Hey all , I have an 03 ranger v6 that has a chirping sound coming from the back of the motor. the truck cranks easy, idles and runs fine and no warning lights have come on. i've removed the belt and ran the truck and still here the chirping sound, i've narrowed it down to the camshaft position sensor / synchronizer and was wondering what causes the chirping sound that i here . is it the sensor or the synchronizer that has gone bad . any and all help appreciated. p.s this chirping sound has been going on for a few months.

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Ken

Sounds like you have the common symptoms of a failing synchronizer. It's been said that they fail from lack of lubrication. The gear on the end gets eaten up, and this is a vital piece that's involved with driving the oil pump. When it cannot be spun by the camshaft anymore, the engine will sieze with little or no warning. And you will need a new engine if this is the case.

Pete

^^^^X2

check the sensor and replace immediatly if the teeth on it are worn out, mine wore out but didn't make any noise, one day three of the worn out teeth laid over, my oil pump stopped spinning and my engine locked up, happened very quickly

Mine has started chirping...I parked it and will change that puppy out this weekend...it's not worth losing a motor...NAPA has them for about $45...with the alignment tool

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2001 Ranger XLT SuperCab 4dr Flareside 3.0 V6

I would pay the extra money and go with OE Ford replacement parts. The auto parts stores and eBay are filled with Chinese knockoffs and many owners have had bad experiences with them failing at low miles.

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2003 FX4 Level II, Supercharged 5.0L V8, Headers, Duals
BW4406 manual transfer case, Aussie Locker, Torsen L/S, 4.10's
Bilstein 7100 rezzies, Cadillac/Mustang rear discs, Duff traction bars
Keypad Entry, Lock LEDs, ABS switch, sway bar discos
Heated seats, Explorer EATC, Trip Computer and consoles

2003 XLT 2.3L M5OD-R1 reg cab, 2011 Taurus SEL, 2016 C-MAX Energi Plug-in Hybrid

Yeah, I just got through reading page after page of how the Dorman cam syncs fail and are chinese crap

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2001 Ranger XLT SuperCab 4dr Flareside 3.0 V6

sounds like a pretty serious problem. is this a quick fix??

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2001 XLT 4x4 V6 4.0L auto
SAS'd D44 and 8.8. dual lockers, 38s, 12 bolt h1's, some other odds and ends

It's very similar to replacing a distributor...not that hard.

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2001 Ranger XLT SuperCab 4dr Flareside 3.0 V6

i bought a motorcraft synchronizer at o'reillys for $161.00 and my mechanic put it in for $140.00. XL autoparts also has motorcraft for $200.00. didn't need to replace the sensor because it was still good. my mechanic is adamant about using only motorcraft in ford vehicles. fyi ford wanted almost $600.00 to do the same job.

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Ken

Replaced mine with a napa last year and had to replace it within 6 months, go with the oem ford unit.

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'20 Ranger Lariat FX4 Oxford White

Well, I got it changed out. That was really not too hard! I went to O'Reilly's and they had it for me by 10:30 this morning. While I was at it, I changed the oil out with Motorcraft 5w-20 and a Motorcraft oil filter. My sync was definitely bad as it squeaked when I turned it by hand. Hopefully, I dodged a bullet!

BTW, the sync was Motorcraft too.

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2001 Ranger XLT SuperCab 4dr Flareside 3.0 V6

This is a great post, thanks for the helpful info.

We have an '03 V6 with 144k miles. It's making the same chirping sound from the rear of the engine compartment. Sounds like it's located near the top of the compartment rather than the lower. This occured when in park and at idle. The sound went away when revving the engine.

The fact that this occurred leads me to believe that there is a lubrication prob involving the oil pump, because when revving the engine, the oil pump works harder and gets the job done, thereby eliminating the sound?

That said, here's my real question........

We have also began having this problem-- when at speeds over 40mph, when hard acceleration is applied, we hear a clattering or pinging sound from the engine compartment.... and the engine 'stalls' briefly. It's as though there's a total loss of power for a brief second. This may occur in rapid succession if hard acceleration is continued.

My thoughts were an engine timing issue or a fuel system prob. Since reading this post, it seems to be related to engine timing, since this sensor has to do with cam position.

Sorry for being long-winded..... any ideas?

I've been trying to zero in on a chirping noise too. This morning I started my truck and after driving probably 0.25 mile with the usual chirp, I stalled out while idling at a stop light. (btw, I also had the defrost on full blast) I was able to immediately start the truck back up. It has never done this before so I'm certain that whatever is chirping was the culprit. I've suspected the cam sync, but I'm not sure. I popped the hood once I reached my destination. The chirp seems more pronounced underneath the truck. Any ideas?
(fyi: I've already replaced the belt tensioner, pulley, and belt)

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2001 Ranger V6 3.0 XLT 4x4 5spd (no flex fuel)

Is it necessary to remove part of the intake manifold to get to this thing? I'm having a hard time finding it.

'03 V6

The upper intake manifold has to come off.

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2003 FX4 Level II, Supercharged 5.0L V8, Headers, Duals
BW4406 manual transfer case, Aussie Locker, Torsen L/S, 4.10's
Bilstein 7100 rezzies, Cadillac/Mustang rear discs, Duff traction bars
Keypad Entry, Lock LEDs, ABS switch, sway bar discos
Heated seats, Explorer EATC, Trip Computer and consoles

2003 XLT 2.3L M5OD-R1 reg cab, 2011 Taurus SEL, 2016 C-MAX Energi Plug-in Hybrid