tick tick tick...and backfire

hey guys, my 98 tacoma has been having this very irritating tick sound, its not loud, its just if you drive it everyday, you can notice it. it only does either when the engine is semi-warm, giving it all its got, (which im not doin now b/c of this), or crusin the interstate at 70 goin uphill which requires more throttle, and it ticks. idk if its where its cold or what, it just sounds like my valves are rattling. plus it also backfires when you shift somewhat hard. like i put it in 3rd and i shifted a lil early into 4th at about 75 and you hear a loud pop and my friend behind me saw a flame shoot out my exhaust tip. thats not the only time it has done this, but when you're downshifting and get the rpms up, its as smooth as can be. i just know with older style carbureted vehicles, this usually means the carb needs adjusting or the timings off...but since its EFI, i cant figure it out. any help with either one? my check engine light is also on, and if this helps, i went muddin with my friend a over a month ago, and halfway through, my check engine light came on (had it reset afterwards), and it felt like it had a lil loss of power. i popped the hood and it was filthy, took the MAF off and it had a lil dirt in it so i cleaned it, it ran a lil better, but not like it did. gas mileage hasnt dropped though. sorry this is long, but id just like some answers lol

 

Sounds like you jumped time, and need of a thorough cleaning.

 

idk what it is or what ive done, i took the whole intake tube off and i rubbed my index finger on the part which attaches to the throttle body and it had a tad bit of dust in it, but it wasnt dirt. i also cleaned the inner part of the throttle body b4 the butterfly valve opens. it wasnt that dirty either. i dont think its my TPS, or my MAF since i cleaned it. of course, when i bought the truck it had 21,000, guy bought it in 2001 (its a 98) with 18,000 miles, he went blind and it was driven 3,000 miles over a period of 7 years, so i thought a lil bit of tar may have built up in the bottom of the gas tank and when i went muddin it broke a lil loose and went through my fuel pump and filter...theres just a lot of things crossin my mind lol

 

I might drain the tank, fill with high detergent fuel, maybe change the fuel line, plugs, wires, a complete tune up basically and see where that takes you, sounds like the truck is worth spending a little money into.

 

yea its def. a nice truck, i thought about changing the timing belt for starters, if that doesnt help go ahead and get my valves adjusted, and if it still ticks i might change my coil pack and spark plugs all together. still if nothing works, i may just do a complete engine flush lol, i know its not the oil b/c i run AMSOIL in it

 

you may be able to come out pretty good just having your valves adjusted. it may get rid of the valve lash, since you do run good oil. let us know.

 

dude guys i think i figured it out. i bought an IAT "resistor" chip for like 10 bucks (like a moron i know, i can take the comments on that lol) and ive found out that an IAT sensor can affect your timing and air/fuel mixture, i think this is the problem, and like i said, i already know im an idiot for trying that lol, ive had the resistor off for over a month now though

 

We don't think you're an idiot, were happy that the problem might be solved. Good luck and keep us informed.

 

Before changing any parts, why don't you try to know what code is associated with your CEL. I think it's the best solution.

 

well the CEL was turned on b/c of the downstream 02 sensor. i put that in a few days ago and it took the light off, but the truck still runs like crap. im gonna go buy some denso spark plugs and put them in tomorrow and see what that does

 

If your going to spend the time with plugs, change the wires too. They don't cost much and it eliminates another area in which to look at.

 

I had a similar problem with my Jeep Wrangler and it turned out to be a cracked exhaust manifold. Evidently, Jeeps are known for that. It had the same symptoms you described.

 

wow guys, i changed the spark plugs with NGK plugs and wow was my old plugs burnt. i changed the plugs and could tell a huge difference, but it still feels like im not gettin all the performance it used to. maybe its my plug wires like you said. somehow dirt got into my #2 and #3 plug wires and spark plugs and they was NASTY! i took them off and the plug wire was covered in dirt. i honestly dont know how it wouldve gotten in there. but now it feels like its still lackin maybe 10 or so hp. nobody else could tell it but where i drive it everyday it still feels its lackin. hesitation is gone though so if i dont get the extra 10 or so back im happy as long as its smooth

 

You might also want to change the fuel filter as this will definitely impact your performance, particularly under hard acceleration. Flush the tank if possible, but check the pickup filter in the tank.

 

you lost the 10hp from that fancy computer chip (the 23 cent resister they sell on ebay ) LOL they actually can add horsepower by fooling the computer into thinking its cooler out therefore needs more fuel... but not a good idea to use such pieces I know this is a obvious one...but have you checked the air filter recently? they get dirty quick sometimes

 

hahahaha yea i wouldnt doubt that, but yea my air filter is pretty clean, i havent changed the fuel filter in about 5-8,000 miles so yea that might be a good idea lol i HATE changin em in these 3RZ motors! why did they have to put it right under the manifold?! you have to pop the hood to get the first bolt and through the left fender well to get the 2nd one...pain in the ass man

 

yeah i put a bypass in my one(think I used brake line and put ends on it) and then put a screw on fuel filter from summit racing under hood LOL