Evening all.

I have owned a 97 4.2 2WD auto single cab for a few weeks and while it's a great motorway cruiser (75mph is silent compared with my old '83) it certainly doesn't seem to be as well-built as its distant predecessor!

So far I have sorted most of the in-cab rattles; dash panels, door cards and (semi-successfully) the seat belt/pillar covers.

I have been battling a number of under-body rattles. What appeared to be a heat shield rattle turned out to be an I.d. tag in between one of the cats and a heat shield.

Two of the rattles have got me stumped. The first is made by feathering the throttle just off idle and sounds like a heat shield. The second appears and persists between 40 and 50 mph, whether accelerating, decelerating or maintaining a speed anywhere between 40 and 50. I have driven through these speeds in different gears and it happens regardless. I have been underneath with a tapping stick and the heat shields are not rattling when tapped, the cats don't seem to be broken up (I've had a stethoscope on the exhaust, listened through the bell housing, trans body and tail housing) and the only thing that seems to rattle when tapped is the trans crossmember - but It is tight and not visibly cracked or damaged.

The other issue is Tickover. It's a little lumpy - seems to momentarily 'miss' when sat at a junction holding the truck stationary. When sat in park, idle is steady. The truck pulls with no hesitation.

Any help appreciated - as I spend most of my time on long journeys either at 40-50 it's starting to ruin the fun of the ownership!

 

I had that truck too, 1997 f150, 4.6 v8, 4x4, picked up a 2002 250 superdutey ,4x4 V10,,wife took over 150, and I had to clean all my stuff out,, spark plugs, tools, ammo, in door pockets, binos under seat,,when I got done, couldn't believe it was so quiet,,, just a little humor , but true,,good luck to ya, hope some one chimes in with some real info,,

 

That's why we have radios and loud pipes, to mask the sound of all the junk we have rolling around in there!

 

Sounds like my company vehicle - car parts in the door pockets, empty red bull cans in the coffee cup holders, crap everywhere!