2021 5.7L iForce engine has slight pinging sound during modest acceleration

Not sure if anyone experienced this there is a slight "pinging" noise (I will describe it as water droplet in a hot oil sound but muffled) during a moderate acceleration around 1500 RPM (AC on or off does not matter). I do not hear under hard acceleration probably because the engine/exhaust is masking it. Dealer is unable to verify this issue. pretty annoying as it sounds like due to bad gas but its not. I dont go to the same station (I use regular grade fuel 85 which is recommended by Toyota) all the time and filled up with premium to see if it will make it go away but no success. Using 0W-20 full synthetic oil and OEM oil filter.

Any one experienced this?

Thanks

 

85 octane? I thought the octane requirement was 87, so that could be the issue.

 

Isn't E85 an ethanol flex fuel ?

 

Run 87 octane or higher for a tank and I bet the issue disappears.

 

This would be my guess.

It is, but nobody said anything about E85. Just 85 octane.

I agree.

 

Sorry guys my mistake, I have been using 87 Octane. I tried a full tank of 93 octane but the noise persisted. sounds like 89 or higher and try for multiple tanks to see if the noise goes away?

 

If you put 93 in and nothing changed, either it's not pinging or you have some major fucking issues. The fuel system is flushed out now, it shouldn't be pinging in the first place and running it for multiple tanks won't make any difference. I'd get a tech to ride with you, but I suspect there's something besides pinging at play. If it is pinging that's obviously really bad and can catastrophically hurt the engine. Usually pinging sounds like sand bouncing around in the engine, though your description seems equally good.

Have someone ride with you and replicate it for them, hopefully it's not pinging.

 

Should not need anything more than 87. I would take some video of it happening and give that to the dealer and have them check the truck again.

 

Thank you all for quick feedback. If I learn something else/updates, etc. I will give an update. thanks again.

 

Does it happen when rolling only or not? What I am implying is maybe something else is going on and it's not in the block at all.

 

if "rolling only" refers to when the vehicle is in motion, I have not heard the noise while idling but have not tried to increase the RPM while in park either. (I will try this)

I am hearing the noise through the cabin for now. I cannot tell from the engine bay while the engine is running. Its not the radio or vent fan.

 

Is it an actual ping, or does it kinda sound like rocks rattling in a can? The 5.7 is noisy and has been accused of/described as "sounding like a diesel" at times.

 

Sometimes a piece of debris can get caught up in the drivetrain and cause funny stuff when in motion. Crawl under and have a good look.

 

noise is not always present, based on what I learned here in the forum, it may not be pinging noise. if so the noise should be present at idle as well and in wide RPM range right?

I heard from the cabin when gassing lightly around 1500 RPM then goes away above 2000 RPM. I can replicate the noise by gassing then letting go then gassing again all day long but the noise is not loud enough to be captured via a recorder. While the engine inherently sounds like a diesel that's isnt the noise I am complaining about. it really does sounds like an issue with a bad gas.

 

Maybe a prank victim, good old zip tie on the driveshaft, tick tick tick varies at different speeds. Funny until it happens to you.

 

If conditions are right for my truck to ping it's when it shifts to 6th gear at 45 mph and turning real slow, about 1200 rpm. It's a real ping. Think Dennis the Menace with his slingshot popping off marbles at the block.

I'm surprised you can hear any engine noise in that rpm range. The drone around 1700-1800 rpm on '14+ factory exhaust is kinda loud. It was only after I put Keith's resonator on to make it super quiet that I could actually hear the engine clattering like a little Diesel tractor

First thing I'd check is the heat shields on the manifolds and catalytic converters. If a bolt isn't tight then sympathetic vibrations in certain rpm ranges will cause a clatter. If it's loose it'll sound funky if you gently tap it with a butt end of a screwdriver (edit: when engine is off of course)

 

I have the exact same problem on my 2020 SR5 4x4 5.7....it happens exactly as described and sounds like bad gas. I have tried higher octane, injector cleaners, etc. I have not changed the oil yet as I just bought the truck. Any new updates or solutions to this before I take it to the dealer?

 

From my experiences dealing with two separate dealers in my area, they will likely tell you this is normal. with one dealer, the shop foreman actually acknowledged hearing the pinging noise but he said it was normal. "his engine does the same...."I call it BS but it seems like unless something fails, Toyota will be doing any time soon for me. Called corporate, all they do is to push you to the dealers.

