Loud Sloppy Clatter in 05 GT

[iammilo]

I have an ongoing problem that I can't nail down. I really need help on this one. The dealer has had the car twice and they can't even replicate the noise. It doesn't help that my dealer is one the most incompetent I've ever encountered.

The car makes a loud, sloppy clatter sound right around 40 mph and up when the engine is cold. It sounds like something is extremely loose and flopping around either in or around the engine. Once the car is warmed up, the sound is gone. If the weather is cold outside, the sound is much more obvious.

The car does not have to be in gear or under acceleration to make the sound. This is not the sound of a loose heat shield or buzzing plastic. This is a sloppy, broken, irregular clatter.

I also drive the car nice and slow, keeping the RPM low until the car has been at operating temp for about ten or fifteen minutes. The car can be coasting to a stop and still make the sound, though it doesn't seem to make a sound at a complete stop. It doesn't get better or worse at a higher or lower speed, though. If it starts at 40mph, it'll stay about the same all the way down to 5 mph.

I'm going to the dealer in two hours to speak to the mechanic and try to take him for a test drive. Unfortunately, it's a hot day here in FL, so there's a good chance it'll be hard to hear. Just my luck.

I'd love to have a theory or two in hand if anybody has any advice. I'm completely stumped on this one, and my dealer isn't doing squat to help me out. They just wanted me to come pick it up (again) and deal with it rather than have it fixed under warranty. I wouldn't be so concerned except that it can be very loud and very bothersome...as though it could cause bigger problems in the long run. It's loud enough on cold mornings that it could be heard from outside of the car standing three or more car lengths away while driving. If they can't fix it, I think I may take it to a trusted shop and have it diagnosed there. I just want this thing fixed.

 

[xbone]

There are TSB's on the valve lash adjusters and the VCT phasers. You better get familiar with all the TSB's because the Ford techs arent.

 

[iammilo]

There are TSB's on the valve lash adjusters and the VCT phasers. You better get familiar with all the TSB's because the Ford techs arent.

I reviewed every TSB, but none of the descriptions fit this problem. It may still be a valve sound, but it doesn't match up with the TSB. It's not at idle, and it's not when the engine is warmed up. It's also not a quick start up sound. It's a pronounced and irregular clattering sound that only occurs when the engine is cold ... maybe for the first 10 to 15 minutes of use, and only when the RPM is up above 1500 or so.

I went to the dealership and test drove it with the mechanic. Of course, the sound was MIA at that point because it was damn near 80 degrees outside, and the heat of the sun had warmed the car well enough to remove the clatter.

I'll have to give it another try tomorrow morning before it gets hot outside.

 

[xbone]

Use 5 20 Motorcraft oil, seems these engines are weight sensitive. These 3v engines may start showing some problems now that miles are adding up and some time has passed.

 

[iammilo]

Use 5 20 Motorcraft oil, seems these engines are weight sensitive. These 3v engines may start showing some problems now that miles are adding up and some time has passed.

Goes to show how crap this dealership is. I had the car in for the same problem last winter. They couldn't locate any problems. This winter, after it started getting cold, the problem popped back up louder than ever. The problem actually started with about 5k on the engine. Now that I've got 17k, they only need to put me off a little longer until I'm out of the warranty and they can wash their hands of the whole thing.

Based on these recurring problems with crap dealerships, I think this will likely be my last Ford product. Dealers in general are pretty lousy, but Ford has, by far, gone above and beyond.

 

[xbone]

I'm having the same feeling, my car will be in the shop 24 hrs soon, not a word from the dealer yet on the status, and im paying 500 a month to drive a smoky smelling Taurus loaner. If i keep having problems i'll make Ford buy it back and get a 350Z instead. This dealer has been ok so far, but my experience with a Mach at another set of Ford dealers was horrible so im stupid for buying another Mustang knowing how they treat people. I rolled the dice thinking the 06 might be sorted out but they just have different problems than the old ones.

 

[Hoboattacker]

I love the two dealers I go to. Banner Ford here in Covington, LA and Gullo Ford in Houston, TX

At Banner Ford I walked in and said "I have steering popping when I turn and my fuel pump is hesitant when I pass people on the interstate." The tech guy goes "No problem, we will get it fixed right away." Didn't ask me to reproduce the problem or anything, just gonna fix it. I called to check today and they are just waiting on the fuel pump to come in but it will still be done on time.

