Timing Chain Possibly Getting Ready to Grenade?

6-fiddy
Drop the truck off overnight at stealership, tell the service advisor to listen for the problem on start up before they go driving the truck off into the Blue.

Let them Dx the problem since we all here spinning our wheels.....#wantTOknow#

 

Yeah I saw that, seems like the easy answer, and probably not going to settle for it. Truck would have done it day 1 if that was the issue, not start when it's 4 years old.

Hahaha I'd buy another one, but not a half ton.

I had an appointment for this but cancelled it. Wife isn't on board with spending a couple hundred bucks to have dealer blow it off, or say it's something that isn't covered under warranty. Can't blame her, the whole fucking thing is just really irritating. I climbed around under the truck for a solid 2 hours today, took the skid plate off (huge pain in the ass), and tried to get things to rattle. Not a ton of luck, but did get some rocks and shit off some heat shields and out of the cat heat shields. Probably didn't fix anything, but IDK what else to do. Some guy on the tundra FB group said he had a similar issue and it was timing chain related (the drivers side hydraulic tensioner), it cost him huge money to fix. If I don't figure out the issue I'll just eat the money to have the dealer diagnose it before I hit 100k and drivetrain warranty runs out. Until then, just gonna rely on you guys!!! Haha

 

I know that anyhow I had this problem, one of them guys on the forum need to come to my rescue. Anyone in you state / zip code on call?

 

If in Utah, I have time. I'm guessing he's in MA based on the patriots prof pic? haha Or at least CT, NH, ME?

 

I just re listened to the videos again.

Do you have a general idea of where the sound is coming from? Passanger/driver? Front/Rear?

Narrowing it down to a quadrant can certainly help us come up with an idea. I wanna see this issue fixed so you can enjoy your truck like the rest of us!

 

Haha I'm in NH! It's definitely the front drivers side. Like I said, it only does it for like 3-5 mind when started up cold after the engine settles down.

 

Replace the chain tensioner. Does it go away when the engine warms up?

 

One came to mind to rule out.

Lifters ticking due to low oil. Is the oil level straight?

 

When you had your serpentine released did you have the opportunity spin each pulley individually? Also, how does oil pressure look while start up?

I'm still having a hard time believing it's the timing chain because the times I have heard one, it's LOUD AS HELL!

 

This was another thought of mine.

 

Yes it goes away completely when warmed up

Oil level is right at the top dot on the stock but it is due for an oil change.

I did spin the pulleys but I didn't have the belt off so who knows what they all really sound like when they have pressure on them etc.

What is the metal piece that goes across the top of the engine above like the injectors and stuff? I'll try to get a picture, but that was loud when I put the stethoscope on it...

 

Valve cover with the oil filler on top.

Is the sound coming feom that area?

 

Started the truck again today, the rattling was the loudest when listening through the drivers side wheel well... Stupid me pushed on the heat shield and just about burned my finger off... It was not that. Still not sure what it could be coming from in there, and it sucks because I only have like 3 mins to find the fucking noise before it stops...

 

You're descriptions do tend to sound somewhat like it's something akin to a tensioner that has had the pressure bleed down over an extended idle period, but it sure seems that it's taking way too long to build again. My comments on it sounding like a compressor are no longer valid in my mind as I've listened to your video again, this time with the volume louder, and now I recognize what you're hearing much clearer (funny how that works). It's just so difficult to get a good, clear sense of the sound through a recording. I sincerely wish I could offer more.

 

I keep coming back to the fact that the dealer that did my last oil change went out of business shortly thereafter. Is it possible that they used shitty old oil or a shitty filter which is either not the correct viscosity or something that could make it do that when it's cold? I've added a little marvel mystery oil into it a couple hundred miles ago, as it is due for a change, but there has been no change.

 

I've read of a couple situations where the oil filter collapsed due to the person doing the work neglected to refit it correctly. The element fits over a cylinder like a roll of toilet paper. Are you comfortable doing your own oil changes? If you have the tools (filter pretty much needs the correct tool to remove), just change the filter to make certain that it's correct. Get a decent one, shouldn't be much of a monetary investment, <$15. Eliminates one possibility. If something is amiss with the filter, it may be hampering initial oil pressure building for a minute or two. Mere speculation though.

 

I was a spectator for the last week. But since this still is not solved I will offer up past experiences with oil/oil filters causing knock at startup. This was only ever at startup when cold.