I tried the following;
1. changed to thicker oil. both 5w-20 and 5w-30 full synthetic. the noise appears reduced at first then it came back. Even worse fuel economy so I went back to 0W-20 as recommended. somehow my fuel economy never recovered even after going back to 0W-20 oil. (was getting 15 in city, 18-19 Hwy, now 13.5 city, 17.5 hwy)
2. Fuel system cleaners...same, slight improvement at first then back again
3. Premium, mid grade....you name it...same, slight improvement at first then back again
4. I switched from Costco gas to Circle K which is a shell brand 87 octane, now this has made more improvement than what I tried in 1-3. is it the gas? not sure but it is noticeably better plus I am kind of getting used to the noise now that I have 20k miles. Still annoying yes! concerned about potential issues down the road? yes. Maybe I will get rid of the truck as Tundras hold values really really well.

my recommendation is for you to take to dealer and at least log the complaint for the record. Try changing to another gas brand. call the HQ to see if you have a better luck. remember that sound clip recordings on your phone is not good enough, dealer has to hear it themselves even then it will be challenging unless something breaks or show damages or excessive wear on components.

Now I have a new and even more annoying issue where AC compressor has popping sound (sounds like something broke off the engine) if the truck sits for few days then started and AC is on. its a known issue with existing TSB but dealer has to duplicate the issue themselves. Would I buy another Toyota product? No. I didn't expect these types of issues with Toyota. Now my truck may last me 250K miles with no issues who knows but I am talking about the experiences of ownership which so far has been lousy.

Good luck and let me know if you get lucky with Toyota. Thanks.

 

Can you post the TSB number for the AC issue?

There is a thread dedicated to that topic. Some have reported getting a brand new AC compressor and the noise is still present after truck sits.

 

Switching to 5w-30 absolutely did reduced the Tundra trademark valve train noises significantly. What I am talking about is the engine pinging noise that appears around 1000-1500 RPM under light load (aka spark knock) which 5w-30 did not help and plus it killed my fuel economy. Even after going back to 0w-20, my fuel economy never recovered. Maybe it will after few more oil changes.....

 

TOYOTA TSB #T-TT-0661-21

 

That doesnt sound too promising....I did buy the truck certified so I have the powertrain warranty for another 5 years...so theres that. I wonder if its a spark issue.....changing plugs may help?

 

You tried a 100% full tank of 91 or higher octane fuel and you still had a low rpm ping?

If so then engine ignition timing is off, or way off as the case may be.

Something with the knock sensors, throttle position, and even maf sensor are not telling ecu the appropriate input for calculating the engine timing.

One simple thing you can try is disconnecting negative battery cable for a good while (at least half hour). This may reset the computer to re-learn.

Also check your air filter and filter box to make sure it is installed correctly.

 

If the noise is RPM dependent and not load dependent, my money is betting your noise is coming from a sympathetic vibration.

Grab a long handled screwdriver and start lightly tapping various different parts with the handle end. Remember lightly is the key here. A tight part will reply to the tap with a lower frequency thump. The looser fitting part will give more of a higher frequency tink sound.

Sometimes a section of a vehicles body will vibrate when subjected to a certain range of frequency. This can be felt and heard at a narrow RPM range and is caused by that section of metal drumming. This is why it's common to see some material stuck to the inside surface of door skins, under headliners or bed panels. Even aircraft manufacturers do this to prevent droning.

 

There was a known issue for a model year or two where the hydraulic lines on firewall would vibrate at right conditions.

 

I suspect your fuel economy change was due to the switch to winter gas and just happens to coincide with your oil change. That's why it hasn't improved with the switch back.

 

Also, I'd be surprised if it's actually knock given that it seems to be under light acceleration only. I'd think the computer in a modern engine would be smart enough to retard the timing to prevent that.

 

Looks like I have some things to check...will probably look at the air filter, etc. first since I have not thought of that. Will report back what I find.

 

I have a lexus gs300. It pings 100% of the time unless I am flooring the car. annoying as heck. 15K miles it has been pinging with no drivability concerns. Replaced MAF sensor (you can clean those and you should) replaced knock sensors (2 of them), checked fuel pressure, spark plugs, coil packs, 93 octane. At this point I just dont give a shit. I suggest you get some MAF cleaner and clean it.