Strange noise coming from Engine Bay...need some help

mlara1129

mlara1129

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03 LSV8 106k

Symptoms:
Hey guys, im getting a weird noise from my engine. The noise is only present when the car is cold, like when i turn it on in the mornings or when its been sitting for a while. Once it gets to normal operating temp it goes away. If i drive while still cold the noise speeds up as the car speeds up, or if i rev it up in park.

Im taking my car to get new coils and spark plugs this weekend, so i was hoping to be able to point my mechanic in some general direction. Any ideas/suggestions?

video: Sorry my engine bay is filthy.
YouTube - Lincoln LS Engine Noise

THANKS in Advance.
 
FASTLLS said:
I would say check the belt first (cheapest), then my next guess would be a bearing on something going bad..
Click to expand...

yea i was thinking the belt as well. And i was getting the coils and plugs replaced anyway, they are way overdue.

thanks FAST
 
Its the belt and the belt tensioner.

Sometimes it can also be the idler pulley. I replaced my belt and it went away but it came back again because i didnt replace the tensioner at the same time.
 
BlackLS06 said:
Its the belt and the belt tensioner.
Click to expand...

That could be caused by a bad bearing in something.. Like the AC compressor in my Dad's wife's Exploder.. She went trough a belt every 6 months and a tensioner every year because of it..

No problem.. :) Defiantly check the cheaper parts first and work your way up..
 
+1 on the belt and tensioner. I watched a comparison video on bad vs good tensioners, and the noises that the "bad" tensioner emitted were very similar to that one.
 
I am having the same issue right now. I replaced my belt on Sunday thinking that was the problem, and since putting the new belt on it has ruined two belts. Since i have a warranty, I have an appointment with the dealership tomorrow. Right now I am actually waiting for the tow truck to pick it up.
 
Just heard from the dealer that the problem with mine is the crankshaft pulley. Unfortunately it is on the national backorder list and don't know when its coming!
 
JMARZILLI said:
Just heard from the dealer that the problem with mine is the crankshaft pulley. Unfortunately it is on the national backorder list and don't know when its coming!
Click to expand...

Seriously? It's just a typical damper pulley. Not much to fail there unless the rubber is shot, and that's unlikely at this age unless it's been horribly mistreated.
I think the dealer ain't right.
Now, if somehow, the grooves got jacked and are now cutting it apart, then sure. But how in the world did it get to that place?
Probably best to just go to a yard and pull one. Rent the correct puller from the dude on eBay - much easier than the generic pullers.
 
Last edited:
They said the pulley was wobbling. The dealership has also contacted a few salvage yards in the area, and they all said they wont part an engine.
 
oddball said:
Seriously? It's just a typical balancer. Not much to fail there unless the rubber is shot, and that's unlikely at this age unless it's been horribly mistreated.
I think the dealer ain't right.
Now, if somehow, the grooves got jacked and are now cutting it apart, then sure. But how in the world did it get to that place?
Probably best to just go to a yard and pull one. Rent the correct puller from the dude on eBay - much easier than the generic pullers.
Click to expand...

This would be the second LS that I have heard of where the damper pulley messed up. I've also heard of this on other Fords lately.
(It is the rubber that fails.)
 
joegr said:
This would be the second LS that I have heard of where the damper pulley messed up. I've also heard of this on other Fords lately.
(It is the rubber that fails.)
Click to expand...

It must be somewhat common if they are back ordered nationwide.
 
Hit up a pick'n'pull yard.

Good to know this has become a problem area. Would've thought having a bullet-proof pulley would be easy.
 
Another victim

Does anyone know if the Oil cooler (V8 sport) really has to be removed to replace the crankshaft (damper) pulley?
 
You had company.

I started off with a squeak upon start up.
It progressed to an intermittant thumping noise on those freezing mornings.

I purchased a replacement idler pulley and the belt tensioner pulley
from Ford. (same part)

It made sense to change both since I was already in there.

Investigation revealed the squeak was from the idler pulley and
the worn out tensioner pulley was causing the tensioner to drag and then snap back
creating the thump.

PS. The OEM pulleys have been considerably upgraded with the new Ford parts.
The bearing surface is spread across the width of the pulley bore now instead of just the front half
of the pulley.
 
pagluy said:
Original video is gone. Wondering what this sounded like :(
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It kind of a bird chirping sound. In my case, it goes away after the engine and belt warm up. Looking down at the crank pulley while the engine is running, you can see it wobble slightly.
 
joegr said:
It kind of a bird chirping sound. In my case, it goes away after the engine and belt warm up. Looking down at the crank pulley while the engine is running, you can see it wobble slightly.
Click to expand...

yup that was/is exactly my case. Never actually got the problem fixed, but it gradually just went away on its on. i can hear it sometimes but very slightly. Maybe its the warmer weather?

let me know what happens with your problem. Any changes in how the car drives?

ill post the video up again, tonight.
 
joegr said:
Looking down at the crank pulley while the engine is running, you can see it wobble slightly.
Click to expand...

You may see slight wobble which is normal, that is why they call it a balancer, it absorbs the vibration from the crank. But nothing out of normal in what you see. What I ususally do is take a bottle of window cleaner or rubble alcohol in spray bottle and at start up spray some on each pulley 1 at a time, and each pulley see which one stops chirping. The windex or rubbing alcohol will dry up fast and not leave a residue. If it stops at a certain pulley after spraying it, the pulley may need to be cleaned, or it may be a worn belt or tacky belt.
 
mlara1129 said:
yup that was/is exactly my case. Never actually got the problem fixed, but it gradually just went away on its on. i cant hear it sometimes but very slightly. Maybe its the warmer weather?

let me know what happens with your problem. Any changes in how the car drives?

ill post the video up again, tonight.
Click to expand...

I do suspect that warmer temperatures help.
No changes in the car except for the chirping noise. I think that eventually, it will at least throw the belt off and do some damage. I've read of several Fords having this problem, and on some of them the crank pulley flew apart while they were driving. I don't think that I am in great danger yet, but I'd rather fix this than worry about it (assuming that replacement parts are now available).
 
joegr said:
Does anyone know if the Oil cooler (V8 sport) really has to be removed to replace the crankshaft (damper) pulley?
Click to expand...

From working on mine w/o a cooler......
I can only assume the manual says that if the hoses or connections are in the way. Might need the space to drop the pulley out the bottom. I had the radiator and entire accessory drive off at the time, so had plenty of room. You might not want to have that much collateral damage, though.
Hey, might as well get the new gaskets for the cooler and adapter. :D
 
Raped Ape said:
You may see slight wobble which is normal, that is why they call it a balancer, it absorbs the vibration from the crank. But nothing out of normal in what you see. What I ususally do is take a bottle of window cleaner or rubble alcohol in spray bottle and at start up spray some on each pulley 1 at a time, and each pulley see which one stops chirping. The windex or rubbing alcohol will dry up fast and not leave a residue. If it stops at a certain pulley after spraying it, the pulley may need to be cleaned, or it may be a worn belt or tacky belt.
Click to expand...

It's too much wobble. The crankshaft pulley on my 04 is perfectly smooth.
 
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