Looks like one of the fronts are breaking down and clogging the rear converter. I used a vacuum and sucked most out and got tons of power back..... however the engine still shakes pretty bad.
I am guessing at this point it is un-even flow of the exhaust from bank to bank. I do not own a thermal gun to find out which one is the issue.
But the wheezing/screeching sound is gone. I still have no clue as to why this happened when I only changed out some gaskets.

 

Well it seems I done ****ed up.

Normally when doing plugs I do one at a time. Well I was doing far more over a couple of days. It seems you can switch the #4 and #6 wires on the harness for those two coils. If you were to not see how it came apart right then and were asked to plug it in.... you most likely would lay it down in the way that puts those two wires in backwards. The harness usually lays in the way is meant to plug up........in this case wrong.

Truck did not throw a code in any way during this time. It was drivable the whole time.

So I managed to melt the front converter in just a short amount of time. So now I need to replace the front converter/manifold. At least $200.

I even watched a video by scannerdanner who detailed the issue. Long 40 minute video though. Beginning and end is all you would need to see.

 

Malakilla, what are the state inspection laws in your area? Do they include a visual inspection?

 

Tail pipe sniffer test and visual of the cats. So no straight piping. But yes we have emission laws here in this county. Parts of the state have them and rural areas do not.

 

No sniffer where I live, only OBDII.

 

2003 Ford Escape XLS 4WD 3.0L DOHC Anyone figure out what the cause is for the high pitched screeching /squealing sound on the 3.0L Ford escapes yet? After I changed the ALT. my local Ford dealership mechanic said it was, it wasn't. Still screeching/squealing with no serp. or water pump belt on it. No vacuum leaks that would cause that god awful screeching. I noticed it is the loudest right under the passenger side firewall. Can anyone please comment on this issue? All I see is 6-10 year old post on the subject and they really didn't have a solution Never had any problem with it for 6 years except of course maintenance. At my wits end.........

 

I would bet $$ on the rear manifold cat being clogged, and the pressure is exhaust escaping through leaks in the rear exhaust manifold gasket. Remove the upper O2 sensor from the rear exhaust manifold (for testing) and see if the sound goes away. This would reduce exhaust pressure at the gaskets, and other than hearing the exhaust rushing out of the O2 port, you should be able to tell if the schreeching goes away.

Dave

 

Thank you for getting bk to me ^^, I found it the 1st connection from the manifold on the exhaust is rusted the gasket is partially ate away. It was cold out this morning and it looked just like a tea pot blowing. Was weird because it sounded just like a belt high pitched screeching. Anyway I think I do have some blockage one reason is my RPMs will only get to 43k no where near redlining. Or maybe that is something else, never been a mechanic for a living but did get an AA in service technician. So any advise from anyone about the quickest way to to diagnose clogging or blockage would be greatly appreciated. Thank You.

 

Disconnect the crossover pipe below the engine. If it'll rev, you have a couple of problems...one of the manifold cats is blocked, and the 3rd cat is blocked down stream. If no difference, it's probably the manifold cat on the rear where you're getting the noise. If you change one, you'd better change the pair. It should def rev more than 4300. You can get replacement manifold cats (front & rear) from Rock Auto (RockAuto Parts Catalog) for less than $600 for the set...much cheaper than from Ford.

Now, having said that....manifold CATs don't usually go bad for no reason. How many miles on the truck? These are easily and quickly destroyed by raw fuel if your engine has a little skip or misfire. Is it running smoothly?

Dave

 

Understood, I will let you know what I find out. It runs good, well it did. It does Idle with a little sputter now. As far as missing when under load it doesn't and its time for a good tuneup. It has a temperamental coil over plug when its wet out . I need to replace soon. I am going to address the clog or blockage issue 1st, then give it a good tune up. It has 172K miles on it.

 

Right on... I bought a full set of coils from Amazon for around $80 delivered, and have had no problems with them. Much cheaper than Motorcraft.

Dave

 

Nice...I might as well change all of them for that price. Yeah motor craft from dealer are SALTY :P

 

We just went through the same ordeal with the whistling, was the cat's all plugged up, gutted them, and presto.....no more whistle.....yet...LOL.