Unlike the more simplistic American V8 pushrod engines dating back to the 1950s, the 5.4 Triton has what’s known as overhead cams — camshafts mounted in the cylinder heads rather than a single cam nestled inside the engine block. One compromise of the overhead cam design is that a longer timing belt or in Ford’s case, a timing chain, is needed to snake around and rotate the cams off the crankshaft and the longer a timing chain is, the more potential that exists for stretching over time.
The Triton’s timing chain also has a series of tensioners and guides to keep it properly aligned and taut, but some critics mention that the factory materials are inferior and subject to accelerated wear. Because the 5.4 is an “interference” engine, the pistons and valves can make contact and cause extreme damage if the engine’s timing drifts too far out of whack because of chain stretch or improper tension, so be aware of unusual noises and/or rough running.
Replacing the timing chain itself or its accessory components is neither cheap nor easy. The procedure requires disassembling the entire front of the engine and is best left to a professional mechanic, but it is less expensive than replacing an entire engine that blew itself up.
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