V8 Weird Engine Noise

Mark86

Super Moderator
Hey all,

I have been hearing this grinding/clicking/metal on metal noise when accelerating from a stop onto a major highway. It only happens when I push the gas at least 1/2 way down and usually occurs at higher rpms- most noticeable when shifting from 1st to 2nd gear (I am in D). Any idea? Thanks for your help.
 
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Could possibly be pinging. Does it sound like someone filled a coffee can full of marbles and is shaking it? Have you filled your fuel tank at a gas station you wouldnt normally go to? Have the temps been rising in your area lately?
 
That may be a possibility- come to think of it the sound does sound like what you described. It never crossed my mind. I have been putting in premium Costco gas recently because it is cheap lol. In the past, I have not been loyal to one brand. I usually throw in 89, 91, or 93. The temps were unusually hot for the last two weeks but it has been cool since the weekend. Should I throw in a can of dry gas? Thanks for your prompt response!
 
Could be a cracked exhaust manifold or exhaust manifold gasket. 4.7's are famous for this especially on the right.
 
Update: I brought it to the dealer and told me it was a valve ping, likely secondary to gas. They told me to stop using 93 with all the detergents and switch to 87 or 89. Any thoughts?
 
Wow, must have been good to hear advice to use cheaper gas for the sake of your engine lol. But actually, I think Toyota recommends regular grade for the 2UZ-FE
 
Wow, must have been good to hear advice to use cheaper gas for the sake of your engine lol. But actually, I think Toyota recommends regular grade for the 2UZ-FE

i've gotten mixed results on this, short of searching through my owners manual but many links say to run 91 in the 4Runner but 87 in the tundra. both are the same 2UZ-FE as far as i know. personally i have been running 87 for the month i have owned my truck and so far i havent noticed any pinging yet.
 
The amount of detergent or other advertising additives is about 12oz in a 8000 gallon tank truck. (kinda like Budweiser being beechwood aged - they toss a chip in the big brew tank). The guy loading the truck at the generic gasoline terminal is supposed to put in a bit of whatever makes the gas unique. One brand now advertises nitrogen in their gas. To be compatible with whats in your Costco tires I suppose.

On the other hand, regular gas that arrives from the refineries (mostly on the gulf coast, for us eastern US folks) by pipeline can have up to 5% of anything in it that will burn, maybe more. Typically diesel, bunker fuel, or kerosene (jet) 'transmix' gets added. That's how they deal with the off-spec interface between two dissimilar batches. Premium gasoline is protected from this type of thing.
 
That could be one reason why I get better fuel efficiency with 91 than with 87.

this is generally a placebo effect, since you pay more for the fuel you drive more conservative. but if the engine is in fact tuned for 91 octane then you would get minimal increase from running the correct fuel.

still waiting on someone to confirm 100% with out a doubt what fuel is recommended in the 2UZ-FE in the 4Runner and what the difference in tuning is compared to the Tundra.
 
i've gotten mixed results on this, short of searching through my owners manual but many links say to run 91 in the 4Runner but 87 in the tundra. both are the same 2UZ-FE as far as i know. personally i have been running 87 for the month i have owned my truck and so far i havent noticed any pinging yet.

Every source I saw said the 2UZ-FE recommended regular while the 1GR-FE recommended premium.
 
this is generally a placebo effect, since you pay more for the fuel you drive more conservative. but if the engine is in fact tuned for 91 octane then you would get minimal increase from running the correct fuel.

still waiting on someone to confirm 100% with out a doubt what fuel is recommended in the 2UZ-FE in the 4Runner and what the difference in tuning is compared to the Tundra.

Wrong. I drove the same or harder because of the bit more torque/power with the V6. The L/100 km display showed 1 to 1.5 fewer L/100 km from running Shell 87 to running Shell 91.

A Toyota powertrain engineer could answer your questions but a more hands-on approach would be to run regular of the brand of your choice for a few tanks recording mileage and seat-of-the pants impressions, fill up with premium, disconnect and reconnect the battery and do it again for a few tanks.
 
Wrong. I drove the same or harder because of the bit more torque/power with the V6. The L/100 km display showed 1 to 1.5 fewer L/100 km from running Shell 87 to running Shell 91.

