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Moaning engine?

My '97 XLT with 4.0 pushrod engine and manual trans. has lately developed an odd symptom. In hot weather at idle the engine makes a loud continuous "tone"-like sound. It seems to change slightly at different engine speeds, but not proportionally and not much until RPM's are up at driving speeds when it disappears. It doesn't matter whether the A/C compressor is running or not. It isn't always there, but when it started doing this in a parking lot today, I popped the hood and it seems to be generally in the area of a belt pulley right behind the radiator. Any clues what this is or what to do about it?

=Vic= Bear Gap, PA

Reply to
Vic Klein
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Maybe your water pump is going out. Have a 96 w/ 90k miles that recently (although gradually) started giving off a louder tone from the engine. Then the serp belt shredded. We replaced the belt (didn't know about the water pump) and the tensioner. Then a few 100 miles later, another belt shredded.

We then noticed that the shaft on coming out thru the center of the water pump was loose (not just in the direction of the shaft's spin). The pump replacement was easy WITH the free tools borrowed from Autozone and solved the sound problem and the belt shredding (which was due to the loose shaft thru the water pump allowing the belt to move too much).

hope maybe tha thelps.

Reply to
Loco Moco

Put your stethoscope on the water pump and see if it's coming from there. I'd place odds it is either your water pump or your fan clutch.

Reply to
John Riggs

Well, today the moan started again and I was right near my favorite Ford dealer service department, so I swung in to see if I needed urgent work done (I spend a lot of time on the road in this truck and the thought of a failing water pump was not pleasant). They came out and immediately began isolating things and, whaddayouknow, it was the IAC valve! Hard to imagine, but sure enough it had developed a resonance under certain conditions where it is open to increase RPM's and had the whole intake air line going like an organ pipe. It really was loud with the intake tube off the air cleaner box. While I waited, since they didn't have a new IAC in stock, they removed mine and cleaned it up. The reinstalled unit was nice and quiet and I was out all of $18. Next oil change perhaps I'll finally change this out. I had cleaned it up a year ago when it was failing to operate correctly and the engine was close to stalling in hot weather at idle. It has been operating OK since then, but now had decided to sing. Go figure...

=Vic= Bear Gap, PA

Reply to
Vic Klein

So, the moral of the story? If you tell Vic it's something that can leave him stranded on the beltway.... Glad it was something so simple and you know what to replace. I'm never lucky enough to have something so minor.

Reply to
John Riggs

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