I'm having the opposite problem. Mine seems to have forgotten what quiet mode is in the last few days. I guess I need to crawl under and check the vacuum lines.

 

You think that's a problem?

 

"...Mustang exhaust. If you’re leaving for work early in the morning, set it for Quiet Start. Need an energy boost when you’re leaving work? Select the Sport setting. Other modes include Normal and Track."
My son recently took delivery of a 5.0 GT and it is LOUD. I asked if it could be quieted down and he demonstrated another mode. After just a few miles at the LOUD setting my head was beginning to throb, so good for Ford in offering options.

 

Some of my neighbors might. I do largely because it used to work and now it doesn't. That sort of thing bothers me.

EDIT: The fuse is OK and nothing obvious underneath, except for what appears to be a leaking pinion shaft seal :-(

 

I think you will find that the 'default' position of the gate valve in the exhaust pipe is 'open'. So if you lose vacuum pressure or a bad fuse, the valve will stay open and you should have noisy exhaust most of the time.

 

Yes, I'm aware of that. I checked fuses and looked for physical damage of the vacuum lines, but when I saw signs of an oil leak in the diff I gave up. It's something the dealer can check, since I still have warranty remaining.

 

When I was on vacation in a resort that frowned upon overly much noise I simply used two medium sturdy zip ties, one left, one right where the actuator is under the cars rear, to keep the flaps closed. It was easy to do. Prepare the zip tie but don't tighten it, use one hand thumb to push the actuator lever to ist limit, thereby closing the flap (you need a little strength for that), other hand re-position the zip tie while tightening it. Bingo, quiet car.

 

What I did was to install another vacuum solenoid in line with the atmospheric vent of existing solenoid, then used a relay and a resistor to tap off the light of the exhaust switch to make it a simple on/off system.
Basically if the button is off, the valves will remain closed regardless of what drive mode I'm in or rpm, and when the button is on then the valves are open and its loud as hell... A bit difficult to explain, but very simple in practice.
you can also do the same, but instead of tapping into the switch led and getting the correct resistor value and all that, just put a toggle switch under the dash or something.

 

Ok, I may try your mod if I keep going back out to Laguna Seca. But, this may be my last time. It's been crossed off my Bucket List now... Still good to know you can keep the gate valve shut, and not hurt the engine or performance. Thanks,,,,

 

I hope you are still able to help with this. I love the sound but my wife gets self-conscious when starting it up in a public place. It recently almost drove her to sell it, so she would be thrilled if we could control it somehow. I was thinking it would even be ok if I could add a switch in the trunk (boot) and have her just pop the trunk before starting the car. What did you come up with? Thanks, Steve

 

If she's only concerned about the sound on start-up, have her press the start button *without* her foot on the brake so it goes into ignition on mode. The gauges will sweep fully up and down. Wait until that is complete and then hold the brake and press the start button to start. The engine won't rev to nearly the level it does when you just try to start it from the off position--much quieter.

 

Thunder Dump - Hey thanks for getting back to me. I had no idea that going into accessory mode first might quiet things down. We both tried it and we think it helps. I’m not sure if it’s just the placebo effect, but we’ll keep testing it. If she’s happy, I’m happy...I’ll check in again later. Thanks again!

 

Thunder Dump's solution is much better than mine. She probably should have waited for the all-electric model to come out...

 

I’m not convinced that it works yet. I found another thread that was dedicated to stealth start-up and it’s questionable-works for some and not others. do you still mind telling me what you ended up doing?

 

First, I have the V8 with quad exhaust pipes. The two outboard pipes have a vacuum operated gate valve near the end of the pipes. Each valve is operated by a separate vacuum pump located near the valves. To keep the valves closed, I disconnected the vacuum hose from the pumps to the valves at the valve nozzle end. You should plug these hoses to keep pumps from seeing zero vacuum while car is running.
Next, I install another hose about 12-18 inches long on the valve nozzles. At the other end of these hoses, I installed a vacuum check valve which you can now access without having to get under the car. In fact, I can now do the entire installation from outside the car with little problem. Just make sure the exhaust isn't hot.
Next, connect a hand-operated vacuum pump to the check valve, and pump until the valve closes. I think this is normally about 10 psi on the gauge. Be sure the check valves are orientated to allow flow from valve to hand pump and will hold a vacuum on the gate valves.
Also, I put a cap on the check valves to help reduce any vacuum leakage. The idea is to keep vacuum suction on the gate valve to keep it closed. Otherwise the default position is OPEN, and therefore louder noise from your exhaust.

If you are still interested, and photos would help with my explanation, let me know.

Glen..

 

That’s impressive, both with what you accomplished and for taking the time to explain it to me. Thank you.

I get what you did, I’m now trying to think how I could do something similar but more automated. My understanding with my 17 V6S is that there is no pump, relies on engine vacuum. What comes to mind is putting an inline check with a separate bypass that I can control with a solenoid valve and a switch. I’ll have to think about it. Thanks again.

BTW I’m impressed with how helpful people have been. I just joined last night and already have had two responses.

 

I believe at least one person here installed an electric vacuum pump that they could energize (closing the valves) before starting the car.

 

Thanks for that - I’m kind of thinking that’s the direction I’d have to go, unless I can hold the vacuum between starts. My guess there would be too much leakage.
Is it me or is it crazy we have to come up with solutions like this... that’s what I thought, WE are just crazy.

 

If you want a quiet car and you buy an F-Type - maybe you are just crazy!

 

I stepped into that one - well said!