Is this ticking/tapping sound normal?

[pudzley]

2004 SR5 with 100k on it. I noticed this ticking/tapping sound coming from the engine bay recently... it might have been there for a while but I only bought the truck a few months ago so not sure if it's new or if I just hadn't noticed it. I've heard these V6's have some valvetrain noise which is normal and I think that's the "faster" background tapping you can hear... but I'm wondering what the other "slower" tapping noise is in these videos. My oil level is good. AC compressor is off. Any ideas? Thanks!

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[Prommy]

Hard to identify which ticking you may be referring to. Fuel injectors can get clicky sometimes. Maybe run some injector cleaner or properly use seafoam. A cheap set of automotive stethoscopes could help zero in on the location.

 

[Burt]

Doesn't sound right to me. Seems in sync with that rough idle.
Injector cleaner may help. Is coolant level depleting?
I take it no CEL light.

 

[oljedi11950]

Try goggle search VSV & cheap fix ! :hatsoff:

 

[pudzley]

Doesn't sound right to me. Seems in sync with that rough idle.
Injector cleaner may help. Is coolant level depleting?
I take it no CEL light.

Coolant level is good and no CEL. The truck idles smoothly at about 600 RPM when warm... it may just sound like a rough idle in the video.

 

[ElZilcho]

I'd bet dollars to doughnuts you're hearing the VSV. If that's the case the ticking won't be tied to engine RPM. If your rev the motor it may stop and then resume, but it won't change pitch. Also, just because you can hear it doesn't mean it's failing, it just means you can hear it. A CEL will pop when it fails and a failure won't damage anything.

It's hard to tell from the video, but I thought I could hear something at around 180BPM. That's around the speed your serpentine belt makes a revolution. When's the last time you replaced it?