Hello all. New to this forum so please be gentle .

I recently purchased a 2004 F-150 Screw 4X4 Lariat. Truck rides
and drives great, however I have noticed in about the last 500 miles or so (currently at about 3500 miles) that at speeds of
about 40-50 I hear a "whining" noise, ususally when topping a hill, or on a level grade. It goes away if I speed up, slow down
etc, but it is quite noticable (almost siren like). Is this a problem anyone else has experienced? Any input or info is appreciated.

Thanks !

 

Havent had this problem, but if it is noticeable, take it in to the dealer so they can listen to it and possibly fix it. So many times a problem is intermittent and the mechanic cant find anything wrong.

 

Hey, davatk welcome to the forum.
You need to get some pics of your truck posted so we can have a look!
If you search for whining you will come up with a lot of reading.

Good Luck with your new truck, and Enjoy

 

Use the search function of this site to search for the word "whine" or "whining" specifically in the in the "2004 F150" forum.

Congrats on your new truck. Post pics when you get a chance.

 

the whine is well documented here - I had mine fixed by replacing ring and pinion.

 

Well, did some searching thru the forums and it appears that I for sure have the dreaded rear end whine/howl feature. Kinda depressing for a brand new truck to have this problem, especially since it seems to be widespread and nothing new to Ford F-150's.
I have bought imports over the past 20 years, just because of some bad experiences with domestic vehicles in the early 80's. But I figured, hey, F-150's are rated the best trucks etc. so I can't go wrong.

I really like the truck, but just dread the experience of trying to get this fixed, and wonder if there is any other "lurking" problems with these vehicles that Ford refuses to fix.

Anyway, guess I'll call the dealer and get the ball rolling.

Wish me luck, and I'll try to update all on the progress of the fix.

 

Well took the truck into the dealer yesterday. They had it all day and said they couldn't figure out what was making the noise. Gave me a loaner to drive home and are going to look at it again today. I figured I'd do them the courtesy of "assuming" they know their jobs (especially since they have a "truck team"), and not mention to them the TSB in regards to rear end whining/howling. I figure I'll give them another day to track it down before I start getting too "overheated".

BTW, they gave me a brand new 2005 Ford Focus for a loaner which is about as much of a piece of junk as I've ever driven. Glad I got my daughter a Civic instead of a Focus. I've driven go-carts that ride better.

Anyway, will post when I have more info to share.

Goodday all !

 

I'm still very curious about this whining. To date, no one has disproved my theory that it's the woman sitting in the passenger seat that's making the noise.

*dives under a table*

RP

 

Your truck is suffering from the infamous rear end whine that Ford just can't seem to correct. My 2003 Screw FX4 went through the same thing until the rear end was replaced. Now, it's quiet and peaceful. I was told by a service advisor that the 2004s were experiencing the whine at a greater rate than other year models. In any case, it's probably the ring and pinion that are bad. Good Luck in getting your truck fixed. Oh! I agree with the negativity of driving a loaner vehicle. When my truck was receiving its repairs, I had to drive a Sable which was horrible. Keep us posted!

 

Well, still haven't gotten the truck back yet. Dealer said they isolated it to a bad bearing in rear end, and were waiting on the all the parts to arrive to finish repair. Honestly, I'm not optimistic, but we'll see.

Hopefully next time I post I can use one of the smiley icons.

 

Some might call that a theory, but its fact based in many ways.

and that's NOT

 

Well, here's the report.

Dealer replaced a pinion bearing and rear end fluid, did a test drive and said "still makes a little noise, but after driving a couple of new ones to compare it to, it now seems normal".

So, I go to pick up truck and first thing I notice is grease spots on the inside carpet, console, and steering wheel. Unfortunately I believe that getting your vehicle interior dirty during service IS normal at most dealerships.



Anyway, drove the truck home, and noticed absolutely NO IMPROVEMENT in the whining noise.

Needless to say I'll be going back. The comment that I read here that FORD doesn't have a fix for this problem doesn't cut it as far as I am concerned. I didn't pay 35K to hear a siren in my drive train while driving down the road.

Can you say Lemon Law?? Hope it doesn't get to that, but...

Will update all on my next service visit when it happens.

 

I wholeheartedly agree with you. These trucks are not cheap in cost, and you expect it to be problem free, especially when it's new. I read somewhere ( can't remember where) that upwards of 20% to 30% of differentials were experiencing the whining. Hopefully, they can fix it or install another rear end. I couldn't stand that whining noise, but now it's peaceful. Good Luck.

 

that was my diagnosis....

 

Try another dealer, maybe they will have better luck figuring out waht the problem is and fixing it.