Hey guys. I am new to the forums and pretty much new to trying to fix my car so pardon my stupid questions.

My 1996 Explorer Limited recently started chirping on startups. The chrip is pretty loud but usually goes away after a minute or so. The chirp sound increases as i speed up. Sometimes the chirp lasts longer but it usually stops by the time i get out of my neighborhood. I took the car into the place that fixed my ac compressor a couple months ago and they kept my car for 2 weeks and then told me to come pick it up b/c they did not know what the problem was. they said they did manage to eliminate some things that may be causing the noise. They said it made the sound without the belt on so it was not the main belt. they also thought it might be a bearing in the oil pan but they said the bearings looked fine. they replaced the tensioner but it still chirps. they said the sound may be coming from the top center of the engine but they had a hard time locating it b/c of the short time the sound was usually present. i read something about an idler pulley on another thread. could this be the problem with mine? if so...how do i go about replacing it. I would just take it back to the shop but i am tired of feeling like a 14 year old that has to bum rides off his friends. also if i can fix it for cheap that would be great.

like i said....i know very little about cars right now but i am trying to learn. so if someone can give me a little more info about idler pulleys and maybe let me know how to get to it in my car i would really appreciate it.

THANKS IN ADVANCE!!!!!

 

Sounds like the crankshaft position sensor / Syncronizer. Basically is a distriubtor half shaft with a two prong electrical plug on it. On the '96 5.0 V8 motor it is located top front center of the engine. The inner bushings go bad fronm a combibation of age and insufficent lubrication. The ford shows a special tool to insure proper alignment of the unit, I had mined installed by the dealer but it sounds like many folks in the froum have done it themselves. You may want to search this forum for previous posts in this subject. Good luck.

 

2 quick questions....


how much will this cost?

is it damaging my car unfixed?

thanks for the info

 

It couldn't be the idler pulley if the sound still occurred with the belt off. Crank position sensor sounds like a good bet.

 

If I remember correctly the half shaft was about $90. I don't think it will cause any other damage, other than additional wear on the half shaft. Mine was getting real tight, could barely turn it by hand when removed, I guess eventually it could get tight enough to break the roll pin on the gear drive, and that will probably shut the engine down.

 

does it look like this???

http://www.rockauto.com/ref/ACDelco/213-715.jpg

 

No that is not a cam shaft position sensor - at least one that I've ever seen. If the physical unit is wearing out and causing a chirp or shreak noise, it won't seriously affect your performance or overall engine condition. This unit controls the spark delivery, in short, and could be giving a slight incorrect spark timing too you engine if the bearings/bushings are wearing out. I'm not sure where these ar on 5.0's - if that's what you have. But they are about $100 -$200 from the dealer I would imagine. They run off the cam shaft and are nothing more than a distributor from old technology, but slimmed down per today's new technology.