Help Identify This Engine Noise Please (1 Viewer)

[LastGreatMB]

Looking at a truck to purchase. 4.7l. 180k miles. No proof or knowledge of belt being done. Engine is making this noise. Gets a louder with increased RPM.

What does this sound like to you? Valve train needs adjustment? Exhaust leak? ???



Thanks for the help!!!

 

[LockedNLoaded]

That does not sound good at all. It sound like a diesel motor. These V8s are as smooth as silk. I wouldnt only walk away from that LC I would run. There are plenty of good LCs out there on the market.

 

[LastGreatMB]

Confession. Don’t hate me. But it’s actually a 1st gen Sequoia. And it’s a limited, tan on white, with the captains chairs in the middle row. So not the easiest to find looking decent.

Thoughts on what the noise most likely is?

 

[Spike555]

It is the cam phasers going/gone bad.

If the check engine light is not on scan the truck for pending trouble codes or "drive cycle not ready", that is a 100% indication that they reset the check engine light before you came to look at it.

There is no valve train adjustment on any car since hydraulic lifters were standard in the '70's, and with over head cam...nope. No adjustment.

The cam phasers are solenoids on the fronts of the cams, it turns the cam forward or back advancing or retarding the cam lobes based on engine load/speed/rpm/etc. and those solenoids go bad.

If it were mine I'd fix it, I would not buy a car with bad ones because you have no idea how long they've been bad or if they are masking something else.

Go back with your OBDII scanner and check for trouble codes. I bet you find what I said, drive cycle not ready.

 

[LastGreatMB]

That makes sense. I’ll read up on cam phasers. Yeah for valvetrain noise I was thinking stuck lifter from poor oil change ritual or at worst actual loose or highly worn components. I’ll scan it if we go back. Hopefully we can find another good one with limited trim. Well see.

 

[white_lx]

No hydraulic lifters in the 2UZ-FE 4.7 engines.

I believe this noise is caused by the famous exhaust manifold leak. But the fuel pulse damper is known to make a similar sound apparently (no personal experience with this).

 

[BullElk]

Confession. Don’t hate me. But it’s actually a 1st gen Sequoia....

I can see your mouth moving but have no idea what your talking about.

 

[Spike555]

That makes sense. I’ll read up on cam phasers. Yeah for valvetrain noise I was thinking stuck lifter from poor oil change ritual or at worst actual loose or highly worn components. I’ll scan it if we go back. Hopefully we can find another good one with limited trim. Well see.

I have no idea what Toyota calls them, but that's what Ford call's them and they sound just like that when they go bad.

You don't "need" them, they are just added stuff to improve MPG and make your life hell when they fail.

 

[LastGreatMB]

I can see your mouth moving but have no idea what your talking about.

???

Front

• LastGreatMB
• Aug 25, 2018

Engine Bay 1

• LastGreatMB
• Aug 25, 2018

 

[saucebox]

It sounds exactly like exhaust to me as well, but I'm far from an expert. My 4Runner made exactly that noise. But based on reading stuff around here, @Spike555 knows a HELLUVA lot more than me, so I'd follow that advice

 

[camino70]

I don't know about cam phasers, but I think that sounds just like my 98. One intake lifter bucket is out of spec, too short and sounds like that. Gas mileage wasn't affected. I planned on replacing it when I did the timing belt again...

 

[BullElk]

@LastGreatMB, I made that comment in jest because it is a Sequoia and not a Land Cruiser

 

[LastGreatMB]

@LastGreatMB, I made that comment in jest because it is a Sequoia and not a Land Cruiser

All good! I looked for a shrug smiley but couldn’t find one. To my credit I did try to see if the wife would go for a 100 or 470 but she likes the sequoias.

 

[4xFletch]

I can vouch for @LastGreatMB he did try to convince the wifey to drive a Hundy. The sequoia isn’t the worst choice out there. She could want a Land Rover

 

[Spike555]

It very well could be a exhaust leak, and if it is it is one hell of a exhaust leak.
Exhaust leaks are easy to find during a test drive, bring a can of Seafoam with you, drive a few blocks, shut the engine off and let it cool for 15min or so.
Then stick a vacuum line into the can of Seafoam, fire up the engine and look for the smoke coming out of the manifolds.
Leaks in exhaust manifolds go away once the manifold gets hot and expands, unless the leak is large, but this does not sound like a exhaust leak to me. Doesn't mean its not, just not what it sounds like to me.

 

[bmw635]

Just removed the pass cylinder head to fix the #8 coil thread, changed timing belt, water pump same time. Everything went well except now I have tapping noise at idle and diesel knocking noise revving on passenger side, like the video.

I've done a few timing belts/chains on Supra, Accord, RX 300, Porsche 928, BMW I6 and V8 so this 2 UZ-FE timing belt and water pump is no different. Was there any special tools or steps that I might have missed? I did put a bolt through the cam gear to hold the tension in place.

Look up cam phasing as suggested by Spike 555 but I think that's for Vvti since mine is 2001 without Vvti.

