I have a 1999 Taurus with about 110,000 miles on it. I live in the northeast US. For the last several months I have been getting a sound of a loud vibration in the engine of the car. The noise only occurs when the car is first started and the engine is cold. Generally it will last for the first five minutes of use - when the car is put into reverse for the first time; drive for the first time, etc - then it goes away once the car is warmed up. It seems to be worse as the temperature drops and tends to be noticeable for a longer period of time the colder it is.
It only occurs with a cold start. So, it happens in the morning and at the end of my work day when I am leaving my job. If the car is warmed up and I go into the store for ten minutes, when the warm car is restarted, the noise does NOT happen. This noise does not seem to be affecting any other aspect of the car's operation. It drives, shifts, and accelerates fine. It is more of an annoyance than anything else and if I wasn't worried about it waking up my neighbors and my home owners association lodging a complaint, I might even ignore it.
Had it into my local Ford dealer last week and they suggested flushing the transmission fluid. That was done but the problem is still there. Today I brought it in again and they are now telling me they need more time to look at it and want me to bring it back next Saturday for them to continue their research. The only thing they could tell me is they have narrowed it down to the noise coming from either my ABS or inside the transmission.
Anyone familiar with a loud, cold start, noise that goes away after five minutes, so I can offer my Ford technician some guidance?
Thanks Phil