What started as a whine has gotten worse. It is quite noisy while running.
Would it be advisable to remove the serpentine belt,and try each belt driven accessory
by hand to find the source ?

2000 / 4.2

 

I have had this whining noise with my e250 4.2 van for almost a year. I thought it was belts(nope) vacuum leak(nope) trans(?). Well the van started to finally run like crap,bogging down on acceleration like the timing was off or a bad vacuum leak, and missing. I replaced the plugs wires and coil and that helped for a short time but i still had that annoying whine, spark knock and no power. I did take the harmonic balancer off and make sure the keyway was still in good condition and not cracked or sloppy. I replaced the crank sensor while i was in there. I read this forum and found that the cam positioning synchronizer sometimes make this noise like a bad belt or squeeling noise( I know this sounds like an unlikely place for a squeeling noise like a loose belt but other members have solved the problem by replacing the cam synchronizer). I am replacing the synchro and cam sensor tomarrow to see if the power comes back and the squeeling noise goes away. Man do i hope this works I have had this problem for a year and if this dont fix it Im ready to trade this thing off.

 

No guarantees but i have had lots of luck using a mechanic's stethascope to find the source of all sorts of noises. Sometimes you get right down the exact spot the noise is originating from.

Worth a try. I'd sure be trying it!

Best of luck!

 

Good advice,thanks.

 

Hey, give it a go, then let us know!

Thanks.