whistling noise and iac + maf..?
 

so I have a 3.0 v6 2001 ranger edge, and it runs perfectly and haven't had any problems with it but there is this really loud whistling noise coming from the engine but I can't spot any cracks or damaged hoses..?. it's idling really rough too so I am assuming it's a vacuum leak....

Also I was going to do a tuneup on my truck like cleaning the maf sensor and iac but on the iac it says " Do not clean throttle body or IAC because it has a special coating on it" . what does this mean, I'm assuming I shouldn't clean it then..? Or does the throttle body cleaner not damage the special coating..?

thanks for your help.

Re: whistling noise and iac + maf..?
 

Whistling noise is probably a vacuum leak. The most common spot for a vacuum leak on these trucks tends to be the PCV elbow on the driver's side valve cover. Double check everything with a fine eye, as some cracks can be very small and go easily unnoticed.

As far as the special coating, at this age, there's not much of that "special coating" left. Many people have cleaned their throttle bodies without any trouble. That special coating is only there to keep carbon from building up on the throttle body wall/plate and keep it from sticking.

Re: whistling noise and iac + maf..?
 

I have had a "howling" sound come from mine. I had always thought of it as air coming accross the intake which is plastic making the noise. Kinda like blowing over a pop bottle. I put on an aluminum intake from a 94 and never had the howl again. So IDK...!!! LOL

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I should add that it also "chirped" sometimes while "howling"

Re: whistling noise and iac + maf..?
 

ok so I rechecked the hoses and didn't find anything, I also cleaned my IAC but the stupid whistling noise is still there. It sounds like it is coming right at the front of the engine right near the fan and the egr sensor and also near the alternator. I can only hear the whistling sound when I press the gas down and accelerate at around 2000rpm then it goes away if any higher.

any ideas?

Re: whistling noise and iac + maf..?
 

let me know what you find out . I went through some puddles yesterdayand starting gettig the same noise. I thibk it might be the band.. Its only at idle and when i rev up it goes away strange but let me know if you find anything out tjanks

Re: whistling noise and iac + maf..?
 

Hmm, have you checked your belt? Have you watched the pulleys to see if they may be wobbling?

Re: whistling noise and iac + maf..?
 

ill jump on that right now thanks. oh and my check light went on but after a few hours it went so wierd. what do you think ? thanks

Re: whistling noise and iac + maf..?
 

ok so I have looked at the belt and checked it for cracks and stuff and also looked at the pulleys but they don't seem to be wobbling or anything. I'll have a second look today and then reply back tonight.

thanks!

Re: whistling noise and iac + maf..?
 

ok so I took another look at my truck and there doesn't seem to be any play with the belt or anything. Although I am about 95% sure that the high pitched noise is coming from the alternator... is that possible? and if so does that mean it should be replaced?

Re: whistling noise and iac + maf..?
 

If it is your alternator, I've had that happen on my old Ford Contour. The internal bearings were going. Never own a Contour, replacing the alternator is not an easy job whatsoever.

Re: whistling noise and iac + maf..?
 

ya I do know that replacing the alternator is NOT an easy job. I looked up the price for a new one at partsource and it says that it is 210$. ( I live in canada). That insane considering the labour costs would probably be 200$. any ideas on how much the total cost of replacing the alternator would be???

Re: whistling noise and iac + maf..?
 

If it's a high pitched sound, it may be the alternator. Is it charging alright? It's been awhile since i've torn apart an alternator. I don't remember if the bearings are within the pulley or not. Replacing the alternator on a Ranger is easy as hell. You just have to play contortionist with it.

Prices suck in Canada.

Re: whistling noise and iac + maf..?
 

well ya the alternator is charging fine but the whining noise is very very annoying and I can't stand it. Also it has gotten louder over the past couple of months. So it's not to hard to replace the alternator? Is it just a matter of unbolting the alternator and unbolting the one pulley then placing the other alternator in place? I'm not really a mechanic but I don't want to pay 400 either...lol

thanks

Re: whistling noise and iac + maf..?
 

I'm not entirely sure as i've never replaced the alternator on a Ranger. But they're all usually the same, unplug the connector, take tension off the belt and remove it, remove the mounting bolts, wiggle the alternator loose, and then figure out how to get it out from under the upper radiator hose.

Re: whistling noise and iac + maf..?
 

ok cool thanks for the information fordzilla. I was wondering if there is any possible way of screwing up the tension on the belt? Or is it just automatically tightened and tensioned. Is it just a matter of taking off the belt and then putting it back on or do I have to get a special tool to get the right tension on the belt?

thanks