Replacing Ford VCT units

    June 11, 2024
    Some 2017-2020 Ford F-150 trucks equipped with a 3.5L EcoBoost turbo engine and built on or before Oct. 31, 2019, may exhibit a ticking/tapping or rattle type noise.
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    Photo courtesy of Ford
    This may be due to a worn variable cam timing (VCT) unit. Replace the VCT units using P/N HL3Z-6256-CD (intake VCT) and HL3Z-6C525-CD (exhaust).
    This may be due to a worn variable cam timing (VCT) unit. Replace the VCT units using P/N HL3Z-6256-CD (intake VCT) and HL3Z-6C525-CD (exhaust).

    Some 2017-2020 Ford F-150 trucks equipped with a 3.5L EcoBoost turbo engine and built on or before Oct. 31, 2019, may exhibit a ticking/tapping or rattle type noise from the top front cover area of the engine on initial startup after a cold soak of six hours or more. The noise may last for two to five seconds.

    This may be due to a worn variable cam timing (VCT) unit. Replace the VCT units using P/N HL3Z-6256-CD (intake VCT) and HL3Z-6C525-CD (exhaust).

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    Motor Age Staff

    Motor Age has been publishing technical content for professional automotive technicians since 1899. Our writers have decades of experience and scores of ASE certifications, and they continue to teach new generations of technicians via classrooms all around the globe, as well as through the books and training manuals they've authored. 

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