SAWMAN556

2007 XLT 5.4 Supercab 4x4 70000 miles

Hey all. My truck is making a weird noise. It seems to be coming from under the cabin towards the front. It made the noise for a few weeks about a year ago and then it stopped until the last couple weeks. It sounds like if you had a spring wound up and you released it in a coffee can. Sometimes it will only last a second and other times maybe 15 seconds. The truck drives fine and I can't seem to reproduce it for a mechanic. It just comes and goes. Any thoughts? Thanks.

mbct

I seem to have the same noise (like dropping a patio screen with nylon rollers, or a can full of BB's) and posted in Maintenance. So far, just a suggestion to duct tape trim one piece at a time until you find a loose piece. So for today, I can positively state that it is NOT the trim strips that go over the roof just above the windows.

Bossgame

Kind of sounds like a 4x4 issues. I.e. Loss of vacuum to hubs. I had the same thing. Sounded like you describe. Get a hand vacuum pump with a gauge and test the system. Can be rented from auto parts store. My 2 cents!

Tons of forums on here about it. I replaced my solenoid for $35 and it's all good. 4x4 works great.

VTX1800N1

When the noise happens, immediately switch to 4WD (it won't hurt anything as long as you are not making a sharp turn and are under 50 MPH, even on dry pavement). If the noise goes away, see: https://www.f150forum.com/f72/how-di...72/?styleid=14

SAWMAN556

Do you might have a pic of where this solenoid is? Is it an easy fix I can do in my driveway?

Thanks.

SAWMAN556

The noise won't last long enough for me to try this. Do you think it's the solenoid like think above poster suggested? Thanks for the link.

Bossgame

Extremely easy. Unclip the wire connection and pull off. Pull off the vacuum lines. Undo the 2 nuts. Pull off. Replace. Hook it all back up. Here's pics of the solenoid on truck. And my new vs. old one. And what the new one looks like. $35 at auto parts store. I got the doorman brand one. Cheaper and should be great as a replacement. So far fixed my problem.

It's on the firewall passenger side behind battery

VTX1800N1

If that's the case, unplug the solenoid electrical connector. This won't hurt a thing other than costing you a little fuel mileage and your 4x4 won't engage. You might have to drive it for a few weeks to make sure the noise doesn't come back, or you could just go straight to the tests in my How To....

SAWMAN556

Well I jacked up the front of my truck one side at a time. Both shafts spin with the engine off and they don't spin with the engine on. With the truck running I removed the vacuum lines and both wheels spin. Seems from what I am reading everything is working there. There is sufficient vacuum when the truck is running to keep the hubs unlocked... correct? What should I do next?

Thanks for the help, I need a break. An easy fix would make my month.

VTX1800N1

Test the vacuum check valves and you really need a vacuum pump/gauge to see how much vacuum you are getting at each wheel with the engine running.