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Tap Tap Tap - Away!

41K views 19 replies 14 participants last post by  DEWFPO 
#1 · (Edited)
There are several new forum members and FJ Owners who get rather atwitter when they hear the infamous Toyota Tap. Before heading to the dealer to get it looked at try this 50 cent mod!

This is a repost now with pics from MikesFJ regarding http://www.fjcruiserforums.com/foru...-maintenance-tech/17848-fix-tapping-idle.html

That annoying tapping sound you hear at idle is not your lifters, injectors or your headers. There is an emission control component called the PWM-vacuum switching valve screwed to the intake manifold on the drivers side. You can access it by removing the plastic shield over the intake manifold. It is held in place by a single screw. This thing activates when the vehicle is at idle and at temperature. Look in the red circled area for the general location of the PWM Valve.




To minimize the tapping sound coming from it, you nee to isolate this component from the manifold. The manifold is resonating the sound from the valve making it loud.
Here's what I did to minimize the noise:

You will need 2 rubber o-rings ( I used R03 nitrile o-rings) and a 10 mm Nutdriver or wrench.
After removing engine cover,
remove bolt that holds the valve to the manifold (no need to disconnect any lines or harness)
Place an O-ring on the bolt and push it to the head of the bolt.
Slip the bolt through the valve and slide the other o-ring over the bolt.
re attach valve tightening enough to compress the o-ring and snug the bolt. The o-rings should be enough to keep the bolt from vibrating out.
Replace cover and enjoy the silence! In picture 2 is the bolt you take out and place your isolator upon. I used very thick double sided tape in the same manner as described above!
***This may not eliminate this noise, but it sure quieted mine down.

So, don't worry about trying different weight oil (use the recommended only) or any other drastic measures. From what I have read, most if not all toyotas in the last 5 years have this tick. Maybe the factory should do something about it. I think that Toyota should find a quieter valve or make an isolated mounting kit.
Mud is also a sound deadener I opted for and have been applying slowly over the past several months!
 
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#3 ·
I found it a year ago and has saved me the headache ever since! There have been a couple of posts here and in "Engine Maintenance" regarding the "tapping" noise. I figured I'd repost a great cheap mod and give it a couple of pics for reference
 
#6 ·
:thinkerg: Maybe the Mods should make this a sticky if this is a fairly common characteristic...just a thought, but I am new around here, what do I know. :cheers:

Phil thanks again for the help!
 
#9 · (Edited)
Try what yet..... the fix? Have you read thru the thread highlighted in the first post? A ton of us have. Takes 2 minutes, costs maybe 40 cents and gets rid of most of the loud tapping.

DEWFPO
 
#12 ·
last friday i had a tapping sound that went into a full on whistle when it stopped the car stalled, could it have been this valve malfuntioning? the dealer couldn't find anything wrong! it has not happened again. but was a little scary in traffic!
 
#13 ·
I´d take it back to the dealer and have him check your emission components. Sounds like something took a dump on you
 
#14 ·
Thanks! we will take it back to the dealer we bought it from, we took it to the one in our town when it happened, so now we will play them off each other! Plus with this little bit of info we may get some answers! It is running fine at the moment, but this did happen at idle while stopped at a traffic light, in heavy traffic too! So next monday back to the dealer!!!:indifferent:
 
#15 ·
I'm curious if you changed the brand of gas you regularly use. I noticed my FJ does not like the cheap regular gas (Marathon). Just a thought.

Have him check the emissions components including the charcoal canister. Anytime I've had a strange issue such as that it has always turned out to be an emissions related component.
 
#18 ·
Ancient thread I know, and it's in the how to section. I think it helps the newer FJ owners to unearth these helpful threads so we don't reinvent the wheel. Tapping at idle for me was pretty noticeable. I just did this super easy mod on my 2014. The first iteration noticeably helped but not as much as I'd like. I redid it with a slightly thicker rubber washer on the inside closest to the manifold. It's quieted the noise pretty much to zero. Helpful and thanks 👍
 
#20 ·
I just completely unbolted mine from the plastic intake housing, it's now isolated and is as quiet as can be. It doesn't flop arounds and it's been that way for years. Cost me nothing.
 
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