Some Good News, A ‘Good’ Bird And Some Driving Advice For Locals

I have a ‘ride’ again. Already.

In my last post I told readers that I’d be grounded for a while and unable to go shooting while my pickup was in the shop for a major repair. Here’s why. And how it turned out. The long story will bore some of my readers to tears but I promise, there’s a bird in here somewhere.

 

My pickup’s engine bay, 3.5 L EcoBoost engine with twin turbos

Ford’s 3.5 EcoBoost engine has a known problem with their cam phasers (camshaft phasers). Cam phasers control the timing of the engine’s valves, allowing for optimized power, fuel efficiency and emissions. The early sign of cam phaser failure is a very distinctive (easily recognizable) rattling sound on startup, that at first lasts only a few seconds. I was well aware of the problem with Ford’s phasers and, with dread, I’d been listening for the rattling for the last year or so every time I started my pickup. But I’d never heard it, at least not distinctly.

Then last week, when I took my pickup to my Ford dealer for an oil change and tire rotation, a keen-eared mechanic noticed the rattling sound and reported it to my Service Advisor Matthew Saylor and he reported it to me. The repair (actually a replacement of all four phasers with redesigned, updated phasers) was going to be an expensive one – over $4400. My heart sank.

Over the years, Matthew has become a good friend and he always takes very good care of me. It was Matthew who discovered that when I bought my pickup nearly five years ago, I’d purchased an extended warranty that would cover this expensive repair. I’d completely forgotten about it, so I could have kissed Matthew (not really, but almost) when he reminded me of it.

Matthew knows that I have little patience with this kind of thing so he seriously greased the administrative wheels for me and got me in early Tuesday morning for the repair with a skilled mechanic with experience in replacing cam phasers. They delivered my repaired pickup back to me at home that same evening, which is exceptionally quick service for cam phaser replacement. It’s a big job.

So, my $4400+ repair ended up costing me the $100 deductible on the extended warranty plus $7.78 for some kind of specialized lubricant/cleaner that the warranty mysteriously refused to cover. I don’t think I’ll complain about it.

If you’re on Facebook and you’re interested in seeing what Ford’s cam phasers look like, and what the “rattling” of failing phasers sounds like, here’s a link to a short but good video clip on the subject.

 

So the very next day, yesterday, you know me – I had to go shooting.

 

And one of the birds I photographed was a Golden Eagle. If I were to choose a single species to get photos of on a day that I didn’t think I’d be able to go shooting at all, it would be this one. I don’t like to play favorites with birds but if forced to choose, Golden Eagles would be it.

I actually got about a dozen flight shots of this eagle but I won’t be posting more of them until later. And I blame UDOT for that.

Driving home from shooting yesterday, I experienced one of the two worst traffic snafus I’ve ever experienced in my 62 years of driving. UDOT is widening and constructing a completely new interchange on I-15 at 56th South in Ogden, including new bridges and overpasses. I-15’s five lanes were reduced to a single narrow lane, which backed up traffic for many miles. It took me an extra hour to get through the extreme traffic pinch. This colossal mess is supposed to last until the fall of 2026, so I’ll be avoiding driving that far north for the foreseeable future. I highly recommend that others consider doing the same.

C’mon, UDOT. You can do better than this.

I was an emotional wreck by the time I got home so after getting up at 4 AM that morning, I spent much of the rest of the afternoon taking a long nap. As a result, I’ve barely looked at the photos I took yesterday so posting more of them will have to wait.

I have absolutely no patience with traffic snarls or being without my pickup. It’s a character flaw I readily admit. Birds are about the only thing I have much patience with.

Ron

 

Notes:

  • You may be wondering how I could forget I have an extended warranty on my pickup. Since 1976 I’ve purchased 12 new Ford F-150’s (and leased one) and my present pickup is the first and only one that I bought an extended warranty for. I’d never had an extended warranty before, not in 49 years of owning Ford pickups, so I just forgot. 
  • Yes, I change my oil with a synthetic blend every 5000 miles or before, as recommended by Ford. This pickup had 65K miles on it when the cam phasers failed. Some fail sooner, some fail later and some never fail at all. 
  • Here’s another reason to get your oil changed on schedule. Extended warranties won’t be honored if you don’t. Before they honored my warranty, they checked Ford’s maintenance records very carefully to make sure I’d had my oil changed regularly. 

 

22 Comments

  1. Oh my!! Buy a Chevy next time. lol Or try one of the loud Dodge Rams. Glad things worked out for you in the long run. Now if I was stuck in traffic for an hour, I would worry if I would have enough fuel to get home on. Love the Golden Eagle.

  2. GREAT shot of the G.E. – and also of your truck. Happy to hear that you were so well taken care of.
    As for that “wonderful” traffic mess – I drive through it 4-5 X a week – and it is a real headache.

