Weird engine sound when cold or reving at idle

spederman

Member
Apr 13, 2005
732
0
16
I'm confused with this new engine sound that seems to have appeared out of no where. I have a 2002 GT 5 spd. The first start of the day when my engine is cold and i drive off, which ever gear i'm in if i take it higher than 2K RPM's, i get this wierd rattling/vibration sound from the engine compartment. Its really hard to describe the sound. Its kind of like a metal to metal rattling vibration. Like say if you had a fan with metal blades and while it was running you barely touched another piece of metal to it so it would make a rattling/vibration sound.:rolleyes: It is only there when the engine is cold and only when i rev past 2K and it stays there no matter how high I rev. Although once i get to like 3500K the exhaust and engine is so loud it drowns out the sound of the rattling.

New thing today i noticed is that this same sound is kind of there when i am at a stop light in neutral and i rev the engine to the same rpms. This happens even if my engine is warm. It makes almost the same rattling/vibration sound. It sounds like its coming from under the hood on the passanger side. I dont know if this is the same exact sound but it sounds really similar.

Anybody have this or know WTF i am talking about? Thanks guys.
 
  • Sponsors (?)


ironlungz said:
I recently noticed a similar rattling noise at around 2000-3500rpm's on my 2001 GT with ~40K miles. Except with mine the rattling noise only appears when the engine is cold and goes away after 5 mins or so.

If it's only when cold do some searching of forums for "death rattle". That's most likely what you're hearing.
 
AdRock:

Thats It exactly. So I have this "death rattle" in my car. I did a search and found some info but not enough on it. Can anybody summarize or give me a link with info. Is it bad for the car, or do most of them have it and I shouldnt worry about it? :shrug:
 
spederman said:
AdRock:

Thats It exactly. So I have this "death rattle" in my car. I did a search and found some info but not enough on it. Can anybody summarize or give me a link with info. Is it bad for the car, or do most of them have it and I shouldnt worry about it? :shrug:

Ford issued an SSM on the problem, #15934. Its text reads:

"15934 MUSTANG- COLD ENGINE LIGHT TICKING/RATTLE

Some 2001-2002 Mustang GT and Bullitt with the TR3650 manual transmission may exhibit a light ticking/rattle noise while driving after a cold engine start. The noise will typically occur between 2200-3500RPM under light throttle (1/8 to 1/4 open) while driving. The noise may last a few minutes (depending on temperature). The condition is due to the combination of the light load operation noted above, and the normal piston to cylinder bore clearance present in a cold engine. To service, verify condition and reprogram the PCM with the latest calibration via the just-in-time process if your WDS communicates with Fordstar. Also obtain calibrations on the Ford professional technician society (PTS) website - select 'WDS' and then 'PCM REPROGRAMMING' and click 'Instructions' for downloading.
"