V6 noisy at high RPM. Exhaust manifold leak?

[Quiero]

My truck has 160k miles on it and it began to tick loudly at higher RPMs. I dont think its valvetrain noise as its silent at idle. At higher RPMs though its very noticeable.

Oil level is good (mobil 1 full synth changed per the manual since it was new).

Is this a common problem on these vehicles?

 

[hinmo24t]

good luck OP, you could be onto something there...

just curious typical higher rpms some of you reach? i cant seem to shift mine much past 2k rpms...i prob just baby the thing but was curious what some of you touch with your RPMS?

 

[rwelch53]

good luck OP, you could be onto something there...

just curious typical higher rpms some of you reach? i cant seem to shift mine much past 2k rpms...i prob just baby the thing but was curious what some of you touch with your RPMS?

In normal driving I generally don't get any over 2300 or so, but when passing on the highway I've revved it up towards 4000 and it makes a hell of a racket LOL. Cruises at 2000rpm at 80mph all day long and pretty damn quiet in my opinion.

 

[mar5168]

My truck has 160k miles on it and it began to tick loudly at higher RPMs. I dont think its valvetrain noise as its silent at idle. At higher RPMs though its very noticeable.

Oil level is good (mobil 1 full synth changed per the manual since it was new).

Is this a common problem on these vehicles?

Check your y pipe. Very common to leak there and typically sounds mostly normal at low load/RPMs, but gets louder with loud and higher RPMs

 

[MikeinNH67]

My V6 had a leak at the manifold to cylinder-head gasket. Also leaked at different flanges but the manifold one was elusive. What I did was connect my air compressor to a male coupler which I threaded into a hole I drilled in a paint can cover. I cut a slit in the cover and clamped it on to my tailpipe then put 15 to 20 pounds of pressure on it. I could hear and feel all the leaks seeing the engine was off so no noise.

As for the revving up conversation, I've wondered the same as it doesn't seem to like to rev and it gets loud. My Honda V6 loves to rev which makes it kinda fun even though it's a van. Guess the 4runner is setup more truck like.

 

[rwelch53]

My V6 had a leak at the manifold to cylinder-head gasket. Also leaked at different flanges but the manifold one was elusive. What I did was connect my air compressor to a male coupler which I threaded into a hole I drilled in a paint can cover. I cut a slit in the cover and clamped it on to my tailpipe then put 15 to 20 pounds of pressure on it. I could hear and feel all the leaks seeing the engine was off so no noise.

As for the revving up conversation, I've wondered the same as it doesn't seem to like to rev and it gets loud. My Honda V6 loves to rev which makes it kinda fun even though it's a van. Guess the 4runner is setup more truck like.

As a recovering 90's Honda fanboy, VTEC BABY! :bravo:

 

[Seymore Butts]

A tech who claimed to be a "master mechanic" from my local Toyota dealership told me the ticking I hear from my v6 is normal injector noise and has nothing to do with the exhaust system. He also said that is not necessarily an indication of impending injector failure, and that some injectors are just louder than others. He doesn't know why, but this guy seemed credible and pretty smart. One day, I'll probably test this theory by deactivating the fuel injectors one at a time.

 

[Quiero]

Interesting feedback, thanks. I'll check the y pipe. That could be it, or the injectors. I've never heard another vehicle that really replicates this, so that could be it.

 

[Mantilgh]

The exhaust manifolds are known to crack. Most likely from the cat hanging off the long manifold pipe. I think the bracket that connects to trans brakes first then the weight is on the upper manifold.

My V6 is beyond cracked and is fully broken. FTW

Open the hood in the dark and look at the manifolds, you may be able to see it.


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[Mantilgh]

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[MikeinNH67]

Another way that may help show it's exhaust is a quick blip of the throttle. If you hear exhaust popping sounds as the RPM drops then you have a leak. My truck failed inspection for it, sounded ok to me at idle but I had that manifold leak. I could smell the fumes under the hood though.

 

[UrbanRunner651]

The ticking is somewhat normal but it will be amplified if you have a crack in one of your headers. Take it to an exhaust shop and they will typically do a free inspection.
The OEM headers are just cheap double-wall steel that rusts out especially if you live north of the rust belt where they see a lot of salt/snow.
My 08 had a bad tick that you could hear at idle, but I could also see a physical crack in one of the manifold welds since it was a custom header put in before I bought it. Obviously the OEM one had an issue or they wouldn't have replaced it. I ended up dropping in some stainless JBA shorties and custom Y-pipe.

 

[DaveCS4RnnR]

I have a 5th Gen, and I've been noticing abnormal sounds out of mine, perhaps some of you could help diagnosing.

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[Warwicke36]

If you think it's an exhaust leak have someone hold a rag over the tailpipe as you look for the noise. Noise should increase as you add more back pressure with the rag.

The injectors are pretty loud on these trucks, but I sure can't hear mine from inside the cabin. Outside the truck I do hear mine ticking away. Injector noise obviously won't increase with the above mentioned rag procedure.