I've been getting a squealing sound from the flywheel area of my '99 3.0 Ranger. Seems to be an issue with some of the Rangers. Had it up in the air
to verify but I will know for sure once I pull the trans back. I just picked up the vehicle in the fall and have been doing maintenance when the squealing
started. At first I thought it was a belt tensioner so I replaced that along with the belt and idler pulley. Still doing it. The noise echoes into the engine
compartment. A friend suggested we put it in the air and we narrowed it down to the flywheel area. Parts are cheap so I'm going to do a rear main seal
while I'm there. We are keeping our fingers crossed that it is the flywheel as all other possibilities have been checked.

 

After engine is STONE COLD, take fan belt off the crank, so no accessories spin and no fan

Start engine and listen
You can run a COLD engine for 2 minutes with no water pump or alternator, but no longer

This can be very helpful in pin pointing a noise.

With the 3.0l the Cam sensor Synchro is a very well known source for squealing noise, back top of engine, bushings wear out


Clutch throwout bearing can squeal when clutch pedal is down or up, but noise will change with pedal position
Manual trans uses a Flywheel
Automatic trans uses a Flexplate
So not interchangeable words, just FYI for clarity

 

Thanks for the heads-up about the cam sensor. That's something I never considered. The noise doesn't start until the engine has been warmed up and been driven for a few miles. Whatever we find out it is I am keeping the truck and fixing it.

 

Probably Cam sensor synchronizer, it will get worse over time

 

Okay, the problem appears to be solved on mt '99 3.0L Ranger. I listened to the advice I got here in this thread and I am glad I did. I replaced the cam synchronizer and cap and after a few hundred miles the squealing noise has not returned. The only issue I ran into was in replacing the cap which required the use of a new, updated pigtail/harness. I've listed the part numbers below for future reference.

Thanks for the help Ron D! Greatly appreciated.

Can synchronizer DA-2089
Synchronizer cap DU-81
Pigtail harness WPT-986

 

Good work

Thanks for the update