F150 noise question

Barfolomew

Senior Member
I have a 2012 F150 4x4 with the 5.0. Within the last week it has started making a noise that best sounds like water cavitating at about 1000 rpm.
  • Cavitation noise starts as you break the engine off idle, 500 rpm and continues until 1000 rpm where it can no longer be heard/clears up.
  • Is related to engine RPM as it makes the noise in park or in gear.
  • Can only be heard with the radio off and while parked or at low speed as it is not very loud. I have been unable to determine if you can hear it from the engine bay.
  • Cannot hear it with the window down.
  • Oil looks fine, no water in it from what I can tell
  • All engine gauges are normal, oil pressure, water temp, etc.
  • Had a spot on the drive way over the weekend, but it has not showed up again. Fluid was clear, no real odor and slightly oily, but not a huge quantity.
  • I can't tell if there is a leak of any kind for the most part due to residual oil mess that is under the truck from how hard it is to cleanly change the oil on these trucks.
Any ideas on what is making this noise? If I had to guess it sounds like cavitation of water flowing through the heater box.
 

transfixer

Senior Member
Ford has a general service bulletin about the water pumps leaking out of the weep hole on some of those trucks, could be the coolant level has dropped in the engine and you're hearing the results of it sloshing through the system ?
 

KKrueger

Senior Member
My '01 with the 4.6 made what I think is the same noise in similar conditions after the heater core was replaced. Mostly came from the passenger floorboard/dashboard area where the heater core sat in that truck.

Have the '11 5.0 now, but no similar noise to what you describe.
 

3ringer

Senior Member
Ford has a general service bulletin about the water pumps leaking out of the weep hole on some of those trucks, could be the coolant level has dropped in the engine and you're hearing the results of it sloshing through the system ?

I think this it it. My f150 did the same think after I replaced the heater core. Maybe it has an air pocket and need to bleed out the air and or add more antifreeze.
 

Barfolomew

Senior Member
I added more antifreeze and parked on an incline with the nose of the truck high. We'll see if that improves it at all. I think I put in about 1/2 to 3/4 of a gallon.
 

GA native

Senior Member
It could be a servo motor in the HVAC going out. A dying servo sounds a lot like rushing water.
 
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