Two part question 2008 Toyota Landcruiser. Strange noise at first start up of the day & low coolant levels (hopefully reservoir will remain full now).

[BondJamesBond]

Not really. Pop off the engine cover and pull out the foam around the PCV valve. With a flashlight, any coolant leak in the valley plate area will become obvious. Its even better if you have a small camera that you can put in there.

Thanks for the reply’s fellas. Coolant has stayed at appropriate levels since I filled it twice. I can only assume it was poor maintenance on the previous owners part. He openly admitted he basically never looked under the hood. With that said I’m happy she’s in good hands now and will be properly looked after from here on out. Over all I’m more than happy with this rig, friggin loving this thing!

 

[Cruisin911]

Related to this, those endoscope type usb cameras are surprisingly cheap on Amazon. I picked one up a couple of years ago and they come in handy for looking in otherwise inaccessible spaces. Not saying you need one for this - since I've never had this failure I have no idea how obvious it is.

Completely agree. I got one for like 30 bucks on Amazon after I dropped a mounting bolt into the transmission housing on my 911. Spent an afternoon with a magnet and the scope and was able to fish it out. Worth every penny.

 

[BondJamesBond]

Thanks for the reply’s fellas. Coolant has stayed at appropriate levels since I filled it twice. I can only assume it was poor maintenance on the previous owners part. He openly admitted he basically never looked under the hood. With that said I’m happy she’s in good hands now and will be properly looked after from here on out. Over all I’m more than happy with this rig, friggin loving this thing!

After further waiting, it’s definitely leaking coolant very slowly. Looks like right under the radiator on the passenger side.

 

[CharlieS]

That location could also be the water pump.

 

[DecreedIt]

After further waiting, it’s definitely leaking coolant very slowly. Looks like right under the radiator on the passenger side.

Or thermostat, my 2008 had had radiator, water pump and tstat done around 145k, they used cheap aftermarket tstat with a substandard seal ring. Found it while doing serpentine belt pulleys & tensioner job replaced with OEM, seals very different. Its passenger side near the radiator top, so, have a look at that too.

 

[BondJamesBond]

That location could also be the water

Or thermostat, my 2008 had had radiator, water pump and tstat done around 145k, they used cheap aftermarket tstat with a substandard seal ring. Found it while doing serpentine belt pulleys & tensioner job replaced with OEM, seals very different. Its passenger side near the radiator top, so, have a look at that too.

Hopefully not water pump, it was replaced just a couple years ago I think. Could be a ring I suppose

 

[nakman]

Well I've got a pretty apparent start-up rattle now... worse the longer the truck has been sitting. this thread seems to be the most relevant? First time I've heard it, I'm due for an oil change anyway so I'm gonna swap in the 5w30 and see if that makes any difference. Will post up before/after videos.. 2008 with 181k miles.

 

[bloc]

Well I've got a pretty apparent start-up rattle now... worse the longer the truck has been sitting. this thread seems to be the most relevant? First time I've heard it, I'm due for an oil change anyway so I'm gonna swap in the 5w30 and see if that makes any difference. Will post up before/after videos.. 2008 with 181k miles.

Oil change then cold start rattle 3 days in a row.

forum.ih8mud.com

 

[BondJamesBond]

Well I've got a pretty apparent start-up rattle now... worse the longer the truck has been sitting. this thread seems to be the most relevant? First time I've heard it, I'm due for an oil change anyway so I'm gonna swap in the 5w30 and see if that makes any difference. Will post up before/after videos.. 2008 with 181k miles.

I switched to 5w30 and also use Lucas high mileage oil treatment to replace 1-1/2 quarts of the oil. Noise is very minimal for first 2 seconds after start up then completely goes away.

 

[JohnJB]

Well I've got a pretty apparent start-up rattle now... worse the longer the truck has been sitting. this thread seems to be the most relevant? First time I've heard it, I'm due for an oil change anyway so I'm gonna swap in the 5w30 and see if that makes any difference. Will post up before/after videos.. 2008 with 181k miles.

So I recently learned there are two different start up rattles that foreshadow a couple different issues that ultimately result in tearing off the timing cover and doing a little RnR. While many will immediately tell you start up rattle is a tensioner issue, and for good reason, there’s another rattle-like noise that actually comes from the cam sprockets after the VVTi nonsense in them bleeds down. The bad news is there’s not much of a way to diagnose the latter and cam sprockets list for $400+, and there’s four of them. Oh, and the intake cam sprocket is on national backorder.

