Engine whistles when cold

byz250f said:

anyone still having this issue? Im having this slight whistle at low throttle under acceleration

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Oddly enough I had it today.. but no idea what it is.

Mine has started doing it even at warmer temps lately and I have an engine light on for my evap system. I think the whistle is from a leak from a hose or evap component. Still haven't had time to narrow it down tho since the light came on.

Ratpatator said:

Mine has started doing it even at warmer temps lately and I have an engine light on for my evap system. I think the whistle is from a leak from a hose or evap component. Still haven't had time to narrow it down tho since the light came on.

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Sounds like a good clue. Keep us posted please

Alternator interior bushings going south. Had this noise and issue before.

I suggest putting a louder exhaust and turning up the top country hits on the radio, problem solved.

Is it a whistle or closer to a whine? I had a whine with my truck in the cold and it turned out that the idler pulley was going bad. The second one followed shortly after

That whistle is usually a good sign of the exhaust manifold not sealing. Or a crack in the manifold. My hummer has it because one of the bolts was sheared off and the gasket won't seal now.

In the super cold even new/newerish vehicles can have it because the two metal parts will contract away from each other but shortly after the truck warms up and the metal expands the whine goes away when the manifold seals again. With my hummer it goes away after 10-15 seconds. Sometimes less.

It can sound like a fan belt whine as well but those will whine for much longer than the exhaust system will.

I have it as well, hot or cold it’s always there. I have chased the ghost and found that it’s more than likely a normal intake noise. I came to this conclusion based on changing air filters. If you run a factory style oiled paper filter the noise is less noticeable. Whereas running a free flow K&N or my current Green filter it becomes much more noticeable.

just got a 6.2 truck and mine did this the other day.

Here is info from the Ford Workshop Manual for a 2012 F-150 including Raptor, for what it's worth:

1. Steering system cold start noise:

a. Blockage in the power steering fluid reservoir filter screen or return ports caused by power steering fluid contamination.

NOTE: Some noise during an extremely cold start (-12.2°C [-10°F]) is normal and should improve as the steering system warms up (usually within 60 seconds).

NOTE: It may be necessary to remove the power steering fluid reservoir to flush contamination trapped in the reservoir filter/screen or to remove blockage in the return ports.

CHECK the power steering fluid reservoir filter/screen or return ports for contaminants or blockage. FLUSH the power steering system as necessary. REFER to Power Steering System Flushing in this section.

b. Air in the steering hydraulic system (aerated fluid).

CHECK for leaks in the system. REFER to Power Steering Leak Test Component Test. PURGE the air from the system. REFER to Power Steering System Purging in this section.

2. Power steering pump whine noise:

a. Aerated fluid.

CHECK for a leak in the system. REFER to Power Steering Fluid Leak Test Component Test. PURGE the air from the system. REFER to Power Steering System Purging in this section.

b. Blockage in the power steering fluid reservoir filter/screen or return ports caused by power steering fluid contamination

NOTE: It may be necessary to remove the power steering fluid reservoir to flush contamination trapped in the reservoir filter/screen or to remove blockage in the return ports.

CHECK the power steering fluid reservoir filter/screen or return ports for contaminants or blockage. FLUSH the power steering system as necessary. REFER to Power Steering System Flushing in this section.

c. Damaged power steering pump.

INSTALL a new power steering pump as necessary. REFER to Section 211-02.