Also, I talked to them about my mods and they didn't care. They said as long as it doesn't screw anything up (like a melted wire) then they are fine with it, even the off-road H-pipe and tune.

 

[Marine One]

I love the two dealers I go to. Banner Ford here in Covington, LA and Gullo Ford in Houston, TX

You are definitely the exception. My dealer service department is crap as well. They overfilled my car when they did the first oil change, then made me out to be the bad guy when I took it back and insisted that they document their mistake. About a week later the woman who works as a ticket writer called me with the "we're just following up to make sure that everything is okay with your F-150 from your recent service appointment." I don't even own an F-150. They got my name right but couldn't even get the vehicle right. And this is the dealership that sold me my car new. In a word, their approach to customer satisfaction sucks.

 

[Warlok]

Leave it

I have an ongoing problem that I can't nail down. I really need help on this one. The dealer has had the car twice and they can't even replicate the noise. It doesn't help that my dealer is one the most incompetent I've ever encountered.

The car makes a loud, sloppy clatter sound right around 40 mph and up when the engine is cold. It sounds like something is extremely loose and flopping around either in or around the engine. Once the car is warmed up, the sound is gone. If the weather is cold outside, the sound is much more obvious.

The car does not have to be in gear or under acceleration to make the sound. This is not the sound of a loose heat shield or buzzing plastic. This is a sloppy, broken, irregular clatter.

I also drive the car nice and slow, keeping the RPM low until the car has been at operating temp for about ten or fifteen minutes. The car can be coasting to a stop and still make the sound, though it doesn't seem to make a sound at a complete stop. It doesn't get better or worse at a higher or lower speed, though. If it starts at 40mph, it'll stay about the same all the way down to 5 mph.

I'm going to the dealer in two hours to speak to the mechanic and try to take him for a test drive. Unfortunately, it's a hot day here in FL, so there's a good chance it'll be hard to hear. Just my luck.

I'd love to have a theory or two in hand if anybody has any advice. I'm completely stumped on this one, and my dealer isn't doing squat to help me out. They just wanted me to come pick it up (again) and deal with it rather than have it fixed under warranty. I wouldn't be so concerned except that it can be very loud and very bothersome...as though it could cause bigger problems in the long run. It's loud enough on cold mornings that it could be heard from outside of the car standing three or more car lengths away while driving. If they can't fix it, I think I may take it to a trusted shop and have it diagnosed there. I just want this thing fixed.

Sir you may have mentioned this, but can you possibly leave it at a decent Ford dealer "if one exists" over night so they could start it first time in the day?

Just hearing what you described is WAY OUT OF LINE!!! How can any dealer NOT pay close attention to this. I feel for ya man, but im in such dis belief how lame your being treated, you sure as hell have a legit problem that for all they know may cause a catastrophic failure.

I hope you have some luck , and like RIGHT NOW!!

 

[Hypnotist]

I also have an odd vibration/noise on my 06 Mustang that occurs in similar fashion to what you are describing. It's sort of a clattering metal sound that only happens when the car is cold (sitting overnight), and will only happen for maybe five to seven minutes after starting the car.

I only hear it while increasing RPMs - while the car is in gear and moving - from 2700ish to 3500 (sometimes to 4000). I have yet to reproduce this problem for the dealer, because the car is warm by the time I get there.

I'm going to try and get this figured out soon and I'll post what happens.

 

[anthony05gt]

OK, this is a long shot, but I think it's worth bringing up.

There are 7 bolts that connect the transmission to the engine. The 2 bottom bolts have been left out on many cars right from the factory. These 2 bottom bolts do not go from the tranny to the engine, they go through the spacer plate that's between the engine and tranny and keep the plate tight against the tranny. They are not completely necessary except to keep the plate from rattling. If the bottom 2 are missing in your case, that's quite possibly the problem.

When the engine is hot along with outside temps of course the metal parts will expand and possibly keep the plate from rattling. I've heard of a couple of cases where this was the culprit for a strange rattle on our cars.

 

[iammilo]

I got my car back.
But the problem wasn't corrected.

