04 Freestar with serious "bearing squeal" which is intermittent and sounds like it's coming from behind the water pump. I used a stethoscope to help locate it. Also, I removed the belt and ran the engine with no change, so I know it's not anything belt driven. The van has about 93k miles. Well kept and maintained. Still running 5w20 oil. Looking for any ideas as to what may be the cause, or if this is a common issue.

 

Could be the harmonic balancer or could just be the PCV valve. To check the PCV, I would pull the hose off of the PCV valve and plug it. Fire up the engine to see if it goes away. If it goes away, you'll need a new HEATED PCV valve. If you, I would look towards the harmonic balancer.

Remember, it's not a science, just a guess.