That’s not all to scare you. Promise. If you’re regularly getting start up rattle, I suggest letting to the car idle for several minutes after a stone cold start. My tensioner rattle would not begin until 3-4 minutes of idling as it didn’t regularly happen until the cold start idle dropped RPMs and seemingly began to phase the the variable timing in and out.

I’ve now replaced every tensioner, chain, and guide in my motor along with 3 out of 4 cam sprockets as I could not locate a second intake cam sprocket for the passenger side. This was overkill. x 10

 

[BondJamesBond]

Or thermostat, my 2008 had had radiator, water pump and tstat done around 145k, they used cheap aftermarket tstat with a substandard seal ring. Found it while doing serpentine belt pulleys & tensioner job replaced with OEM, seals very different. Its passenger side near the radiator top, so, have a look at that too.

Turns out it was loose clamps!

 

[nakman]

Alright well dunk my head and pass the wine, call me converted. Cold start is a night and day difference with the new 5w30 oil.

before:


after:


Both of these "cold starts" are in the garage, after at least 16 hours. Cold being somewhat relative, it doesn't get much below 80F in the summer in the garage. But still, it almost sounds like I was just low on oil before, which I wasn't. Anyway got new oil and the sound is gone I'm moving on to other things... appreciate all the tips!

 

[BondJamesBond]

Alright well dunk my head and pass the wine, call me converted. Cold start is a night and day difference with the new 5w30 oil.

before:


after:


Both of these "cold starts" are in the garage, after at least 16 hours. Cold being somewhat relative, it doesn't get much below 80F in the summer in the garage. But still, it almost sounds like I was just low on oil before, which I wasn't. Anyway got new oil and the sound is gone I'm moving on to other things... appreciate all the tips!

Yeah buddy!

 

[jimoldguy]

I've had my 2011 for 3.5 years, had 123,000 when purchased, just turned 165,000. I've been chasing occasional scary noises from the engine since I bought it. New A/C compressor & clutch, different oils all seemed to do a temporary fix. I finally decided that my engine had sludge and need cleaning. At 158,000. First thing I replaced EGR valve. I used Sea Foam . switched to Mobile 1 high mileage. and started changing oil and filter every 2000 miles. I'm shocked at how much tar came out at the flush and first 2 oil changes. The valve noise is gone, engine has restored power, and timing chain tensioner noise is gone.
I bought the vehicle from my brother who claimed that his mechanic used only Mobile 1, but I'm questioning if his mechanic actually used it. The EGR never having being changed may have caused the sludge. Things I'll never know. These engine have very close tolerances and sludge is an enemy to proper performance. I'll post how the oil looks at 170,000: going on a 3300 mile road trip.

 

[sleepycruiser]

No idea what oil has been used in my 2011 as the oil was changed before I bought it. Should I go ahead and change to 5w-30 the next change regardless if I am hearing any noises or not?

 

[jimoldguy]

I wanted to share my experience with sludge and engine noise and what I did. When I contacted Mobil they suggested their high milage formula and quicker oil changes because of the extra detergents it seems to be working.

 

[nakman]

No idea what oil has been used in my 2011 as the oil was changed before I bought it. Should I go ahead and change to 5w-30 the next change regardless if I am hearing any noises or not?

I wouldn't. I'd just keep running what it says on the cap if everything sounds fine.

 

[jimoldguy]

Sorry, I stated that the EGR was replaced. Not. It was the PCV valve. The benefits of old age keep.

 

[bloc]

No idea what oil has been used in my 2011 as the oil was changed before I bought it. Should I go ahead and change to 5w-30 the next change regardless if I am hearing any noises or not?

Many of us are getting great results with quality 5w-30 synthetic. Quiets down the valvetrain noticeably, and still thin enough for good cold flow in most of the US.

 

[jimoldguy]

so, my 2011 landcruiser just turned 200,000 miles. I've been hearing valve clatter from time to time but not all the time for 60,000 miles (was told not to worry). Most noticable going up hill on a cold engine and at mid warm up temp when stopped. Sometimes I'd turn off the engine and restart and no noise. At 200,000 I decided to buy new VVT solenoids (NGK or NTK) from Rock Auto. I also back flushed the openings with carb cleaner (just a couple of squirts). Changed oil 5w 20 is what I use. The car now is unbelieveably quiet. No noise going up grade or at mid warm up. This was an easy task. I'm going to check the OHM readings on all the old VVT solenoids. From my readings on the net these things do wear out, get clogged or just act up.