Tom,
OK, I can understand that if the A/C-defroster was operating but I had nothing on. Not even the panel air. See this is what has me stumped. I can identify the A/C compressor sounds but this one............?
Karl

 

Karl,

We need to pinpoint the exact place where the sound is coming from, when it happens, and how fast the clicks are. Give me as much detailed info as you can. Does it click, click, click while your idling your truck, if so, get out and pop your hood to see if you can pinpoint a more specific location. If it only does it in drive, see if you can have someone else drive your vehicle while you play with the controls. If it does it in drive while parked, put it in drive with the parking brake on and pop the hood. maybe you can pinpoint it that way.

Tom

 

Tom
It happens irregurlary. At stop lites, driving in 1=5th gears.
It sounds off for about a second per click tone.
I've even gone to the local parking lot about 1am, so that no one was around, so that I could try to get it to sound off and attempt to locate.
"Murphey's Law", no luck.
It just seems to be in the driver's consule area

 

Karl,

Problem is that there are so many simple little things it could be. This is one of those irritating noises that I would actually have to hear in order to try and help. Sometimes these little problems fix themselves.

For instance, about 3 weeks ago I started hearing a very loud scraping noise coming from my drivers side rear tire. The scraping noise would only happen when I was driving over 20 mph and making a rouned right hand turn, like an entrance ramp to the highway for instance. This noise was very loud and obvious.

Determined to find the problem, and thinking it was probably my caliper or brake pad scraping on something, i took my tire/brakes and rotors off on that side.

I found nothing. Everything was perfect. So I put the truck back together, drove down to the entrance ramp of the highway, and there was the freakin noise again. Drove me nuts.

Anyway, i decided that I was just going to ignore it, and if there was really something wrong it would eventually break.

One week later, the noise just stopped and I haven't heard it since.

I'll never know what that noise was. I think my truck has special healing powers and just healed itself like a human. Sometimes this happens, hopefully it will happen with yours.

I figure, the noise will either go away, or whatever it is that's making the noise will eventually break, and then you'll find out what it is.

Tom

 

tom

i change the coolant temp sensor the one that feeds the computer (there is also one for the temp light). i have taken out the maf sensor, and spraied carb cleaner on it. there is also a sensor just past the maf, and a sensor just before the air line goes on the the air intake. what are these two other sensors?? also i have three clicking sounds when i first start the truck when it is cold. when i here the clicking sounds i know that the motor is runnig rough. the sounds come from the drivers side,i want to say under the dash. this only happen when the air is damp and the motor is dead cold. give your thoughs , thanks

 

I have a slightly different problem than what you guys are talking about, but just wanted to know what I can do to fix it. For the past few hundred miles, my 2001 4.2 has been vibrating at idle. It doesn't shake or ping, I just feel this constant vibration in the steering wheel when stopped. It feels as if I'm driving a diesel or something like that. It's been progressively getting worse, so I changed my oil, air filter, and ran Lucas fuel injector cleaner through it. So far nothing has worked. It doesn't feel like it will stall, but the RPM does move up and down by probably 100-200RPM's as the vibration gets better and worse. I'd prefer not to change the plugs and wires, as it only has 50K miles and is two years old. Any input would be appreciated, as it is becoming an agravating problem. Thanks.

 

Guys,

For RYR88, is yours an automatic?? If it is it could be either your stall converter or perhaps a shift kit for your tranny. It could be, that at idle, your tranny or converter is not allowing your motor to spin freely and is catching intermitantly. You should check the plugs, reglardless of what the service manual indicates as this is frequently the problem in such cases.

Tpeople, the second sensor behind your mass airflow is your cold air sensor. There are no other sensors other than this. The other tube coming out just before your intake is for your valve breather. This can be taken off completely, plug the hole and put a small K&N filter in the valve cover hole, this is better for your motor but certainly is not a fix for this problem.

For both problems, also, at idle speeds, your computer controls a vacuum which controls your idle. If you take that plastic thing off your throttle lines under your hood, you will seed the plastic piece attached to your throttle linkage. This plastic piece is controled by a vacuum box controlled by the computer. If one of your sensors is bad or you have a vacuum leak, this could also cause an inconsistant idle.

