Just started noticing a squeak coming from the engine bay. Have been using Lucas Upper Cylinder Lubricant with every fill-up as of the last 6 months and the serpentine belt was replaced 5K miles ago.

Not sure if those two factors are related or not.

Could it be the camshaft synchronizer if it's not a belt? My biggest fear is that it's the chirp I've read about it just before the engine blows when it's not lubricated well enough. I'm not exactly sure what engines are susceptible to that as I've read conflicting information.

In any case, I've attached a video where it can be heard.

Any insight is appreciated as money is tight right now but I don't want to damage the truck by driving it like this if it's something critical. I'm always learning and maybe someone will know right away what it most likely is when they hear it.

 

Was the squeak present before you changed the belt, was that the reason for replacement? Also how many miles do you have on your 99 3.0L? The noise could very well be due to the Synchronizer.

 

Thanks for your reply. I never changed the belt. I was told by the previous owner that it had been done but I don't know why. He was a bit cagey. It has about 105K miles.

Is there any way to narrow it down further without taking things apart? I'm not the most mechanical person but would like to do what I can to identify the issue if possible.

 

Sounds like the czm position sensor, mine went out a few months ago, sounded like a bird chirping or could be your idler pully going bad, dies it get louder when you accelerate...probably idler pullythen.

 

Listening to your video, I hear the same sound that recently started happening with my Ranger. When it's cold, it chirps on startup and continues to chirp for a while, ranging from perhaps a minute to maybe five minutes. The frequency of the chirps increase with engine speed but then it goes away. It's always intermittent, and it never does it long enough for me to get it to the repair shop before the noise quits. Anyway, I took it to the shop, got a safety inspection done as well as an oil change, and ordered a new drive belt.

They changed the drive belt as soon as it arrived. That seemed to fix it immediately so I paid and drove off. The next day on its first cranking, the same noise occurred again. I took it back to the shop but by the time I got there, it had quieted down again. Maddening.

I absolutely can't tell where the noise is coming from other than the engine compartment. The volume varies pretty much every time I start it cold. I'm thinking the alternator (which is original) or the idler pulley (which I think is also original). I can't be sure as I bought the truck with 65k on it back in 2010. I am the second owner. It now has 138k on it. It lives in my garage when I'm not actually driving it.

Anyway, I: 1) wanted to whine, and 2) wanted to commiserate. I feel your pain.