Thats probably what it is. You need to get that fixed before it siezes up and causes some serious damage. The pic shows the location of the synchronizer assembly, while the car is cold, see if you can grab ahold of the assembly & you should be able to feel it as it grinds/chirps. Its a common problem with the Taurus & is a pain to change thanks to the flat plastic wiring harness running right above it. Be sure you know what you are doing if trying to change this yourself as you can throw the car out of timing. The cam position sensor also sits on top of this assembly and may need replacing too if the vein has came in contact with it. This pic is of a 01
