05 explorer won't start & just makes weird noises

[Christel Cox]

I was driving on the highway suddenly noticed I was losing speed so i pushed the accelerator pedal and herd sortof a funny crackling noise not a loud noise, no clangs, bangs, booms, nothing - just kind of a crackling noise while decelerating.I looked & no warning lights. I put the truck in neutral shut the key off and coasted to a stop. When I open the hood I noticed that the hose on the thermostat housing head busted off so there was antifreeze everywhere I replaced the hose and filled it with coolant, proceeded to turn the key and only hear a noise which I can describe as air wishing or whirring loudly. no crank just a noise I've never heard before. It's sort of sounds like a vacuum cleaner when you remove the air filter while it's running, and it gets super loud...
Any suggestions are appreciated. The truck was towed home and is now dead in the driveway.

 

[Rick]

This doesn't sound good

What you are describing when you try to crank it now sounds like the motor is running without engaging the teeth on the flexplate..

Since this happened while driving, and not while cranking the engine over, and a noise was involved... Maybe a broken flexplate?

I have no idea how the broken thermostat housing figures into any issue at the flexplate.

Sorry that I can't be of more help.