Anyone else have valve chatter?

I have a 2013 4.0 liter Tacoma with 28k miles on the clock and use 87 octane (w/ 10% ethanol) gas. I changed my oil for the first time since out of the warranty using Castroil 5W30 fully synthetic oil. Toyota recommends 5W30 and I have used Castroil in all of my cars for many years without issue. Since I have changed the oil my valves rattle and chatter like crazy! I sound like a diesel school bus driving down the road! Has anyone else experienced this before in their Tacos? What do I have going on here? Any suggestions to resolve it? I plan on running non-ethanol, 93 octane gas next fill up which may help but could it be that I need to use a heavier weighed oil, conventional oil or a different brand of oil? I know people's choice of oil brand varies and I'm willing to change if that's my issue. I live in Tennessee and it's 95+ degrees now. Thanks for your suggestions and recommendations. I will consider all of them.

 

I filled up using non-ethanol 93 octane gas which has pretty much eliminated the valve rattling. It's more expensive but worth it not to hear the valves rattling. So much for using cheap 87 octane gas.

 

If changing fuel stopped the noise then its not valve related its spark knock or ping. this engine is designed to run 87 octane fuel with up to 10% ethanol There is a TSB out for a reflash to correct it.

 

I have had no valve noise at all. I have run 5w-30 Castrol synthetic since Toyota care was over. I changed plugs at 30 even though from past experience on my 2009 they can go longer. I run the cheapest 87 I can find which is normally Murphy.

 

I went from 89 octane to 91, and still have chatter, so knocking is not the issue. Not sure if the noise is valve or fuel injector related, cause the noise pattern speeds up with engine rpm. Also when im driving at freeway speeds, and lets say I feel like putting the gas pedal to the floor, I hear a crazy amount of random chattering. It's worse when the A/C is on.

Btw I think everyone has some chatter. It become more apparent if you park your truck in a small garage with a nice echo, cause all the sound's reverberate back to you.

 

Spark knock [pinging] not the same as mechanical knock. most prevalent when engine is under load [accelerating] most common cause is crap gas advanced timing.

 

I'd like to read up more on reflashing to see if that would help. I agree my issue is related to pinging and the fuel used and not oil related. It was simply coincidental that I had just changed my oil when I started to notice the pinging. I never heard the pinging with my '04, 3.4 liter Taco. I had an old Chevy truck with the same pinging issues and I had to run premium gas and adjust the timing to keep it from chattering. The downside is that it slowed down the truck's performance.

 

I have noticed on mine I get to rattle\knocking when going up hill. I've been using 87 octane. I just changed to 93 octane this last fill up to see if it made any difference. So far I haven't noticed any noises but I haven't driven up any steep hills yet. I will confirm tonight.

 

I haven't yet noticed any more knocking noises. Maybe I'll stick with 93 octane.

 

My 2013 dclb 4x4 is pinging like a sonar under load. I tried switching from 87 to 91 octane but #1, no big difference, #2 most threads read that our trucks are rated for 87 and not to use 91 or 93. Will higher octane hurt the engine? It sucks because it only has 30,000 miles but if something needs being looked at I am glad it is under the bumper to bumper warranty though. Can they reflash the truck if you ask them too? Do you think it might help?

 

Higher octane will not hurt the engine but it's debatable whether or not it helps. Some guys notice an improvement, others don't. Totally up to you and your experience.

 

These things are just noisy. I can tolerate it on my $20k 4 cylinder but no way in hell could I listen to it on some of the more expensive models. Once I pass $30k, I shouldn't be able to tell if it's running unless I look at the RPM guage.

 

Mine does it also 130k, it'll do it just the same at 200k
These 4.0 liters are noisy as hell but they keep running. Just turn up the radio lol

 

Yup.. Same issue here with my '12 DCSB v6. It was REALLY bad so I got the TSB reflash done, and it went down dramatically, but I still get it with 89 octane fuel, under load up hills, and especially when it's hot out. I'm coming from the turbo charged Subaru WRX world where spark knock is very, very bad. It makes me nervous when I hear it. Might try Seafoam through the vacuum line to eliminate carbon, but really it sounds more like a timing issue since people are getting spark knock with such low mileage (mine has 50k)

 

28k? Aren't you supposed to replace the spark plugs , soon?

 

who is this directed at?

 

Has anyone Seafoamed specifically for this issue? Might give it a shot since it seems like it's probably caused by carbon buildup leading to detonation. I really hate spark knock

 

I'd replace the plugs before going any deeper. I'd also save your coin and stick with good Ole 87 at the pump. Toyota built this truck to run on E10 87 octane pump gas. Changing the oil viscosity may only mask an issue temporarily, and I don't think it's a good idea anyway.

Take my opinions for whatever they are worth. I'm no mechanic or chemist. In any case, best of luck to you.

 

Yeah I agree with your thoughts, and I actually have changed the spark plugs recently (did not affect spark knock). Definitely not going to change the oil viscosity, and I'll stick with 89 as long as prices remain relatively low. I'll post results if I decide to Seafoam..

 

Not suggesting this will fix the problem, but on another forum(Isuzu Rodeo/Trooper), people have this problem. Many switched to 0W-30 synthetic oil after first using a can of CRC Valve Kleen. A can of this before each oil change has quietened my Rodeo.

My 2015 4.0 liter Tacoma with close to 9K is quiet...at least for now.

http://www.crcindustries.com/ei/product_detail.aspx?id=05331