Chirping Sound from Engine

[2015owner2015]

I have a 2015 Expedition with 151K miles. Can anyone identify the cause for this squeak/birdy noise? Seems to be coming from the general area of the fan belt.

No issues otherwise, drives perfectly normal.

Possibly just a belt or pulley issue? Or could it be a pump or turbo issue?

Link to video below

Expedition birdy Sound

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youtu.be

 

[GlennSullivan]

Belt tensioner, water pump pulley, AC compressor clutch. The metallic noise is concerning. I assume the noise increases in direct proportion to RPM, correct. You could slip the belt off and manually turn each to see if you can hear or feel the problem area.

 

[2015owner2015]

Water pump is an interesting thought. Another symptom I've been seeing recently is the fan intermittently stepping up to higher speed even when the engine is cold and outdoor temp is cold. Could this be related?

 

[99WhiteC5Coupe]

Water pump is an interesting thought. Another symptom I've been seeing recently is the fan intermittently stepping up to higher speed even when the engine is cold and outdoor temp is cold. Could this be related?

If you hear the radiator cooling fans stepping up to high speed, then you could have a high engine temperature due to low engine coolant, or a bad temperature sensor.

 

[eddytheexpy]

Yeah that could be literally anything on the accessory belt. Go grab an automotive stethoscope from harbor freight and start poking around. You'll find it in no time!

 

[ExplorerTom]

My guess is that it’s an idler pulley.

 

[2015owner2015]

Thanks for the idea. I'll look at that

 

[2015owner2015]

This is a better recording of the chirping.

 

[2015owner2015]

April 5, 2025

youtu.be

 

[2015owner2015]

This is a better recording of the chirping.

April 5, 2025

youtu.be

 

[eddytheexpy]

Did you get the stethoscope yet? I feel like you haven't because you would have at least found the area it's coming from if not the exact component within 5 minutes.

Harbor Freight - Mechanics Stethoscope

It's not even $10 so go get one and post a pic of the area you're hearing the noise assuming it's not an obvious component like the tensioner or idler pulleys. Just remember to not touch the probe to any surface that's moving unless you want to be deaf for a few minutes (did that last weekend while was I on autopilot helping buddy out with his Tahoe ). The only thing we can tell from our shade tree is that sound is coming from something that's spinning so you've narrowed it down to pretty much everything haha. We're happy to help but we need a little more diagnostic info from you.