Mish

Same here, left and bottom, sounds like the bottom, or left bank. One of very well known local BMW mechanics listened to it and told me that it is just a loose shim and the fact that dealership checked those means nothing, cos they most likely failed to know what they were doing, as usual. For now I am waiting on my second radio replacement to come in, cos this one has bad FM, previous one had skipping CD, maybe if put togher those 2 radios would have made good working one

I am thinking of taking my boat to Erie tomorrow, it is ~140 miles, but I am afraid to be stuck somewhere with my "perfectly good" rattling motor

FirstToy

Mish, your attitude through this whole thing is to be commended.

It looks like there is light at the end of the tunnel for you! Easy for me to say but I would tow without worry of being stranded.

Mish

So I made it to Lake Erie and back today, about 260 miles total.
I must admit that this truck is far superior hauler than my old Ford Explorer I did rattle my way without a single problem at 60-75 mph with 3500lb boat on the back.
I also noticed that my power outlet (sigarette lighter) is not working, however one in the trunk area works fine. Is there some additional button that enables it, or is this another one of my truck's little imperfections?

FirstToy

Argh! OK Mish, I'm going to assume they either left the fuse out or the fuse for the 12V outlet blew. I think there should be a spot in the fusebox for it
and if you're lucky, an extra fuse in the box too.

Mish

Fuse is fine, I think they failed to reconnect it when they replaced the radio at the dealership, you know how confusing those 3 self aligning plugs can be... Better for me, another work order goes in my file

FirstToy

I think the mechanic is French and saw your avatar.

tom4416

Hey everyone - great board and relevant topic since I've got the same "ticking" sound, probably not as bad as Mish. Same runaround from dealer (we don't hear nuthin) but I must admit the same sound is coming from other V6 runners on the lot. After crawling under the car with a stethoscope, the noise is coming from the exahust manifolds (both sides, louder on the drivers side) versus the block or valve covers. Toyota tech admits to using very thin material in the manifolds to save weight and will be coming out with an updated manifold. What they would not tell me is if this was going to be an upgrade to existing vehicles or just a running change. In any case, I suspect the more you visit the dealer and document the problem, the more likely it is to get fixed. In the meantime, I just turn up the stereo and avoid driving next to guardrails and walls (amplifies the sound back to the open drivers window). I traded in a GMC 4.8L V8 with the infamous piston slap that GM absolutely refused to acknowledge or do anything about - that was a very noticeable noise! At least Toyota acknowledges the noise and a solution.

Mish

Tom,

I tried disconnecting injectors and spark coils from the left bank and even though it shook like crazy, it still produced the click. Without spark, or fuel any exhaust related sound would be gone, so I think this has to do with mechanial portion of the motor.

I will get an independent estimate from ASE certified shop and than deal with Toy-yoyo corp. accordingly.
I am very upset that such major corp. is marketing half baked goods and failing to stand behind their flaws, hopefully I will not run into another Mitsubishi here

Mish

Well, I just got call from Toyota Corporate office stating that truck rattle per Toyota quality standards and they will do nothing to remedy that. Looks like I will have to bring in the big guns now.

I guess I should have gone for an ugly and perfect Honda Pilot instead.

FirstToy

That blows!
You realize that no matter what truck you bought, the same thing would have happened right? It's you, not the truck

I hope you get it lemoned and buy another poor man's edition. If you get the Pilot, the only people that will be giving you the thumbs up will be soccer moms. They will nudge and say,"Aren't you glad you didn't buy the minivan?"

And you will give longing looks at all the 4Runners heading into the mountains...

Mish

Well, I am sorry for wanting clean sounding motor for my $30K, I guess anything under $40K does not buy it in our days

I know that I am rather picky when it comes to drive train, but I do not care about roof rattles, clicking seats, exhaust smelling like fart and other stupid things that bother majority of drivers.

P.S. I like soccer moms, cute ones are often "open to suggestions"
Soccer dads coming after me is what I hate.

tom4416

Well, don't plan on towing that boat with the Pilot until you ante up the additional $800.00 for a towing package that the dealer installs (hitch and trans cooler as far as I can tell). My neighbor has Pilot EX and went out several days ago to a completely dead SUV - no lights, nothing. Battery fully charged, fusible link still intact just dead. Been at the dealer three days and they say they've never seen anything like it (of course, it's one of the only Pilots they've seen period). They did provide a loaner car. I think Honda has some of the first year gremlins that need to exorcised.

Has the regional tech rep seen your vehicle (not the dealer people but Toyota has roving reps that visit dealerships for inspections and difficult problems). I would try and find out when he or she is next scheduled and make sure I have a service appointment the same day. Let him/her hear the difference between yours and another vehicle with the exhaust ticking sound and perhaps they will report back that it is a bigger problem that needs to be repurchased. Good luck.

Mish

I have no time to listen to more lies and run arounds, I will file all papers and drive it until Toyota settles. It is like savings account, you make monthly payments and than get them all back a year or so later. If this is what they want, this is what I will provide.

I would go for Acura MDX, rather than Pilot. Have you seen MDX inside? MB ML-430 is also very nice....

