I thought it was the cam position sensor, but on the 4.0s that did this. I have a definite chirp from back there. (used a hose to trace the sound)

 

I could be wrong but it sounds like it could be your Camshaft Scyronizer it has the camshaft position sensor on top of it. This is a pretty common problem on the 3.0 .It took the place of the distributor when Ford went to the DIS system. It hooks to the oil pumps and can cause a lot of damage if it causes oil pressure to fall. It sometimes sounds like a belt squeak or a chirp.They had a oiling problem and would shell out after so many miles,,, do you know if it has ever been changed ??? If you replace it I would get a Motorcraft one from dealer,,,,but you can get a after market one at Autozone but they dont hold up as well as a Motorcraft OEM one. Not a lot of other things on the back that would make that noise,,, but I am guessing,,hard to troubleshoot something I cant see or hear. I was on a budget and got he Autozone one with the camshaft position sensor and the plastic tool to install it with at a good price,,, wish I could have afforded the Motorcraft one. There are youtube videos on replacing it.

 

Yes.. the chirp is coming from the mechanical part of the cam position sensor assembly called the cam synchronizer, the sensor itself is on the top and is probably OK but the mechanical part that goes into the engine suffers from a lack of lubrication, the bushing dries out and it will eventually seize and take the whole motor with it so you are advised to replace it immediately. The assembly is located at the very back of the motor and looks like the bottom half of a distributor..

 

^+1 on this squeak being the classic sound that the assy needs to be replaced without delay, as it drives the oil pump, so if it seizes & strips the drive gears, it'll starve the engine of oil & total it fast.
Motorcraft parts are recommended, Dorman aren't, as there are numerous problems reported around the net with the Dorman part.

There are numerous forum threads on the subject & info in the Tech Info thread on how to execute a self repair, if you like turning your own wrenches.

More thoughts for consideration, let us know how it goes.

 

as you all say, the sound is that of a chirping belt. I actually opened the hood and first listened to the belts to see if I had a pulley that had gone wonky.

So sounds like I need to do this next weekend. Its only been doing it for a week now and wont have the time until then.

Thanks for the input, like I said, I thought this was a 4.0 problem only!


edit: looks like 30-35$ for the cheap ones and 99$ for the motorcraft from rock auto.

 

Hey Pawpaw does that get me another atta boy ???? LOL ,,,,MFP go with the Motorcraft one dont get the cheap one like I did,,, I only found out about the cheap Dorman after I had replaced it,, wish I had got the Motorcraft one instead !!!!!

 

I keep seeing mention of a tool, but some say its not needed. Advice? Good thing is when I looked at mine tonight it looks like its easy to get to.

 

The easy way is to pull the number one plug and spin engine to TDC and then remove the camshaft sensor and mark with sharpie pen or marker or better yet take a picture of where the vane is pointing ,,, there is one bolt that holds down the unit,,, i used a 6 or 8 inch extention and a wobble joint and i think it was a 8 or 10 mm socket,,, and made sure to turn the new one right to where the old one was pointing,,, it did not slide straight down and took me a couple of tries to get it pointed like I wanted,,, once happy with the pointing simply replace bolt and sensor and plug,,, hardest thing for me was i am short and had to lay on belly to see what I was doing. I had the tool but never used it,,, just like replacing a distributor if you ever did that and pointed the rotor button this is pretty much the same .

 

well damn, I spent more time fighting with (and finally figuring out) the hold down bolt is at a strange angle than I did doing the job.

$100 from rock auto for a motorcraft unit. The old one was definitely screwed. When turning by hand it was dragging and sticking bad.

Question, I lined up my new one as best i could. On a distributor motor moving the distributor around the circle is how you set the timing. Can you change the timing on these motors by adjusting the camshaft synchronizer or is there some way the computer knows how to adjust it?

 

no the camshaft sensor should not and can not be turned like a old type distributor,,, if you lined it up and it starts and runs fine you did all you can do,,,if you put it back like it was you should be fine

 

just to be clear then, if you loosen the hold down bolt and move the assembly 15 degrees either direction it will have ZERO effect on the motor?

 

I dont think that is possible ( dont believe it will turn ) ,,, ask Pawpaw or Tomw ( they are lots smarter than me ),,,, but I think once it is in there it is set,,, I believe lining up the vain where it was when you removed it is all you can do,,(but I could be wrong ) maybe Pawpaw or Tomw will jump in and set us straight !!!!

 

bump? would really like some more minds opinions?

I really feel like it should effect the timing, then the question is how do you set it if you dont have it right?