Sounds in front end, sorry this is long
03-05-2010, 09:13 AM
#1
Something
Thread Starter
Sounds in front end, sorry this is long
2005 5.4L XLT with 105,000 miles.
Hey all. So I've been getting short clunking sounds in my front end when accelerating from a stop but still haven't fixed it yet. It's a heavy kind of click sound that happens only once whenever I begin moving from a stop. Maybe a bad front hub. Now I am getting a heavy vacuum leak sound coming from the same side in the front end (drive's side), at least it sounds like it is coming from the front end. I will have someone help me this weekend so I can stand outside while they throttle it up so I can try to pinpoint this sound.
It sounds like an air leak at my IWE actuator which would make sense, but the sound does not go away when I switch to 4x4, it is the same. (I have the new design IWE solenoid installed, but haven't checked to see if it is working correctly). It does go away if I put the tranny into neutral, even if the truck is still in movement. (I'm moving along and hear the sound, then I throw her in neutral while still moving and the sound goes away). I would hate for this to be my transmission. Anyone ever have their tranny make a vacuum leak sound or something like that? You can only hear the sound with the driver's door open while hitting the throttle in gear. The sound is more pronounced when moving slowly, but I'm not sure if this may just be because everything gets louder as the truck moves faster. I have also been getting vibrations while driving that resemble torque converter shudder. Will torque converters begin making sounds like I am getting when they are going bad?
Anyone have any trouble like this. So far I am going to replace the front wheel hub and IWE actuator, maybe both sides just to get it done, and blow out the vacuume lines for the system, plus I will check all the other hoses too. The truck has 105,000 miles on it. Before I bought it one of the cat. converters were changed out but not the other. This make me think that maybe I have a leak at the exhaust manifold due to a clogged converter but with the truck in neutral I can open the throttle up and never get this sound so I guess it may not be the cat. Anyone? Thanks for any help!
Hey all. So I've been getting short clunking sounds in my front end when accelerating from a stop but still haven't fixed it yet. It's a heavy kind of click sound that happens only once whenever I begin moving from a stop. Maybe a bad front hub. Now I am getting a heavy vacuum leak sound coming from the same side in the front end (drive's side), at least it sounds like it is coming from the front end. I will have someone help me this weekend so I can stand outside while they throttle it up so I can try to pinpoint this sound.
It sounds like an air leak at my IWE actuator which would make sense, but the sound does not go away when I switch to 4x4, it is the same. (I have the new design IWE solenoid installed, but haven't checked to see if it is working correctly). It does go away if I put the tranny into neutral, even if the truck is still in movement. (I'm moving along and hear the sound, then I throw her in neutral while still moving and the sound goes away). I would hate for this to be my transmission. Anyone ever have their tranny make a vacuum leak sound or something like that? You can only hear the sound with the driver's door open while hitting the throttle in gear. The sound is more pronounced when moving slowly, but I'm not sure if this may just be because everything gets louder as the truck moves faster. I have also been getting vibrations while driving that resemble torque converter shudder. Will torque converters begin making sounds like I am getting when they are going bad?
Anyone have any trouble like this. So far I am going to replace the front wheel hub and IWE actuator, maybe both sides just to get it done, and blow out the vacuume lines for the system, plus I will check all the other hoses too. The truck has 105,000 miles on it. Before I bought it one of the cat. converters were changed out but not the other. This make me think that maybe I have a leak at the exhaust manifold due to a clogged converter but with the truck in neutral I can open the throttle up and never get this sound so I guess it may not be the cat. Anyone? Thanks for any help!
03-05-2010, 11:24 AM
#2
your clunk when starting from a stop could be the rear driveshaft. they tend to need re=greasing so they slide in and out of the tranny smoother. you also could have a bad u-joint, which could also cause the vibration you mention. those are a couple easy and cheap items to check first.
as for your hissing sound, thats kinda hard to diagnose over the internet. you can however check you iwes and hubs easily to rule them out. let your truck idle in 2wd, and try to turn the front axles by hand. they should rotate freely without any binding. if there is binding, then its likely that you have a bad iwe, but that will usually be shown with a grinding noise while driving in 2wd, regardless of gas pedal position, and will go away when you switch to 4wd.
i would first just look around and check for any loose vacuum lines. you can also use a vacuum gauge to measure the vacuum at your iwe. if your iwe solenoid is working properly, you should have 0 vacuum in 4wd, and about 20-21" vacuum in 2wd at idle.
i hope this helps some. post back with anything you find, and maybe we can help you more.
as for your hissing sound, thats kinda hard to diagnose over the internet. you can however check you iwes and hubs easily to rule them out. let your truck idle in 2wd, and try to turn the front axles by hand. they should rotate freely without any binding. if there is binding, then its likely that you have a bad iwe, but that will usually be shown with a grinding noise while driving in 2wd, regardless of gas pedal position, and will go away when you switch to 4wd.
i would first just look around and check for any loose vacuum lines. you can also use a vacuum gauge to measure the vacuum at your iwe. if your iwe solenoid is working properly, you should have 0 vacuum in 4wd, and about 20-21" vacuum in 2wd at idle.
i hope this helps some. post back with anything you find, and maybe we can help you more.