  3. I am happy the truck is back and work covered. We did not buy an extended warranty on the new 4Runner, but it is still covered on the original warranty. I am very careful to keep up on service so the basic warranty isn’t voided. We only have 9,000 miles! A golden eagle is beautiful! Can the traffic snafu be avoided by driving through town on 89?

  4. Sounds like it should be a recall.

    Don’t think you are flawed. Sometimes the absurdities and the ridiculous of life pile up on us, which necessitates a retreat. For some that retreat is a pickup truck to take them to nature. It will pass. But hey, just remember the bright side; you got a new lease on eyesight!

    Nice Goldie shot.

    • “Sounds like it should be a recall.”

      I had similar thoughts, Michael. But it wasn’t and there’s nothing I can do about it. I’m just glad I bought the warranty.

      I never forget about my new eye(sight). Think about it every day.

  5. I don’t have a Ford of any kind, so hopefully never have to worry about this problem, but what a service you provided with these 2 posts, and the link to the video of the sound of these failing parts. I have neighbors and friends with these big trucks, so I plan to tell them about your issue. Hooray for Matthew! 65K miles doesn’t really seem like a lot for this kind of a failure – is Ford doing something to address this issue? Maybe that Golden Eagle needs to give them a nudge in the right direction!

    • “is Ford doing something to address this issue?”

      Carolyn, Ford has come up with a redesigned and updated newer version of their cam phaser, which is what I had installed during the repair. You’d think (or hope) that they’d replace them on their own dime but that isn’t the case.

  6. All’s well that ends well (well, except for the mess on the 15). “And here’s a Golden Eagle for your troubles, sir.” 😉
    I’m now 3 years in to a 5-year extended warranty that cost a small bundle, but with a plug-in hybrid and all the electronic gadgetry on new cars, I decided it was worth the peace of mind. Glad that yours came to your rescue, thanks to a resourceful service advisor—and glad that you’re back in the saddle again!

    • Chris, we obviously agree that peace of mind is worth a lot.

      I’ve never bought a warranty before this one because I never kept my pickups for much longer than the original warranty on a new vehicle lasted. But this time, from the get-go, I intended to keep this pickup for much longer than usual.

  7. Hope Matthew received a hug or a very gentlemanly handshake 😀. Having a great experience with a service professional is SO rewarding. And a ‘golden’ shot! Love love love!

    • Kathleen, I made it very clear how much I appreciated what he did for me. And I’m about to leave him a very strong recommendation/review in the survey they always send me. No hug though…

  8. A good mechanic and service advisor are worth their weights in gold, and then-some! So glad they took such good care of you. Add to that a gorgeous Golden Eagle bonus — you must be doing something right.

    Just came back from a trip to Northern California and thought of you several times as I drove by rice fields and a couple of wildlife areas teeming with birds, as well as hanging out with the protected chickens in Yuba City. 🙂

    • Thank you, Marty. Protected chickens in Yuba City – what’s that all about?

      • There have been a bunch of feral cluckers in the center of the city for at least the past 40 years. No one is sure how they got there and there seem to be several breeds. The chickens are protected in that one cannot get a free “winner-winner-chicken-dinner” and people aren’t supposed to feed them, but do, unfortunately. Here’s an article fro the Sacramento Bee. You should be able to skip the paywall. https://www.sacbee.com/news/local/article295355084.html

  9. I’m so glad that Murphy’s Law didn’t apply to you here! I like to think this is some small recompense for all the public service you’ve done over the years through your teaching career and educating/enriching the lives of your blog readers.

    • Linda, I think ol’ Murph just screwed up that day and, after cursing me with failing cam phasers, forgot to check to see if I had an extended warranty. Thanks for the very kind words.

  10. Everett F Sanborn

    Good you had the extended warranty. And yes, a Golden would sure make my day. I have never seen one. I drive a 2012 Subaru Forester with about 110,000 miles and never once have I ever had a serious problem of any kind. Knock on wood.

    • Everett, I’ve never had such a serious problem with any of my other pickups. I just got lucky when I chose this one to purchase an extended warranty for.

  11. Great news other than the traffic snafu! 🙂 Golden is great! Given the price of vehicles and repairs these days the extended warranty sounds like a good idea. Glad you have such wonderful service personnel to take care of you!
    Our Honda dealer changed hands for the better in this past year for which I am grateful. “180 out” from the previous owners who had trouble getting done what was asked and always trying to “up size” what they were sure needed doing.

    • Judy, I’m a convert to the value of extended warranties. The main thing you have to be careful about is choosing a reputable warranty company with a good track record. There are lots of crooks out there in that regard.

Comments are closed