted Thats how it locks almost ruining threads . , same with phasor bolts .. No you don't have to change tensioners again . You will have to put pins back in them or if you lost them maybe heavy metal paper clips instead .
You need to get the timing in your head . The crank gear is half the size of the cam gear , crank will turn twice before cam gear turns once . The cams decide whether its a compression stroke or exhaust stroke . Thats how you get 4 stroke . The pistons can only come to the top once on one crank rev . You are mechanically syncing crank to cams during timing all this marking is near tdc of no 1 not exactly on it ..
There are some rare engines that deploy a way for piston to come to top more that once during a crank rev , you will not see one .

 

Thank all of you again. I’m sorry, I don’t understand what it means to “lift” the cam phasers. Would you mind explaining that sir?

 

Also thank you sir, I will order a new bolt immediately

 

You are going to lift cams after chains are off at timing point / crank at six . Phasor will come off with it . When cam gets lifted or removed no pressure is being applied to the valves ,,springs push all valves closed so none are down in the piston area.
This is how some of us do this job ,especially if we are replacing followers and lashs . But each part must be marked and layed out in order to put it back the same . You will hand oil it as you assemble it . . Clean out any grooves etc. on journals.
You asked for another way this is simpler to me . Pay close attention to keep followers in place as you slowly tighten bolts a little at a time.