-2013 Hyundai Sonata, Wife's car before our little girl showed up last year. This vehicle only liked Hyundai oil filters, this is well documented throughout Hyundai forums. I used a Mobil 1 filter and Mobil 1 oil at one oil change and the car sounded like it had marbles in the front timing cover. I really freaked out. Swapped out the filter with a Hyundai filter and topped off the oil, sound gone! Using almost any other brand of oil filter could induce engine knocking at startup when cold, only when cold. There are so many different reasons given for this on Hyundai forums, but nothing scientific and everyone just used Hyundai filters. Some said that the filter media on aftermarket filters caused too much restriction to compensate for poor filtering. This in turn made it hard for the engine to generate oil pressure when cold. Certain brands of oil would also cause problems, always sticking with recommended weight, just simply switching brands.

-1999 4Runner, 3.4L V6. Still one of my favorite vehicles to own and drive. In winter OR when the oil would reach about 3500-4000 miles between changing, the engine would become noticeably louder for the first 2-3 minutes. If I would run a heavier weight oil and a premium Fram filter, the noise was not as pronounced. It never bothered me and I never cared. I just assumed it was being finicky with oil and filters. It also had 267k miles on it. I started running cheapo purolator filters and Rotella T, never made a noise again

-All Ford Powerstrokes that rely on oil pressure to fire the injectors are very specific about filter brand and oil brand.

-If it were my truck, before I went any further. I would change my own oil, in my own driveway, to verify it was done right. And to use the filter and brand of oil that you choose. When I don't have the time to change my own oil, I still go to the auto part store to pick up the filter and oil. Then I bring this to my trusted mechanic and he charges me a crisp $20 bill for his time to drain and refill.

 

That's funny I was actually reading a huge thread on the Hyundai forums yesterday about the Tiburon having issues with rattling noises and oil.. I'll have to get the oil changed and see if that changes anything. I just can't find anything else that could be causing the problem.

 

hmm.. so the more I have been reading, the more I am thinking the oil filter has a faulty anti-drain back valve, causing the noise when the engine is cold as the oil is draining out of it. Again, I'm not sure if that out-of-business dealer used a toyota filter or not last oil change, but I have also read that toyota filters have shitty ADBV's anyways. Also, I noticed when I pulled the dip stick the other day that the oil was dark brown... which it probably shouldn't be right? I'm right at the 10k mile mark, so I need an oil change anyways, which I hope to complete this week, but does it sound logical that the ADBV on the filter could have shit the bed causing my issue?

 

Very well could be... My guess was similar to such things when I asked about oil. I know owners manual says 10k. But I try to stay under 5k and use full synthetic.

I've never had this happen but I don't doubt it holds some sort of Truth.

 

Cant hurt to try a 10 dollar filter.... ill do it in the AM and post back tomorrow afternoon.

 

keep us posted. good luck.

 

The filter is a cartridge filter, it doesn't have an anti-drain back valve. If there's one at all, it's integrated into the oil pump/block somewhere.

Tangent: I wonder if that's one of the reasons Toyota implemented this type of system? People installing spin on filters that didn't have proper anti-drain back valves.

The only thing that I can think to suggest at this time is to do what you're going to do anyway, change the oil. It sounds like it's due.

 

The cartridge filter can still impact oil pressure/flow right? Maybe if the filter is clogged up it could be why im getting the noise after the engine hasnt been run for a while and the oil has drained out of it. I'm just thinking that possibly a new filter could improve flow, or if they used a shitty one the last time it was replaced, a better one might get rid of the issue. Just reading some forums, some from tundras and some not, but a lot of them are attributing noise to filters and restricting flow or changing flow etc. I guess we'll see.

 

5k mile oil changes here. I know new engines and new oil are "designed" to handle the longer intervals, but there are a lot of other factors that keep me at 5k.

Change that filter and oil and report back.

*off-topic, I also keep 3 rare-earth magnets on my drain plug to catch every tiny piece of debris in my oil.

 

Ya man, change them.

 

flush the engine then change the oil and filter use all OEM products most vehicles seem to perform best with OEM parts now a days

 

6-fiddy

Post up update from you changing the oil and filter.

 

Didn't get the chance to change the oil and filter, dropped the truck off at the dealership overnight for them to look at it since it's still under powertrain warranty. They just called and said they didn't hear it lol... I typed specific notes about what was happening, when it happened, and included links to the videos of it happening. Guarantee they started it up, didn't hear it, turned it off and moved on. So the guy is supposed to call me back, if he doesn't hear it today, I'm working overnight tonight so I'll swing by in the morning and learn him I guess. Is it bad that I knew this was going to happen?

 

Kinda par for the course much of the time it seems. Your being there tomorrow morning will certainly help, just make sure that the truck hasn't been run first (pop the hood and check the exhaust manifold with your hand), and YOU start it.