Mish

I just came back from very respectable shop and while I was fixing their computer network they diagnosed where our click is coming from.
Left bank, central and rear cylinders have unproper valve clearances creating excessive noise and noticeable vibration at idle speeds.
I paid $78 for their time and expertise and it will cost me between $300 and $400 to if I want them to do valve adjustment instead of the dealer
I have their full blown estimate I can post here if you like along with work order from dealer that sold me this 3.5Runner, stating that they checked valve clearances and those were fine.
I trust this independent service based on the fact that they do outstanding service on our Mercedes and the amount of Porsches and BMWs parked next to it.

So, what would you guys do at this point?

FirstToy

Mish, thank god you have a diagnosis! Finally!
Call up Toyota and tell them to pay for it- that is pay for the independent dealer to fix it since the dealership failed in it's attempts.

Maybe they will require an "authorized" Toyota mechanic to do it? Anyway, definitely they should pay for the fix and your $78 diagnosis fee too!!

FirstToy

Mish,
what does this valve sound like?
Normally I wouldn't notice but I had the window down at the drive thru (next to the building) and I could hear my engine- a very, very faint but steady clicking sound. I wouldn't even notice except for all this reading about valve noises.

Is this what I have or is my engine normal?

Mish

It sounds like a rythmic ticking noise coming from the left side of the car, it is louder if you listen from under the truck on the left side. Please note that right side is very quiet.
Fuel injectors are also ticking, but this noise is very local, and does not go outside the engine bay, since injectors sit in rubber seals on both ends. I hope I gave you enough tips here, let us know what you have.

Almost forgot to mention:
at this point Corp. Toyota told me that they will not attempt to fix my truck anymore, because it is "within the normal engine noise".
Local dealership is not even allowed to state the truth on the work orders, because than Toyota will have this poor service manager fired I got my seocnd radio replacement in and it seems to work, so with FujitsuTen we have in basic package there is 33% success rate

I got all of my invoices in one pile and starting next Monday I will file a lemon law suit to get my truck bought back. I would consider replacement before, but now, after seeing how Toyota operates I think I will go some other way, Acura MDX, or ML350.
It is a shame though, cos 4Runner is great with my boat on the back at 75MPH

gman24

I have been following this problem very closely as I too have it.
I have taken it back and complained to no avail. I have also called Toyota and created a case number. I believe that many people have tried the valve adjustment without success. If you have faith in this Mechanic who claims he can fix it, I would see if Toyota will pay for it or at least help you out with it. Either way, I would demand in writing that if the problem still exists after he goes in, that he doesn't charge you anything. That would motivate him to either do the job right, or re think his offer. I fear that we all might have to wait until one of these blows up in twenty or thirty thousand miles before Toyota acts. Boy I hope I'm wrong, I really like this truck very much as this is the only problem I have. Good luck!

Mish

Actually, I can have this person fix it, or at least attempt the repair, since he owes me big for restoring his production network from hundres of viruses his employees picked up at porno sites

Anyways, I know for sure Toyota will not pay for his service, even if he does fix it, cos that would mean admitting the fault and setting example to all of your clicking trucks out there (internet is an awful thing for any car manufacturer).
I offered Toy representative to fix it elswhere and have them pick up the bill, but they told me: "this is not how Toyota operates".

I could fix it, just for the hell of it, but I have family and unfinished 1982 Jaguar to spend time with. I did pay tons of money to have "the Japanese Mercedes", instead I ran into another Mitsubishi.

Toyota Corporate wanted me to take truck to another dealer and let them know when and which dealer that would be, so they could make sure that this dealer also gives me "no problem found, noise is normal", making me crazy idiot, hearing things twice

BT17R

Mish, if it isn't incovenient, I'd take it to another dealer recommended by others. This dealer is done with you, any further contact will lead to frustration and conflict. Owners on other Toyota boards have had sucess doing that. The difference between dealer service departments is mind-numbing.

I wouldn't expect miracles from the Toyota roadie. They're called District Service and Parts Managers, and half of them can't wait to pass through the position on the way up the ladder. It's usually a required job for people fresh out of the management trainee program. They usually can't tell a shim from shinola, though you might get lucky and get a gearhead. I doubt it, most think being a good DSPM means watching expenses first.

The one you do want is called a Field Technical Specialist. They train dealership techs (but not the DSPM's routinely) and are sometimes sent out on the most difficult problems. They're usually busy training at their regional office, but will go out if the DSPM can't solve the problem first. Give the DSPM a shot, then appeal to the FTS. Don't let anyone open the engine, they'll take offense to that. You're in the Chicago Region. Your dealer will have the regional phone number.

It's possible corporate got to the FTS, though, and he may parrot the "within acceptable limits" line. If so, I'd go straight to buyback proceedings. You won't be happy with your truck clicking, may as well get something else.

Still, I wonder if your tech is hearing something like the pending manifold fix others have written about. How did they diagnose? Shouldn't clearances be measure cold? Did he use a stethoscope? Just throwing things out here.

Good luck, Mish, you'll need some. I hope you get it fixed and stay around here.