Is this rod knock?

Hi,

I have a 2020 Tundra with only 55,000kms on it. I maintain it very well and do oil changes every 6 months / 6,000kms. I take my truck to a really well trusted independent mechanic and they noted at the last oil change that I need to contact Toyota before my 5 year warranty expires. They found metallic glitter in the oil, it was down a litre and most concerning was the noise the truck made at startup in severe cold. They believe it’s either rod or main bearing noise.

Toyota had the truck afterwards and said they couldn’t find any issues or replicate the noise. I went back to my shop, they kept it overnight, and recorded this video of the noise. What does everyone think?

I should add that the sound in question is in the latter half of the video when throttle is being applied.

-Thanks

https://youtube.com/shorts/Pa3cpflkkoM?si=cDkaiNWKLOzd_Ifv

 

Glitter in oil is certainly no good. Send oil sample to the lab, they will find silver / lead even in a recently replaced oil if it's a bearing giving up. Also your concern has been documented with the dealer, by law this the time of the warranty claim even if they've sent you home and it blew up later, when warranty expired.

Ticking noise on cold engine may also be coming from exhaust manifold when it cracks/burns a gasket.

And it can be a chain tensioner, too. The lab will detect iron, aluminum and plastic in the oil in that case.

 

Thanks. I’ve sent the video to dealership and hoping they act on it. I’ll update the thread when I can.

 

My 07 has always (even 10k in) sounded like it has a valve tap while crusing at high speeds. Several folks have noticed and said something to me about it. It's got 180 on it now.

 

More common problems would be broken valve spring or timing chain tensioner failure. Have you tried an automotive stethoscope to pinpoint where the noise originates?

 

The dealership now has the video, but they don’t think anything is wrong. I reminded them of the metal in the oil and it being down a litre. They want me to leave it over night again tonight. We shall see what they say. I’ll update this thread as I learn more.

 

Do an oil analysis.

 

That will likely be the next step since I’m not overly optimistic that the dealership will agree there’s an issue and tear into the engine. The truck just had an oil change about a week ago though so I feel like I would probably need get at least a couple thousand KMs on the new oil for an analysis.

 

Honestly, it sounds normal. Revving it when it’s really cold like that certainly won’t help your cause though. It there is rod knock, it will happen regardless of rpms.

 

That was 2 mechanics at a shop in the video. The Toyota dealership did the same but couldn’t replicate the sound. They’re trying again this morning. That sound combined with metal in the oil and the truck being down a litre has me and my shop concerned.

 

Did this happen right after the oil change? If so, check to make sure your filter hasn’t collapsed.

 

No, that sound was there before and after the oil change.

 

I doubt it’s a bad rod or main bearing. The noise would not go away as the engine warmed up. If fact, the noise on bad road and mains gets worse as the engine warms because the oil thins out. My guess would be a bad driver’s side oil tensioner on the timing chain.

 

I agree it’s likely a timing chain failure but it’s very unlikely that a valve spring broke. It did happen on the 3UR-FE motor when it first came out but nothing since.

 

That’s interesting. The dealership also said they don’t think it’s rod or main because the sound wouldn’t improve when it warms up and would more than likely get worse while driving. I’ll see what Toyota says today and will likely go for an oil analysis to see what kind of glitter is showing up.

 

Toyota said it’s normal and they compared the noise to another 5.7 Tundra they have on the lot for snowplowing and said they sound the same. They also noted that since there aren’t any error codes or warning lights they can’t dig into the engine. I was told to keep an eye on it and do the next oil change at the dealership so they can analyze the oil.

 

My 2020 is noticeably louder than our 2014 (and the drive belt is quite a bit louder, sounds similar to yours). My main concern would not be the sound, but the metal in the oil. I agree with the other posters on attempting to get an oil analysis done, as it will paint a better picture.

 

You should be. That is not normal. Something is rattling around and it doesn’t sound like the valve train. Rod knock is possible,but so are many other things. I would pull the filter, cut it open and bring the contents to toyota. An oil analysis will tell you what metals they are and that can likely pinpoint the problem component.

 

The is just lazy and deceivious. Major internal failures like this don’t throw codes. You need topush back hard on that. The fact that their POS plow truck has the same problem means nothing other then proving their incompetence as a shop. Regardless of what these idiots tell you, it is possible to diagnose problems without codes.

 

The best way we used to check for rod knock was to hear it under full load. In gear, foot firmly on brake and giving it some gas. Not sure this still works on today's computer-controlled engines.

 

Thanks everyone for your thoughts and input, but I’ve decided to give up on this truck. I have other issues that Toyota refuses to deal with so thinking of trading the truck in for something less fun, but more practical. Honda Pilot maybe.

 

At an idle, deactivate one ignition coil at a time. When the knock disappears that's your culprit. Valvetrain noise won't change.

 

Although loud I would think that is more valve train clatter. Like Ruggybuggy said a rod or main would get worse with heat. And if the rod or main is really bad another tell tale sign is the noise is prevalent on starter engagement before there is any real oil flow.

my 2019 has made the exact noise a handful of times. It is always after an overnight sit. Somehow a lifter/follower is draining down in the right circumstances.

We had some single digit temps in my area and it is the first time I've had a start up in such cold temps and holy chit is the 5.7 a clanky clattery bastard when it is 5 degrees out.

 

I can't hear anything that's different from my truck. Mine has done it since new. 81k miles so far.

 

Take the belt off and start it.

 

Both the tundra's I had make the same noise when it is zero or close to it. this morning the temp was 20 degrees and it was much quieter, Sounds like the tensioner isn't pushing against the chain until the oil reaches it, Takes a little longer when the oil is maple syrup thick

 

Hi everyone, just got the oil analysis results back and it looks good. Only concern is the mileage on the oil sample is really low (486km to be exact). I’ll do another test before my 5 year warranty expires when the mileage is higher, see if that changes anything.

 

I concur with this as well. I'm in Montana, we hit -40 here through winter a few times and I use the Tundra to drive down to feed the horses at the end of the property. At those temps it makes all kinds of noise when first fired up...Nothing likes starting in those temps but she runs fine and I always give it the proper time to warm up before driving down to the horses. Anything + temp and it doesn't whine as much (pun intended). As far as block warmers, etc we are off-grid so there isn't a feasible way to run one. Anyone wondering, I just did an oil change two days ago and everything looked normal, no metal in the oil or anything. Other than breaking a shock this year its been an amazing ride.