Hello, we are new to this forum and were wanting any help, we have a 2005 Expedition Eddie Baurer with 49000 miles on it,(luckily we have the extended warrenty on it) and approx. 11 months ago we started to notice a engine noise that sounds like a knocking or ticking, we took it immediatly to our local Ford dealer and they kept it for 2 days and said that they ran every test they could and could not find a problem, a few months later it started to get louder, we took it in again and again, finally they said,"Ford shows that their is a problem with the 2005 motors, that are 4.6L 3V and 5.4L 3V (which is ours), but they are not sure how they are going to fix it".
Ok, now 11 months later, we are at 49000 and we want to trade vehicles and we have no answers lor results. If anyone has any suggestion or has ever been waiting to get their vehice fixed and has any suggestion, we are at our witts end. A man at Home Depot asked my husband if our car was a deisel, he said no just a piece of junk, (well we paid 40K for that piece of junk honey) and I want out of it!! HELP! [:@][:'(][]

 

Does the engine make the ticking when it's cold out...all the time..while it's heating up ect....is a quiet ticking or a deep knocking noise?

 

Yes it does seem to be louder when it is cold outside, but is very audible when it is warm and even when we went to the city, approx. 2 hour drive. I have now contacted Ford, reguarding the lemon laws, ect, and they had me take it to another dealer which was in the next town and 32 hours later they contacted me and said that they did not accept a third party warrenty and would have to take it to a larger dealer ship, so now making arrangements to have someone yet again follow me to another town to check out this noise.

 

I also have a 2005 ford Expedition that is making a ticking noise. I took it to a mechanic that I know that work at my local ford dealership and was told that most of this engine type makes this noise. I was told that it is what is called a cam phaser and it would not harm my engine. It is hard to beleive that anything making a noise in an engine is not doing any harm. Anyone heard of this and what has been your solution?

 

I have just over 64k on my 2005 Expedition with the 5.4L v-8. It idles like its not getting oil, and is almost embarrassing... but it runs like a top! Gas mileage is good, power is excellent, and its smooth. Its just loud! I've heard other Ford truck products with this same noise too.... I'll be very interested to hear if anyone ever tracks it down. Thanks!

 

Just a curious question, what brand and weight designation motor oil have you been using in the engine? Will be waiting for all your answers.

 

I use the recommended 5w20 weight oil, and have had Motorcraft, Pennsoil and Quaker State in it. I also tried a quart of Rislone added to one oil change. In each case the noise persists, although with the Rislone it was quieter for the first while. Have you tried other weights/brands that made a difference?

 

It is what is known as a cam phaser and it would not damage my motor. It is difficult to believe that anything creating a disturbance in an motor is not doing any damage. Anyone observed of this and what has been your remedy . . . . .

 

My 2005 Expo with 5.4L also makes this tapping/clicking sound on the Right side, or otherwise known as Bank-1. The cam phaser is mechanical, and there is one on each side inside the valve cover. Google the part and you will see the unit. Although, the noise sounds bad, the repairs can be around 1700.00 or so. My 5.4L has been scanned and absolutely nothing was found anywhere. Everything was within perimeters. Before any damage occurs, you should have an Engine light illuminate, and codes set. At this time also you should expect performance issues. That is the time to make repairs. Although it sounds like damage is occurring, it is only the cam phaser unit that is damaged. Engine light= repair needed. Until engine performance is affected, it would be wise to let things be; OR if you cannot take the noise, have a shop replace both phasers, and chain tensioners, which have seals that sometimes get blown out. Replacement is the only way I know to solve this common problem. I hope this helps.

 

I will admit that this does sound like a classic phaser noise; they can make the noise (which does sound much like a rod knock) worse either hot or cold, and it really doesn't seem to matter which.
Most of the phasers I've replaced are from the '05 to '07 group, with the earlier ones being the worst (sorry, but its true!).
And although most mauals say (including Fords warranty time of 4.3 hours for both) to remove only the valve cover and use the holding wedge, I've never been a great fan of that method, as this is most definitely NOT a freewheeling engine. I've found it much easier to just remove the front cover, replace the phasers, retime everything so there is no mistake, and reasemble.
I know this probably isn't what you wanted to hear, but I hope it helps.