I know what SDTruckman is talking about, because my truck is making the same noise. I heard it while driving and at first thought it might be engine pinging. Then I heard it while coasting at idle and thought maybe it was something loose flapping around in the wind. To my amazement, the noise persisted when I was sitting at a stoplight. Its coming from the stereo/climate control area and sounds like a clicking harddrive. I have the automatic climate control and stock 6 cd changer, so I thought maybe it was the cd changer making the noise but the noise doesnt stop when the radio is turned off. Ill keep trying to troubleshoot the noise.

SDTruckman, have you found anything out yet?

 

Well I took it to the dealer for this and some other work, and wouldnt you know they couldnt duplicate it.....Story of my life..
I dont think it sounds like a clicking noise though, and I thought about the cd changer as I was pulling into the dealership, so I took all the cds out of the player and, like you, turned the radio off and could still hear it. So It cant be the cd player/radio. I even went out to the vehicle and drove it around the lot before I left the dealer to see if it would act up for me and it didnt.
But with my great luck the next morning I start it up and before I get to work guess what...that freakin noise if back.

I will second you on the Stereo/Climate control area, even had the girlfriend listen, I drive her nuts because I hate rattles and squeaks, they drive me nuts. Her water bottle was down in the passenger door one night driving home and I had the radio up and even heard that rattling around. She told me to tune it out.
Im wondering if maybe it has to do with the AirBag light as this is in the same area, Its a hard noise to discribe thats for sure, I almost want to say it that it sounds kind of like something circulating. I have not been able to figure out under what circumstances it does it though, its as if it has a mind of its own.
The girlfriend however knows im not hearing things, as she has noticed it too!

SD

 

Heres one that i cant figure out. When i accelerate to about 30 mph and up to about 60+mph there is a sound that comes from my dash. As i increase speed the sound becomes faster. when i was buying the truck from the ford dealer they couldnt figure out what it was. they said that it was some type of harmonic sound that was from the drivetrain. does any one have any clues. i dont know if these trucks have speedo cables or is it controlled through the computer?

 

Maybe try sowly removing the trim from the Radio/climate area. As you do this mybe you can pin piont the source easier.

 

I have a slight ticking in my truck coming from the dash area. Climate and Radio off, noise still there. Seems like more prevalent when cooler outside. Increases with vehicle speed.

 

Me too, suspect a noisy fuel injector or a collasped valve lash adjuster. Some where I read the early 06's had this problem. Mine has done this from day 1, 10k miles now 1 year later. Keep meaning to take it in to the dealer, want to get a new f-150 badge for the tail gate as the black paint all came off of it, at the same time... Anyone else notice this ticking? Mines a 06 XLT screw 4x4 build date is Jan-mine does not have the auto climate control. Sucks cause otherwise it's perfectly quiet....hopefully they won't say it is normal....

 

Mine has done it from day one, but I have only owned the truck now for about 2 weeks. It has 1200 miles on it now...no louder, but certainly hasn't quieted down either.

 

the sound that comes from my truck is more like a rubbing or a whinning sound that is continuous at 30mph+. Its an 04 with 39K miles on it. shouldnt have any problems with the rearend... i wouldnt think.

 

SDTruckMan, I heard the sound again today coming home from work and I agree that its not a clicking noise. It is more like a scratch or hum noise separated by clicks. Hard to explain. When I parked in my driveway I kept the truck running and got in the passenger side and snooped around. Its definately coming from behind the stereo, but closer to the firewall. I am not sure where the cd changer is located on these trucks, but from the noise i was hearing, that is a likely culprit. It definately sounded like it could be the mechanism/motor that moves the cds around acting up. Like you, I also removed all cds from the player and turned it off and the noise still persisted, but that doesnt rule out the noise coming from the cd changer as it is still getting power. I even shut off the engine and kept the stereo on to see if the noise would go away but did not. I then took the key completely out of the ignition (to turn EVERYTHING off) and the noise of course stopped, but I turned the radio back on and the noise was back. I am convinced it has something to do with the radios cd changer, possibly heat related as it only does when the engine and its surroundings are at operating temp (well into a drive).

 

see my noise is only when i am driving. i dont have a in dash changer.

