Valve tapping?

camopants

camopants

Member
Just bought a 2011 Trd double cab on Friday. Noticed a sound similar to valve tapping while showing off the new ride to friends. Had the engine idling with the hood open.

Has anybody else had a valve problem? Could the noise be a bad bearing somewhere?

Luckily it is still under the manufacturer warranty so it is going into the shop on Friday.
 
No I am not 100% sure. If you know of something else I would appreciate hearing what you think. Whatever the noise is it is getting worse so I am going to drive as little as possible until I can get it to the dealership on Friday. I will update when I find out what they say.
 
Most engines these days have self adjusters for valve lash. I haven't checked my new '15, but my '08 had mechanical adjusters meaning the valve lash (clearance) has to be adjusted periodically. I was really surprised to see this on my '08 because setting valve lash was something that went out with high-button shoes, but apparently there are still some engines, like ours, that are done that way. Too much lash isn't really bad for anything, but it is noisy.

My buddy's '10 had this same noise. The dealer tried to write it off as a "loose nut behind the wheel". Eventually he had them trace it out to one of his accessory belt pulleys which is apparently a common problem with these vehicles. If it is excessive valve lash, that is considered normal maintenence and probably not covered under a warranty, but you could see if your warranty is one of those "gold package" type deals that might cover an adjustment like that. If it's a pulley, search online for info on that as it is a big issue with these trucks.
 
This is a video I found of the exact noise.

Funny that it is the same year truck as well! This guy said the dealer couldn't find anything wrong.

I also found a video saying that it was the air manifold flap (not the technical name). This video had the same noise. ( now I can't find the video). That guy just removed the flaps completely.
 
Another point about mechanical lash adjustment. This type of valve gear will always have some lash. That is how you set them, to the lash specification listed on the sticker in the engine compartment. Typically this is about 0.012" or so. This lash will produce SOME noise. How much, and if it is the noise you are hearing, I don't know. I do know that any engine I have ever been around that had mechanical lifters had some noticeable valve noise. Some engines with high lift cams were really noisy like my built 240Z I had back in the day. All my buddies who were American V8 guys used to hydraulic lifters thought there was something wrong with it, but there wasn't.
 
So I took it in this morning and they said it is the normal "taco tick". It is actually the VSV valve that is apparently making the noise. Normal for this engine. Doing a little research of my own, I found multiple videos of the exact same noise. Won't let it bother me as long as the truck is running fine!
 
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