When I first dropped the car off a week ago, I had dropped it off the night before so it would be cool the following morning. I offered to take a test drive on the morning of the appointment since the car does it every morning on my way to work, and this is the second time I had dropped it off for the same problem. I was told "that won't be necessary. We don't need to do that." Instead of just taking car of business then and there, the only time they test drove it was in the hot afternoon on the fifth day of having the car.

I picked up my car yesterday. I showed up at 7:00 am, and the mechanic was unwilling to hop in the car for a 30 second trip down the road. He instead started a diagnostic on another car. He refused to test my car stating that "I've got a whole lot of other cars here to work on." I was later told that he was running a diagnostic so he couldn't leave his station for over an hour and a half. If that was indeed true, he still could have helped me since I showed up when they first opened, and I had called the day before to tell them I would be there for the test run at 7:00 am. Again, this is one week later, after they had multiple chances to help me, starting with the very first morning I had dropped the car off by appointment.

I got mad as hell and told them to give me my car back. They had it a week, spent all of twenty minutes poking around under the hood, and repeatedly refused to test the car under the ONLY conditions where it produced the problem. When I was driving away, the clatter was loud and clear, just like usual.

I was even angrier at this point, so I turned the car right back around. When I was driving up I saw the mechanic standing outside the bay smoking a cigar with a few other guys. He looked up and saw me, then stomped his cigar out and went back in to the car on the lift. When I walked up, I yelled out "It's nice that you have time for a smoke, but you can't give me less than one mintue of your time to test out the car after all I've been through with this." He walked up to me, big old redneck that he is, and told me I better not "start any **** with him." He said it once more before storming off.

I waited around to speak with the service manager. When I did speak to him (he came in about an hour late) he did nothing but come up with a bunch of excuses as to why they hadn't done anything for a full week. When I told him what the mechanic had said, he told me that he's "a rough old guy that does things his own way." That's fantastic customer service, from the top down!!! He also stated that, "These Mustangs tend to make a lot of noise when there's really nothing to worry about."

Sure, but not like this. This isn't just a tiny tapping sound, or even a slight ping.

The only thing the manager responded to, in a seemingly indifferent way (he very clearly just wanted me out of his hair) was the fact that the service customer rep had not ever returned a single phone call in the span of a full week. This is the man that is supposed to facilitate customer service and let me know what's going on with my car. The only time I was ever able to learn anything about my car was when I happened to get him when he picked up the phone or when I went there in person. Otherwise, ZERO phone calls, returned calls from any messages I left or updates on the status of the car...well, except for the time when he lied and told me they had test driven the car.

As an aside, always check your odo before dropping your car off. Proof positive that they hadn't moved the car from it's parking spot.

At one point while waiting for the service manager, a saleman wandered over. He asked me what was going on, so told him I was having trouble and the service department couldn't/wasn't willing to help me. He handed me his card and said, "You should get rid of this one and buy a new one off the lot. Give me a call." Classy.

I'm going to write a letter to the owner of the dealership, and also send one to Ford headquarters about their complete failure in fixing my car or providing fair customer service. I gave them every opportunity to handle things right, and I didn't even become a thorn in their side until the last two days. I tried to use the wait and see approach for day after day after day, but received zero results. Not one single phone call. Not one single update unless I forced it out of them. Nothing.

I had even told the manager, the mechanic and the service rep that I completely understood that the car was hard to diagnose given the specific conditions that the noise could be heard. I understood that it was difficult to locate and diagnose. But you've got to at least drive the car under the right conditions to take a step in the right direction. And when you do, the noise is loud, obvious and very pronounced.

At least I got my lumbar switch fixed on the drivers seat...something they originally broke when replacing the seat adjuster switch on the driver side after delivery of the car. That was pleasent as well. They fixed one thing and they broke another.

Anwyay, I don't think the sound is due to the missing bolts, but I'll definately check it out this weekend. I'm going to go over it with a fine-toothed comb myself and assume that Ford can't help me. Failing that, I'm going to set up an appointment after the holidays at another dealership that's about an hour away. I hope they'll at least treat me more fairly.

I'm starting to think it might be a tensioner or something that's a bit loose that isn't internal ... just enough to bang around under certain conditions. Everything seems true when i've looked at it, but that doesn't mean it couldn't be a bearing problem that I'm not seeing or feeling. I'm not sure of that, though. It could still be more serious than that.