 

SDTruckman,

Have you been able to figure out what was causing the noise from around the radio/climate control area?

 

it is probally the cooling fan in the radio.

 

I would agree with you if it was more of a constant hum, but it is more like a combination of scratching, clicking, and humming.

 

Probably the electronics inside the radio then. i have heard those same noises from my old cable modem. <?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-comfficeffice" /><o></o>

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Stick your ear up to your cable or DSL router and see if you hear it.<o></o>

 

Well, I havent had much luck with this issue. And its starting to **** me off.
8400 miles on the truck.
I took my truck to a different dealership this time(about 3 week ago). Needed an oil change any way.
So I had to drive 20 min to get to the dealership, and of course its raining like you wouldnt believe. About 10 min from getting to the dealership it quits making that stupid sound. My thought was to get there, rush in, have someone come out and listen to it. But that didnt work. Also told them that somewhere between the front door and the rear door there is a thud sound in the door, that you can hear driving on stone drives and RR tracks, things like that. So he writes rattle on the paper work and I said no its not a rattle, not metal to metal, its a thud, like when you dont quite shut your door all the way and it thuds.
So i go to pick the truck up and of course its rained hard all day, they couldnt hear it nor "Duplicate". Says to bring it back next week.
In the mean time the girlfriend is finally hearing it (noise in dash), now she knows what im talking about. Sometimes its faint, sometimes you can hear it over the radio. So she says "you know what it sounds like", she says it kinda sounds like a coffee machine brewing coffee. thats as close as to what I can describe it.
Week later I take it to the dealership, this time its making the sound and I go in grab a mechanic and take him out. He hears it, says its the Climate control, so i say ok turn of the climate control. Finally it fades out, but after awhile it starts up again, thats odd he says. I think its a, i forget the tech term, but some kinda of relay that lets hot/cold air in the cab to keep it comfy. So why is it making that sound when the climate control is off I say. I dont get a clear answer.
So I leave, I dont say anything about the noise in the door, because I want to get my coffee maker fixed first.
Go to pick it up and the SM says its normal that they went out to a new truck and started it and it did the same thing. Dont worry about it unless it gets louder....BS.BS.BS.BS.. Paper work says "determined noise was normal, started a new truck and it did same thing."
I know 2 other guys who have these trucks and neither one does this.
So I get home sit in the driveway, radio is on at a comfy level, and I get to listen to my coffee maker play backup to the whatever song was on at the time..

To make this all the better, I now think that the climate control is on the fritz. Took mom xmas shopping about a week ago, had about a hour drive back. Now ya know how older people are senstive to cold. She says you can turn down the heat, im fine. So I look down and its on 68 auto. So I click it down to 65. About 3 minutes later its like 80 in the cab. So I click it down some more and of course at this point after 65 you get 60 nothing in between. 3 Minutes later and we are freezing, Turn it back up to 65 and 3 minutes later we are comfy for a while ,then it gets to feel like its 80 in there again.

So I kinda blow it off as to I dont know how to operate the C.Control. But just this past week the girlfriend says to me, Whats up with the heater, its either really hot or really cold. I thought that was the point of climate control. Keep the cabin at a even level.

So I still have my 35,000 coffee maker, with a door that thuds and a automatic climate control system that doesnt appear to work correctly to me.

I hate to rant guys but my 98 dodge ram that I owned from day one for 9 yrs, that everybody gave me a hard time over that the transmission was going to fall out, that this or that was going to happen, never did, the worse problem I had were brakes all the time, and only because of oversized tires and a snowplow. That thing has over 150,000 miles on it. The doors to this day dont rattle, the dash doesnt make coffee or rattle, and the heater although not automatic kept the cabin at a comfy level

I really like the truck, love the ride. But I just have this bad feeling that this truck is not going to make it that far, and quite personally im tired of hauling it all over tim-buck-two, taking time out of my day, only to be told that its normal..BS.
I think that part of problem is that ford, probably states what a acceptable rattle/thud or noise is and what isnt, and or maybe a dealership who doesnt want to tear the dash apart to get to whatever is screwing up to begin with.

Once again sorry to rant, but I needed to vent.
HAPPY HO HO!!