1998 Explorer help

Just purchased a 1998 Ford explorer 4.0l v6 sohc there is a whinning/rubbing noise on startup but disapears when warm it also seems harder to hear once i engage drive , the whinning/rubbing seems to come from the middle or alternater side of the engine, tried spray but did not work, car started and run perfect for a few weeks but got up this morning and will not start at all, engine is turning over but there is no smell of petrol or even an attempt to fire, please help this is driving me nuts it has only done 63000 miles with full history.

Was the noise engine speed dependent, or just constant, regardless of the speed of the engine? Do you have access to an OBD-II scan tool to check for any diagnostic codes?

-Rod