Engine Knocking From Driver Side

try not using the terms "wheel" or "wheeling" with the people you speak with over at the dealership next time.

don't give them anything to use against you and don't take no for an answer

and most definitely go in your work attire

 

I'm learning that.....

 

On a side note, this Tacoma seems to be making almost the same noise just not as loud.

 

Update:

Still not receiving communication from the dealership. Went back in today and was told that the noise can't be replicated and they were still waiting on a Toyota Corporate Rep to come look at it. I clarified whether the rep was with Toyota Corporate or Gulf States Toyota and they corrected themselves stating that the representative was with Gulf States. So now we wait.

 

I called the dealership yesterday around 16:00 and spoke with the general manager. He stated that a Toyota Rep came out and could not recreate the noise, therefore he did not believe there were any problems with the truck and attributed it to "normal direct injection noise". Not really sure what to do at this point.

On a completely unrelated note, anyone interested in a slightly used 3rd gen?

 

It's sounds exactly like my 01 Cherokee sport w/4.0L, that I keep up at cabin. Piston skirt slap ( Bad wrist pin). It also comes and goes. Sometimes scary as hell (loud) waiting for it to blow, and then sometimes not a noise out of it.

 

Check out the next closest dealer....

Might be good to have a friend look at it and listen with a "mechanic's stethoscope".... You will find the source of the noise with that...!!

Good luck

 

Go detail your truck, rule out the easy things like exhaust leak, cylinder compression, plugs, coolant and oil condition. Do your homework beforehand on what to say (less is more) and find another dealer. If it is a warranty, you wouldn't want to be precluded because of someones assumption of what you do off road.

Exhaust leak: use a shop vac on reverse to slightly pressurize the exhaust. Spray soapy water over all joints/threads/etc.

Plugs and compression: look at your plugs to verify correct gap and working condition. While they are out, check cylinder compression. You can rent the tool from an auto parts store but if you own any other vehicles or bikes, it's a good tool to have.

Oil: drain all the oil and check for color/condition. You are looking for sign of contamination from water or coolant. Also, look for metal fragments in the pan.

Coolant: drain a small amount of coolant from the drain at the bottom of the radiator. You won't always find contamination in the overflow.

 

Also if you wanted to take a sample of the oil and send it in to be analyzed. (Heard good things about some of those services)

btw provide the svc people with as little info as possible just like you would when you get pulled over.....oh wait a second here...

 

Keep your uniform out of it, not worth losing your job over.

 

Another thought is that it could be the high pressure fuel pump which is located on the passenger side. They can make that noise when taking a dump. The tick sounds like it’s on the top end. The fuel pump is on the back of the engine passenger side on top and is driven by one of the cams.

 

A dealership can deny a customer concern or customer complaint but what they can’t do is deny a claim. The warranty is a performance contract between the owner of the vehicle and Toyota. The dealer is not a party to that performance contract...for the GM to tell you what the Toyota rep said is nothing but hearsay and carries zero weight like bullshit...If it were me I would call that GM back up and demand the Toyota reps opinion be reduced to writing because they are required to respond in writing to a claim. Sounds to me like the dealership is depriving you of your rights under that contract and they have no authority to do so...

 

Clean the truck up and take it to a different dealer...

 

This post is NOT a jab at the OP!
I don't know what is wrong with the OP'S truck.

However this is why I strongly suggest anyone who is contemplating 'mods' to their vehicle do so in a conservative manner. Think each mod out thoroughly before acting. If you off-road, clean the vehicle of all mud and debris prior to letting the dealer see it. Whether it's legal or not for the dealer to void the warranty for mods and offroading, they WILL try.

 

Good luck. Hope it gets sorted out for you.

 

the ticking can also be just a noisy direct injector firing, you would need to have it tested.. most high pressure systems for DI go over 150-200PSI and sometimes can cause the injectors to stick, or clap like yours sounds like.. run some fuel system cleaner/MMO (marvel mystery oil) through the fuel and see if it helps.. (CHEAP!). can also be exhaust, timing chain slap... or a small tear on your belt.. really need to get a stethoscope to find the ticking.. good luck.. mine has a small amount of ticking that I'm going to investigate soon. thinking I'll start with the MMO, and get my stethoscope out..

 

Rod knock will always be there at low rpms under load. Always at the same rpms as well. Drain your oil. If you see the gold rush in your oil, your rod bearings are toast.

 

@Nines How did it turn out? I've got a bottom end knock on my 2017 TRDOR. When I compared mine with a 2018 and a 2020, the bottom end knock seems to be there to some extent on all of them, but it's definitely louder on mine.

 

it would be nice isf the dealer techs actually knew how to diagnose, rather than just reading a scan tool, to tell them what parts to swap.

My '18 went in @ 4500 miles because it went in to limp mode for no reason....same BS 'unable to replicate' which is funny, because it was throwing codes like nobody's business, yet somehow, they couldn't find the issue.

I hope you get some sort of resolution here.

 

Rod knock is not going to be intermittent. It will get louder with temperature (engine heating) and engine load. It is not going to disappear though. If you put your foot on the brake with the truck in drive and raise the engine RPMs a bit, and the noise gets louder, that would be rod knock.