A Toyota powertrain engineer could answer your questions but a more hands-on approach would be to run regular of the brand of your choice for a few tanks recording mileage and seat-of-the pants impressions, fill up with premium, disconnect and reconnect the battery and do it again for a few tanks.

no toyota engineer isnt going to tell me anything in depth, unless the engine is tuned to run optimally on 91 octane it isnt going to do anything other than lighten your wallet.
 
Here's what the 2007 Toyota Owners manual says regarding gasoline. I didn't check the other 4th gen years but I bet it's the same. Notice there's no requirement for the 1GRE to use anything more than 87 octane - just like the 2UZ. Toyota simply recommends a minimum of 87 for both of them. However, I can't see why using a higher octane would cause knocking. I would suspect if you had knocking you had some bad gas.


OCTANE RATING
Select Octane Rating 87 (Research Octane Number 91) or higher.
Use of unleaded fuel with an Octane Rating lower than 87 may result in engine knocking. Persistent knocking can lead to engine damage.

If your engine knocks...
If you detect heavy knocking even when using the recommended fuel, or if you hear steady knocking while holding a steady speed on level roads, consult your Toyota dealer. However, occasionally, you may notice light knocking for a short time while accelerating or driving up hills. This is normal and there is no need for concern.

GASOLINE CONTAINING DETERGENT ADDITIVES
Toyota recommends the use of gasoline that contains detergent additives to avoid build−up of engine deposits.
However, all gasoline sold in the U.S. contains detergent additives to keep clean and/or clean intake systems.

QUALITY GASOLINE
Automotive manufacturers in the U.S., Europe and Japan have developed a specification for quality fuel named World−Wide Fuel Charter (WWFC) that is expected to be applied world wide. The WWFC consists of four categories
that depend on required emission levels. In the U.S., category 3 or 4 has been adopted. The WWFC improves air
quality by providing for better emissions in vehicle fleets, and customer satisfaction through better vehicle performance.

CLEANER BURNING GASOLINE
Cleaner burning gasoline, including reformulated gasoline that contains oxygenates such as ethanol or MTBE is available in many areas.
Toyota recommends the use of cleaner burning gasoline and appropriately blended reformulated gasoline. These types of gasoline provide excellent vehicle performance, reduce vehicle emissions, and improve air quality.

OXYGENATES IN GASOLINE
Toyota allows the use of oxygenate blended gasoline where the oxygenate content is up to 10% ethanol or 15% MTBE. If you use gasohol in your Toyota, be sure that it has an octane rating no lower than 87.
Toyota does not recommend the use of gasoline containing methanol.

GASOLINE CONTAINING MMT
Some gasoline contain an octane enhancing additive called MMT (Methylcyclopentadienyl Manganese Tricarbonyl).
Toyota does not recommend the use of gasoline that contains MMT. If fuel containing MMT is used, your emission control
system may be adversely affected. The Malfunction Indicator Lamp on the instrument cluster may come on. If this happens,
contact your Toyota dealer for service.

GASOLINE QUALITY
In a very few cases, you may experience driveability problems caused by the particular gasoline that you are using. If you
continue to have unacceptable driveability, try changing gasoline brands. If this does not rectify your problem, then consult your Toyota dealer.

edit: To the OP - notice is also says the use of detergents in gas is fine.
 
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Here's what the 2007 Toyota Owners manual says regarding gasoline. I didn't check the other 4th gen years but I bet it's the same.

Interesting change. All the previous ones say the following:

Select Octane Rating 87 (Research
Octane Number 91) or higher. For
improved vehicle performance, use
premium unleaded gasoline with an
Octane Rating of 91
 
Interesting change. All the previous ones say the following:

Select Octane Rating 87 (Research
Octane Number 91) or higher. For
improved vehicle performance, use
premium unleaded gasoline with an
Octane Rating of 91

Just had a look and you're right, the previous years do say that. They still don't differentiate between the 1GRE and 2UZ though.
 
Interesting change. All the previous ones say the following:

Select Octane Rating 87 (Research
Octane Number 91) or higher. For
improved vehicle performance, use
premium unleaded gasoline with an
Octane Rating of 91

The US and Canada use octane method R+M/2 and the rest of the world uses RON. Our method is usually a few points lower, so the manual does in fact say to use 87 octane.

My Audi has a recommended RON octane of 95 but that really means 91 by our octane methods.
 

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