Tacoma Tick?

Hello,

So, I bought my 2003 2RZ-FE, manual transmission tacoma about a month ago. I've been noticing that when the engine is warm and at idle there is a "tick" or what really sounds more like an engine pinging to me.

The sound is loudest when I have my ear directly under the bell housing but there is no difference in sound if the clutch is depressed. The sound does not seem to be coming from the gear box.

I took the truck by the dealership and they told me that nothing was wrong with it and that I was just hearing some vibration being transmitted through the crankshaft to the bell housing area.

I'm currently burning regular, 87 octane gasoline. I was thinking about giving premium a try before I pull off the valve covers and try checking the clearances.

I put in some new spark plugs. That didn't seem to cause any noticeable improvement.

The truck sounds great up until the engine gets warm.

I got an ultragauge and was watching the ignition timing. I think it was at around 10 degrees at an idle while the engine was warming up and then it increased to around 17 degrees when it got warm and started making the sound.

I attached a sound clip. The differences in volume at the different parts of the clip are due to the microphone changing position. The volume of the sound doesn't change while the engine idles, once warm.

Any advice is appreciated!

 

The engine has just over 50k miles on it. Is this too soon for the valves to need adjustment?

 

I believe valve adjustment isn't listed until 90k

 

Is it a rebuilt or OEM emgine? I wish you had access to the oil pressure.
That is a little soon for valvetrain wear, but all engines wear at different rates.
Without hearing it, it's hard to say what it is, but pulling the valve cover and measuring is a very easy task.

 

The engine is not rebuilt. The seller had lots of maintenance records that listed the dates and mileage over time, making the truck's low mileage look believable.

bkrdude, I attached an audio recording to my original post. I held my phone under the truck, at the bell housing where the sound is loudest to make the recording.

Looks like I'll be checking my valve lash. Thanks guys. I'll post my results, but it might not be until next weekend.

Any advice on valve cover gaskets? Should I get one from toyota? I've never actually measured valve lash before but I have some feeler gauges. Do I need to put silicone between the engine / gasket / valve cover when reassembling?