Am I correct in assuming I can remove the bearing caps and check the condition of the bearings by visual and plastigauge without messing anything up (as long as I don't mix up the bearing caps)?

I have a bit of a short rattle when upshifting around 3K when first start it in the morning. This goes away within 20 seconds of normal driving on flat and level road. What else might this be? Sticky valve stem?

 

Pretty sure its not a timing chain rattle because the guides are intact, and the chain has less than 20K on it. Tensioner is old, but I spoke to a certified Toyota mechanic and he said "he'd never seen a tensioner go bad".

To clarify, the noise occur when I lift off the throttle at 2-3K when the truck is started in the morning.

 

I've changed my rod bearings in the truck. Not too hard just have to drop the front diff to get the oil pan off.

 

Note the oil pressure when the noise is there. If its a little low (cold) then perhaps it is the tensioner..

 

are sure its not just your exhaust rattling when its cold. as it warms and expands, it goes away.

 

The exhaust rattles too, but its a different noise. This noise is definitely from within the engine. Sounds like when the bearings went on our 2000 Corolla (the 1zz-fe is a MISERABLE engine BTW).

Its just a very rapid and short ticking when I let off the throttle when cold.

 

id change the tensioner. they go bad more often than you think....

 

Pull oil pan and at least check the oil pump pick-up if pan was not pulled when timming chain was replaced the debri that fell in there could be partially clogging pick up screen easy fix for me once too many veryables how many miles on the bottom end check cam gear for alingment and how is oil pressurewhen this is occuring also holes that supply oil to the chain tensioner can clog and should be cleaned out when the chain is done also valves that are miss ajusted rattle when cold and quite as they warm and expand hope this helps valves should be checked hot @ .08intake .012 exhaust cold they will be .07 and .011 so they expand 1 point when up to temp

 

to many variables what is the oil pressure when noisy?how many miles on bottomend? Firstmian bearings that are worn can make noise cold and quite down when warm also oil passages that supply chain tensioner can be partly clogged with debri from chain change and some could of fell in oil pan if it was not removed and clogging oil pick up screen valves can make noise untill the warm also hope this helps

 

Bottom end has 180K miles. The pan is totally clean. I cleaned it out a couple months ago when I had the front diff out. The screen is clear to. The oil pump looked fine and tight when I did the chain two years ago. Valves are set 1 thou tight- so .007 and .011 hot. Engine idles and runs fine, so I have to assume the cam gear is still aligned with the chain. There aren't ANY gunk or deposite in the engine- I used Amsoil and that stuff scoured the engine. Before Amsoil, everything was gold/bronze- coloured under the valve cover- now its silver.

Also, the engine hasn't made a noise in a couple days even though its been colder.... weird.