Help! An unexplained rattle
Thread Starter
Junior Member
Joined: Jan 2026
Posts: 1
Likes: 0
Help! An unexplained rattle
07 F150 5.4L 4x4
Mileage- 258k
Engine replaced with Jasper at 238k
Regular oil changes and service since I got it at 190k a few years ago
Issue: Rattle sound (sounds metallic) that increases in volume with rpms, starts around 1800-2000RPMs and will start sooner under load, especially hills. The sound is loudest on driver's side. If I let off the gas the rattle stops. If I get back into the throttle it will return. Sometimes when giving it more throttle it will downshift into 2nd or 3rd and the rpms hit 2500ish and the sound is not audible. It does it consistently in that RPM range, regardless of gear. If I am on the interstate at 65-70 and start up a hill the sound will start up.
One shop said sounds like torque converter, another shop tested trans and torque converter and everything had great pressure with no signs of any issues. The second shop was unable to identify the source of the noise.
Sound cannot be replicated in neutral and is only heard when driving.
I have checked underneath for any loose exhaust brackets or other metal that could be making the noise with no luck.
Any thoughts??
Mileage- 258k
Engine replaced with Jasper at 238k
Regular oil changes and service since I got it at 190k a few years ago
Issue: Rattle sound (sounds metallic) that increases in volume with rpms, starts around 1800-2000RPMs and will start sooner under load, especially hills. The sound is loudest on driver's side. If I let off the gas the rattle stops. If I get back into the throttle it will return. Sometimes when giving it more throttle it will downshift into 2nd or 3rd and the rpms hit 2500ish and the sound is not audible. It does it consistently in that RPM range, regardless of gear. If I am on the interstate at 65-70 and start up a hill the sound will start up.
One shop said sounds like torque converter, another shop tested trans and torque converter and everything had great pressure with no signs of any issues. The second shop was unable to identify the source of the noise.
Sound cannot be replicated in neutral and is only heard when driving.
I have checked underneath for any loose exhaust brackets or other metal that could be making the noise with no luck.
Any thoughts??
F150 Vendor
Joined: Jan 2025
Posts: 1,014
Likes: 683
If you want to check for loose heat shields etc I've found that tapping different areas with a rubber hammer can really be effective in finding the source of the sound.
-Steve
-Steve
