Loud Squeaks and Squeals

[Fordmommy]

OK I have a 2001 ranger xlt 3.0 v6
She was very loudly squeaking and squealing at pretty much all times, at startup, and while driving and at idle. So we replaced the idler puller and belt tensioner. Still the noises were there. Discovered the water pump was leaking so we had to take it to the shop due to work schedules and no time to do it ourselves. The shop replace the water pump, upper radiator hose, thermostat, and the tensioner (the entire unit) again because they said it was bent up a little throwing off everthing, and a new serpentine belt.
So yep you can guess all of the noise is STILL THERE. Now I am getting really annoyed with them at the shop and before I blow up on them I want someone with good knowledge of the trucks to see if they can figure out what it could be. I dont want them to fix or not fix anything else but need to figure out just what the heck is causing this noise. Oh and there is also some white powder formed on the serpentine belt but of course those people got antifreeze all over everything when they were working on it so not sure what the heck is going on with the truck but help would be appreciated.

 

[black_demon69]

OK I have a 2001 ranger xlt 3.0 v6
She was very loudly squeaking and squealing at pretty much all times, at startup, and while driving and at idle. So we replaced the idler puller and belt tensioner. Still the noises were there. Discovered the water pump was leaking so we had to take it to the shop due to work schedules and no time to do it ourselves. The shop replace the water pump, upper radiator hose, thermostat, and the tensioner (the entire unit) again because they said it was bent up a little throwing off everthing, and a new serpentine belt.
So yep you can guess all of the noise is STILL THERE. Now I am getting really annoyed with them at the shop and before I blow up on them I want someone with good knowledge of the trucks to see if they can figure out what it could be. I dont want them to fix or not fix anything else but need to figure out just what the heck is causing this noise. Oh and there is also some white powder formed on the serpentine belt but of course those people got antifreeze all over everything when they were working on it so not sure what the heck is going on with the truck but help would be appreciated.

sounds like a belt squeak you could try Ajax cleanser on belt (i have done this with some success in the past however no guarantees). or you could replace belt (i have found that Gates or Goodyear have less chance of squeaking at least in my experience)..

 

[The_Epsicle]

They already replaced the belt, in my opinion those "belt cleanser's" only hide the problem, but if they did get antifreeze on the belt I suppose it probably needs a clean anyway.

Turn on your truck and take a bottle of water, spray the belt with water before each pulley being careful not to get any water on the alternator, if the sound stops thats the pulley that needs replacing. After that confirm your findings by pulling off the belt and checking to see if any of the pulleys are wobbling or if they aren't turning as freely as they should.

You said they replaced the tensioner, did they replace the idler pulley too?

Oh right before I forget go to a different shop, anyone who wants to make money fixing vehicles but cant fix a serpentine belt squeal is completely incompetent. On second thought, I'd suggest you do it yourself just to make sure it's done right. Good luck

 

[Fordmommy]

Would just a belt that is brand new cause this though? Its like a clucking squealing kinda sound and also there is a squeal like a belt. It is a brand new belt which angers me if they jilted me on quality here. I wonder if another part might be causing it and if there are any ways to tell?

 

[Fordmommy]

They already replaced the belt, in my opinion those "belt cleanser's" only hide the problem, but if they did get antifreeze on the belt I suppose it probably needs a clean anyway.

Turn on your truck and take a bottle of water, spray the belt with water before each pulley being careful not to get any water on the alternator, if the sound stops thats the pulley that needs replacing. After that confirm your findings by pulling off the belt and checking to see if any of the pulleys are wobbling or if they aren't turning as freely as they should.

You said they replaced the tensioner, did they replace the idler pulley too?

Oh right before I forget go to a different shop, anyone who wants to make money fixing vehicles but cant fix a serpentine belt squeal is completely incompetent. On second thought, I'd suggest you do it yourself just to make sure it's done right. Good luck

Yeah we replaced the idler pulley ourselves as well as that tensioner, but they only said the tensioner was bad. I want to figure it out so I don't have to go back to those idiots who can't fix it for sure. Do you think its a belt when the sounds are so loud and constant? I just wonder if its another part like the AC compressor or something like that.

