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Experienced Mechanic- stumped- HELP

ezrider440

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Year, Model & Trim Level
1996 Explorer XLT 5.0
Sorry folks for my last thread it was my first and i was not aware that posting in two places was wrong. I apologize

Ok heres the problem that driving me nuts. My 5.0L H/O motor is making a dry swooshing noise from the belt assembly at around 1500-2000 rpm. This happen all of the sudden after heavy rain, it sounds like a wet drive belt but i sprayed it the dressing and it still makes noise. My tensioner is fairly new, my ilder pully is new, the belt is about 2 years old, could this be a old belt. I am suspecting the following things. Belt, fan clutch or cam sensor. I spent the entire morning reading old posts and nothing is helping. I know that Ford's have chronic problems with the tensioners and idlers but this is ridiculous the noise is driving me crazy. Thanks in advance for any help
 



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Have you already removed the belt, and spun everything by hand. When that turns up nothing, then I'd worry. Good luck,
 






Also give it some time, it might go away since it happened right after hte rain.

You can use a can of WD-40 while it is running, with the tube on the spray can, hit each item best you can, when it gets quieter you found your culprit.

It could also be the AC clutch??
 






i doubt it's the a/c clutch when that goes, the clutch discs seperate and you can tell they're not aligned. As far as the pullys go i took the belt of spun everything and i don't feel enough play to give me a vibration or sound again it's a very low dry sound i think if i didn't piont it out to someone else they wouldn't notice. Could this be just an old belt making noise? thats what i am going to replace tommorow, it's not a metalic noise or chirp it sounds like runing a steel brush on leather. Any other thoughts, this is really the first time i hear a sound like this, the belt is about 2 years old could it be the belt streched out from the water? i drove through high water and mud with a hot motor? any suggestions?
 






found the proble, the fan clutch and surprisingly too because it didn't exhibit the classic fan clutch symptoms, my temp was normal no over heating that the light it wasn't locked either, i swapped the fan clutch out and silence, only the sound of a new clutch breaking in. and boy what a pain in the backseat working with it, when doing repairs like these it makes me think what the hell was the designer thinking that to replace the fan clutch the entire motor needs to be pulled, a fan clutch is something that goes on a regular basis anyway don't you all love fords?
 






fan clutch is easy to replace if you have the fan clutch hub wrenches, available for rent at any auto parts store.
Remove shroud, remove fan and clutch.
Whats hard about that? hahaha


have you ever tried working on a Jeep? especially a grand cherokee? Hello!
Or houw about a 4 runner.......you will appriciate Ford more if you do.
 






Similar squeal

96 with 4.0 around 100K miles, having a similar squeal, replaced the tensioner Idler, didn't help. Removed the belt and started it and still have a high, high pitch noise. It occurs at random times, usually more noticeable at lower RPMs, seems not to increase with higher RPMs. Used a stethescope and can't pin point the noise. Any ideas?
 






I'm having the same problem. I think it may just be a bearing or something in the alternator, compressor, or something to do with the belt system. I have the same problem, really loud at start up and intermittent the rest of the time, usually goes away after about 20 mins of driving. I replaced the belt, idler, and tensioner with no change in the noise. Lubricating belt contact points may be the next step I guess.
 






the beauty of the pullys designed by ford is that you can remove them and open the bearings and regrease them if you go through each one eventually you'll hit the one making noise, the 4.0 has problems mostly associated with the timing belt design and the actually position of the cam seals which have very limited oil flow, but the reason i was stumped was that the fan clutch either locks up or freewheels it rarely gradually goes, or it leaks oil but mine up and started making noises, who knows? but it's gone now
 






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