2003 Ranger squeel

So the symptoms are a squeeling sound that gets louder and more high pitched as engine RPM and load are increased. It seems down on power, and fuel econ. is slightly worse than before. The serp. belt and tensioner were recently replaced and the sound seems to be coming from closer to the firewall area than the front of the engine, but I may be wrong on that. Any ideas or quick checks that may lead me to the problem? Any help would be appreciated. Thanks.


also, I should note that it is a Ranger XLT, 2WD, 3.0 L V6, Auto.