2020 Tundra Excessive tick/knock

I had the same ticking loud valve train noise in my 2019 CM , Being a Automotive technician of 20+ years I knew almost immediately what the issue was .. Its the fact that Toyota is under strict laws to get best MPGs from these trucks as possible , CAFE regulations are making manufactures run 0w20 oil in most vehicles these days . fuel economy and emission laws are the only reason manufacturers are using this weight of oil . NOT because bearing clearances are tighter or any change in tolerances within the engine itself . Some are calling for 0w16 now , thats how bad its getting .

In hot climates such as Saudi Arabia Toyota actually calls for 5w30 or 10w30 in the 5.7 3URFE engines . People may argue this but it is fact . I have researched service manuals and bearing clearances have not changed since the 3URFE engine has be released back in late 2006 .

Running 0w20 will not hurt the engine , it just makes for a louder engine .

I run 5w30 Synthetic motor oil and all the ticking valve train noises have went away . Simple easy fix . Try this before anything else , It will not hurt your motor ! I do not recommend additives such as lucas or stp , just run a 5w30 synthetic and your motor will thank you for it !

 

Interesting. what about 10w30?

 

I wouldn't push it with 10w30 , there is no need , unless you live in a serious hot climate , In north america the "5w" will flow good enough for cold starts and the "30" weight will offer better film strength when the engine is at operating temp and under working load , Up here where I live in Canada we see really cold temps and I switch back to 0w20 for the winter just so that I have optimal oil flow on cold start ups .

 

I was joking last night on one of the many mpg threads about getting better gas mileage by putting diesel in mine. But seriously if I put thicker oil, my truck would stop sounding like a diesel? I just had maintenance done I’ll have to check to see what oil they put in.

 

Yes , I had that same diesel engine sound at idle , I know a few other guys with tundras make the switch to 5w30 and they are very happy with the result .

Going from a Xw20 weight oil to a Xw30 weight oil makes a difference in these engines . However Do Not go to a 5w40 thinking it will be better , that will have ill effects and could possibly damage the engine .

If you can find a quality 0w30 oil go for it , its the best of both worlds , great cold weather characteristics and a 30 weight when its at operating temp . This oil is often more expensive because its often considered a European Motor oil . I know amsoil offers a 0w30 but its pricey . food for thought

 

If it was done by Toyota, it was 0W20. Yes, switching to a 5W will dampen the sound of valve movement.

 

Is there such a thing as 5W20? And would it have any benefit given that most of the noises seem to be reported when engines are cold/ at idle?

 

Thank you for sharing, I was wondering about this since an oil change is coming up for me.

 

I learn new things all the time in this forum

 

Both you and me

 

I just changed mine literally two days ago. Damn !! I wish I knew this info

 

There is nothing wrong with 5w20 , it may help with cold engine noises , however In my experiences most of my "diesel" valve train noise was heard at hot idle , could really hear it in a drive-thru. that's when the 30 weight is beneficial to the issue .

 

Yes, however when the engine is hot and your oil is hot it will still act like 0w-20
They both have 20 as their hot rating.

0w-20 in no way will hurt the engine. The 5w-30 will dampen engine noise; however, I wouldn't use it unless the warranty is up otherwise they will blame that if the engine dies or something.
There are pleanty of ford f250s (and tundras obviously) with 200+k on them with 0w-20... Engine is great just the rest of the crap ford put around them falls apart lol

 

Valid points yes , however , In my years in the industry I've never seen a dealer send used oil out for analysis unless it was impossible to find a obvious reason for a catastrophic engine failure . this would be such a rare occurrence that I really would not worry about it in the real world .

I know 3 guys who drive 07 - 2010 tundras who drive them in the oil field up here in Alberta Canada , both those trucks have 400.000 + kms on the clock , they have done nothing but fluid maintenance and brakes , They have run 5w30 for years and years . the trucks are still going strong , the bodies are getting rough however lol.

 

Question for ya ?

