Loud whining!!!

[jcgraham]

Been a member a while but never posted that I remember...lots of helpful info on this site. I have a 97 merc mountaineer with a v8....bought it in 98 with 20k on it...it now has 150k and for about 6 months has been making a very loud whining noise somewhere around the alternator and doesn't run like it used to. I took it to the dealer where they put several new sensors in and flushed the power steering fluid...waste of time and lots of money--still whines and runs like crap--next...had new plugs and wires put in...runs a bit better but not like it used to..whining got a lot worse about 2 weeks ago and the alternator went out...ordered a rebuilt one on ebay and it still whines...thought it was bad too...bought a brand new one and it still whines...what the heck is the whining???
thanks
jc

 

[97BlackX5.0]

ill answer this here but you should really try to find the appropriate forum. the idler pulleys have a tendency to go bad and the bearings whine like the dickens... if its not the upper one right over the water pump then there is another one down underneath the alternator way down there.... this one went bad on me... its a 15 dollar part from most parts stores and you have to remove the belt unbolt the old pulley and bolt the new one on.. if your ford dealer wasnt able to diagnose this then i would be very cautious about going back there

 

[eledhel]

jcgraham,

I understand your pain. I owned a 97 Mounty for about six years, bought it with 23,000 on it, and drove it until last month (134,000 miles). That whine, along with rattles, shakes, etc. that the truck also developed, finally convinced me to trade it in for my '04 Sport Trac. In the 6 years I owned it, I replaced:
1. Both front bearing assemblies
2. Both lower ball joints
3. Steering rack
4. Brake rotors/pads four times (vehicle is heavy)
5. Fan clutch (which caused the water pump to go, along with a new serp belt)
6. Leaf spring on left rear (long story)
7. Tires twice (rode much nicer on all-season radials)
8. Plug wires at 90K (one arced to block, OBDII lit up like a Christmas tree)

Most likely more that I can't remember at the moment, including the regular maintenance items (oil, filters, plugs, etc.).

After all the parts that I replaced, I still could not get rid of the whine and this irritating, mid-frequency vibration that the front did between 40-45 mph.

On the good side, however, the truck NEVER left me stranded on the side of the road. I wish I would have heard 97Blacks pulley idea when I still owned it.

 

[Turdle]

Camshaft position sensor drive noise?
I've heard of it happening alot on v-8

 

[jcgraham]

The whining was the lower idler pulley...now that that is fixed the upper has went out. Also turns out the shop that replaced the wires and plugs didn't change the 8th wire and it had worn in half. Lots of fun. thanks for the help