Howdy All,
I have recently bought a new 2003 F150 FX4 with the 5.4. At about 10,000 mi. have begun to notice that the engine had whining noise when you rev it up and even while driving. It gets louder with more strain on the engine. I have taken it in to the local ford dealer and they first said thye could not find anything wrong with the truck at all. Then in an attempt to solve the problem, they replaced the power steering pump. But this work did not resolve the problem and the noise still exists. So I have taken it back to another dealership and they also could not find the problem. It sounds to me like the noise is coming from the top of the engine, but it is hard to tell. I have heard that the cold weather might be the culprit, but I find that hard to believe. If anyone has any suggestions, I would love to know them. Thanks

 

Hi and welcome to FTE
I would first suspect the alternator. For a quick test, remove the accessory belt and see if the noise goes away. If so, then you know it is a belt driven accessory. If not, then I would start checking for vacuum leaks.

Jimmy

 

Well, I have just gotten back from the Ford house again. They have again said there is nothing Abnormal about the sound. They took the accessory belt off and the noise continued which eliminates the power steering pump, alternator, etc. I would think that if I had any vacuum leaks, my check engine light would be on. Am I wrong about this? Anybody have other ideas?

 

I havent had to much exp with the 5.4s but my moms 2004 F-150 stx 4.6 whines is it kind of a winding sound

 

Drive it to another dealer for a second opinion. It won't cost anything.
Jimmy

 

The CEL will not come on for many vac leaks, try the above tip about removing the belt to narrow the noise down.

 

After going through 3 dealerships now, I have not fixed the problem. The last dealership took the belt off, but the noise continued. How do you check for vacuum leaks that the CEL will not pick up?

 

scottamu:
Here's my 2¢ on your whinning problem.
Does it whine when the transmission is in neutral or park? Could it be that your tires or wheel bearings are whinning, and not actually the engine???

And if it was "cold weather" related, i would think that it would go away as the underhood temperature rose from driving. Park your truck in a heated garage overnight and see if it whines when you start it up. That will give you an answer about the cold weather rumor.

Have you recently done an oil change? Do you know for sure what weight oil is in your crankcase? Also check your duct work that runs from your air filter canister to the throttle body (top of the engine). It may have some openings or other weird stuff going on.

Keep us posted!
-hooD

 

The noise occurs while in park and driving. It is just louder when drivign because of more strain on the engine. I have almost elimaned the cold weather explanation. It has been up in the 80's severral weeks and the noise still persists.

I have always changed the engine oil religiously with the specified 5W-20.

 

I would've mentioned for you to check the belt tensioner, but you said they ran your engine beltless at the dealership.

You posted: "They said that there was nothing abnormal about the sound". Well, i would have them get a truck or two off the lot and make them show me that they ALL sound just like yours. Then, and only then, would i believe it was a normal sound.

Why don't you go to a trusted repair facility and ask them to listen to your whine sound and get their opinion. It shouldn't cost you anything but your time. Good luck....keep us updated.

-hooD