Without being crucified for asking this and based on what you said with respect to EPA; is it safe to assume that mpg would go down using the higher weight oil or is the change negligable compared to what they recommend ? Im just curious

 

Don't worry haha, I wont crucify you lol . Thats a valid question , Some people have said they noticed a slight decrease in MPG , 0.5 or 1 mpg decrease .

Personally I noticed zero change in my fuel economy , I get 18 MPG all day long . I believe MPG is all in how you drive it .

 

It's not you I'm worried about. I know everyone and their pet dog will start chirping me for asking about mpg haha Its all good though. Its in good fun so I laugh at myself too.

18 MPG is great and I hope to get that. Thanks for the input and experience. Very much appreciated.

 

It is definitely based on the dealer. The issue is generally with the dodge dealer here. They would send the oil out for analysis every time there was an engine issue--friend had to get the local government to help him with it and he won, but it can cause heart ache.

The 5w-30 is better oil IMO. I use it and 10w-30 in my big block camaro.

 

My 18 sounds like a diesel at idle, I've even had a couple of folks ask about it.

 

If you want to hear some real crazy ticking come from you engine pop the hood and pull the engine cover and 2 foam blocks off of the top of it, then you can really here all of those 32 valves open and close. In all seriousness we have 4 tundras with 5.7s in our fleet right now ranging between 10,000 and 200,000 miles, they all sound this way at idle and it reverberates off of anything next to the truck, its totally normal.

 

when you take off the foam blocks , the noise you are hearing are the injectors operating , not valve train noise

 

Came across this timing chain tensioner noise... Somewhat similar. Found in a thread on here.

https://youtu.be/aselm4oi3zQ


Here:
https://www.tundras.com/threads/seafoamed-my-engine.62825/

 

That is exactly how my 2007 sounds... it sounds like a quiet diesel when at the bank drive through. My 5.7L has just under 300,000 miles on it, and the foam blocks & engine cover have been removed.

 

i have been working on toyotas for 31 years all the valve train and other engine noises are normal if you could somehow add a big chunk of steel to the engine block it would suck up a bunch of the noise these noises are the price we pay for reliability

 

Had a similar noise with 2015 Tundra, but I could hear the chain slapping. Sure enough my timing chain tensioner was beginning to fail, it has since been replaced and the issue has subsided. I still have the typical Tundra valve train noise though.
https://www.instagram.com/p/B4TUw37gYpo/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

 

Will go with a 5w30. 700 miles so far after a month. My 20 Platinum sounds like a diesel engine but without the smoke or the awesome stench. My brother has a 09 Tundra Limited and it sounds exactly like my 20 except the TRD exhaust.

 

This is probably one of the best explanations of why we are gearing towards thinner oils for our vehicles. I used to work for THEM (we built cars and exported them to US, Mexico, and Puerto Rico and other North American regions. I remember one day I was looking at the owners manual on the cars that were being exported to hotter regions. Lo and behold, the suggestion of the oil was from 5w30's, all the way to the 15w40's and heaviest oils. Meanwhile, the cars in Canada and US only get 5w30. I didn't think they build different kind of engine as it would be inefficient. I talked to the guys that assembled engines in the plant, and they said they were all the same. I have a 2016 Tundra, bought used with very high mileage. I will be using 5w30 in the summer.

 

^^This^^
My 2017 had a ping/tick sound similar to yours that happened more under light acceleration. My dealer recommended running 91 vs 87 Octane gas. I did and the sound went away. Even after trading in for a 2020, I still run 91 and do not hear this noise.

 

I just noticed this diesel-like rattle on my 2020 yesterday for the first time. However, I noticed it when my truck was warm, not cold. I had backed partway up my driveway (after driving for about 30 minutes) and shut the truck off to unload some stuff from the bed. When I started it back up to park properly, that's when I noticed the noise. I think I'll just keep an eye on it for now and maybe switch to 5W-30 or 0W-30 when my warranty is up to see if that helps.