Engine Tick (replaced left manifold and still there)

Ok I am ready to pull my hair out with this noise. Ever since I bought the truck it has made this noise and I thought I had it figured out. It is not very loud- if you have the radio on and windows up you can't hear it. However if you have the window down it is pretty noticeable or if the radio is off it is noticeable. It happens at all speeds when you lug the engine at lower RPMS's. Once it downshifts or reaches a higher RPM you can't hear it. It sounds like an exhaust leak. It makes a chugging/ticking noise.. So a few weeks ago I sprayed the left manifold down with soapy water and blew air into the tail pipe and found a leak on the rear of the manifold where the AIP tube is located. Great! I thought I found the culprit. I talked to a friend that suggested I just do the Hewitt Tech delete and this would probably fix the problem since you install block off plates there. Awesome- kill 2 birds with 1 stone I thought. So I installed the electrical part of the kit and took it to a shop to install the block off plates. Well the prying on the manifold during the install actually made the leak 10 times worse- it cracked even further. Plus the block off plates did nothing to fix the main problem. The shop recommended a new manifold. I ordered a manifold and they installed it yesterday. Today when I picked it up it STILL makes the noise it originally did.

The road up to my house is steep and has a 45 degree turn that you have to slow down to 5 MPH or less and then climb the hill. The noise is very pronounced and easily heard. It "chugs" up the hill unless you rev it up higher. It sounds like an early 90's chevy 350...


Is this noise normal? I know these engines are noisy because of the complicated drive train- but this seems to be different. I have tried to find videos of a tundra making a similar noise but so far I have not been able to. Maybe I will try rigging up my GoPro with a mic and post a video...

 

I don't know about the 2nd gens but on the 1st gen Tundras there's a rubber seal between the cab and engine bay where the steering shaft passes through. The rubber breaks down and falls apart. When that happens, since it's close to the exhaust manifold, it sounds like an exhaust leak.

 

When you say ticking noise, it reminds me of a car I had that developed an engine ticking noise that sounds very similar. I took it to a very good mechanic I know and he immediately diagnosed it as a worn-out lifter. He even correctly guessed that I had put Pennzoil in the car recently and blamed it on that, so I just stopped using Pennzoil. I had the car for another 40,000 or so miles, the ticking never went away but I never had any other problems either.

Good luck!

 

Thanks for the idea- I went out and looked and that seal seems intact.

 

It DOES sound like a lifter- however I was under the impression that the 5.7's don't have traditional lifters since they are DOHC..??

 

I found the thread he posted- mine definitely is not that noise- that seems more like a random rattle.. mine makes zero noise at start up or at idle.

 

Is it the VVT tick? Sounds like a diesel sometimes. If so then it’s normal.

 

They do have hydraulic lash adjusters.

 

https://youtu.be/pF28dgaivIU

I think the noise is most noticeable at .54 and at 1:08... it is louder in person

 

I honestly still think it is an exhaust leak... I will have to check the new manifold for leaks....

 

My 2010 ticked from the drivers side of the engine. Sounded like exhaust leak. Had a couple different shops look at it and couldn’t find a leak. Pretty sure it was the VVT thing. My 18 ticks sometimes too.

 

Mine has been making an almost identical noise lately. Curious to see what you figure out.

It seems like mine doesn't make the noise when in park, but once I shift in gear you can hear it, but most noticeable while accelerating in the lower rpm range. Is that similar to what you experience?

 

i have the same sound on my 05 , i assumed it was manifolds to, although i can here the slight tick at startup and idle its louder when under load. sounds like an older model truck lugging hard. i bought both manifolds just havnt been able to get them installed yet. its done it since i bought the truck but it seems like it has less power than it should , like it needs to downshift to pick up any speed at all. idk how old this post is but im hoping you found the culprit.

 

My 07 has a tick that sounds like a faint lifter tick. I talked to the service manager at dealership, and he says it s nomal sound, and the ticks, and rattles in the engine vary from truck to truck. My Tundra actually sounds like a diesel when it is idling. It s the oddest thing.

 

I have read some threads where changing the oil brand cures some engine noise.

 

Mine makes a tick that I can hear inside the truck but not really with the windows down. And sometimes I can hear a tick with the windows down or if I have the hood up and its running but my truck runs great. I've heard these motors tick. I might try a little atf in the oil before my next change, have yet to change the oil. The dealer did it right before I bought the truck. Outside it almost sounds like a lifter or maybe the vvt solenoid or something. My wifes corolla started to tick on startup before we sold it but it would go away. From what I could gather online the VVT solenoids would stick open sometimes and click until they pumped up with oil again and moved freely.

 

Try using a mechanic's stethoscope to locate a small exhaust leak. First remove the probe end attachment to expose the plastic tube. Fire up yer engine, put the stethoscope on and carefully move the tubing end around to locate your leak. You may need a trusty assistant to load the engine (park brake on, transmission in D, foot on the brake with light throttle). Exhaust leaks typically make a popping or puffing sound. Don't get the tubing end too close, too long to hot engine parts. Or you'll let out the smoke from the tubing.

 

My grandson's 06 4.7 made that ticking noise just like btackett30 for 30k then one day last week it got very LOUD. Definitely was the head gasket. Continued running (about 4 miles) resulted in the loss of a connecting rod. So I'm looking for a used engine and wondering what will interchange. Any Ideas? Thanks, Jack

 

While the people in this thread probably know, you should start a new thread in the 1st gen forum to ask about engine replacements. You should get more responses there.

 

Yes! My '10 had this weird ticking/clacking noise primarily on warmup. It would completely go away on startup. It almost sounds like a rattling cover of some times or maybe a lifter. Could never figure out what it was. Now I have a 2016 and it does the EXACT same thing. Plus it also sounds like a little turbo diesel when it is sitting there idling from a cold start. It is so weird. Hard not to be concerned but it doesn't seem to be "bad."

 

Park next to a wall and its really loud. I was in the McD drive through yesterday and it was louder next to the brick bldg.

 

I am surprised that no one yet raised the possibility of a fuel injector. They can be pretty noisy.

 

This.....+ this.......=

 

okay so I need to confirm but I was just thinking I haven't heard my ticking that I was hearing lately. My belt tensioner pulley started squeaking recently and I replaced it and I don't hear my ticking anymore. I can hear the valvetrain tick but the other ticking I had may have been the pulley ticking before it started outright squeaking.

 

Did they replace both manifolds or just 1? My old 08 tundra had that ticking at idle when cold but you said your is silent and from the video seems like under lugging harder acceleration you hear it. So I would guess it’s a exhaust leak from the sounds of it, but for shits and giggles I would throw some Lucas oil stabilizer in your crank case and see if that helps at all.

 

I've got this exact same sounds coming from my passenger side. Quiet on start up and idle but anytime I accelerate I hear it.

 

i have this issue. replaced both manifold with headers and it’s still there. it’s causing a system too lean code.

 

If it were me I would first put some BG 44K fuel injector/system cleaner in and see if the noise goes away. One full tank application, if it is an injector will generally fix the problem.

There have been suggestions to use a different engine oil, have you tried that yet? What kind of engine oil is in the truck now?