Musical Mustang

[SpitfireMk24]

Hey Ive been hearing a bunch of wierd sounds from my car. . .

first of all, the fog lights button, in the center console above the shifter, it resonates and buzzes when the engine is over about 1500 rpms. . . it bugs me.

also, when I am driving slow, and i accelerate in 1st, and let off the gas the tranny makes an odd whining noise as the car slows. . .

when I am driving slow, and I shift into fifth gear, at like 45 mph, if im too quick with the clutch the car kinda jerks back and forth, right? well when this happens, I hear a clicking somewhere in the drivetrain somewheres between the engine and the diff. . . like maybe driveshaft bolts are a little loose? whatever it is Im getting it checked out quick!

does anyone else experience these sounds? are they bad, or possible to get rid of?

 

[Tom in Tacoma]

first of all, the fog lights button, in the center console above the shifter, it resonates and buzzes when the engine is over about 1500 rpms. . . it bugs me. - Fix it!

also, when I am driving slow, and i accelerate in 1st, and let off the gas the tranny makes an odd whining noise as the car slows. . . Stop doing that if it bugs you - it's gear noise is all

when I am driving slow, and I shift into fifth gear, at like 45 mph, if im too quick with the clutch the car kinda jerks back and forth, right? well when this happens, I hear a clicking somewhere in the drivetrain somewheres between the engine and the diff. . . like maybe driveshaft bolts are a little loose? whatever it is Im getting it checked out quick! Stop doing that as well. At 45 you're really not turning enough RPMs to get off the clutch in such a tall gear.

Any other annoyances we can take care of for you?

 

[myponyrocks]

the downshift whirring is normal, and sounds kinda cool imo

 

[SpitfireMk24]

Stop doing that as well. At 45 you're really not turning enough RPMs to get off the clutch in such a tall gear.



Any other annoyances we can take care of for you?

I think 45 is plenty fast, seeing how the owners manual says 40MPH is the best place to shift into 5th for fuel economy. about the button, I was wondering if anyone had the problem, and/or fixed it, and how.

I wasnt asking for a flaming, I was asking if anybody had these problems, and what they did about them. It doesnt seem like youve had any of these.

 

[btolenti]

I think 45 is plenty fast, seeing how the owners manual says 40MPH is the best place to shift into 5th for fuel economy. about the button, I was wondering if anyone had the problem, and/or fixed it, and how.

I wasnt asking for a flaming, I was asking if anybody had these problems, and what they did about them. It doesnt seem like youve had any of these.

I have major dash rattle from the piece around the stereo and climate controls. What I did was remove it and slather show goo at all the joints.....sound is gone now!

I have the 5th gear "problem".... It's not really a problem if you let the clutch out a bit slower. I think this is normal. It is a tall gear that shouldn't be shifted into fast if you are going that slow....

 

[Tom in Tacoma]

I have the 5th gear "problem".... It's not really a problem if you let the clutch out a bit slower. I think this is normal. It is a tall gear that shouldn't be shifted into fast if you are going that slow....

Careful now - you might end up getting a thumbs-down for that kind of thinking...

 

[SpitfireMk24]

I have major dash rattle from the piece around the stereo and climate controls. What I did was remove it and slather show goo at all the joints.....sound is gone now!

I have the 5th gear "problem".... It's not really a problem if you let the clutch out a bit slower. I think this is normal. It is a tall gear that shouldn't be shifted into fast if you are going that slow....

how do you remove those big peices? they seem to be glued on!

and about fifth gear, im not shifting real fast, im just still catching onto the finer points of driving manual, and Im not always so smooth. Its not only with fifth gear though, whenever the car jerks forward and back, that sound. . . its almost sounds like the driveshaft is gonna fall off!!

 

[btolenti]

how do you remove those big peices? they seem to be glued on!!!

Just give it a good tug, and it will come off. It's held in by a few clips.

and about fifth gear, im not shifting real fast, im just still catching onto the finer points of driving manual, and Im not always so smooth. Its not only with fifth gear though, whenever the car jerks forward and back, that sound. . . its almost sounds like the driveshaft is gonna fall off!!

