2012 v6 at DCSB engine knocking @ 1500 rpm

that sucks to hear the plugs didnt work for you, like they did me. Have you tried disconnecting the battery and reseting the ecm after you installed them?

 

You know, I did not do that. I've been doing it so much in the last 6 weeks, that it should be 2nd nature. I'll try that Thursday morning (first chance I'll have) and see what happens.

 

The only other thing I have done to my truck is clean the MAF.

If neither the spark plugs, disconnecting the battery, or cleaning the MAF works then I'm not sure what else to try.

I don't know what else would have caused my truck to stop pinging.

good luck

 

Pulled negative battery cable last night. We'll see what happens. If no-go, Iridiums come out and I put the factory plugs back in. I made an appt. with a different dealer for Monday. Don't want them to blame the noise on that (and you know in your heart of hearts that they would, if they could). Hell, I'm tempted to rip my Aluminess off the front of the truck, just so they can't fabricate some oddball "cooling" excuse. And the SAWs, so they can't claim some sort of "lift-related noise".

You know what the most unpleasant part is about owning any car? Dealer service departments.

 

No dice on the ride to work this morning. Pinging like a mofo. We'll see what Piercey Toyota says on Monday. Bet it's some combo of "normal", "we blame your bumper/lift/weight from the 130lb. shell and 50lb. Hilift", despite the problem existing prior to any of that junk.

Still would like to know what happened with that one dude who said the dealer was going to replace the whole top end. I hate it when good info starts to roll in and then the OP just disappears.

 

As I read all the comments of this thread, I realize that pretty much all 4.0 tacomas are making the same spark knock noises at low speed, low rpm, high gear acceleration. I too took my taco into Toyota and had them take a look, they told me that they were unable to replicate the symptom I had described and that they could find no evidence of any problems. I continued to quiz them asking if they had followed my step by step instructions on how to make the noise happen; be going up an incline at about 20-30 mph and try to accelerate with a moderate push on the gas. If you floor it it just peels out and goes, no noise, but I dont always want to burn rubber, sometimes I want to drive regular. They told me that they had, in fact, followed my instructions. I knew they were lying because I was there the entire time, so I knew my truck never left the lot.

Getting toyota to admit that there is a problem will not happen even though we all (toyota included) know that there is a problem. Toyota also knows that this engine will outlast its warranty by a few mile, so they do not care. I have decided to involve several outside professional opinions and maybe even a lawyer. This is a faulty engine and we all know it. I suspect that VVTi is were the fault lies.

 

That happened to me the first time I brought it in. I brought it in again and made the tech ride with me while I made the engine knock. It was then pretty clear to the tech that the truck had a knocking problem. They have since documented the event even though Toyota corporate claims that this is a normal thing for the Tacoma.

 

Some quick thoughts - like SAXD said, get the tech to go for a drive with you. Also note your odometer reading before and after. That'll tell you if they "drove" it or not.

VVT-i - could be. But our VVT-i system is neither new nor untested. It's 'old' technology by Toyota standards. Our '04 Matrix has VVT-i, and that system has never acted up.

Ask the the dealer to give you some information out of the ECU - the two learning/correction values for the knock sensors. I think one is called Knock Correct Learn Value (KCLV) and Knock Feedback Value (KFV).

KCLV should be between 0 and 22 degrees, and I understand it to be the correction applied by the ECU when knock is detected at various loads. This value is usually stored long-term in the ECU and applied as we drive the trucks through various RPM and load ranges. This is how much the ECU pulls timing for a given RPM, load and cylinder (apparently the ECU can pull timing per-cylinder and use a learned value to do this).

KFV should be between -22 and 0 degrees, and I understand it to be the value the ECU applies short term when it hears knock. These are not stored parameters applied when driving. This is the "Oh shit, we have knock, pull timing and note how much we pulled until the noise stopped).

I admit I am just learning how these values are used, my understanding may be wrong or imperfect, but get the info anyway. We can figure out how to interpret it later on. I can't figure out the PIDs to pull this via OBDII over the CANSF bus. If anyone has, let me know.

I used my 2-day TIS to pull all the training guides I could about the 1GR-FE. Oh, and I found the way to disable the seatbelt chime (w/out Techstream) for the +12 models.

 

Chrisman,

As the others have said get a tech to ride with you so you can duplicate the knocking and demand to meet with the general manager.
I also called Toyota costumer service and demanded they give me an extended warranty. They did, a 100k bumper to bumper at no cost to me. Which tells me they acknowledge that there is a problem.
I just put another call into the service manager to have them look at it again, I keep reminding them that I am not going away.

I think we must band together and get some lawyers involved.

 

The wife heard the noise for the first time today (we went out to breakfast with junior). "That sounds like the noise the green truck [97 Tacoma] made."

Know what that noise was? A worn out/wearing out speedo cable. That's almost exactly what it reminds me of. I realize it's NOT that in the '12 - no cable. But it was interesting how the sound is similar.

