05 V6 Loud Rattling Noise All Of The Sudden. Advice Needed

themamba24

New Member
May 1, 2016
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Hello,
I have a 2005 V6 Mustang with 91,000 miles currently on the engine.

Basic run-down:
-I bought the car with 74,000 miles on it in August 2014. About 10,000 of the miles I put on the car were long distance road trips (One from MS to CA, and one from CA to TX)
-I haven't had any issues with the car in the time I have owned it, other than a water leak through the cowling and cabin air filter due to leaf buildup.
-I am due for an oil change, (it's been 4,000 miles since my last one)

Last couple of weeks with the car:
-Car has been running great, no issues
-Took car into a mechanic for a 90K service checkover and had them give the car a full inspection on 4/26/16. They found nothing seriously wrong with the car other than a few minor issues. The issues they found:
1) Power steering pressure house is leaking
2) Could use coolant and brake fluid flush
3) Could use an alignment

Since taking the car to a mechanic:
-Haven't driven long distances, mostly driving <7 miles at a time to work and school reaching top speed of 75 MPH
-Today I drove a bit further around 15 miles, and pushed the car a bit getting up to 85 MPH.
-Drove about 7 miles out (almost all highway, I pushed the car here) to hike then about 5 miles back to grab a bite to eat, parked and nothing was wrong with the car at this point.
-Get back in my car start it and the engine is rattling LOUD. Drive it home about 2 miles and it is still rattling. Temperature gauge is holding steady and on the way home the check engine light comes on. No other lights come on. It is consistently rattling at the same pitch and loudness at all times when it is both idling and driving.

At home the steps I have taken:
1) Checked fluid levels:
-Coolant is running a little bit low but still at around 75% of full capacity, level is about 1/4 an inch below the cold fill line range.
-Oil within acceptable range but the engine is still hot so IDK.
-Power steering fluid is fine
2) Smelled/ looked at the engine:
-Definitely smelled like something is burning. Not an overwhelming smell, but enough to know something is wrong.
-There was a minor amount of smoke coming from the engine (only visible when I popped the hood) when I first got home that subsided within a couple of minutes.
3) Checked under/around the engine for any leaks:
-Looked under the car and sure enough there was some fresh oil on the ground below the engine. I know for sure it is oil and it is right below the firewall on the passenger side.
-Saw some oil pooling up by the firewall under a hose on the passenger side. The source of the leak must be coming from this area.

My best guess:
I suspect the oil leaking screwed something else up that is causing the rattling. I think the oil level is low and I am going to check the level in a couple of hours. I'm guessing that the mechanics who checked my engine didn't tighten a hose or a clamp properly and something blew when I pushed the car to 80 MPH.

But honestly, I know hardly enough about cars to make such a diagnosis. Here is a video of the noise and pictures of the leak I found:

Video-
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5yxhKUy5E2o&feature=youtu.be


Pictures of leak:
leak3.jpg


leak2.jpg


leak1.jpg


Now:
What do y'all think the issue is?
What do you think I should do given the situation? I have a quart of oil I think I might add to the car so I can get it to the mechanic.
What is causing the noise?

This was the only place I could think to come so any help is GREATLY appreciated.

Thank you,

Blake
 
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