Loud, diesel-like rattle sound on cold start - cam phasers rattle confirmed

[alrashid2]

UPDATE

Confirmed by dealership techs to be the cam phasers...

They said they've never heard of this happening in any 6th gen 2.7L Ranger... just my luck.

All parts were ordered but will take 14-21 days to get here... They had me return the loaner today and said it's OK to drive the truck in the meantime without causing damage. Once parts are here, it's a 3 day job they said.

They said they won't have to pull the engine but will have to pull the entire cab... yikes. Definitely nervous. Any Ford Techs out there have suggestions on what to document beforehand and what to look out for post-repair?

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[emjay24l]

They said they won't have to pull the engine but will have to pull the entire cab... yikes. Definitely nervous. Any Ford Techs out there have suggestions on what to document beforehand and what to look out for post-repair?

That's crazy to have to pull the cab for cam phasers. The phasers are located in the front of the engine and I have never heard of the cab being pulled to replace any phasers in ecoboost engine. Are you sure they didn't say they were pulling the front bumper, radiator, etc.?

 

[AZUREXLT]

I just bought a '25 CPO XLT with the 2.7 with 5k miles on it. I bought it because I thought the cam phaser issue has been resolved. So much for that. Need to pay close attention to it, I guess.

 

[stemplar]

I just bought a '25 CPO XLT with the 2.7 with 5k miles on it. I bought it because I thought the cam phaser issue has been resolved. So much for that. Need to pay close attention to it, I guess.

FWIW there’s been an awful lot of talk about cam phasers, but while it can obviously happen, it’s exceedingly rare. Especially given the sheer number of 2.7 ecoboost engines on the road. If it happens to you you’ll know it, and as @alrashid2’s dealer pointed out, there’s no harm in driving it until it can get fixed so there’s really no point in paying close attention or living in fear.

@alrashid2 im sorry that you’ve earned the dubious status of being one of the very few this failure happened to.

 

[NOT_RAPTOR]

I don't believe pulling the cab off is as scary as it sounds, I think at least with the F150 it comes off pretty easy and quick. I don't know about the Ranger but I imagine it's not actually a big deal for a truck company like Ford.

 

[alrashid2]

Thanks all for the responses! I will keep everyone posted.

Started her this morning after sitting overnight in flood mode. Held the gas down while cranking for 5 seconds, then let it start. It still had the cam phaser rattle but only for 2 seconds vs the 4-6 seconds I've been hearing.

I think what I find odd is it just appeared out of the blue. No build up. Started up a few days ago normally as it had been.

Oh well!

 

[alrashid2]

Update: dealership got the parts in! Getting dropped off over the weekend and will hopefully be completed by next Fri... will report back then!

 

[got3fords]

3 day job? Damn!

 

[alrashid2]

Well guys, the Ranger 2.7L is back! Only drove it 15 minutes and maybe 7 miles but so far, so good...

All electronics working and she drove normally and well. All gauges looked good...

Got home and the engine bay looks factory and together correctly.

The only thing that concerns me is there was a ton of coolant puddled in the engine bay, and dripping all over the frame... I'm thinking they just spilled some while refilling her. I wiped it all up and will take her for a drive later today and see if it returns. May get an underbody car wash too just to clean her up and make sure there arent any active leaks!

The paperwork I got back was very vague. I asked some questions to the service advisor, and he said they did have to pull the cab off the frame but didn't pull the engine at least. He also said all 4 cam phasers were replaced. They didnt diagnose which was bad and just pulled and replaced all, so hopefully these 4 are good to go...

 

[emjay24l]

Here's to many carefree, enjoyable miles!

 

[alrashid2]

Here's to many carefree, enjoyable miles!

Thank you, God I hope so!!!

 

[alrashid2]

Well, that didn't last long. 18 miles later, same day. Coolant leak all over the frame.

I noticed coolant on the frame as soon as I got it home. Wiped it and washed it clean, and did some more driving. Coolant reappeared, so I thought maybe a bit more was sitting there. Thoroughly cleaned it and then went to a car wash and did an underbody wash. Drove it 8 miles back home and coolant was back again, fresh and bright yellow-green.

I'm so fed up with this. More issues in 8 weeks of ownership than in 11 years of my Subaru and 8 years of my Mazda... wtf is going on?

 

[emjay24l]

Having a twin turbo V6 there are a lot coolant lines and connection points. My guess is that maybe a connection is cracked/broken or a hose got pinched.. They likely should have test driven it longer and inspected thoroughly afterwards for issues. They will likely find the problem quickly and correct it.

 

[STEVE_K]

OH! That's a real pi$$er with the leak!

 

[AMGRAPTOR]

Hopefully it’s just something as simple as a loose hose. Maybe reach out to Ford and ask for a goodwill warranty extension. I would if I had that issue with only 2k miles.

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