random annoying whistle

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May 15, 2010 | 02:10 PM

sjwelds

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From: Inman KS

random annoying whistle

Hello everyone, My truck started making this whistling sound a few thousand miles ago. Its a high pitched squeal coming from somewhere under the hood. there doesnt seem to be any pattern or certain time when it does it. Ive read on here about an alternator problem on these trucks. Or could it be my S&B intake? any help is appreciated. thanks

May 15, 2010 | 09:42 PM

jdrahush

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Joined: Apr 2008

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From: London, Ontario

I had a random annoying whistle coming from the front of my truck and after a long time of searching I found it was because of a VERY slight gap between the hood and the grill. I used a bit of silicone to seal it up and the whistle went away; others have used foam tape. I'm not saying that this is definitely your problem, but it's an extremely cheap fix and worth a shot.

May 16, 2010 | 08:23 AM

1bad67sbf

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From: northern va

your intake will whistle but only under very little throttle and can only be heard at low speeds

May 16, 2010 | 08:26 AM

1bad67sbf

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From: northern va

i see you used champion plugs. are they better at not breaking or just cheaper and did you see anything change, i was told by everyone i asked to put stock back in

May 16, 2010 | 02:52 PM

sjwelds

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From: Inman KS

Quote:

Originally Posted by 1bad67sbf

i see you used champion plugs. are they better at not breaking or just cheaper and did you see anything change, i was told by everyone i asked to put stock back in

well they are a one piece plug rather than the two piece OEM design. I read about plug breakage problems on this forum and decided to change mine out. I broke four of them and had to buy the lisle tool to remove them. just looking at the plug you can see the obvious design flaw. the champion plugs are one piece and should never break. they are also a hundred thousand mile plug so I should be good for awhile.

May 16, 2010 | 03:17 PM

1bad67sbf

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From: northern va

i had mine done and 4 broke also, both front and both rears and that was at 70k so around 110k or 120k i will change them again. how much did they cost?

May 18, 2010 | 06:17 PM

sjwelds

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From: Inman KS

I think something like twelve dollars apiece on rockauto.com... worth it to me cause i dont have to worry about them breaking again.

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May 19, 2010 | 12:28 PM

sjwelds

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From: Inman KS

I am starting to think that its my alternator. I have electric fans on my truck and one is wired to come on whenever the a/c compressor kicks in. it seems like whenever the a/c is on that the noise is louder, which would make sense because of the higher load on the alternator. what do you all think?

May 13, 2017 | 10:42 PM

#10

KELA83

New User

Joined: Dec 2016

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Do you remember what the issue was and how you fixed it?

Quote:

Originally Posted by sjwelds

HI! I'm having the exact same issue pretty much with my ford truck. Some days I don't hear it, others at different points in time during my drive. Sometimes the whistle is soft and others super loud where I hear it over the music I play. I had taken it to a mechanic who checked everything he could and couldn't figure it out. I'm hoping maybe you could she'd some light. Anything would be appreciated. 😊

May 25, 2017 | 11:20 AM

#11

Kijutsu

Senior User

Joined: Jan 2004

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From: allen park

Its the alternator bearings -- happens to mine a lot when the temperature drops or it gets humid. Been running on that same alternator for probably 7 years now, haven't had a problem with it.

Jun 17, 2017 | 08:47 PM

#12

stresssolutions

Senior User

Joined: Jan 2006

Posts: 195

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From: Rochester, MN

Quote:

Originally Posted by jdrahush

Curious how you go about finding the whistle? Other than looking for weird/odd gaps and filling them? My bus, F550 with Glaval body has a loud whistle above 45. When the bus is wet, it doesn't whistle.
Thanks

Jun 19, 2017 | 11:21 AM

#13

redfishtd

Fleet Mechanic

Joined: Apr 2016

Posts: 1,653

Likes: 193

This can be funny

As I have run whistles for deer in my grills for years to keep from hitting them.
My company cars ,wife's car greatly reduced close calls . Central northern fl ,deer are everywhere at dark . But I realize you are worried about something going bad .

Jun 25, 2017 | 10:50 PM

#14

Black Helmet

Senior User

Joined: Mar 2015

Posts: 304

Likes: 12

From: WA

I've had the alternator whistle with extreme cold temps, pitch almost seems to follow engine RPM. Also, check your cowl and make sure it is tight to the windshield.