Hmmm,

Interesting thread. I too have a whine but I 'think' its the tranny. Mine only whines at 50 MPH though. If you throttle up above 50, no whine. Take your foot off the gas let it drop below 50, throttle back up to 50 and there it is.

I can replicate it every time. Guess its time for the dealer for me too. Any thoughts on what it might be guys?

Thanks,

Jim

 

I have an appointment for Monday (1/27), I'll let you guys know the outcome on Tuesday.

Doug.

 

Dealer checked the alternator, it is working fine, just has the loud whine noise to it, so he IS replacing it. Of course, they did not have one, so they ordered it.

Once it is in the truck, I will post the outcome.

Doug.

 

Its sounds like the alternator. My friends Buick La Saber( 2001 )had it and they told him that 's what it was . GM did not have a fix for it . He figures you hear it at idle and up but engine noise cancels out that whine at crusing speed .

 

Yes, that is kind of what I and the service manager thought. The engine and road noise drown it out at higher speeds.

Doug.

 

Doug,
Any news yet on whether the whine in your engine has been cured?

Ride Safe,
RickM46

 

RickM46,

They did replace the alternator. It seems to have made the whine less, but it is still there. The dealer wants me to drive it for a little while (maybe he thinks I will get used to it).

I could probably live with it the way it is now, but I will have to see what happens.

Could I have been lucky enough just to get another noisy alternator? (just not as bad as the other)

Doug.

 

I own a 2002 F-150,I've taking it back 6 times for this whine.Today I'm going to trade it in.I was told it was a Idle air control valve they replaced it twice and the hose on it once.Each time they work on it gets louder.It only does it when it gets below 30 degrees,then it does it at idle and all the way to work.(I Have a hour drive to work.)It has done it since it was new,I didn't think it was that big of a deal until one day I heard my wife drive away in it,It was louder than the dual exhaust.The dealer said they would fix it as long as I owned the truck.But in six tries it just keeps getting worse.

 

Doug, thanks for keeping us posted!

I'm gonna open the hood and have my wife rev the engine a little and see if I can trace it to my alternator.

Thanks!

 

DougS,
Thanks for the update. Keep us posted on how it goes. I'm thinking that if I have mine replaced, it will be with an aftermarket brand.

Ride Safe,
RickM46

 

Doug S.

Any more news on the alternator whine?

Ride safe,
RickM46

 

It's still there, I am about ready to go back to the dealer and see if I can get them to do a more in-depth diagnosis.

It is strange since they replaced the alternator though, some days it is quieter than others, when before, it was the same all the time.

How about you, is yours still the same? Have you done anything different yet?

Doug.

 

Hi Doug,
Sorry I took so long in getting back to you.
No, I havn't done anything with mine; it still whines as good as it did when I got the truck - I have about 2000 miles on her now.
I'm kind of wondering if it may be the power steering unit - I seem to remember from some other threads that it was the culprit.
Anyway, when it gets warmer, I'm going to do some serious listening myself - maybe with a broom handle set against them (alternator and power steering unit) and the other end near my ear.

Let me know if you get anywhere from your end.

Thanks,
Ride Safe,
RickM46

 

Rick,

Yeh, I still sometimes wonder about that power steering unit. When the truck is cold, it seems to whine louder, but the mechanic at the dealership did agree that the noise was coming from the alternator, so I don't know.

The service manager said he is going to talk to some Ford guy that comes in every 2 weeks, (I don't remember what he called him, I guess some kind of service rep.) and see what he knows.

 

My whine has been fixed!!! I am so happy, it only took 6 months for them to figure out what it was.

The dealer called me and told me that they found a "broadcast message" (not sure what that is, I am assuming something on their computer system) that said what to do if the customer complains of excessive power steering whine.

Here is what it states on my repair order as to what they did:
"Remove power steering pump and reclock power steering pump backing plate".

When I talked to the service manager on the phone, he said something about an "index" on the back of the pump that needed turned to allow more fluid flow. I just hope now that the pump has not been damaged from the low flow, but it seems to be working, and sounding, just fine.