Pine Barron

Hi, I just bought an 89 F250 4x4 with a 460 V8 and the 5 speed manual transmission (4+overdrive). It seems like when as a get up speed theres a whining/whizzing sound that comes from about where the transmission is. At about 55 theres a steady whizzing that doesnt seem normal. If i shift into neutral and to a stop the whine slows down as the trucks speed slows down. The sound is almost like it sounds if you drive fast in 4wd high, except its in 2 high and the hubs are unlocked. The previous owner said he had just recently changed the clutch and the clutch fan. Id imagine that there is a transmission dipstick to check the level, but after 15 minutes i couldnt find one. Any help would be appreciated!

Brady

on a manual trans there are 2 big plugs in it..1 on the side and 1 on the bottom the one on the side is to check the fluid level,the 1 on the botom is to drain it. if you take the upper plug out and use your pinky to stick in the hole the fluid should be no more than 1/4 inch down from the threads.
i would also check the transfer case fluid while there.same thing 2 plugs top is for the level.

Just call me Sean

iTrader: (1)

By the way, the 5 speed uses Dextron/Mercon automatic transmission fluid if you need to add some. Make sure someone didn't put gear oil in there because that will trash the tranny. (People put gear oil in because all manual transmissions used to use gear oil, but not nowadays and not that tranny.)

fatboi07

Fyi theres no such thing as a clutch fan. Maybe he ment something else?

bjafeman

While it's hard to diagnose over the web, this sounds like it might be a differential whine. Happens in older vehicles when the ring/pinion mesh gets worn. If you eliminate the transmission, transfer case and other drive line stuff, check there.

Check the fluid level in your diff. Maybe change it out for something synthetic...get the good stuff, it might buy you some time or make the problem go away all together.

If it is a worn differential, the good news is that the noise will likely drive you crazy before it destroys itself. The bad news is that it's not really an "easy" fix.

Just call me Sean

iTrader: (1)

I imagine he meant fan clutch. I've heard many people say it wrong like this.

mitchalvin

Does the noise change while going over different surfaces, bridges concrete, regular roads. Is the noise dependent of vehicle speed or engine speed, in other words does it happen at 55 mph or at 2000 rpm to check find the speed it happens at and downshift the transmission to a lower gear and keep the same speed. If the noise changes slow down and run the same rpm that the noise happened when cruising see if it comes back or changes. This will help narrow down the possibilities of the noise.

87Ford

at 55 what gear are you in if your at a high rpm it would make sence to hear a wining noise but it sounds like your rear get up to speed and push the clutch in and hear for the noise if its gone then you know its the trans if you still hear it its your rear most deff you need a new ring and pinion like bjafeman said the wear out and if you abuse it and tow things you shouldnt or constantly burn out it goes even faster i would first change all the fluids cause i dont think anyone did in a while and see if that helps if not check the rear when you open it up for shaveings or scared gears any damedge check the spaceing on the gears to thats all i can say csause im not there for all i know your wheel bearing could be going but you dont know until you eliminate the others well hope this helped good luck

Pine Barron

Thanks everybody for the suggestions. Sorry for not posting any replies sooner, work has been real busy this week and I just havent had the time.

I checked the transmission fluid and that was fine. My next stop was going to be the tranfer case, simply because thats about the area that the sound seemed to be coming, but the filler plug was stripped pretty bad, so thats a new issue to deal with. I havent played with it, but i imagine I'm going to have to drill it out and get a new one. My mechanic said he'd be able to get me a new one in about a day if i brought in the old one.

Maybe a more accurate description for the sound would be like that of a dump truck slowing down.

Anyhow...I drove about 100 miles this past week, and while the sound is still there it hasnt gotten worse. I think I'm just going to replace all the fluids at this point. I bled the brakes today because they were pretty soupy, and the fluid was anywhere from dark brown to cloudy grey all at the different wheels. I imagine that none of the fluids have been changed in a while and its probably just a good place to start. I just bought about 2 weeks ago, so of course all kinds of little quirks are popping up. Will keep you posted about how it goes with the whining noise as I beat down its source! Thanks again for the info! Its a big help to somebody like myself who only has the basic experience with working on cars.

Pine Barron

By the way, the noise is not linked to the rpms of the motor. When I'm driving at 55 I'm in 5th gear, and the sound is just at its peak. If I'm driving, put it in neutral, turn off the engine and just roll, the sound is still their and slows down proportionally to the speed. So at about 35 I can start to hear the sound and it gradually gets louder as I work through the gears and get up to 55 or 60, and it gets less intense as the vehicle slows down.