Engine noise around 3k rpm ?

[Gabe]

Hi guys,

First of all, engine is 100% stock down to the air filter. Only "mod" is the removal of the sound tube using the CoolTech delete kit.

Recently I've noticed a light metallic flutter noise around 3k rpm, best heard in 3rd gear on light acceleration, but also in 4th gear and sometimes when letting off the gas in-between shifts.

Not sure if it has something to do with the variable cam timing or what but I'm a little worried about it.

Anybody else heard of this type of noise on these 5.0's ?


Thanks in advance

 

[konablue11gt]

I had the same fears when my car was cold ... It ended up being injectors they are a bit noisy from what I'm told.... Not sure if your describing the same noise or not

 

[Gabe]

It's not a ticking noise.
The engine ticks - this I'm OK with since valvetrain and injector noises are normal these days.

This is a fluttering noise ... can't describe it any better than that unfortunately ...

As I'm slowly climbing through the RPM's right at 3k in 3rd gear I hear a flutter noise which then goes away but I hear it again in 4th at about 3k RPM or even in 2nd if accelerating harder and letting off the gas to upshift

 

[DeepImpactPony]

By any chance does it sound anything like a loose heat shield on a catalytic converter? I have a similar sound coming from underneath the car, only under load, had the car on the lift, and banged h pipe with hand, and sounds like something is loose inside the h pipe, havent had time to go to dealer to check it out.

 

[fake]

I have this sound when my car is cold. After a mile and the engine warms up, the sound goes away completely.

 

[BAKnBLK2010]

If it only is happening when the car is cold it's piston slap. My 2011 did it and I've noticed my 2012 doing now that the weather has turned colder. When the car is cold I don't take it above 2500rpm until the engine reaches operating temp. to avoid having to listen to it.

 

[stang8psi]

what kind of gas op?

 

[1950StangJump$]

This is a new one.

There have been complaints about a "fluttering" sound, but normally only at idle. In those cases, there is a valve on the top of the engine that the computer runs intermittently, and it sounds like a fluttering bird.

At the RPMs the OP is talking about, it does sound like the cold engine "piston slap" that folks have complained about for 2+ years. Every fall, the complaints begin again, as it only occurs at lower ambient temps when the car is cold. However, the description of the sound by the OP doesn't sound like that. BTW, there is a TSB that supposed to mitigate, but not eliminate, the cold engine "slap" noise. Also, Roush mufflers seem to get rid of that sound also!

OP, let us know what the dealer says.

 

[twistedneck]

i have that same sound and i notice it comes on with the ti-vct cams going into performance mode. with each tuner they can change that and the rpm where it makes that brief rattle rattle exhaust note changes with each tuner. also i think some tuners transition it faster than others - right now w my current tune it comes in at 2000 rpm and makes that noise until 2300.. in any gear.

its almost like the car is accelerating when it ramps the cams up.

 

[drewzx3]

I had the same fears when my car was cold ... It ended up being injectors they are a bit noisy from what I'm told.... Not sure if your describing the same noise or not

Mine has a strange sound when cold.

 

[302GT]

If it only is happening when the car is cold it's piston slap. My 2011 did it and I've noticed my 2012 doing now that the weather has turned colder. When the car is cold I don't take it above 2500rpm until the engine reaches operating temp. to avoid having to listen to it.

Agreed. My '04 Mach 1 did the same thing. I ran Lucas synthetic oil stabilizer in it. It helped. Definitely keep the revs low when cold.

 

[Gabe]

Updating this thread since I just fixed this "engine" noise.

Last Sunday I met up with a buddy with a manual-trans '12 5.0 and he had the idea of driving his car to see if any of my noises are happening on his car.
We ended up driving each other's cars, and while I was sitting in the passenger seat of my car I was able to hear this noise again of course, but I was hearing it come from the left rear of the car.

It blew my mind, and I immediately started thinking that MAYBE it has something to do with the bolt that I couldn't quite get tight above the left muffler holding that bracket in place, I could only get it about half-way in when I installed the GT500's

Today I back the car up on ramps, get under there to tighten the bolt, and have a "WTF?" moment when I realize that the bolt is missing !!!

