Engine ticking

[05Sport]

Ever since I purchaed my 2005 4runner, I have noticed the engine making a ticking sound. It is coming from all over the engine, and is not isolated in one particular spot. The dealer said this noise is normal and to not be worried.

I purchased it as a certified pre-owned vehicle. It currently has 55,000 miles on it, and has the V8.

-Chris

 

[TheBlueWave]

I have an '05 v6 that ticks some, which is common but I've never heard of the v8 doing this. You could test the oil pressure, or just not worry because its certified pre-owned and you have a nice long warranty.

 

[cknsls@adelphia]

These V8s are very loud motors. Mine ticks too - not to worry.

 

[blindside]

Mine ticks but i have a V6 and i find that normal for my engine plus i got used to that ticking sound.. it gets louder if i put on some crappy gas

 

[toto]

Every Toyota V6 I've ever had made a ticking noise from day one, and it's very normal. Maybe it depends on your perspective... I'd say my V8 doesn't tick, but I'm sure that's relative to the V6. The tick in the V6 is pretty distinctive.

 

[scott78945]

I concur, I have had a V6 and the ticking drove me nuts! I got the V8 and don't hear it at all...

 

[Camprunner]

My "06" V-6 has a good tick to it I don't worry about it ........... My old jeep I-6 sounded like someone was shaking a bag of "Dimes and quarters" every time it ran but I drove it over 100K like that so I feal I can get by with a little Yota tick.

 

[05Sport]

Well hopefully the ticking really is just normal. I have never owned a vehicle in which the engine ticked like this one however. All of my other vehicles were Chevy Caprices ex-cop cars, and were really quiet sounding.

It almost sounds like the lifters are making the noise....

 

[JQuiroz]

Engine Ticking noise

I have a few questions for you guys...I have had the "ticking noise" since about 5k (now have 8k). During warm up I only hear the normal injector noise and the normal chatter of the aluminum engine but once it warms up I get this noticable noise on the left bank but more so on the bottom of the vehicle on that same side (I guess sound making its way to the bottom of the vehicle).

I have read multiple threads on this on different forums (including the very long "Mish" thread from Yotatech) but it dates back to 2003. I also understand that there was a TSB issued for v6 Tacomas for some 05 and 06 Vins for improved exhaust manifolds and gaskets and also that the "ticking" is 4.0 V6 trait. The questions are:

How common is this noise with the 07s? How loud are most people hearing the noise? I can hear it loud and clear if I am standing outside facing the front left tire, but once I am inside the truck with the radio off and the windows down I can barely hear it (unless I am at a drive through of course).

Has anyone got this issue resolved by a dealer with an 07? supposedly the updated exhaust manifolds should have made it to the production line by late 06 year models...

If this is strictly exhaust related has anyone had any success at reducing the noise by using a different gasket or wrapping the exhaust?

Any response will be greatly appreciated.

 

[JQuiroz]

One more thing, has anyone tried to use thicker oil weight (such as 20w-50) to see if the noise quiets down? If it is valve related and it only shows up at full operating temperature, wouldnt the thickness of the oil or oil additive make a difference?

Has anyone had any luck with this? anyone?

 

[pmdata]

Re: Engine Ticking noise

I have a few questions for you guys...I have had the "ticking noise" since about 5k (now have 8k). During warm up I only hear the normal injector noise and the normal chatter of the aluminum engine but once it warms up I get this noticable noise on the left bank but more so on the bottom of the vehicle on that same side (I guess sound making its way to the bottom of the vehicle).

I have read multiple threads on this on different forums (including the very long "Mish" thread from Yotatech) but it dates back to 2003. I also understand that there was a TSB issued for v6 Tacomas for some 05 and 06 Vins for improved exhaust manifolds and gaskets and also that the "ticking" is 4.0 V6 trait. The questions are:

How common is this noise with the 07s? How loud are most people hearing the noise? I can hear it loud and clear if I am standing outside facing the front left tire, but once I am inside the truck with the radio off and the windows down I can barely hear it (unless I am at a drive through of course).

Has anyone got this issue resolved by a dealer with an 07? supposedly the updated exhaust manifolds should have made it to the production line by late 06 year models...

If this is strictly exhaust related has anyone had any success at reducing the noise by using a different gasket or wrapping the exhaust?

Any response will be greatly appreciated.

FYI - Mine sounds exactly like yours. 700 miles on the clock. I guess it just takes getting used to; when you actually hear it, that is.