03-05-2010, 11:27 AM
#3
Member
Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: cold hill ky, just the other side of hell's outhouse:)
Posts: 805
Likes: 0
Received 1 Like
on
1 Post
your clunk when starting from a stop could be the rear driveshaft. they tend to need re=greasing so they slide in and out of the tranny smoother. you also could have a bad u-joint, which could also cause the vibration you mention. those are a couple easy and cheap items to check first.
as for your hissing sound, thats kinda hard to diagnose over the internet. you can however check you iwes and hubs easily to rule them out. let your truck idle in 2wd, and try to turn the front axles by hand. they should rotate freely without any binding. if there is binding, then its likely that you have a bad iwe, but that will usually be shown with a grinding noise while driving in 2wd, regardless of gas pedal position, and will go away when you switch to 4wd.
i would first just look around and check for any loose vacuum lines. you can also use a vacuum gauge to measure the vacuum at your iwe. if your iwe solenoid is working properly, you should have 0 vacuum in 4wd, and about 20-21" vacuum in 2wd at idle.
i hope this helps some. post back with anything you find, and maybe we can help you more.
as for your hissing sound, thats kinda hard to diagnose over the internet. you can however check you iwes and hubs easily to rule them out. let your truck idle in 2wd, and try to turn the front axles by hand. they should rotate freely without any binding. if there is binding, then its likely that you have a bad iwe, but that will usually be shown with a grinding noise while driving in 2wd, regardless of gas pedal position, and will go away when you switch to 4wd.
i would first just look around and check for any loose vacuum lines. you can also use a vacuum gauge to measure the vacuum at your iwe. if your iwe solenoid is working properly, you should have 0 vacuum in 4wd, and about 20-21" vacuum in 2wd at idle.
i hope this helps some. post back with anything you find, and maybe we can help you more.
03-05-2010, 12:40 PM
#4
Something
Thread Starter
thanks
Thanks for the input everyone. Yeah I am going to check everything out this weekend, plus I'm replacing my hub assy. and IWE actuator. Hopefully it is just a vacuum leak at the hub. I guess I'll find out.
03-25-2010, 08:23 AM
#5
Something
Thread Starter
well....
Well I have ended up replacing the front wheel hubs, the IWE actuators and the vacuum lines for the IWE system, and yes I replaced the solenoid, but a while ago. I still have this air whoosing sound when I accelerate. Although all my other weird sounds are gone (like the screeching that began in my hubs). And that dumb clunking sound I explained is gone, probably due to the replacment of the hub(s) as well.
Back to the whooshing sound. It is probably a vacuum leak in my front end. Like I said before, it is only there when I throttle up while in gear. Happens in 2-wheel and 4-wheel drive, no difference between the two. I'm taking a guess when I say it's probably happening when enternal engine pressure rises due to the amount of torque the engine must create to move the truck. So it's probably a leak in my exhaust manifold, or intake maybe, possibly around the throttle body. Or else a vacuum leak with the brake system. Dammit I'm going to have bruised and bloody hands before this is over; why did Ford have to leave so little room to work with in the engine compartment?
Back to the whooshing sound. It is probably a vacuum leak in my front end. Like I said before, it is only there when I throttle up while in gear. Happens in 2-wheel and 4-wheel drive, no difference between the two. I'm taking a guess when I say it's probably happening when enternal engine pressure rises due to the amount of torque the engine must create to move the truck. So it's probably a leak in my exhaust manifold, or intake maybe, possibly around the throttle body. Or else a vacuum leak with the brake system. Dammit I'm going to have bruised and bloody hands before this is over; why did Ford have to leave so little room to work with in the engine compartment?
03-25-2010, 11:45 AM
#6
Senior Member
Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: Bark River, MI
Posts: 110
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
i wouldnt think that it is your exhaust manifold you would hear a horrible ticking noise and i dont think that the exhaust manifold has anything to do with vacuum lines or the pressure in them. Im not positive but i dont think there is any vacuum pressure in those? anyone else beleive the same thing?
