I've had this truck for 2 years. It's in great shape. 80k miles. When I run it cold, the engine is pretty loud and wants to be driven easy until warm. After replacing my water pump and power steering pump 2 weeks ago, it runs "cold" long after coming up to operating temperature. The engine is very loud when accelerating- even slightly, and shifts (smoothly) at around 3k RPMs. It acts like it wants to be babied. There is no check engine light, and it's not overheating.
My transmission fluid looks good, I've disconnected/reconnected the negative terminal and switched ignition to On for 30 seconds.
As my username suggests, everything I know about fixing cars I have learned on YouTube or by searching forums like these. Not sure where to start on this one, and have no idea if the issue might be related to the work I did, or if it's some sick coincidence.
Any suggestions are very much appreciated!

 

Look for videos on checking your fan clutch. It could be locked up and you are hearing the sound of a moving air.
If it turns out the fan clutch is not your problem, some more details would be helpful. Describing engine as pretty loud and very loud doesn't give us much to go on.

 

Thank you! After watching a couple videos, I think the fan clutch is my problem. Frustrating, as I followed advice to replace the fan clutch when doing the water pump. I'll post again once I'm able to complete the repair and confirm this whether this was the issue.

 

Thanks again for your guidance. I replaced the fan clutch (a very simple and quick process), and it solved the issue. No more sound of a jet engine every time I accelerate.

 

you are most welcome, I'm glad you fixed the problem.

 

Some of those parts store clutches are severe duty rated too, they're almost full time locked up near operating temp.

 

It's been about a month since I first completed the fan clutch repair, and I'm still running into issues. I've installed 3 new clutches as each goes bad (locks up) after a couple days and I'm back to the jet engine. I threw a new one in last week ahead of a 1,000 mile trip this past weekend. It went bad too, and there was a noticable drop in gas mileage and performance- especially when climbing or trying to pass. It almost felt like I was towing a trailer the whole time.
I've seen some comments about a standard or HD clutch, but can't figure out which I need (I've been using standard) and if either will make a difference. Any ideas?

 

I suspect that a better BRAND of part will make more of a difference.......

 

Alright guys, still dealing with silliness after changing the water pump, thermostat (OEM temp) and fan clutch (HD). Here's an example that is typical:

It's 85 degrees this afternoon. I started up my truck and let it run for 20 seconds, then drove 2 miles to lunch at 40mph. The thermostat barely crept past cold by the time I arrived. After lunch, I ran a few errands (driving easy down surface streets) and the thermostat gauge warmed up to operating temp, and then continued past the center mark by an eighth, where it stayed for a minute or two before settling back to center. If I hop on the freeway it will creep right back up to an eighth over when accelerating or climbing easy hills (unloaded). When pulling a trailer, I'm often 1/4 over center when climbing. However, it doesn't overheat, and falls back down to temperature when I back off. I tested the thermostat by ensuring that the lower coolant hose is cool to the touch after a few min of run, but before reaching operating temp. It is.
This never happened before I replaced everything, and I'm sure it can't be good for my engine. (The needle would always stay slightly below center, and only ever touch the center line if I were pushing my truck hard). I'm not sure what to do, and would love your input. Thanks in advance!

 

What brand thermostat did you install? I would be tempted to put the old one back in.....