Can anyone tell me what might be causing this noise? I have also had the car just shut off while I was idling and the check engine light will come on, but does not stay on. It takes a few seconds to start up, but it will start. It is a 2005 Ford Escape.

 

Welcome to the site..
2.3 or 3.0 engine? How many miles on odometer?
How long has the noise be present?

Check engine light?, or is it the oil light comes on?
Do you mean the light comes on first, then a stall happens, or the light comes on after the stall?
It sounds very metallic in nature,, that said, noises can be tough as they can mimic one another, If it’s a base engine issue, oiling problem, the engine could stall, with a restart,, as would a belt driven component at times.. If it’s not a belt driven component as the cause , and if the oil level is spec,, I’d take an oil sample and look for suspended metals in the lube oil, and/or metallic debris at the drain plug... Cutting open the oil filter is another way to check for contained engine metals..
It sounds to be base engine related.....

 

If a second opinion is OK,
From what I believe I heard, It sounds like a idler pulley . If the belt was loosened and the idler pulley rotated, that could help confirm or eliminate.that possibility.

 

It's a 2.3, has a little over 177,000 miles. It made a ticking noise Tuesday, and then Wednesday it started making the louder noise. And its the check engine light. The light comes on at the same time as the stall, but once it cranks again the light goes away.

 

Like both hanky and I mentioned, possible it’s a belt driven component, and removing the belt would prove out any related possibilities. Often, when a component driven by the belt locks up, drags severely, it tends to squeal and/or skid the belt. At idle, quite possibly stall the engine, but under light to more moderate throttle angles if a lock condition exists, the belt generally will take the load and burn or shred.. If under higher RPM’s the engine locks, with no evidence of belt stress, be it visual, smell etc, an indication the lock is caused but engine bearing failures..

Engine stethoscopes, even a long tube, screwdriver etc ‘carefully’ placed on suspected areas can quickly help ID a cause without removing parts, draining/sampling lubes.
But a ticking noise now turned into squealing sounds more base engine related. If the belt is removed and the noise continues, a few simple checks/samples as noted to help isolate the cause and check base engine health will determine if the noise is engine failure related. The CEL isn't as concerning as proving out the noise origin. Given the mileage, engines history, quite possible it’s base engine related,, but if someone can do some reasonably simple checks, it won’t be too hard to diagnose..