Check your plugs and wires. Any areas where your wires are touching metal should be wrapped in electrical tape. Check all your vacuum tubes to make sure one didn't fall off. If none of this is the problem, you may have to start testing some of your sensors that relate to the Idle vacuum, such as the air temp sensor and throttle positioning sensor. Also RYR88, you can have someone check your stall converter on your tranny to diagnose if it is slipping and catching while at idle, this is only if you have an automatic, however I don't think this is the problem.

Always go with the basics first. Plugs and wires, 50K or not, check them if not replace them. You may just have a fouled plug. Check the vacuum tubes to make sure they are all seated properly, especially the throttle vacuum. Take that plastic cover off of your throttle linkage and deep six it. It's ugly anyway. If none of that works, you'll have to start checking sensors that relate to your throttle vacuum.

Tom

ps. The scraping noise has returned. Of course I took the whole rear apart and found nothing, and neither did the dealer. It's a mystery noise that will either go away or eventually break. I'm opting for "going away!"

 

Thanks Tom, the help is much appreciated. I, too, am leaning towards the plugs and wires. The fuel injector cleaner has helped the idle somewhat and the engine is running a little smoother. It still has some vibration, leading me to agree that it is more than likely a plug or wire creating the uneven idle. I'll probably try and change them first and if that doesn't work, I'll test the sensors and check for any codes. BTW, it is an automatic, so hopefully nothing is wrong in the transmission that's creating this. Thanks again.

 

Tom, again I'm here about my "other"mystery noise story. It started out like someone tapping on the drv shaft. U-joint, checked them out and they were tight(only possible problem was that one of the black colored rubber piece onder one of the caps was low enough to see colour btwn itt and the cap). 3 dealers and 4 independant shops later I took it to a drive line shop. After a drive about he to thought of the u-joint. He pulled the shaft and checked the u-joint, that wasshowing colour, there was only 6 cyl bearings left and an ounce of dirt/rust that came out from the cap. Belive me, I know what a u-joint sounds like when it "sounds off". In Oregon I owned a '79 Branc,4x4,400W. Kept spares in the truck box because there are still places that a CB radio and/or cell phones can get out.

 

Karl,

That brings up an interesting problem that I have been having. At about 85 mph and up, i get this very bad vibration that feels like it's coming from the drive shaft. I had my gears changed from 3.55 to 4.10, which will cause my drive shaft to rotate at a much higher speed on the highway. I've already taken it back to Steeda to have them recheck their work on the gear install and they said that it's possible that my drive shaft needs to be high-speed balanced, however they don't do that kind of work there and don't have a drive shaft balancing machine.

Does this sound kosher to you?? Or could it be the u joints? I don't get any clicking noises and everything "looks" fine under there.

tom

 

Tom,
My taping sound esclated into scraping sound, that totaly sounded like it was my bearing. When I stuck my head out the window I swore that it was coming from the l/r. Then that day I took it to the safty line shop, i rode w/him and I then swear tat it wascoming from the r/r. So I'm going to say that if there is any "colour" showing and they're stock from Ford, replace them.

Drive shafts? Is there a differance between stock and competion? Other than material composition, thickness and in strength. Because I was thinking that in competion they would balence it at a higher rpm. Now if I was in competion I would carry it a step further......balence it to the yoke. You would think that if it, the yoke was out of kilter to the shaft you would get a viberation.

 

Karl

Come back with that 1st paragraph. I don't understand what your referring to. What do you mean by color? Are you talking about brakes or tires or what?

tom

 

Or Universal joints??

 

Tom,
Sorry about that. Yes, I was tlking about the U-joints. The u-joints that were on mine were sealed, no grease nipple and under each cap there was a black colored rubber(?) ring that fitted snug against the cap. This particular one was down about 1/16th inch. There was a little bit of grease and rust colored contamination visable(hince color). It was still tight. This was what we all had identified.
So you can understand my surprise when we popped it first that it was defective.

 

Tom.
I went to another web page and asked the question about the differance between the stock and competition drive shafts.
One gentleman st'd that he was into racing. He further st'd that they would place stronger u-joints on,balance the axel and even the rear pads.
I don't know if I can state the web page but if I can left me know and I will tell you.
I found this page after 3hrs of searching the web on drv shafts.