Hello All...have an issue with my 2009 F150 Platinum. I'm hearing this whining noise when I decelerate. This seems to be the only time I hear it, not while accelerating, so I want to rule out the transmission but it may be a drivetrain problem. Any ideas?

 

Is my ex-wife in the passenger seat?

 

BTW, welcome to the club. Is it a loud or faint whine? Have you tried riding in a different seat and seeing if the apparent direction changes? Which engine do you have?

 

Bill,

No passengers...LOL! Thanks for the welcome. I have not tried riding in another seat, but my wife was in the passenger seat last night and heard the noise as well. It is somewhat of a faint noise. I have the 5.4 L 3V EFI V8

 

Transmission and rear differential make a high pitch noise. It's just not something people usually notice because of the great sound deadening of modern cabs. Engine noise will be louder when accelerating so it washes out the other noise. Try letting the truck coast and listen if the sound pitch gets lower in tone as you lose speed. If so, then it is the drivetrain.

Now I'm not saying this is the best idea, but I'll tell you what I do when I don't know if something is normal or abnormal ---> Wait for it to get worse until the problem becomes obvious and easy to diagnose. Don't laugh too hard because it does work.

For example, I had a scraping noise from my Jeep that I could hear at low speed with the window down. Wasn't sure what it was and it just went away after a couple years. Problem solved! And I didn't even waste time climbing under to look. Then there was that time a check engine light came on for rear O2 sensor. I'll be damned if I'm spending $80 for a part that doesn't make the car run any better. So I just ignored it and after 2 years the light went out on it's own. Problem solved again! See how easy it is to use my method?

 

Thanks...I do believe it's the drivetrain with everything that I have been reading and it does get lower in pitch as I lose speed... but I don't know if I want to wait until it gets worse. I have a trip planned for this upcoming weekend... about 800 miles roundtrip.

 

You need to do what makes you feel comfortable. If that means taking it to a shop for peace of mind then do it. If that means driving a different car on the trip then do it.

Just keep in mind if they pull the trans then you won't be getting it back before your trip. If my truck made me nervous then I would just drive one of my other cars and use the truck around town until I got settled.

 

See if you can narrow it down to a particular gear, or if it occurs across a range of gears. Also see if you can figure out if it happens with the torque locked or not. Lots of things it could be...tranny, torque converter, driveshaft, pinion gear, or pinion bearing. You really need some more information to narrow it down.

 

I'll probably take it in tomorrow since it's still under warranty and just drive one of my other Fords. Thanks for the help.

 

Some things are worth your time diagnosing and some things are not. Trying to diagnose a transmission problem is a complete waste of time unless you know how to fix the transmission yourself. Since that is highly unlikely in this case, just drop off the truck at a shop and forget about it. It's going to end up at the shop anyway no matter how hard you try to figure it out yourself.

 

Yeah, I think that's the best option...especially since it's still under warranty.

 

The sound deadening of these trucks was mentioned but I think we all assume that you are riding with your windows up and the ac blowing, and your still hearing a whine?

I'd take it to the dealer and see if a tech can do a ride along.

 

Don't forget to report back when you find the culprit, and the cure

 

I have taken it to the dealer, but they have not diagnosed the problem yet. I"m going back tomorrow and try doing a ride a long as you suggested. When I find out, I'll let you all know what it was. Thanks!

 

Hey all...found out it's was my front wheel hub assembly. Already got it replaced. thanks for your suggestions. additionally, because of this website, I found out about a problematic transmission issue which at first I thought was no big deal. Thanks to the TSB's posted here and all your help