dirtykaw

I have an 89 4runner with a 22re.

Anyway, when I first start it up in the morning, regardless of the outside temp, it will make a hideous (but not terribly loud) noise at around 3000rpm that I'm 90% sure is something somewhere in the engine being deprived of oil.

It is exactly like the sound my old corolla used to make when I ran her nearly dry on oil, except that this noise only occurs during the first 10 minutes of the engine being started. Once the motor is warm, even partially, the noise disappears.

I suspect this may be related to the fact that, while watching a guy adjust my valves after buying the truck, I noticed large deposits of burned oil on the exhaust side of the head. My mechanic told me that there was nothing to be done with the head was on the truck, as the gunk would just find its way to the oil pump if you tried to remove it.

So, here is my question: How critical of a problem is this? I'd hate to have my motor explode one day. And, is there any solution other than taking the head off and having it cleaned?

Thanks. (And don't buy cheap oil.)

Jimmeh

Could it possibly be that the oil pump is going out? I know that reving the engine before the oil gets to the neccessary areas of the engine, it can ruin the pump. Thats just my .02, and I am no expert.