When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
I have a 1992 f350 dually with a 7.3 idi. I have done tons of work refreshing the engine bay as well as all suspension, bearings, and joints and bushings replaced. I have a chirp or squeak while the engine is running after it warms up. Slow chirp at idle and picks up with rpms. Noticable chirp at 1500rpm and unbearable at 2000 rpm or higher. Don't notice any lag in acceleration or issues shifting. I've already replaced tensioner pulley, new belts, new power steering pump and gearbox, new alternator. Only thing that hasn't been replaced is vacuum pump and ac pump. It sounds like it's coming from the throttle body/ air intake filter. Put a screw driver up to my ear and made contact with every point I thought the noise was coming from and still can't locate. Anyone had any experience with this?
Ol girl only has 170000 miles and since my possession 2 years ago it has had plenty of on time and early maintenance. Very well taken care of and driven daily, not driven hard at all. Most I tow with it is 13,000 lbs on the goose every so often
Last edited by BIGRED101; Feb 24, 2024 at 04:42 PM.
It could be a leaky header, it's not a consistent screech, it sounds exactly like a really bad belt but almost all accessory pulleys are new and so it belt. Can an exhaust leaked sound like that?
As suggested pull the belts first and see what happens. If the noise would by chance still be there then a possibility would be an exhaust leak.
Pulled belt and ran it, no squeak. Inspected my pulleys, tensioner feels great, belt looks perfect, idler, crank and alternator are good. Power steering feels like normal play, it's only a couple months old so I think that's fine. Ac/idler feels like it's worn and the vacuum pump has a slight low squeak when it's turned over. I'm thinking either one is the culprit. They are the original parts on it when I bought it and the only one that I haven't replaced yet. So might as well just do them both at once. Thank you for the help!
Don't replace your vac pump if it's working. Aftermarket vac pumps have a life-span measured in months, not decades like the OEM pump does.
IF you have plastic idler pullies, replace them with gates parts. Plastic Idler pulley tend to wear into cone-shapes, which then drives the belt to one side of the pulley and causes it to squeak.
Use a stethoscope or a 3' long piece of vinyl tube to pinpoint the squeak.
Good to know, all of them are still OEM pulleys, I always replaced the pulley with the old one since there all in good condition. I'll make sure to get the gates parts or see if I can get the pump rebuilt. I ran into that same dilemma with the steering gear box so I went with a redhead unit and installed it.