Cain64

It might be one of the pullets. Idler on either side there is 2 thats what mine was, to turn out it seized up, and made that noise

Mike

how much does one usually run ya?

DanYokim77

I took off the pulley on the passenger side and it spun just fine. It was quite too and had no play. I had a new one in my hand but decided not to replace it because I assumed it was fine. But who knows, maybe at high speeds it gets noisy. I really doubt it though. I guess what I could try is just removing the pulley all together and see if the whining sound is still there. The pulley just comes off with one bolt anyways and takes 10 seconds to take it off withought even having to release the tension on the belt. I'll try this and let you know the outcome. I think the pulley cost me $48, the Belt Tensioner (complete assembly) cost me $78.
The whine is ALWAYS there when I'm driving, whether I have my heat/AC on or not. That's why I'm hesitant to replace anything to do with the AC pulley. I really hope I get this sorted out soon. It's been something that has been really nagging at me whenever I drive my truck. I'm installing a Spectra Cold Air Intake as soon as it arrives this week. So I'd like to have everything working 100% so it all sounds nice after I get the new intake installed. I'll post pics of that install as well.

Moose08

Mine had a tick like that too for the ac, it slowly started to tick more n more then the ac no longer worked , i asumed the pump died. Since then the ticking is gone, i dont use a/c but when i finaly do take it out ill let ya know what was up.

DanYokim77

Well, after some more research I stumpled upon this... Power Steering Vacuum leak. The engine whine that I'm experiencing is constant, and not just when I turn my wheels. So that's why I haven't checked the Power Steering Pump yet. But after reading about how the Power Steering Pump can cause a simular whine I started to investigate some more.
I found a write up that explained how a Vacuum leak in the Power Steering system could cause damage/wear on the Power Steering Pump and cause a whining sound. Here is how to check your vacuum system on your Power Steering Pump...
By putting a vacuum gauge/check on the Power Steering Reservour at 20"/Hg for about 5 minutes you can tell if the system is holding vacuum. A slight loss is OK, but more than 2-3"/Hg means that air is getting in somewhere. If the vacuum/fluid level goes down after 5 min then top off the reservour as needed. Continue this until the fluid level remains stable. Then start the truck and look for bubbles in the fluid. If there are bubbles then you will need to apply the vacuum one more time. If no bubbles, then crank the wheels left and right 5-10 times and recheck the fluid level. If still good then your done!!
Even with no visable leaks from the Power Steering there can still be a vacuum leak in the system. Look for slight stains on the vacuum hoses and check all hose clamps to make sure they are tight. Rubber hoses can harden and clamps can loosen. After checking and tightening all the connections where vacuum leaks can occur, re-apply the vacuum gauge and check to see if the system doesn't lose vacuum anymore.
This could very easily be causing the whining sound that some of us think is coming from the Belt Tensioner/Idler Pulleys.
I will be doing this check on my truck as soon as I go buy a Vacuum tester and have enough daylight. I will let you know if this solves anything.

tgarland

Check your alternator. I had a problem with my 04 fx4. It was making a sound like a super charger. It was a bearing out inside the alternator. Mine would make make the noise taking off and when i would stay at the same speed for a period of time. If i was you i would check your alternator it can be working fine but still have a bearing going out.

XTMACX

Did some searching and found this... check it out.

http://www.stangnet.com/images/stori...s/08-04-02.pdf

DanYokim77

I had my alternator checked out an Alternator shop (on the truck) and it checked out fine. Well actually all they did was check the voltage readout at the battery with the truck running... but they said it was charging just fine. But yeah I guess it could have a bad bearing inside and still read that it's charging the system normally. One way to find out for sure is by removing the alternator and spinning the pulley to hear if it's making a noise. That will be on my list of things to try... and definetly something I will check before pulling my Power Steering Pump.
I checked my Idler Pulley again lastnight and it was still fine. I even removed it completely and ran the engine but the whine was still there.

We're getting close boys!! Soon I'll figure out WTF is making this annoying sound

Thanks for all the help. Will continue to update my progress so that maybe this post can help someone else down the road.

tgarland

You may not have to remove your alternator. Get a mechanic's stethoscope and listen to your alternator while your truck is making the noise. You will be able to tell if its your alternator. This is hard to catch. Most people figure since the alternator is charging fine that its fine. I have had this problem myself. I hope this is problem. Its a easy fix. Let me know what you find out.

Borka200

Hey folks! I've got a 1999 Ford F150 Triton V8 AT that I've been driving while my father is out of the country. I'm experiencing the exact same problem as DanYokim77... sounds like a supercharger under the hood all of a sudden. I've read on related forums that it may be a bearing in the transmission... anyone have any luck with this yet?