Toyota 2C Diesel Issues

[jrn25]

Hi there everyone,

First time poster here & I wanted to start off by saying I had a really hard time deciding where I should ask about this and decided maybe this forum could give me some insight or suggestions. If anyone knows of a place that might be more suitable for these questions - definitely let me know and I can do that instead.

I’m the owner of a lovely 153k KM 1995 Toyota Corolla Wagon. 4wd, 5 speed, 2C-III diesel and leaf springs in the rear! I truly lovely this car however I fear the previous owner may have neglected its mechanicals a bit. I’m located in New York, USA so spares are a bit tough to get my hands on.

My current situation - the engine is awfully ticky with a very specific noise that I’ve finally tracked down to a general area. Initially I thought it was an idler going out with the belts or timing belt. Took it all apart and replaced one bearing, the rest all seemed good to go. There’s a sticker saying the belt was done at 106k as well. That idler bearing I replaced definitely was creating some noise but didn’t fix the main noise. I also did the valve cover gasket and checked the valve specs, everything was within range. This leads me to where I am now. I noticed the noise for the first time while engine braking near a guardrail. It’s this metallic sounding tick / rattle / flutter / ??? - with some more poking around with my stethoscope I was able to track the sound to somewhere in or around the oil pan. I was able to put my phone there and get a video that kinda represents the noise which I will post. Did an oil change pretty recently - nothing looked off.

There’s a few other weird things but nothing that is genuinely concerning like this noise. I’ve been using the car as a daily driver for work because 34mpg is pretty sweet but now that I’ve found that noise is coming from the oil pan area I’m worried something is having a bad day in the bottom end & have stopped driving it for now to get some more opinion or suggestions. If there’s anymore questions, let me know.

I appreciate any help or knowledge that is given and thank you all in advance. Also if there’s a better way to share the video please let me know!

VIDEO LINK

 

[duncanrm]

I noticed the noise for the first time while engine braking near a guardrail. It’s this metallic sounding tick / rattle / flutter / ??? - with some more poking around with my stethoscope I was able to track the sound to somewhere in or around the oil pan. I was able to put my phone there and get a video that kinda represents the noise which I will post. Did an oil change pretty recently - nothing looked off.

No evidence of an exhaust leak?

 

[jrn25]

No evidence of an exhaust leak?

When I originally heard the noise I was thinking about this as well because it had a leaking flex pipe and a broken muffler however I redid the whole exhaust (no more leaks) and the noise is still present with no change. I also did my best to search for leaks in the downpipe / manifold area but didn’t seem to find anything.

 

[GreenPump]

When I spun a bearing on my Hilux, the sound began sort of like this and then developed within a few weeks into a subtle knock.

I don't want to be the bearer of bad news, but it sounds like bottom end noise to me.

 

[Eurasiaoverland]

I'm no expert but it sounds like bottom end knock, particularly the way it becomes more apparent when lifting off the accelerator. If you pull the vent hose from the cylinder head, do you get a lot of blow-by?

 

[jrn25]

When I spun a bearing on my Hilux, the sound began sort of like this and then developed within a few weeks into a subtle knock.

I don't want to be the bearer of bad news, but it sounds like bottom end noise to me.

That’s what I’m thinking as well.

I'm no expert but it sounds like bottom end knock, particularly the way it becomes more apparent when lifting off the accelerator. If you pull the vent hose from the cylinder head, do you get a lot of blow-by?

The sound becoming more noticeable when returning to idle is what made it more concerning to me. I just checked & there is a little bit of blow by but nothing that seems unreasonable or excessive.

 

[GreenPump]

When I spun the bearing on Hilux, I had no blow-by to speak of. Compression was still great. I kept driving it for several weeks because the noise was very quiet at first.

I had little or no experience with diesel engines at the time, and I managed a rebuild by myself, in a tiny single car garage of a rental property, in under 30 days.

I had a professional diesel mechanic coming by to check on me, but really the process was simple and even enjoyable.

If you love the car, you can rebuild it fairly easily and economically.