Hi, i just joined this site so please be patient. I dont want to write a book but i am really stumped. I have a 2000 F150 4x4 Lariat. About 5 months ago i put in a set of Accel Super Coils. Truck was running fine after this. About 2 months ago I had to replace the intake manifold. It cracked at the crossover tube. Thanks for the posts on here about that one. With all the info here i was able to do it myself. While i had it all apart i cleaned everything good, throttle body, IAC vavle, injectors, etc... Truck ran great and had more power than ever. About a week ago i noticed a whine coming from the engine mainly when starting to accelerate. When home i opened the hood and was reving the engine trying to find the whine and i noticed a slight rattle or knock. After reading on here i have changed the water pump and alternatorand still have the same noises. The rattle has gotten much worse, i can hear it inside the truck now. Never at idle, only when reving the engine and mostly when engine is hot. It also seems to have lost alot of power. I think the fan clutch is bad because i hear a loud wind noise at low speeds and idle. Could the rattle be coming from the fan? Thanks in advance for any suggestions and advice. Have started thinking of trading but I LOVE MY TRUCK!!!!!!!!!!

 

The very first thing to do is remove the serpentine belt and start the truck. If the noise is gone then it likely is a belt tensioner/pulley, belt idler pulley, A/C, P/S, fan, anything driven by that belt.Then manually spin and feel for excessive play in the pulleys of all those components and replace the defective part. If the noise is still there with the belt removed buy a cheap stethescope at Harbor Freight or an auto parts store and move around the engine placing the probe at various locations on the engine, cam covers, front cover, oil pan you get the idea. Once you get a location of the noise it makes it a lot easier to diagnois the component involved. Any codes? How many miles on your truck?

 

To add to what DYNOTECH said, if the noise is present with the belt off, it's most likely a timing chain noise. When a timing chain tensioner goes bad, the chain flaps around and can change the cam timing enough to cause power loss. I would check that sooner rather than later.

 

Thanks for the suggestions. I will try these things Saturday when i am off. No i am not getting any codes and the truck has 176000 miles. The truck is running great just the noise and loss of power. Hopefully it will be a pulley or the fan clutch.

 

Well, yesterday i took the belt off and the noise is still there. So i bought a stethascope and went all over the engine with it. Timing chain covers, cam covers, oil pan, and all i could reach on the block all sound normal, no knocks. It seems the noise is coming from somewhere near the top of engine. If i am at front of truck the noise is at front. If i get near the back of engine it seems the noise is there. I put the stethoscope to the intake and i hear the knock there. Anywhere i touch on the intake i hear it. Then i put it to an injector and i hear the same sound. Could what im hearing possibly be the injector sounds somehow being amplified by the plastic intake?????? I did change the intake a couple of months ago. It is an aftermarket intake. Dont remember the name. I got it on ebay.

 

It wouldn't be from an intake, and the injectors are supposed to make a clicking sound. That sound would be transmitted through the intake, but not enough to be heard clearly without a stethoscope.

If it is a "rattling" sound, I'd bet on a timing chain issue. If it's a consistent tapping, that may be a stuck lash adjuster. If it were my truck, I’d pull the timing cover and inspect the chain and tensioners.

Without hearing the noise for myself, it’s somewhat difficult to diagnose. But generally speaking, the only thing that creates a rattling noise with the belt off is a timing chain flapping around.

 

When you changed the intake manifold did you by chance lose any bolts or nuts that you never found? It is very common when people remove an intake manifold to drop a bolt or nut down into one of the cyl head intake ports. Then during reassembly they assume they just lost the part under the truck and get another bolt without checking inside these ports. I could tell you stories all day long about things we found inside intake ports after dealerships replaced the intake manifold and the engines were later pulled for an unidentified knock. The intake valve will bounce the part around making a fairly loud tap or knock.

 

I dont think i dropped any bolts or anything. I did read about that on here and was very careful about it. I plugged all the openings with rags. I have been driving it for maybe a month and a half since changing the intake and i just started hearing this noise. Not sure if i would call it a rattle or a knock. It kind of sounds like shaking a can of spray paint. I guess i will end up pulling the timing chain covers but with the stethoscope i heard nothing there.

 

Oh it only makes this noise when reving the engine. At idle it is quiet and smooth.

 

Did you touch the plugs at all or do a change while you had the intake mani off?
How many miles are on this thing?
So you don't hear it all on idle? Only when reving? Which part of the reving... RPM's on the way up, top or on the way down

 

Deleted

 

Im sorry it is the 5.4l and has 176000 miles on it. I did change the plugs while doing the intake. Went with Motorcraft. Torqued them to 28 fp. Right no noise at idle. When reving i get the noise like right at the top of the rev, if i hold it steady i can hear it but not as loud, if i give it more gas from steady the noise comes back.

 

I'm not trying to avoid a logical answer here but is it possible that you left a socket, wrench or any type of tool under the intake manifold (in the engine valley)? A tool left/dropped under there will rattle under certain conditions. Now with that said have someone else rev the engine while you listen with the stethescope. You should be able to determine if the noise is under a cam cover or behind the front cover. If you can just narrow it down it would make a big difference in diagnosing the problem. A marble in a can discription is typical of a collapsed lash adjuster or PCV as jbrew mentioned. Thanks.

 

Like I said, - check the EDIT

Forget it, your not listening, - that's alright..

 

Sorry to all that are trying to help me. I work 12 hour shifts 2 on and 2 off. I am by no means a mechanic, just trying to repair my truck without getting ripped off by garages around here. If i am a couple of days without response, i am sorry. I am still trying to locate the noise but have to drive it everyday. No choice right now. I cant understand how something can make a noise like this and run so good. Well thanks again and as soon as i can report something i will. And a message for jbrew. I have read alot of your posts on here. I have seen some good things but it seems that all parts that dont come from Ford are crap to you, so in my opinion if you cant say anything to help why dont you just keep to yourself. Was good that you deleted your post coz it was a waste of space anyway. I did find that the power steering pulley has some play in it but it does still make the noise with the belt off. The pulley will move maybe a quarter inch front to back, no wobble in it.