I'll post results once I have 'em. Until then, if anyone has encountered something with their car like I've described, feel free to let me know.

 

[BLKAZNITE]

I have an 07 GT with a similar problem. As the weather here started to get colder,I noticed on the way to work in the morning, my car would make a clanging rattling sound. Kind of like lug nuts bouncing around in a coffee can. And the strange thing is it only does it above 40mph and it has to be cold out. When i drive the car home after work it doesnt do it cause it got warmer outside. When i get a chance i'm gonna check if the bolts are missing in the tranny plate(bellhousing). Otherwise i'll have to deal with Ford service. I hate noises that go away when my car gets closer to the Ford dealer

 

[anthony05gt]

CHECK THE ENGINE/TRANNY SPACER PLATE BOTTOM BOLTS. YOU WOULDN'T BE THE FIRST CASE.

 

[Warlok]

Makes me wonder

Wow when you hear horror stories like this, and your own 07 GT is perfect in every way after 7.600 miles of hard driving, it makes me wonder if and when all the perfection will come to a noisy end!

The clanking, rattling, banging noises described are scary as hell to me. And having Ford treat you like crap behind it, is WAY OUT OF LINE!!

American craftsmanship being what it is, I guess they have good days on the production line, and not so good ones. I hope mine was built on a good day.

 

[red65]

Dredging up an old thread to share a story. I had a cold-engine rattle that seemed to fit the classic symptoms for the notorious missing bolts in the spacer plate / inspection cover. The dealer had it for nine !?!?! days. They were also rebuilding the axle clutch pack for the second time and replacing the throttle body that apparently was the culprit in my recurring dashboard wrench light, but it was the rattle that had them stumped.

Nine <grumble> days later the service advisor calls and tells me the car is fixed. According to him and the receipt, after repeated diagnosis and road tests that included multiple exhaust and undercar repairs, they "tightened the torque converter cover bolts."

The car has a five speed (therefore, it doesn't HAVE a torque converter). The service advisor (and according to him, the tech that fixed it) insisted that it had a torque converter cover and wouldn't be dissuaded. ROTFLMAO

I thought you all might enjoy another example of Ford dealer expertise - makes ya feel good, doesnt' it?

 

[bigcat]

The car has a five speed (therefore, it doesn't HAVE a torque converter). The service advisor (and according to him, the tech that fixed it) insisted that it had a torque converter cover and wouldn't be dissuaded. ROTFLMAO

I thought you all might enjoy another example of Ford dealer expertise - makes ya feel good, doesnt' it?

did they actually fix the problem? or simply ship it out the door?

 

[chad9350]

Kinsel Ford in Beaumont, Tx

Kinsel Ford in Beaumont, Tx. All problems, fixed... whatever needed, re-flash, ... anything. Fast service from a Performance Ford Dealer. And I bought my car used from Orlando! Cant imagine what sevice would be like if I actually purchased my GT from them.

IMO... find a reputable Performance Ford Dealer.

 

[metroplex]

I have an 07 GT with a similar problem. As the weather here started to get colder,I noticed on the way to work in the morning, my car would make a clanging rattling sound. Kind of like lug nuts bouncing around in a coffee can. And the strange thing is it only does it above 40mph and it has to be cold out. When i drive the car home after work it doesnt do it cause it got warmer outside. When i get a chance i'm gonna check if the bolts are missing in the tranny plate(bellhousing). Otherwise i'll have to deal with Ford service. I hate noises that go away when my car gets closer to the Ford dealer

Do you have a manual trans? If so, it's the transmission. It sounds like low load/RPM detonation when the transmission fluid is too cold. It also sounds like metal chatter / buzzing when you first start up the engine. I noticed the sound goes away when the clutch is totally pulled out from the flywheel. As soon as the clutch touches the flywheel and begins to spin, the lug nuts in a coffee can sound come back.

When the ATF in the manual transmission is warmed up, the sound goes away or is significantly reduced.

 

[red65]

did they actually fix the problem? or simply ship it out the door?

The problem does seem to have been resolved (after a week and a half of trying). Tightening those pesky torque converter bolts seems to have done it!