Hello all, wondering if there's anyone on here that's done the timing and has any tips, I had a tensioner pulley go bad which led to metal in the timing cover because the pulley ate through the cover. I was hoping to swap a 6.8 in after the 5.4 inevitably detonated, however this happened first. Any tips/thoughts would be appreciated.

 

Now is the time to do some homework.
Why spend any $$$ on the 5.4 now ,if you are going to replace it later?

You homework might include what differences are between the replacement and the present engine that will incur some addl expense.
Will the present trans hold up with the larger engine?
What extra parts will be needed to complete the changeover?
All the time spent gathering the info and if it will be worth it will pay off in the long run.

 

I've been doing homework for a while and all I've found so far is if it were an E350, the swap would be "simple", because it's an E250, it isn't. If that information is incorrect and it's as simple as change the engine mounts/location and swap the pcm,
​​​​​​ tcm, tune and go then yeah that's a no brainer. If I have to swap the trans and put bigger springs in I might as well go the extra mile and set a complete 4x4 super duty drivetrain under it. That's options B and C. Option A is get the 5.4 back online, because ultimately it's the fastest way to get back on the road. It ran good before this issue with the exception of the timing tick they all get before they grenade, but it still went away after warmup so I know it's just tensioners/guides and a stretched chain, which I might as well replace since I have to replace the timing cover anyway, and since that's all going to be new, might as well do sprockets and phasers too. Cheaper and faster short term. Thanks for the advice and the reply.

 

Something to consider,
The PCM is programmed with the particular vehicle it is installed in using the VIN.
I don't know if there will be anti-theft problems once in a different vehicle with a different VIN.
If after you complete the changes you are contemplating, and it will not start, I believe you will need to have the PCM reprogrammed to the "new" vehicle.

Might be a good idea to verify all this with a dealership service dept or a mobile service agency.
What do you think?

 

All good info, and correct, but I have a programmer and plan on tuning after the swap is complete, and from my understanding, as long as i have the security key, and/or PATS code and flash it to the "new" vehicle, all will be fine. For now I think the best course of action will be to re-clock my 5.4 until I find a donor F series and go for the V10/4x4 swap.

 

Wondering about something,
Right now if you need any particular part or info for your vehicle , you can always count on a dealership pulling up the info for the right part based on the VIN.
If a lot of things have been altered, it can become a circus to try to get the right parts because the as built info will no longer apply..
Sometimes we create more problems by changing things than if we left them alone.

When you go to obtain the info to do the reprogramming, from the manufacturer's website, it may no longer work because that info will be worthless since everything has been changed.

 

True, and very good advice, but I personally am not too concerned with that, being that I can retrieve codes and trace issues as they arise, and i always document original VIN tags to go with donor parts, so when I call the dealer for a part, I can order the part for the correct application, for example if the cylinder head temp sensor went out on the engine I swapped in, I would order the part with the VIN of the vehicle the engine came out of, pretty much guaranteeing accuracy. It's worked for me so far.

 

After more research I'm starting to wonder if the 6.8 swap is a good idea, all these issues with the 5.4 I'm addressing are going to be prevalent with the 6.8 because they utilize the same timing system, being that they are basically the equivalent of the 4.3-5.7 GM engines, same everything, two more cylinders. That said, and not wanting to to go anywhere near a diesel swap, and having what I believe is a 4r55 trans, how limited are my options? I'm thinking 5.0, 6.2, maybe the newer 7.3 gas? I now understand what you meant about throwing $$$ away on the 5.4.