After my fruitless 6 or 8 trips to 2 different dealers all I can say is Good Luck.

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Red '00 Lightning,
Adopted 4/19/00,
PSP Filter,
Sound effects provided by Flowmaster,
Track time pending...

 

It sounds to me like it may be the converter trying to decide if it wants to lock or not, it's in the right RPM range and would explain alot of the things you're mentioning such as not under neutral etc... Also, the convertor locks up wihtout going through it's electronic decision tree when under WOT in gears 1-3, so again it would explain that. It's kinda hard to explain what this would sound like, flutter might be a good word. If this is the "problem", I wouldn't worry about it.

Just what I think, I'd have to hear it to decide actually.

Gregg

[This message has been edited by Factory_Tech (edited 05-12-2000).]

 

It sounds like it's under the hood and it still does(did in my case) it if you put the selector in 2nd and drive up to 3k cold or 4k normal running temp. Thats how I would get it to do it when I took the techs and service manager out to listen to it. The most competent diagnosis(IMO) was "accessory" noise. One tech said it was carbon the pistons were hitting, louder when cold(hard carbon), quieted as it warmed up(at that time I didn't know I could duplicate the sound by going to 4k after it warmed up).

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Red '00 Lightning,
Adopted 4/19/00,
PSP Filter,
Sound effects provided by Flowmaster,
Track time pending...

 

Funny that this subject comes up again about 9 months after I first posted it.

Mine still has the same noise after one year and 9K miles and I have more or less gotten used to it. Did not notice it so much in the winter months (Even in GA we have some winter) but it is pretty constant now under the conditions you all have mentioned.

Frankly, I'm just going to live with it. My dealer hasn't a clue and I don't want them messing with the motor and it doesn't seem to do any harm.

Bill

 

Hi everyone!

I'm not sure what I'm actually talking about ( remember I admitted it first ), but doesn't the L have a bypass value that is used when the supercharger isn't under boost. Could this be the sound, the engaging/disengaging of the value. This would explain why it doesn't happen under WOT.

There is one solution, and that is to keep it at WOT!!

ron


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------------------------
2000 Silver Lightning
2000 Silver Grand Am
1996 Honda Shadow A.C.E.
1993 Rudy Covette
1938 Red Chevy Coupe

 

I feel a little ashamed to admit it but there is a little comfort in knowing that there are others with the same problem and that I'm not crazy.

I'll be talking to the dealership today!

Jim

[This message has been edited by FORDSALES (edited 05-12-2000).]

 

Oh, I forgot to say that I agree with Bill in that I don't think this is anything serious. Mine lasted for 8k miles and any monster with that kinda HP and torque woulda' thrown anything major out of there. My concern was any unexplained noise in a limited edition vehicle when/if it came time to sell it. "You want how many thousand $$$ for this and you don't know what that noise is?"

I suppose it could be 38-chevy. Dunno.

------------------
Red '00 Lightning,
Adopted 4/19/00,
PSP Filter,
Sound effects provided by Flowmaster,
Track time pending...




[This message has been edited by 4D THNDR (edited 05-12-2000).]

 

I'm going to take a stab at this. This should be easy to dismiss if I am wrong.

You said it happens immediately after the engine gets unloaded. When this happens, the motor will move a little on its mounts. Could the fan be hitting the shroud at this time? Another member had his fan hitting his intercooler hose ( https://www.f150online.com/f150board...ML/003277.html ), so it is possible for the fan to be hitting something. If the noise lasts more than a second or two, then I doubt this is the problem.

 

Looked for that on mine Strohm. Crawled under it and bent every heatshield away from everything, grabbed every line and tugged to make sure it was secure and not vibrating/rubbing on anything, looked for rub marks on various things, checked all pulley bearings were snug and no play, inspected engine and trans mounts, everything I could think of that would make an out of place noise. Negative on all counts. But that's not saying his isn't doing that.

------------------
Red '00 Lightning,
Adopted 4/19/00,
PSP Filter,
Sound effects provided by Flowmaster,
Track time pending...

 

No. It has nothing to do with the fan hitting anything. That would be very obvious and loud. It is a small rattle, flutter at a very specific point during the RPM climb and it is not loud but very noticeable.

The techs at work were extremely busy today (Friday) so Monday a couple of them will go out with me to see what we are all talking about. Tomorrow I will stop by another dealership.

I work for AutoNation which ownes 400+ dealerships and alot of them are Fords. I will keep taking the L to them until I get an answer.

Jim

 

FORDSALES-
A few weeks back, there was another thread concerning this under the Engine forum. A number of us, including me, experience the exact noise you are describing. We also described it as a "flutter", also a VW-like rattle, etc; occurring only upon acceleration and independent of gas type, temperature, etc. For me, going up grades is when it's most noticable.

No, you are NOT alone...:-)

Anxious to hear what you dealership says...mine claimed both times they couldn't hear anything.


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2000 Wedgewood Blue Expy XLT 5.4L 4WD
C & C group
towing package
beige leather interior
captain's chairs
6 CD Changer
16" AT/S

MODIFICATIONS
Ford Bug Deflector - installed 2/15/2000
Superchip - installed 3/11/2000
Airaid - installed 3/23/2000
Edelbrock IAS shocks - installed 3/23/2000
Jardine cat-back exhaust - installed 4/6/2000

 

Sorry...the other thread is under "Expedition", not "Engines". Sorry for the confusion.

 

I have taken mine to a few dealers with no luck. Today I went to Joe MacPherson Ford, took the engine tech for a ride. He heard the noise and did not know what it was. He thought that it might be the pistons because the new pistons no longer have a shirt. If this is what is causing the noise than Ford has said there will be no harm to the engine.

We both sat down and called Ford and the first thing Ford asked was "does he have a chip?" I said no because the flutter/rattle sound was there before the chip.

Ford asked the tech to get the engine number to find out the build date and they would look into it.

I'm to call MacPherson Ford back in a couple days to find out what Ford has said.

In the mean time, have any of you that have the noise, discovered what it was and which dealership did you take it to??


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Jim
jim@jimshaw.cc

Black 00, Swanson Chip, clear corners, super whites
Airaid w/10" Big Mouth filter, chrome wheels,
AIM 2" drop shackles, Mobile1 w/FilterMag, 35% tint
2000 E320, 1993 Cobra R, 1959 Corvette, 1949 Plymouth Coupe

Looking for a better paying job to support my L

 

Just for the record, I as well hear the "flutter" and took it to Prestige Ford in Garland, and they either didn't know what it was, or played dumb and said that they didn't hear it. A tech rode with me and claimed to hear nothing. I thought it was an exhaust leak coming from the manifold, but the tech said that a 'check engine' light would come on if that was the case.

With the windows down, I can hear it coming out the tailpipe as well as from the motor. I can only hear it when accelerating moderately to heavily.

I still think it sounds like an exhaust leak.

Anyone in Dallas have this problem and had it fixed?

 

WOW,The things you hear on this board.I have the same (problem)?? .Mine happens when I romp on the gas and let off right before shift point.Its like a flutter.I just noticed it the other day and is not at all harsh sounding,Its more like a flutter.My best guess is the boost wastegate ??It happens all the time.