Camshaft pos sens? No code but intermittent squeal from rear of engine.

[fast_dave]

Someone recommended removing the hood. I know removing the upper intake manifold will gain a bit more room, but man I'm dreading that again.

@Runnin'OnEmpty

For this particular repair, it's "top down" - just saying....

Mark where your hood hinges mate to the underside of the hood, & remove the 4 hood bolts. (2) People and 5 minutes total time, countless headaches saved.

If you choose not to remove the hood, your head will be in constant contact with the rear of the hood, pushing your face down into the rear of the engine, and thus you'll have only a few inches of field of vision or the area you're working on. The constant reminder of discomfort and the struggle to see will really wear on you...

You can choose to remove the upper intake, but if you remove the hood you won't need to do that. Seriously, the hood is 90% of what is in the way of this OHV repair that needs to be performed from literally the "top down." With the hood off, you can see everything you're working on with your own two eyes (and a lil' light).

Edited to add the following after I just had my Ex's hood open to check the oil: The other thing that is in the way is the ECU (computer) wire loom/bundle. Unscrew the one bolt that connects the wire loom/bundle to the ECU and bungee cord it out of the way.

Get a good quality step stool, do your stretching exercises & good luck!

Your Mileage May Vary -

 

[Runnin'OnEmpty]

Thanks for the tips, Koda and FastDave. I did remove the S belt and it still screamed like a Banshee. The noise started after a 1200 mile trip and a night's cooldown. It immediately made noise upon the next startup. I know the sound since my Ranger had the same syncro noise, but there is much more room to replace it on a 3.0 engine.

Good tip on the hood removal. I'll try removing the coil pack and hood, and see if that gains enough access. The parts should be here in a day or two, Motorcraft is what I ordered since they supposedly have a better shear pin.

 

[Runnin'OnEmpty]

Ford must have changed things on the 2000 model year. The A/C line and wiring loom are in the way, and the engine might be set back more than previous years...? Bottom line is for anyone replacing the syncro on a 2000, the upper plenum has to come off, and most likely the lower intake also. Since I need a left side valve cover gasket anyway and the engine has almost 170K miles, I'm taking the LIM off and replacing all the gaskets as it goes back together. Not a hard job, just aggravating. The syncro and sensor couldn't be in a harder place to access...