DEFINITELY determine if it's the Camshaft Synchro--aka the link which DRIVES THE OIL PUMP! An engine killer!

Just remove the serpentine belt entirely. It will not harm your Vulcan--esp. if cold--to run for 60 seconds or less w/out the belt. This will also remove all of the fan/alternator/water pump/AC clutch noise, and make the dying cam synchronizer stand out even more--if that is the problem.


RE: PULLEY ALIGNMENT(S), if you don't have access to a LASER, a metal yardstick is good enough.

Hat tip to McCormack @ TRS for pointing out that the tensioner design is a bit lame from the get-go, and persistent squealing is often due to the tensioner getting just slightly out of true with the crankshaft pulley... again, the EDGE OF A METAL YARDSTICK tells the tale...

... if your tensioner IS out-of-aligment (even if new), you can shim it back to true by removing tensioner and re-installing w/ very thin washers on the alignment stud... on my to-do list.

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1999 Ranger XL Sport 4x4 (PVHubs, lol), 2-dr. "Supa" Cab, Vulcan(FLEX-fuel)+M5OD, LSDiff(7.5)... Aluminum "GT Racing" hood (lol), rubber flooring, hand-crank windows... bone stock, but gettin' ready to add some "thaaangs"...

If you don't know when your cam synchro has been replaced I'd go ahead and take care of that. My truck had a squeal as well and went away after the cam synchro and sensor were replaced.

Yep. You want your oil pump to keep turning.

Thanks for posting these I'm going to check all this stuff before I have the issue

I am having the same problem is there an estimate of how much it would cost to replace the cam sync and sensor?

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02 ford ranger 3.0 v6 2wd

Go on rockauto.com. you can get both the synchronizer and sensor for around $130. That's all it will cost if you plan to do it yourself, it's pretty easy to do

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2002 Edge 4x4 3.0l v6 | 3" body lift, torsion bar crank
15x10 fuel revolvers, 33x12.50 general grabber AT2's
TAG winch bumper, smittybilt 9500lb winch
6000k HID'S, 2 sets of rigid industries dually LED's
MBRP catback stainless steel exhaust
06+ mirrors, and many more upgrades

Definitely be careful if you're going to replace the synchro yourself and don't have the special ford tool to do it. If you're off by even 1 degree when inserting it, the synchro can shred the sensors magnet and you'll have to start from scratch

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1997 Ranger XLT Single Cab 3.0L 2WD
-Straight Pipe Cat Back, Future 302 or 4bt swap, 2006 Mirrors, 1992 Wheels, 6000K HIDs, Color Match Toolbox-

It will only be off by a tooth. The cam sync is driven by a toothed gear, and fits into the oil pump shaft with it. If you're off by a fraction, it will fall to the next available tooth and will be off by the angle margin of whatever one tooth is. The internal shaft in the synchro should never be off track enough to smack the sensor unless the shaft has worn enough to wobble. Alignment doesn't do this however.