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GccST

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As of this morning, when I start the trac, it comes to a really loud idle, and stays at 1500 rpms for about 30 seconds until it drops down. When I drive at slow speeds, like below 2500 rpms, the engine has an unusually loud roar. It sounds almost as if I have had a new exahust installed. Anyone have ideas as to the cause?
 
Search is your friend. Do a search for "As of this morning, when I start the trac, it comes to a really loud idle, and stays at 1500 rpms for about 30 seconds until it drops down. When I drive at slow speeds, like below 2500 rpms, the engine has an unusually loud roar. It sounds almost as if I have had a new exahust installed. Anyone have ideas as to the cause? "



I did and found the below article. :lol:

 
i've also noticed this myself. i think it has to do with the air being denser at lower temps so sound waves travel better making it sound like its louder. atleast this is what i've been told
 
Mine doesn't, or if it does it is not noticeable inside the cabin, radio off...

Edit:

Nobleman, that is a link to this very same thread...:blink:
 
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Fer, it was a joke.



Assuming this is startup with a cold engine, check your idle speed with a separate tach to make sure it is coming down as the Trac warms up. Might be the IAC sticking? There shouldn't be a huge fluctuation in RPM's. Not sure what would make it change all of a sudden, you've got a '04, in PA, is this your first time with it in cooler weather? Gasoline formulations should be changing from winter to summer soon if not already. Did you fill up recently?



If you like the sound and it performs fine, just chalk it up to the Trac getting better with age :D



This is how my '01 behaves:



I think mine used to be quiet a few years ago, but then I added a K&N filter, took out the airbox silencer, adjusted the idle speed, and I get a quiet performance exhaust sort of grumble. That grumble is loud as heck at WOT, but really got loud when I yanked the airbox silencer. I can't wait until I can get a catback system. I like the way mine sounds, it's pretty cool and turns some heads on ignition without actually being loud or annoying.



On a cold start there is a surge somewhere between 1500 and 2000 RPM, kind of like how a Jaguar growls on startup. I watch my scanguage and it levels off between 1000 and 1500 for a short while then drops to ~900... then ~800... then levels off around ~700-750 in park, with no AC or accessories on, once the water temperature is around 150 degrees.



Get a scanguage, you'll love seeing the actual numbers for troubleshooting.
 
I just took it out for a drive and there is definetly something wrong. After driving for a few minutes, I heard when it stops, that it makes a pretty fast and loud rattle. It sounds almost like something is loose in the muffler that is rolling around. And at about 55 mph, there is a loud drone. Any other suggestions now that there are some more specifics?
 
I bet the turdnado is causing a problem. The flux capacitor also sounds broken. It could be a problem with the fuel magnet not magnetizing your fuel as well. Or then again, it could be the high-tech stabilizer bar that has come loose. If it's none of those things, you might check your Zoom Performance Chip and/or the Electronic Engine Ionizer because they could have been affected by electromagnetic interference. If it's none of those things, the Air Raid Spacer may not have enough space or the Aqua Tune may not have enough Aqua...or the Tune may have messed up, ya just never know with those things. I suppose it could be a problem with your voltage stabilizer, which is probably throwing a few too many volts to your Electric Supercharger...which is going to cause BIG problems down the road with your Flex-Tek wiring harness.

If you can eliminate all of that stuff, it probably just needs blinker fluid. You can get some of that down at Wal-Zone on the corner of 3rd and Main in Metropolis, which should be just a hop, skip and a jump from you.
 
Okay, this is serious, his Trac is coughing up a testicle or something.



That definitely does not sound good. The rattle is in the exhaust? Have you checked underneath for any holes in the exhaust?



Blown cats? edit: by this I mean the material inside the cat has busted and is flying around inside your exhaust.



You mean it rattles when you turn off the Trac? This is somewhat normal as the cats cool off, sort of sounds like pouring popcorn kernals into a pot??
 
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No, nobleman, it rattles when at a light or stop sign, which leads me to believe that it might be a blown cat or something like that, because it doesnt make the sound if the trac is off and there is no air going through there. I checked underneath very quickly, but didnt see anything.
 
Let's hope it's NOT a catalytic converter problem. Not only because they're not really cheap, but because a cat normally goes bad because of an engine problem (fuel not being burned properly, the fuel ends up in the cat, heats up and burns out the inside). So if that's the case, and you replace the cat, you're going to burn out another and another and another. Generally, when the unburned fuel gets down into the cat it bangs and clangs around as the gas passes through. Also, you won't be able to see any damage from a "blown" cat, it'll be internal. If you actually BLOW IT UP, you're doing something SERIOUSLY wrong and you need to park that vehicle before you end up in a lot of trouble.

Does this sound something like maybe a broken fan inside your exhaust or something weird like that? Also, is your engine weaker than normal? Does it feel sluggish?

Of course running rich can cause a whole host of problems, but your engine management system shouldn't allow that to happen, so you could also have computer problems as well.

I'd say you broke it. ;)
 
Mine does idle a bit high at start, and it's probably a little bit louder than usual, but it always comes back to "normal" once I get it out on the road, or if I let it idle for more than 30 or so seconds. Mine's not exactly your "average" Trac anymore though.

It's unlikely that a cat would cause your Trac to shift weird. In my opinion, the Tracs shift weird anyway.

Based on your description, I'm really not sure what your problem is. You've got me stumped. Good Luck with it though.
 
Well, now it is shifting really weird, and it stays around 3250 rpms when cruising at highway speeds, which is way higher than normal. The noise is still going on, any more ideas?
 
This really doesn't sound like a catalytic converter problem. I had ONE cat go bad in my entire life and the engine just died as it clogged itself up (due to running super-high octane fuel in an old car). I don't guess you've used octane booster lately, or maybe accidentally put in some diesel fuel, ethanol or leaded gasoline?

There are so many things that could cause the noise you're hearing. However, revving at 3250 at highway speeds is rather odd. That could be an ECU problem, transmission, possibly rear-end, restricted exhaust, or a host of other things. Your best bet would be to take it to your local Ford dealership and have them hook it up to their computer to see if they can find any problems. One of the advantages of all the computerized components of modern cars is that it's a bit easier to diagnose potential problems. They may or may not be able to find anything wrong. However, they're more likely to be able to diagnose a problem than people on this forum, mainly because they're trained mechanics at your local ford dealership. There might be a couple of mechanics here on the boards, but they can't see/hear your truck to figure it out. It's not easy to diagnose a problem over the internet. ;)

 

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