Sounds like you need to keep the rpms up a bit more between shifts. When you shift between gears you need to feather in some gas.....basically, you want to match the engine rpms with the rpms of the rest of the drivetrain when you let the clutch out. If not you will get the jerking because you are trying to connect two seperate pieces of the drivetrain together that are moving at different speeds... Hope that makes sense.

 

[HoustonGT]

how do you remove those big peices? they seem to be glued on!

and about fifth gear, im not shifting real fast, im just still catching onto the finer points of driving manual, and Im not always so smooth. Its not only with fifth gear though, whenever the car jerks forward and back, that sound. . . its almost sounds like the driveshaft is gonna fall off!!

The 5th gear thing is common. It sounds like a clunk and its in every stang from a v6 to the almighty terminator. I believe its called drivetrain slack and can be avoided by simply shifting at a little higher in the rpm range in 5th.

 

[SpitfireMk24]

drivetrain slack sounds like a good way to describe it. . . do you think its up in the tranny or back towards the differential?

it sounds so bad though! Id rather everything fit together tightly, you know?

 

[HoustonGT]

drivetrain slack sounds like a good way to describe it. . . do you think its up in the tranny or back towards the differential?

it sounds so bad though! Id rather everything fit together tightly, you know?

Its a FORD hahaha, so not gonna happen!

 

[merc123]

drivetrain slack sounds like a good way to describe it. . . do you think its up in the tranny or back towards the differential?

it sounds so bad though! Id rather everything fit together tightly, you know?

I had my driveshaft retorqued and reindexed. Two days latter the "slack sound" (AKA clunk) came back. Had the 3650 TSB done. Fixed the clunk for a week, came back. It will never go away and essentially Ford's TSB on the clunk says that it's normal and that it's from driving wrong. I can get the car to NOT do it ONLY if I slip the clutch really slowly when shifting gears. I just live with it.

 

[btolenti]

I had my driveshaft retorqued and reindexed. Two days latter the "slack sound" (AKA clunk) came back. Had the 3650 TSB done. Fixed the clunk for a week, came back. It will never go away and essentially Ford's TSB on the clunk says that it's normal and that it's from driving wrong. I can get the car to NOT do it ONLY if I slip the clutch really slowly when shifting gears. I just live with it.

I have heard that it is because Ford sets up the rear end gears looser than they should be....

 

[merc123]

I have heard that it is because Ford sets up the rear end gears looser than they should be....

That's what my Dad thinks. We jacked up the rear one time and rolled the wheels by hand to see where they "lock" gear to gear. There is about 1/2" of free play in the wheel which translates to free play in the lash setting of the rear end. I told Ford to readjust the lash but I don't think they ever did.

 

[FalconGuy016]

Doesnt sound like anything is wrong, if you are still learning manual. It will make a lot of weird noises until you master the clutch.

 

[Premium Speed]

I have heard that it is because Ford sets up the rear end gears looser than they should be....

we have a winner...

don't worry too much about it...

 

[SpitfireMk24]

we have a winner...

don't worry too much about it...

well, I wouldnt, but then I see images of me at a stop light, about to humliate a honda, and the light goes green, I launch, and my driveshaft falls out . . .

 

[btolenti]

well, I wouldnt, but then I see images of me at a stop light, about to humliate a honda, and the light goes green, I launch, and my driveshaft falls out . . .

I don't think it's that loose.....

And if it was, I would think you would chip the ring or pinion gear before shearing the driveshaft tube or blowing a u-joint...

 

[SpitfireMk24]

yeah I talkted to the ford dealer service guy, he called it gear rollover and said dont worry about it. . .

 

[btolenti]

yeah I talkted to the ford dealer service guy, he called it gear rollover and said dont worry about it. . .

Yeah, because when it breaks, after your warranty, they can fix it and charge you an arm and a leg - literally...

Oh well, it gives us mustang owners a good reason to regear to 4:10!