Squeeking noise

[ajstoner21]

Hey, I have a 98 Ford Ranger, V6, 4.0 L engine,
I recently gave it a tune up and then drove 1500 miles from Pennyslvania to Texas for a job, a few weeks after i got here, i noticed a weird noise.

It literally sounds like a bird under the hood chirping. First, it seemed to chirp once every few minutes the whole time i was driving, sometimes it didnt make noise at all. Eventually, the noise was just absolutely crazy ( alot of chirps) first few minutes of running for the day, and then it would stop for the rest of the day.

I know the first thing many people will say is either, worn belt, belt tensioner, or water pump or something. I tried taking it to a shop, but it decided to run perfectly once it got there, so they replaced the belt and tensioner anyway.

All pulleys feel fine, dont wobble weird or anything. When standing out side listening to the sound, it sounds like its coming from the intake manifold area, just to the right of the spark plug thing (distributor?. where all spark plug wires go to...) but when layin under the truck, sounds like its coming from where the transmission and engine meet ( its a stick shift). I've heard noises can bounce weird and be misleading, but i have no idea what the noise could be.

I have to drive back to PA in about a month, and would really love to not get stuck half way...

I really dont want to guess and check with a million things because money is tight, but i'm open to ideas about what the noise could be.

 

[khooper]

squeaking noise under the hood is usually the indicator that you need new brakes so don't worry just get them replaced problem solved.
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[Explorin94]

squeaking noise under the hood is usually the indicator that you need new brakes so don't worry just get them replaced problem solved.
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Wow! I am worried about getting the brakes replaced under the hood!! A chirping noise under the hood and the brakes need to be changed. Something is wrong here as that noise usually doesn't come from under the hood. That is usually a noise that comes from front tire area.

AJ.. How many miles and what transmission do you have? 2wd or 4wd? Have you ever done ujoints (but would be more towards the back of the truck)?Does the noise go away when you step on the brakes or is it more prevelent when you do? Did it change when they replaced the belt and tensioner? Check the alternator and see if that is maybe your rpoblem, could have a bad bearing.

 

[almostclueless]

Strong possibility it's the camshaft synchronizer.

R&R CAN be done just like a distributor from what I've read.

 

[847alexc]

It is tough to diagnose based only on the info presented. First decide whether the speed of the sound changes with engine speed, vehicle speed, or neither. If it is under the hood, not the brake or drive train, lets presume for arguments sake that its an engine noise. I would take a long screwdriver, hold the handle to your ear and the tip to several locations that may be making the noise. This works like a stethoscope. I would personally check the IDLER pulley. These have a tendency to wear out near 100k miles, and make noise long before causing any serious problems. Other than that, if its not engine speed dependent, check for panels rubbing, such as those around the wheel wells

Good luck

 

[snake]

Sounds like it does it while sitting still from the description. You can get a mechanic's stethescope for about $10 at a parts store. I would try to pinpoint it with that first.

I do have to ask, does it make a difference when the clutch pedal is in or out? Might be a bearing in the bell housing.

 

[ajstoner21]

It does it when its moving or sitting still, clutch in or out. Doesnt seem to change when pressin brakes.

As far as RPM related, most times, doesnt seem to do it at higher rpm's, its as if it starts to get worse with slight increase of rpm (maybe 500 rpm?) then stops

It has about 145,000 miles, 4 WD.

It didnt seem to change when the belt/tensioner was replaced (it wasnt doing it thatd day haha, so i'm not 100% sure on that )

How does camshaft synchronizer work? Is that expensive?

Whats the bell housing?

(Sorry, i'm not as knowledgable about vehicles as i'd like to be)

 

[86bg]

How could it be brakes if he is laying under it?

How could it be u joints if he's laying under it?

It looks like you guys took all the stupid suggestions, so I'm going to try my hand at them..

MAYBE IT'S A BIRD!!!!

In seriousness-
Does the chirping sound increase in frequency when you step on the gas? Does the chirp frequency correlate exactly with the engine RPM?

There's a brillion different things it could be. belt, birds, bearings, engine mounts, and so on.

I have a problem with a vibration caused rattling under my engine somewhere, but I can't pinpoint it as it isn't possible to recreate the vibration unless I'm driving. There's a comedy show called the body shop and they made fun of this by having a worker ride under the car as they drove it along.

 

[ajstoner21]

The only relation to RPM i can find is that, if it decides to not chirp when i initially start it and sometimes if i step on the gas, it'll make it chirp like once.

But most times when initially started, it sounds like a million birds under the hood, sometimes just one bird chirping every few minutes... its the strangest noise. I really did think it was a bird first time i heard it. I"m pretty sure the belt and belt tensioner isnt the cause but i have no clue at the moment.

 

[martin]

fan

 

[alaskan155]

fan, power steering pump, A/c compressor maybe

 

[Bob Ayers]

I agree with almostclueless on the camshaft position sensor syncro.
It is located in the rear of the engine, where you would expect a distributor to be. If it goes all the way out, you will loose the drive for your oil pump, and then the engine, if you don't shut it down when you loose oil pressure.

 

[Explorin94]

How could it be brakes if he is laying under it?

How could it be u joints if he's laying under it?

It looks like you guys took all the stupid suggestions, so I'm going to try my hand at them..

MAYBE IT'S A BIRD!!!!

In seriousness-
Does the chirping sound increase in frequency when you step on the gas? Does the chirp frequency correlate exactly with the engine RPM?

There's a brillion different things it could be. belt, birds, bearings, engine mounts, and so on.

I have a problem with a vibration caused rattling under my engine somewhere, but I can't pinpoint it as it isn't possible to recreate the vibration unless I'm driving. There's a comedy show called the body shop and they made fun of this by having a worker ride under the car as they drove it along.

Read his first post and you will see why all the questions were asked. I didn't see where one so called stupid question was asked!

 

[847alexc]

not the tensioner pulley, the IDLER PULLY. Similar but different, no spring loaded arm, same potential bearing problem. Cheap Fix

 

[AgPete139]

+1 on the stethoscope/long screwdriver-ear suggestion. Climb in, and try to locate. You said it's coming form the intake manifold, right of the DIS ("distributor"). As dumb as this sounds, do you have a cone filter, like an open K&N or anything like that? Does it sound like it comes near the throttle body either?

My '97 4.0 has played similar sound tricks like that to me. Check all your vacuum hoses, wiggle, and see if the frequency changes any. From the brake booster to the charcoal canister and hoses in between, any loose connection can cause the air to vibrate in a different manner, which results in a finicky, hard to troubleshoot chirp.

Sometimes if it is belt/pulley/tensioner related, the squeak/chirp could change if the air conditioning was turned on or off. When if comes back, try this as well. The a/c compressor will change the load on the serpentine belt/accessories...

Good luck in the search for the elusive parakeet...


Pete