Fords 5.4 litre Triton can have its share of self destruct issues too. Roller rockers ride on needle bearings which eat themselves. Eventually coming apart so your exhaust valve lands atop the piston where it further damages the engine. Not a well thought out design.

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Fords 5.4 litre Triton can have its share of self destruct issues too. Roller rockers ride on needle bearings which eat themselves. Eventually coming apart so your exhaust valve lands atop the piston where it further damages the engine. Not a well thought out design.

That entire engine is a trash box. Three piece spark plugs that are a mile long and break, cam phasers that break, and the rocker issue. Pure. Garbage. One of the YouTube garages I follow has done something like 17 engine replacements on those.

And then there's the issue of the water pump replacement that requires a tear down .. My niece just went through this on her Explorer .

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Originally posted by selogic:
And then there's the issue of the water pump replacement that requires a tear down .. My niece just went through this on her Explorer .

Our Flex has that same engine & 130k on it.
It's been posted on here before how much of a job it is. Hopeful we don't get to have that experience before we move on to the next vehicle, possibly next year.

The dealership finally got through to the extended warrantee company, and is getting an adjuster out within 48 hours to validate the claim.

I've already had my local repair shop (where I have my routine maintenance done) print a service history of the oil change milage/dates to ward off any issues there.

I really hope they don't try to play games, seems straightforward to me, but will have to wait to see what they say.

Hope it works out for you.

Good luck.

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Originally posted by trapper189:
Wal-Mart says not repairable. I had them installed just before Thanksiving and have about 2,500 miles on them, so should be 100% covered under the road hazard insurance.

Walmart is full of crap……but if you are getting a tire at no out of pocket cost then they can be full of crap .

This is going through third party not ESP? Be prepared for a struggle. My buddy who had third party they said he failed to do regular maintenance. He had service records. Then they tried to say he didn't address the issue in a timely manner which the dealership had to fight for. They tried to make him tear down the engine at his expense to prove it was not his fault. Finally after a month at the dealership they he/they fought them enough they relented and covered it.

His was a 2.0 with lost compression, so not the exact same problem. IIRC it was a worn ring that did his engine in. The 1.5 coolant intrusion is a known flaw, hopefully it's open/shut case for you.

Thanks Skins... I was talking to the service manager, he said that he's dealt with this company before (they sell them at this dealership, even though it's not the dealer I purchased through).

He's hopeful it'll be a quick authorization, as you've said its's a know issue with TSB documentation. He actually told me to hold on to the service record and only show it if asked, but he thinks it won't be necessary.

Luckily my wife was scheduled for rotator cuff surgery on Jan 4th, so we have time for this to be addressed without needing a second vehicle. With any luck the car will be ready around the same time she is.

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Originally posted by P250UA5:

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Originally posted by selogic:
And then there's the issue of the water pump replacement that requires a tear down .. My niece just went through this on her Explorer . [My sister-in-law has a Lincoln MKZ with this engine as well.]

Our Flex has that same engine & 130k on it.
It's been posted on here before how much of a job it is. [I may have, once or twice.] Hopeful we don't get to have that experience before we move on to the next vehicle, possibly next year.

Water pumps are no fun on the 1.5 and 1.6 Ecoboost either. (I haven't done one of these yet.) And their use of a timing belt is almost an anachronism these days.

A water pump, because it can't be lubricated by the engine oil, is guaranteed to fail at some point. OK, it might take 100,000 miles or more, but a substantial number don't even get that far. So why do the car makers make some of them insanely difficult? Ford isn't the only one that does this. Another notorious one is the Nissan VQ engine (V6, usually 3.5L, in Altimas, Pathfinders, Muranos and the like).

^I had a VG30 Infiniti, in the past. Luckily no engine issues with that one. Got rid of it when the trans lost reverse.

TB & water pump on. J3x Honda is no fun either. Just general lack of space with a FWD V6.
Luckily the parts aren't too bad for a DIY.