TechTales Blog

5.4L Randomly Dies with Wrench Light and P2105

Came across a rare issue recently. This applies to F150, Superduty, or E series vans with a 5.4L 3v Triton. Engine randomly dies, wrench light comes on; vehicle will not restart until you cycle the key off and back on again. DTC's present P2105 and possible U0300. The fix is baffling. Came across a rare issue recently. This applies to F150, Superduty, or E series vans with a 5.4L 3v Triton. Engine randomly dies, wrench light comes on; vehicle will not restart until you cycle the key off and back on again. DTC's present P2105 and possible U0300....

Tightening your steering gearbox is a bad idea

I get a lot of questions from people who are sick of how their Ford steers while the wheel is in the center. Usually you have to constantly correct the vehicle to maintain a straight line. A lot of slop and looseness develops when the steering wheel is in the center....

Failed 5.4L After Shop Changes Oil

Had a truck roll in from an Independent shop the other day. It was a F150 with a 5.4L Triton engine. Apparently the techs changed the oil and upon restart, the truck no longer had any oil pressure. It ran fine, but sounded horrendous. Man, I wish a took a video of the truck before we tore it down. The sound it made would give you nightmares!...

GM 2.9L Engine Crazyness - What were they thinking?

Being a Ford tech now for around 5 years, it's been awhile since I have had the pleasure of working on General Motors vehicles. After my run in with this 2.9L Chevy Colorado, er I mean 2.9L GMC Canyon, my brand loyalty has been a little bit more fortified. I have completely forgot what it was like working on such architectural wonders. I hope you can taste the sarcasm in my words. Come on, I'm sure your just dying to continue reading this story... It all started out on a lovely fall day. The wind was blowing, leaves were falling, and the temperature was a comfortable 70 degrees. Then I get a phone call from my brother. He describes this horrendous noise, a ticking rattling sound, from the hood of his 2010 GMC Canyon. He already had taken it to a local shop and got a grim diagnosis.. it needed a timing chain. The estimate he got was only a measly $2200! So, I decide to tell him to bring it on over and I'd do it in my free time. I'm just a nice guy like that, and of course he'd gift me some money for my time....

Awesome 3 Jaw Pulley Remover!

It seems I have always been on the quest to find the best 3 jaw puller that works on many harmonic balancers. No, really, I am not kidding. I always had a few laying around so I could try to make something work. I came across this one awhile ago. I normally use it on F150 5.4L 3v Triton engines, including the 4.6, but it also works on the 3.5L Ecoboost. Check out how this 3 Jaw Harmonic Balancer Puller saved my day....

Taurus SHO 3.5L Ecoboost Timing Failure

A customer recently showed up to the shop with a check engine light on his Taurus SHO. Very nice car by the way even with the 90K miles on it. He complained that it ran a bit rough for the last month or so, with diminishing fuel mileage and a glowing yellow light. Upon running the codes, we discovered he had a code that stated Bank 2 over-retarded. After checking the VCT error pids, I determined that Bank two did not respond to VCT commands and showed it was off by 33 degrees......

Finding Good Work Shoes - Part 2

For those of you that haven't read part one, I'd suggest starting there. After moving on from the Timberland Pro shoes, I decided to give another big name a try. I picked up a pair of shoes from Catfootwear. If you are unfamiliar with them, that is Caterpillar branded shoes made by (i think) Wolverine....