Hello, Ive had my 2017 Lincoln MKZ 2.0L for about 2 years now. Ive always maintained its usual maintenance including oil care. Its at about 155,000 miles now. When it first became cold, I started my car, and randomly, this weird noise stared. Ive been trying to figure out what the problem is, I’ve gone to a mechanic and he told me it was the oil filter, so I changed the filter and did the oil change again, nothing changed.
The sound only happens on idle. on park or on a red light. When I start driving, the sound disappears and slowly gets louder when i get very close to a full stop. It is much louder on a cold start. I cant wrap my head around what is happening!
Searching for issues of this nature consistently returned a common problem with this vehicle and engine combination. I hope this is not your issue, but the 2017 Lincoln MKZ 2.0L have a common issue of broken or cracked flexplates, which can be a big safety concern and a huge expense. I am not saying this is what is wrong, but if you review this post and listen to the video it does sound similar, only your engine is at high idle and the video on Reddit is at low idle.
There is a recall and service bulletin about this issue for Lincoln MKZ 2.0L’s but you will need to check if ypurs is covered. The best advice is to take the vehicle to a Ford/Lincoln Service Center and ask about this and have them listen to it. They should be able to tell you if your vehicle is covered for this issue without having pay for service time.
How you pursue this is up to you, but the flexplate issue is a common problem with this engine in the MKZ. The longer this goes on the more damage that will be caused to the transmission torque converter and the engine crankshaft.