 

[hoosier1104]

Check the belt and make sure it is in good working order (no cracks or breaks) and oil the pulleys. The only other pulleys are the alternator, ac and crank that have not been replaced.

 

[Fordmommy]

Check the belt and make sure it is in good working order (no cracks or breaks) and oil the pulleys. The only other pulleys are the alternator, ac and crank that have not been replaced.

We will try that. I am wanting to take it back to the idiots and make them check in while parts are in warranty, think its a good idea or just cut my losses now? Also is there any ways to check out those other pulleys (alternator,ac and crank) easily? or at all?

 

[alwaysFlOoReD]

Remove the belt and spin the altenator, if it doesn't spin freely it's probably the culprit. Check for play, there should be none. Take it in to a parts place to double-check. Most will do it for free in the hopes that you will buy from them if it's bad.

 

[hoosier1104]

We will try that. I am wanting to take it back to the idiots and make them check in while parts are in warranty, think its a good idea or just cut my losses now? Also is there any ways to check out those other pulleys (alternator,ac and crank) easily? or at all?

Working on a Ranger is simple and straight forward if you are mechanically inclined. Take the belt off and try to spin it by hand.

 

[black_demon69]

Would just a belt that is brand new cause this though? Its like a clucking squealing kinda sound and also there is a squeal like a belt. It is a brand new belt which angers me if they jilted me on quality here. I wonder if another part might be causing it and if there are any ways to tell?

Ajax doesn't clean belt it scuffs it like sandpaper because it has an abrasive in it. also to see if truly a belt squeak you can spray belt with JUST A LITTLE WD40 and see if squeak disappears if it does it is definitely is a belt. one more point is that WD40 is not a fix it is just a tool.

could also be brush or bearing squeak from the alternator. or an A/C pulley bearing going bad (to test simply turn on A/C if squeak goes away it is the pulley if it remains look at other components)

 

[pjtoledo]

I have a 2000 3.0 , it has frequently had belt squeek problems. The brand of belt made a big difference with the noise. also decreasing tension on the belt can make it go away, but that isnt easy to do. my noise was perfectly rythymic, changed with engine speed. would come and go with temperature and moisture changes.
anyway, the issue was the back side of the belt where the markings are. the way the belt is manufactured and marked puts a different texture on the area where the markings are. they would make kind of a tight grinding noise when going over a pulley. since it only take a few hundredths of a second for for the patch to go over a pulley, it sounded like tick or chirp.
putting on a new "guaranteed not to squeek" rather expensive belt instantly fixed the issue. I can't remember what brand, bought it at O'Riellys.

Perry

 

[black_demon69]

I have a 2000 3.0 , it has frequently had belt squeek problems. The brand of belt made a big difference with the noise. also decreasing tension on the belt can make it go away, but that isnt easy to do. my noise was perfectly rythymic, changed with engine speed. would come and go with temperature and moisture changes.
anyway, the issue was the back side of the belt where the markings are. the way the belt is manufactured and marked puts a different texture on the area where the markings are. they would make kind of a tight grinding noise when going over a pulley. since it only take a few hundredths of a second for for the patch to go over a pulley, it sounded like tick or chirp.
putting on a new "guaranteed not to squeek" rather expensive belt instantly fixed the issue. I can't remember what brand, bought it at O'Riellys.

Perry

yeah my wifes taurus squeaked also.

 

[Fordmommy]

took it back to the shop and they still claim its all ok and the noise comes from the back of the engine where they don't use distributor caps any longer so they bypassed something and now they all squeak or chirp. Funny how it just recently started doing it!
Thanks to all for the help and I will post in another area with more questions.

 

[JC 97]

The noise at the back of the motor is most likely the camshaft position sensor. Replace that and the noise will go away.

 

[Fordmommy]

The noise at the back of the motor is most likely the camshaft position sensor. Replace that and the noise will go away.

Thank you. Where is the sensor and is it hard to replace?