Any ideas as I've seen problems with people having diesel knocking noise after timing belt, water pump jobs but no solutions posted. Any ideas? TIA.

 

[bmw635]

Update- after checking timing belt alignment with cam and crank. Everything line up perfect.

I proceed to check the valve shims. Found out the last exhaust valve shim in cyclinder #8 collapsed.

I am going to see if I can lift the rear exhaust cam enough to remove the cup like 2001LC post #20 in this thread Fixed that blasted V8 manifold ticking noise quick and cheap! while leaving the cam gear intact and not have to remove TB belt.

You can see the last valve shim cup lower than the one to the front. It has gap larger than .038" so I have to find out why since it supposed to have shim, not hydraulic so it should not have collapsed.

 

[2001LC]

I'll first say; that video in OP sounds normal IMO, for a 2UZ VVT USA made with no engine cover deadening the sound of fuel injectors. coils and piston slap. It was short video, so I can not get a good read/hear. I like too hear from cold start all the way through warm up. I use stethoscope the whole time moving around engine.

Second; I'll assume you did not remove the head, just head cover (AKA valve cover) to repair coil retainer bolt hole threads.

Before pulling the cam or cams, which must be done to remove buckets under them and get at each shim. Check gap of all valves. Toyota FSM has a procedure for this with engine cold.

The FSM procedure has you rotate crank/cams to very specific positions for each valve gap you check. You can not just check gap at any given point as lobes of cam must be up.

One guy some time back in mud, who must have been a shop mechanic, said; he changes shim often. But outside of him, I've asked repeatedly on mud, if anyone even has checked the gap on the 2UZ. Two guy's in mud said they did. But they were pulling my leg. IMO gap is rarely adjusted in the 2UZ.

Once you've all the readings (gaps) of each valve you then pull cam or cams. This means pulling timing belt, head covers and front head cover cam & seal retainer and resealing during assembly. This is a big job!
You then measure the old shim under bucket and calculate with a chart the size shim you'll need, to then bring within spec gap based on gap readings you took at start.

The shim under the bucket need changing because the gap has increased or decreased. This has to do with a few different things, which I've never seen nor done on a 2UZ.
Things that can effect gap are; valve steam stretch, valve seat wear, valve wear, cam lob wear, valve steam wear, bucket wear, shim wear. If cam wear a new cam is needed. None of which is likely in a 2UZ provided good oil & filter and air filter history. Even then I've not seen.

Valve gap that has widened can get loud. This would indicate valve not open wide enough. This may effect compression. If exhaust valve it may reduce amount of gas escaping. This could increase compression.



Some thoughts to consider:

You may want to scope that cylinder to start, also do other testing like compression and leak down (engine hot) before pulling cams.

I do not know why the coil bolt needed repair. If coil was loose for extended period of time. You may have had firing issue with that cylinder. I suppose valve could be damaged. But I would expect a CEL if #8 was misfiring that bad (enough to do damage) over extended prior of time.

Spark plugs walking out would be bigger issue than coil secured or not. This can damage coil and valve over the long term. It can also make for very loud engine, which sound like exhaust manifold leak.

The VVT engine seem a bit nosier than non VVT, IMHO. VVT uses a plastic intake, that doesn't deadening the sound as much as the heaver old aluminum ones. In the 100 series Toyota puts on the engine cover (AKA valley cover), that's insulated with heat an sound deadening foam in the VVT engine. Pull it off and it sound louder "TICKING"

The fuel inject have a very loud tick, which speeds up with RPM. Put a stethoscope on and you'll hear it. Coils also tick a bit, more so if insulator missing or coil not secured.

Toyota's have what dealership referred to as the "Toyota Tick". It's arguable what your sound is in video. What most commonly referred to as the Toyota tick, is, piston slap. The USA made engine (Sequoia & Tundra) are the ones this was most notable in.

Hope this helps.

 

[bmw635]

Short story : #8 plug blow out, stripping the thread. I repaired with Perma coil and inserted too deep so it wasn't sealing the plug so the head had to come out. Reinstalling everything smoothly. Upon firing it has the diesel / valve tap noise that was not there before which prompt me to hit Mud to search and found the valve shim issue.

I'll try to see if I can remove just the 1 shim cup instead of remove the whole TB job - update to come. TIA.

 

[2001LC]

WOW I miss read that. Spent all morning doing a write up you didn't need!

So it was spark plug that blew. I've alert out on spark plug. Spark plugs Alert Alert Alert!

I've rebuild able bank 2 heads w/~130K for sale now on CL and in mud. Just pulled one yesterday. Which you see picture from above.

Toyota 2uz VVT engine transmission Land Cruiser 4Runner, GX470, LX470

Make offer for all or any part! I need to move this stuff out fast. I'll take any reasonable offer. Overview: 2008 2UZ-fe VVTi engine, with 130K miles on it from a Toyota 4 runner. Engine was washed...

denver.craigslist.org

For Sale - 2UZ-fe VVT engines / parts CO