Hi Guys and Gals
This is my first post so stick with me.I've noticed that when you start up the truck(it happens more often in morning) that the motor "roars" more than usual and when it does that and I start driving it just seems like no power is going to wheels.The motor roars and we just don't go like we should then after I get on the main road it seems like the torque converter fills up with oil or something,the motor stops roaring and away we go.took it to dealer and they couldn't find anything wrong but they have heard of that before but nver told me anything else. ok Lightning pros what could it be????

 

Frank,
Sounds of roaring first thing in the morning or first start up usually is associated with the clutch fan not loosening up yet. Also, if the tranny's not up to temperature, the torque converter will not lock up. This adds rpm's, so it makes the radiator fan even louder. Of course, this is my opinion--the opinion of other eggspurts may vary

 

JIGAWATT-Sound like a winner to me!!!
Mine does the same thing if I don't let it warm up alittle first.

Dan

[This message has been edited by videoman (edited 09-08-2000).]

 

I get that as well, seems to happen more if I park facing uphill (?), but I'm nore sure on that.

I did happen to notice by chance that it goes away if I rev the engine up a bit (~4500rpm) for a sec before driving...

Coming from a car with a choke, I havn't thought anything of it so far.

Daniel

 

Jigawatt seems to be right. I have noticed that it is worse under light load (no boost). If you accelerate just hard enough to bring the boost needle to 2-3 psi and hold it there for a few seconds the problem seems to go away sooner.

 

Frank.. Not to worry --It is the clutch fan.It is locked at first and because of the pitch of the blades you get the noise. Enjoy Don

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(2000 Rd Lightning)

 

That fan roar does freak you out doesnt it ?? Now think about how much HP is wasted in cooling the engine in bursts like that.... Wouldnt a killer electric fan system with a thermostat system be a better solution ?? The fan runs at full speed when ever needed rather than at full speed only when engine is at enough RPM's

Doug

 

Forgive my ignorance, but where is the clutch fan? Is that the main (large) cooling fan for the engine?

Daniel

 

Yea Pawn thats it. If you notice (when the engine is OFF) you can turn the fan blades. Thats becasue there is a clutch built into it that is sort of temp controlled to grab and spin more at the engine heats up. In the morning it hasnt really adjusted to current conditions when you first start. When they go out your engine will run hot. You will know because you can test by trying to spin the blades by hand (with the engine OFF). If they spin real easily you probably need a new clutch. When mine went out on my Gen 1, pep boys had a heavy duty bendix unit that I bought. Man it really hooked up. Truck sounded like a airplane all the time, but it really cooled the system well here in Houston.
Noel

 

frankl,
I wouldn't worry to much about it. My Lightning does it every time it is cold and I start it, sort of sounds neat. My 99 F150 4X4 did the exact same thing.

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00 Black Lightning
No mods yet, just enjoying her stock for now!

 

There will actually be more of the engine power going to the wheels, because an auto tranny with cold (thick) fluid will be more efficient.

The engine does not have the same power when cold, and the fan takes a huge amount of power to turn. It is an engine management strategy Ford uses to try to protect a cold engine from high rpm until warmed up.

Combined with the initial 2000 rpm surge (to ensure sufficient oil flow on cold starts) it makes for an impressive amount of noise !

[This message has been edited by BlackLight (edited 09-08-2000).]

 

Man, it is really nice when a bunch of us from all over the country can help a new owner and all come up with exactly the same answer.
I posted pretty much the same question last October when the 99's encountered their first cool weather and got very different answers.

Now, who will be the first 2000 owner to ask why his/her trannie does not go into OD at 38-40 mph at less than 60 degrees? That one stumped several of us for a few days.

Bill

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99.5 Lightning
Build #247
PSP Chip/Filter
Bassani full system
White/normal options
Tamiya 1/10 scale Bolt
Several old trucks/cars
Thunder & Lightning
Rag Doll Cats
E-mail MOSTOYSINC@AOL.com
Kennesaw, Ga. (Atlanta)

 

A few random notes....

Good comments by the way,

The converter will not lock up until the fluid gets to 90 degrees, unitl it does, the fluid circulates thru the CBV (Coolant Bypass Vavle) instead of thru the radiator, the CBV is the black pipe looking thing on the driver's side.

The fan clutch I think is an inertia clutch, temperature doesn't matter, it RPMs, at X RPMs the centrifugal force cuts out the fan.

I'm pretty sure that fluid viscosity (how thick the fluid is) is constant, regardless of temperature, but I'm not sure. One of the first things we learn in "transmission school" is that a liquid cannot be compressed, this is one of the primary princeples of how a transmission (or any hydraulic pump) works. Taking as a given that fluid cannot be compressed, I would believe that temperature wouldn't matter, because pressure would be constant. Just what I think.

GBE

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'00 Lightning
Manufacturing Tech at Sharonville Transmission Plant

 

Thanks Guys,as long as I know it's not the tranny I can live with it! Thanks again.