Ford: 2000 ford excursion engine problem, oil pressure gauge, ford excursion

Question
HI...

I recently purchased a 2000 Ford Excursion with the 6.8 V10 engine.  It began making strange noises, and I took it to a local mechanic.  At first he said he felt the bearings in the engine were going because the oil pressure gauge was bottoming out and acting erratic.  Today he said he thinks the cam in the engine is going bad.  Does this make sense to you?  What can be done if anything?  Are these engines known for this?  Any help/advice you can give will be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
Ken

Answer
From what I know of these engines they have problems with spark plugs blowing out of holes and yes also cam problems.  From your description of symptoms and what your mechanic said he is on the right track.  I would have him drop the oil pan and see if he can see any problems with the bearings before I had him overhaul the engine.  As far as the cam goes, you could try a compression test and or a leak down test.  That would narrow down more of where a problem may be without tearing the engine down first.  On another note you may just have to tear down the engine to find the problem but I would do all these other tests before I started tearing into a motor.