Ash said:
@Hayden
Yeah, the parts do add up, but it’s the labor that really hurts—my shop charges over $175 per hour!
And it’s like 24 hours of labor!
Nah, it’s more like 12.
Yeah, that sounds about right.
While they’re in there, have them replace the valve cover gaskets too.
I had my 2014 done last November, and it cost $4,800.
You could do it yourself. I just did mine last month. You don’t have to remove the engine, and it’s not too difficult if you follow the service manual. It cost me a little over $700 for the phasers, and I found a chain set on Amazon for about $100. It took two days, and I had to buy a few tools, but the whole job was way under $1,000.
Edit: I’m not a mechanic.
I just had mine done at a non-Ford shop with a great reputation. They replaced a bunch of gaskets, the water pump, and a bad thermostat. Mine is a 2017 3.5 Ecoboost, and it had the dreaded rattles and check engine light. It runs better than it did when I bought it. Still, I feel like Ford put these trucks together with cheap parts—there should be recalls for issues like this. The whole job cost me $4,600. A truck should be the most durable vehicle, and even cars don’t usually have these kinds of problems.
@Ash
You’re reading my mind. This is my second F150 with the 3.5 Ecoboost, and it’ll definitely be my last. I want a truck I can keep until I’m old, but Ford just isn’t cutting it for me. I’m starting to think I should look for a low-mileage V8 Tundra.
Welcome to the Ecoboost regret club… The worst part is that it’ll probably happen again. They haven’t really fixed the root cause—they just keep replacing the parts that are bound to fail again.
Lennon said:
Welcome to the Ecoboost regret club… The worst part is that it’ll probably happen again. They haven’t really fixed the root cause—they just keep replacing the parts that are bound to fail again.
I was told the updated parts are better. My shop hasn’t had any trucks come back with the same issue since they started using the new parts.