Pulled the trigger……………

And acquired a 2012 Ford Expedition. 2wd, Limited. 143,000 miles, original owner got nearly every ‘upgrade’ option available at the time. Will be going into a shop, to deal with the ‘Cam Phaser’ issue that plaques the 5.4L. The shop has given us the option of the ‘stock repair kit’ or, for an additional $1,000.00 the ‘delete kit’. Will more than likely opt for the stock repair.

The the stock, would be Motorcraft. The delete would aftermarket. The aftermarket kit basically eliminates the VVT, and there are some sensors that are also eliminated, and a couple hours of re-configuration of the onboard computer. The stock option is basically replace with factory.
My mechanic says the worst thing people do with those VVT engines is extending oil changes. Sensors get dirty, cam phaser gets sluggish. He says to ignore the computer telling ‘oil change needed’, those generally will signal at 8,000-9,000 miles, that’s way too long for those engines, 3,500 mi, with full synthetic oil is the best, and cheapest thing.