Rattling, rumbling noise at the front of the engine. I found the culprit and replaced it. It was nothing more than an idler bearing for the air conditioner system. Except, that wasn't the cure, though the sound wasn't quite so bad.

Then, I replaced the fan bracket, an annoyingly designed thing that can't be repaired, but it was clearly making noise, so I replaced it. Except that wasn't the cure, though the sound wasn't quite so bad.

The sound is now quite clear, very rhythmic and using my stethoscope I did determine it wasn't anything like valves, cam, or other internal components. I'm thinking it's the water pump or one of the idler pullies on the timing belt now. I will have to disassemble the engine just slightly more than I did to replace the fan bracket to change it, familiar territory, but not a path I'm really happy to repeat.

Also, I think I have a bad TPS. Testing that tomorrow if I'm not too disgusted with it.

1990 4Runner 3vze

 

I have the 22re and not the 3vze, but I had a noise, which I thought was the power steering idler...so I changed the bearing, old one I removed was kindof crunchy went I spun it in my hand, so I thought problem was solved. Fast forward 6 or 7 months, I don't drive my truck much, but anyway my noise never really went away and started to get slightly worse, almost like a low rumble. I don't have the AC belt hooked up so I knew it wasn't the AC idler. I was starting to get worried that it was maybe timing chain eating away at the timing cover...but with engine off, I noticed I could wobble the fan quite a bit by hand. Turns out that is a symptom of a bad waterpump. Mine wasn't weeping, but just making that low rumble noise. New waterpump fixed it, no more noise.

 

Thing is, on the 3.0 the fan isn't attached to the waterpump. But not to say it isn't his problem.

 

I don't have anything in the way of a solution to this but the first two paragraphs read like a children's book for adults.

​​​​​​I mean that as a compliment.

 

It's probably a little late, but thanX for the compliment. I took a new job and was very busy with that for a while, so the Yota just kind of hung around. I got working on it again and replaced the tensioner pulley and I was certain that was the problem because the old one had discernible play. I cheered, I danced, quickly reinstalled the parts and as I was putting that annoying water thing together on the top, I was telling my father in law how I took the studs out and replaced it with some regular old bolts because I was certain I was going back into the timing cover again. Well, I guess that's the case because the NOISE IS STILL THERE! Though it is ever more clarified. I think the lesson to me is 'replace all the junk on it even when you get a short block' All the stuff I am replacing one piece at a time is stuff that I kept from the old engine because I was too cheap to get one that was ready to drop in. I'll be glad when this thing is drivable and I can trust it again because I sure enjoyed it, but a new car is sounding better all the time.

 

Imagine hating a 31 year old vehicle because it's just that... 31 years old.