I have a 2001 F150 extended cab 4x4. I bought it with 49,000 KM on it from Budget car and truck rental sales. I didn't notice at the time that there was a slight whirring noise when being driven at certain speeds. I took it to the dealer and had them listen to it. It sounded like the way old speedometer cables used to sound when they were wearing out. The whirring would increase as speed increased and decrease as speed decreased. No one could pinpoint the sound until one day I was driving and I put my hand on the transfer case lever and moved it slightly to the left and the souond immediately diminished by half the volume. I took the truck to the dealer and they checked it out. They replaced the transfer case shift lever and a spring and bushing I believe. The noise was still the same. They eventually contacted the head office in Ontario Canada after I had taken the vehicle back and complained that the noise was still there and was annoying to listen to. They told me that head office said that the whining noise was normal for that model of transfer case and that nothing was wrong. I got them to give that to me in writing so I could have it for future reference. Since then the noise has actually gotten louder to the point where it is all you think about when driving. My wife constantly mentions it and is amazed that the dealer could say that is normal. I can't imagine anyone driving off the lot in a new truck if this 'normal' noise was present. Having the radio on is the only reprieve from the transfer case noise.
Does anyone have a similar model of truck that could tell me if they have any noticeable transfer case howl? Could someone tell me what I should do next when the dealer gives the old 'that's normal noise' answer. The truck has only 70,000 KM (45,000 miles) on it. I am concerned that I will not be able to sell the vehicle because of this noise.

Thank you.

 

Hi and welcome to FTE

These transfer cases don't normally make much noise.
Have you checked the oil in it? Is the oil clean and red? At the right level?

 

Yes the oil is at the right level because the dealer did all that at the time they replaced the transfer case lever. What are the chances of getting a dealer to admit they put a bad unit in my truck and actually replacing it with a rebuilt or new one?

Thanks,

Don

 

The best that you can maybe hope for would be for Ford to come to the plate with an "after warranty adjustment". If they would go for that then you, the dealer and Ford would share the cost of the repair. Since you aren't the original owner you might have a hard time getting them to agree to that but it doesn't hurt to ask.

 

Thanks for your help.

Much appreciated.

Regards,

Don

 

Please let us know how it goes.