Apparently it backed itself out and the bracket was rattling against the frame rail back there.

Moved a bolt from the rear hanger and it fit, took that bolt to a local screw/bolt store, they matched it up perfectly, and 70 cents later my noise is gone !!!!!!!!!!!!

I felt so stupid, especially as to how I couldn't get it tight the first time, considering all you have to do is push the muffler backwards a bit and there's room to get a wrench in there (above the muffler) ...

Anyway, just came back from a test drive, and it was one of the most enjoyable drives I've had in this car in a long time, lol

 

[nasty281]

Updating this thread since I just fixed this "engine" noise.

Last Sunday I met up with a buddy with a manual-trans '12 5.0 and he had the idea of driving his car to see if any of my noises are happening on his car.
We ended up driving each other's cars, and while I was sitting in the passenger seat of my car I was able to hear this noise again of course, but I was hearing it come from the left rear of the car.

It blew my mind, and I immediately started thinking that MAYBE it has something to do with the bolt that I couldn't quite get tight above the left muffler holding that bracket in place, I could only get it about half-way in when I installed the GT500's

Today I back the car up on ramps, get under there to tighten the bolt, and have a "WTF?" moment when I realize that the bolt is missing !!!

Apparently it backed itself out and the bracket was rattling against the frame rail back there.

Moved a bolt from the rear hanger and it fit, took that bolt to a local screw/bolt store, they matched it up perfectly, and 70 cents later my noise is gone !!!!!!!!!!!!

I felt so stupid, especially as to how I couldn't get it tight the first time, considering all you have to do is push the muffler backwards a bit and there's room to get a wrench in there (above the muffler) ...

Anyway, just came back from a test drive, and it was one of the most enjoyable drives I've had in this car in a long time, lol

Lol please don't tell me you were living with that sound for over 6 months

 

[fdjizm]

Updating this thread since I just fixed this "engine" noise.

Last Sunday I met up with a buddy with a manual-trans '12 5.0 and he had the idea of driving his car to see if any of my noises are happening on his car.
We ended up driving each other's cars, and while I was sitting in the passenger seat of my car I was able to hear this noise again of course, but I was hearing it come from the left rear of the car.

It blew my mind, and I immediately started thinking that MAYBE it has something to do with the bolt that I couldn't quite get tight above the left muffler holding that bracket in place, I could only get it about half-way in when I installed the GT500's

Today I back the car up on ramps, get under there to tighten the bolt, and have a "WTF?" moment when I realize that the bolt is missing !!!

Apparently it backed itself out and the bracket was rattling against the frame rail back there.

Moved a bolt from the rear hanger and it fit, took that bolt to a local screw/bolt store, they matched it up perfectly, and 70 cents later my noise is gone !!!!!!!!!!!!

I felt so stupid, especially as to how I couldn't get it tight the first time, considering all you have to do is push the muffler backwards a bit and there's room to get a wrench in there (above the muffler) ...

Anyway, just came back from a test drive, and it was one of the most enjoyable drives I've had in this car in a long time, lol

I knew it.

 

[Gabe]

Lol please don't tell me you were living with that sound for over 6 months

I have.

I know. Major fail not tightening that bolt originally.

Oh well, it's fixed now.

 

[07TGGT]

Straight thru mufflers FTW! I didn't have to move them at all to tighten that bolt/
Glad you got it figured out, but I wouldn't have left the bolt not fully tightened down in the first place lol.

 

[Gabe]

Meh, there were 2 other bolts holding that bracket on, I thought it'd be ok, guess not, lol

 

[black2008gt]

Had the fluttering bird sound that freaked me out the first weeks of owning the car. Guess you hear all the stories and it makes you feel like its a ticking bomb.

 

[DrTriton]

I was going to say, check your muffler bolts!!

Glad you found it...I hate weird noises that you can never figure out...every car I've owned has had at least one...........

 

[Gabe]

I was going to say, check your muffler bolts!!

Glad you found it...I hate weird noises that you can never figure out...every car I've owned has had at least one...........

Oh, I still have 2 noises I'm dealing with ... and these are definitely not muffler-related, but they're intermittent and possibly caused by the new shifter and the 1-piece driveshaft, so meh