04 f150 5.4 3v vct disable tune

[Bill88stang]

Brother in law just picked up a cheap 5.4 3v f150 and we want to disable the vct and tune it out. it is as easy as flipping that vct switch to off or do i need to tune the cam tables also. any help would be great thank you all

[decipha]

disable that and the fmem / register switch too so it doesnt set codes

can't "tune" the cam if it doesn't have vct

[Bill88stang]

ok so no need to zero out any of the cam tables just the switch. thank you

[stv_huff]

I might be going out on a limb here but I assume you are going to lose some pretty serious power. Are the VCT non functioning?

[Bill88stang]

believe it has be vct solenoids as i have codes for both banks. just trying to keep it together a little longer, its got over 200k on it and im sure its probably a oil pressure issue to the cams like most. the phasers are making a little noise.

[sook]

FWIW: You can change the VCT solenoids from the top of the engine w/o removing the valve covers (I did this to mine a few years back). I was having a startup rattle (220Kmi) and did a full timing set this past weekend. The driver's timing chain tensioner was completely failed, so disabling VCT would not have solved my issue.

My truck was a bit strange as the original parts lasted this long (I know the internet won't believe me!), and it's usually the passenger side that fails.

[Danny Taylor]

I've done several cam phaser deletes. Most of the time the passenger side guide breaks and piles up on top of the oil pump. Due to lower oil pressure the phasers yank on the chain when the oil pressure is low enough, thus breaking the guide. Chains are eating on the inside of the timing cover, not always, but often. So at the miles, wear & tear, I always get new chains, guides, tensioner cylinders, tensioner arms, gaskets & seals(From Ford). I lock the Phasers out with the aluminum lock out blocks from ebay. I only disable variable camshaft(VVT). select (Engine, airflow, variable camshaft, disable). I don't go into engine diagnostics to uncheck any codes or select no error reported. I have seen a couple of trucks with other problems after locking the phasers out, such as a bad/dirty injector from ruptured fuel filter(Wix),(#8 injector commonly), worn out spark plugs & clogged catalytic converters.
If doing this job for a customer, always drive the truck before working on it. Some customers would like to think the cam phaser delete will fix other problems that are unrelated to the cam phaser issue. Such as things I listed, bad plugs, injectors, fuel filter, converters clogged and whatever you can imagine.

A few shops call this a band aid fix. If done right and the engine is kept serviced, it can outlast us all.