 

Well, you've already got one lawyer involved. <----

Though I don't screw around with consumer protection law or class action law.

 

I bouught my 2012 v6 a little over a year ago. I noticed the pinging noise before the first oil change. The truck had 3500 miles and it sounded like someone was shaking a coffee can full of pennys under the hood. Took it to the dealer 2 times to address the issue. First time they said they could not duplicate the noise during their road test (Bull!*#&). On the second vist I went with the service manager and he agreed with me that he can hear the pinging and I should just use a premium fuel. He said maybe toyota will have a fix in the future and maybe they wont.....even with 92 ovtane I can still get it to ping although not as bad. The sound makes me crazy and I am trading it in this week fora new 2013 frontier simalarly equipped. The only good thing I can say about the toyota is that it did hold a lot of its value and I am getting a fair amount as a trade in. These 4.0 liter motors are deinately in my opinion 100 percent defective. I just hope nissan got right what toyota could not..Good luck to everyone I really hope toyota does thee right thing .

 

As someone mentioned before, I am curious to see where all of your guys' tacomas are made. Mine is made in Mexico and makes the sound.

 

^^^^^ Ban him!


Haha just kidding, let us know how you like the frontier. I was a big Nissan guy, but I just couldn't stand their trucks. I text drove their pro4 frontier and it was OK.

 

The 4.0 itself may not be defective. The software controlling it is probably what is defective.

I took the truck in to Piercey Toyota. Was going to leave it, but then they had the service manager drive it, with me as the passenger.

He knew all about the pinging noise before I really even got into it. It was a "Oh, OK, another one that does it" response. He told me (his name was Ron, decent guy) that Toyota is in fact aware of the problem (as others have said in various threads) and is aware that high octane fuel fixes it for some and not for others. The fix is in-progress, but no one in San Ramon (local factory offices) can or will tell him when the fix is due out or what exactly it will involve (software or some combo of parts and software), but software is apparently at least part of the fix.

The SM thinks it is related to carbon build-up, on trucks driven more gently than others. He showed me his '07 and it does not ping. Then he showed me another employees TRD Sport (forget which year) and it does ping. The SM admits he drives 'with spirit', whereas the other guy babies the truck. This can be conducive to carbon build up on pistons and valve surfaces. Whether that is actually the case, he admits he does not know - it's just a guess, albeit at least an educated one.

The point from here forward is to keep in touch with our various service folks at dealerships until a fix comes out. He said something odd, which I did not understand and forgot to ask about - that the fix may or may not come out as a TSB. How else it would come out, I don't know, but keep that in mind - a TSB may not be what we are waiting for. Keep the pressure up on Corporate, stay in touch with your local service department, and keep demanding a fix.

I also talked to him about the driveline shudder and about the harsh shift from 1->2 (upshift) in some '10-'13 MY trucks. He noted the old driveline TSB from November '12 is obsolete but has no idea WTF is going on there. He thinks the two issues are related. The driveline issue amplifies the issue with the auto trans, but the driveline issue itself exists on most Tacomas, whether 6sp or 5sp (MT/AT).

Nothing is fixed, because they have nothing to go on TO fix the problems. Toyota is giving zero guidance at this time and has no applicable TSBs for the ping or much else.

Anyone in the S.F. Bay Area, I recommend Piercey Toyota in Milpitas. Ron is the man you want to speak with. At least now I have documentation that the truck was in for the problems and that they stated "No fix".

 

I so wish I could find a non ethanol pump. Closest one is about 40 miles away. Guess the rich people around here don't care about vehicle longevity.

 

@Brandon,

What plugs did you install and what gap measurements did you use?

Thinking of going with Denso IKH20 or

$9 IKH22 Iridium Power Spark Plug, (Pack of 1)

IKH22(cooler) plugs, in my attempt to eliminate my truck's pings. I read on this forum, someone was told by Denso customer support to use a smaller gap when going with cooler plugs. I may need to call them to confirm.

I'm already running 91 gas which has quieted the pings down alot but not eliminated them.

Thanks,
Ben

 

i thought i used NGK's, but I will pull a plug this evening to verify and report back the plug gap.

it would be awesome if this info helps others

 

@obscurotron

Thank you for taking the time to document your efforts to fix your truck's ping/knocking issue. At least for me, I know i'm not alone in this thing and you've giving me a few things to try or thinking about trying.

I do notice that quality of gas I use does affect the degree of pinging I hear. I normally put Costco 91 gas and can expect the usually noise. Last week, pumped 91 gas from a nearby Circle K and the pings were just as bad as if I used 87 gas. I won't being doing that again.

 

Happily pingless with my '97 2.7L and my 4.0L, whether with 85/87/91/93 octane.

I haven't heard a ping in 130,000 miles on those two motors driving in states from California to Maryland, plenty of miles onroad and offroad in Colorado, Utah, Arizona, New Mexico.

My '90 22RE, now THAT was a pinging bastard unless it had premium. I used to try running 89 octane in it and retard the timing about 4 degrees that was the only way to stop the pinging uphill.