my 2000 4.0L 4x4 ranger is making a squealing noise under the hood. it sort of sounds rotational like a squeaky pulley might sound. its not the drive belt, that is still in excellent condition and the sound isnt coming from that area anyway. its coming more from the back of the engine bay, near the coil pack. the squeal is there when i start it cold, it tends to get better as it warms up, sometimes it goes away completely. I noticed today it was definitely increasing and decreasing in relation to how much gas i was giving it. any ideas what this might be? thanks in advance for any input.

--Peter

 

I see from one of your other two threads that you opened, that you have, or had a water pump leaking, so it may be coolant on the belt, causing it to slip.

Or maybe if the noise is coming from the area you believe it's coming from, maybe it's the cam sensor.

Or, maybe the fluctuating oil pressure gauge you posted about, wasn't the sender, as was suggested & it's a top end oil delivery problem.

BTW, did you ever get the 09 intermittent no start problem fixed????

If you would give the forum some feedback on your past troubles & their resolution, it might help in getting a better diagnosis on this one.

 

thanks for the input pawpaw. does the cam sensor rotate> and it would rotate faster or slower depending on how much gas im giving it, since there would be more or less rpms. my friend thought the noise sounded like metal on metal. would that make sense if it was the camshaft sensor?

also while were at it where is a good place to get parts from aside from the dealer? i cant seem for find a good online parts source for ford like i can for my vw's and saab (germanautoparts.com).

i went to my older threads and posted the resolutions. coolant leak just stopped, not sure what happened. it was just that one incident of leakage, i flushed it after and its been fine since. the oil pressure was just the sensor went bad, easy fix. and the issue from 09 was apparently head bolts that needed tightening. fluid, i guess coolant, was making the spark plugs wet when it sat for a while and then it would have trouble starting. the head bolts were tightened and that issue has been fine since. this is all what the used dealer i got the truck from said, they sent it over to a ford dealer.

 

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OK good feedback on the past problems.

The cam sensor is kinda back where the coilpack is, it's back where the distributor used to be, on the passenger side rear of the block.

The 3.0L is known for cam sensor squeeks, when it's bearing is going belly up, but we don't hear of too many 4.0L cam sensors going out, but the area you spoke ok is about right for it to be on your suspect list.

After the coolant leak into the cylinders, did you change the oil & filter????

The reason I ask is that coolant in the oiling system is a recipe for disaster, as it'll do a number on bearings, cause sludge & it doesn't take but a whiff to knock out the O2 sensors. SO, I'm thinking you could have a top end oiling problem, from the top end being all sludged up, if you don't have any idea how long it was operated with the coolant leak.

Have you pulled a valve cover to have a peek underneath, or pulled the oil fill cap & looked inside with a mirror or probe????

 

Camshaft chain is on the passenger side rear for the passenger side valves. There might be an issue with the chain tensioners. There's a TSB about it. What grade weight oil are you using?

 

@pawpaw i havent really looked inside the valve cover for any sludge, but i should do that. when the car was having the coolant leak last summer i didnt drive it very much, and as soon as the ford dealer fixed it i did an oil and filter change. and i havent noticed any sludge or anything when ive dont the past few oil changes, its always jsut dark oil, but still fluid and smooth. when i get home tonite ill locate the cam sensor and take a listen.

@g_k50 ill also look at the chain tensioners and i use what ever oil is recommended in the manual for normal climate conditions. i think its 5w30? i have to look it up everytime i go to do an oil change.

 

If this is a 2000 4.0L Ranger as you initially posted, it has the push rod OHV engine & the timing chain is on the radiator end of the block, behnd the water pump, not on the firewall end of the engine, where you kinda think the noise is coming from & sorta where the cam sensor is located.

The Ranger didn't get the SHOC engine untill 2001.

If you don't have a stethoscope to listen for & try to isolate the ara the noise is coming from, you could fashion one from a wooden broom handle, long screw driver, or piece of hose or tubing, one end to your ear, the other end on the noise suspect.

OK, good feedback on the oil & filter change & oil condition. It was a good idea to have changed the oil & filter after suspecting the loose head bolts & head gasket coolant leak into the cyls.

Since you apparently don't know how long the previous owner may have driven with this condition, the top end sludge condition is unknown at this point, so it's worth having a look see inside the valve covers, even if the noise isn't coming from there.
You will probably need an angle mirror, or optic probe to see in there real good.

As I've posted, enough coolant in the cyls to wet the plugs & cause a hard start, is enough to affect the upstrem O2 sensors, so it would be wise to check their switching speed with a scantool, scope, or switching frequency, if your multimeter has that function.

Would be interesting to hear what you find, so keep us posted.