I did this without the alignment tool everyone talks about. This allowed easy reference for me to install the new part in the same position. I was lucky that the vane lined up perfectly with a groove in the housing and the securing bolt (see picture). From what I've read, you have to install the new part in the exact position.

Before removing the synchronizer, I took a picture of the placement of the vane. Removed cam sensor screws and unplugged sensor.ĥ.

Removed 4 screws holding coil and removed. unplugged spark plug wires and lead from Ignition Coilģ. I didn't want to risk causing greater damage by installing inferior quality parts.Ģ. I decided to purchase new Motorcraft after hearing horror stories about chinese made replacements like dorman and cardone. Rather than try to bend it back and have it potentially fail, I decided to replace it. As explained in earlier posts, the sensor fails and caused the magnet to fall into the spinning vane. After examining my old sensor, I determined I needed to replace the entire camshaft synchronizer due to the vane being bent (see picture). Purchased the cam positioning sensor only from Advanced Auto Parts. Often times, I find stuff I did wrong or skipped and curse myself all the time.

I would check every little major component step by step very calmly. If I were you, I would start from the beginning. If it doesn't receive a signal, it may induce a misfire due to a lack of fuel (lean) or to an excess of it (rich). That's how your ECM knows when to release fuel into the chambers. Your Cam Synch controls your injection timing. I hate to be so incisive, but you're talking about symptoms that describe a problem with your injection system. I hope you make a good use out of that since your spark plugs always tell a story. Other causes include weak ignition system voltage or an inoperative pre-heating system (carburetor intake air) or poor cylinder compression.' Fuel injectors that malfunction can also lead to this condition. Fouling of the entire set might result from an incorrect heat range spark plug or an over-rich air/fuel mixture caused by a clogged air cleaner filter element, a sticking heat riser valve, or a faulty choke. If only one or two plugs in a set are fouled, it is a good practice to check for sticking valves, a cracked distributor cap, or bad secondary ignition wires. 'Basically, soft, sooty carbon deposits, as shown below, have a dry, black appearance.

Click to expand.Yikes! Pay attention to this spark plug analysis.

F150 4.2 v6 syncro positioning tool