 

[ollie]

We have a 2004 V8 Limited with less then 40,000 miles that has just recently started to tick like it had a sticky lifter only after it is warm and then been shut down for a short period of time. Upon starting it up again, it now will tick and I am almost certain it is a goofy injector. Makes me wonder why it is only after it has been shut off and started again so that is what leads me to think it is an injector and not something else. It is definitely internal as you can hear it increase with throttle.

Very strange as I was quite surprised to hear the truck makes any "valve" type noise at all. I'm going to say something when it goes into the shop next time...of course, it won't be ticking and they won't be able to replicate it.

I know there are some threads where owners have relocated the ground strap but that is not the issue I'm having as the tick is intermittent.

 

[nc211]

Toyota's have noisy injectors across the board, but they're fine. I noticed the ticking on my 05' V8 w/ 52k, as I did on my old 95 LS around the 105k mark. Seafoam has cured both cars. I'm told the injectors tick, but I've also been told the valves can get sticky too and tick. I put seafoam in the LS at oil change time for three changes in a row. I put in about a 1/2 can, let it idle for 30 minutes, then wait for 2 hours for the oil to drip into the pan, then change it. I prefer an extra quart of clean oil to flush out the remains stuck in the corners of the pan. But some do not..I'm just a bit freakish I guess. After the third attempt on the LS, the ticking deminished to barely noticable. I did the seafoam two weeks ago on the 4Runner, and switched over to Mobile 5w30... The ticking is gone. It has never reappeared in the LS, and I have 30k on it since. The 4runner is certainly louder than the LS, but not so much that I can't hear it operate. My friends wife has the V6, and it is certainly noticable. Going to seafoam her engine soon and will post up the results.

For some reason, Toyota's love seafoam. Through the intake, in the oil, and in the gas...great stuff, has revived the LS like you wouldn't believe. Nissans and BMWs don't seem to respond to it as well, but the Toyotas, or at least the ones I have, love the stuff.

 

[mtnet2000]

I have an 07 Camry 4CYL and it ticks like crazy, so did my 02 Camry, my dads FJ and Seinna do the same... So it's pretty normal.

 

[JQuiroz]

Thank you all for your responses. After visiting the dealer one last time I had them pull other 07 v6 4Runners ( two different vehicles) and basically those trucks had the same noise. One more at idle than the other but if you raised the RPMs a bit, they both produced that very distinct valve tapping sound (my truck does it at about 1300 RPMs).

So thinking is related to valve clearance, I went ahead and changed the oil myself at home. I used a slightly shorter (compared to the Toyota OEM) FRAM oil filter (tough guard), Castrol GTX 5w-30 oil and some Lucas lubricant. I had a neighbor listen to the noise after the oil change and without me saying a word he stated that the engine was signicantly quieter. I can still hear it but I can tell that it is quieter.

I've read of other people using a 0w-30 Mobil 1 synthetic with a FRAM filter (or other smaller oil filters) getting a quieter engine as well. I will use synthetic on my next oil change to see if it gets even quieter.

Overall I am now not concerned with the motor, and the decrease in noise is definitely a plus. I love this truck, the mileage, and the power of this V6. I think I am now done worrying about something that is classified as normal.

Hope that the information above helps and that you get a similar result.

 

[RickyCRX]

My V8 has a ticking noise that you can hear when the hood is closed... When you open it, it gets quieter, but when you stick your head down there, it's actually the pintles on the fuel injectors that are clicking open and closed very rapidly at idle.

Ricky

 

[03 Limited]

I have an 07 Camry 4CYL and it ticks like crazy, so did my 02 Camry, my dads FJ and Seinna do the same... So it's pretty normal.

Its just injector noises, the Altima is very loud at this too, nothing to worry about. What you are hearing is the injector opening and closing.

 

[JQuiroz]

update on ticking

After a few days of driving since the oil change with Lucas and the filter change, the ticking noise is pretty much gone! I am very excited to get this outcome. I have read people's opinions on additives such as Lucas and I've seen mixed reviews. I even read about a test conducted at "Bob knows oil.com" suggesting that Lucas may not be as good for the vehicle as advertised but I have also seen many members of that forum saying how wonderful it is.

I have had my own experience with Lucas on a previous vehicle (97 Tacoma) and I sold the truck (after 9 years of usage) with 162k miles and no problems...:dancin:

 

[JQuiroz]

The injector noise has also decreased drastically by using Lucas fuel treatment (UCL). I did use the Chevron fuel additive and it did quiet the injectors down some but I feel like lucas does a better job at a lower cost...

 

[beallen21]

the good ole Toyota Tick I had heard about this way before I got my 4runner so it has never really concerned me any