modot66

Need some experts to weigh in on this slight knock/clack sound coming from my freshly rebuilt 22RE out of a '95 4runner manual 4WD canadian.

I've worked on engines before but this is my first 22RE. everything runs good. Power is good, drives good. Just got this slight sound which I'm hopin isn't a rod knock. Took a stethoscope and couldn't determine if it was more top end or bottom end.

Below is what I did to the engine:
New head and valves
Polished and checked crank
New connector rod bearings
New rear main seal
New rings
Rods machined to spec
OEM gaskets all around
Torqued to spec
Injectors cleaned by Witchunter
Checked valves hot today, all good
Valve cover not too tight

What do y'all think?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jh5Ro...e_gdata_player

gennro

Sounds normal to me. Sounds like your valve lash may be a bit off. You may have a slight exhaust leak.

Kiroshu

Noise seems to tapper off at higher rpms. Sounds to be top end noise from valves and or worn rocker arms.

The engine has been disassembled so there is going to be some "noise break in periods" especially in the valves.

Alot of 22r's i have seen sound just like that so its not serious. ^_^

Correct weight oil?

*After a few consecutive drive cycles and breaking in the engine its possible it may quiet down.*

If you wanna try and rid the engine of the noise you can try monitoring valve lash of a few periods of time.

Run engine till normal operating temperature and adjust valve clearance to spec.

Drive for 500 miles... adjust/check clearnace again.

Drive for 1000 miles... adjust/check clearance again.

If noise is still there and you really have to get rid of it look further into valve train for worn parts.

modot66

I actually was checking for exhaust leaks and felt a little puff around the air injector gasket. Might need to go tighten that and recheck exhaust nuts.

modot66

Right on thanks for the feedback. It's good to get the opinion of people who have built many of these engines. I'm on my second oil change using 10W-30 with zinc. The first oil change was after 30 miles and it was black like it had been in there for 3k miles! I gotta post the pic, it was surprising how much assembly lube and engine burn in material can leave.

Kiroshu

Exhaust leaks at the manifold do let out alot of valve noise----^

modot66

Here's a pic of new oil next to my first 30 mile oil change...

Duffdog

That engine honestly sounds like you have a bad main bearing(s) and the crank is rattling up and down in the journals. But its new, so that sound might go away soon.

pruney81

It sounds like a noisy valve train to me like there is too much valve clearance but you said you checked the valves hot and they were good so I don't know....

spideynut

It sounds more "pingy" than "chattery". Hows the timing?

Y.Satchel

Far from an expert by any means, but from the sound of it it's similar to a problem I have with a '87 22re 5-speed I just bought a month go. Previous owner recently did gasket, cylinderhead, timing belt, and Camshaft. Used the engnbldr cam.

In the last few weeks, it's developed a tapping sound that I would best describe as the old "baseball card in the spokes" noise. He mentioned the cam should be readjustd soon since a new non-stock cam requires that after break-in period.

I consulted some of my friends who work on Toyota's alot, and both agreed it was a totally normal sound and most 22re's sound like that. "It's just a noisy engine" is what I have been told. While I'm sure some adjustments will quiet it, it seemsto run jus fine, and after initial worries I am no longer concerend it is rod knock.

It seems to quiet at higher rpms and speeds, and hasn;t affected the quality of the drive at all from what I can tell. I've had a bit of an inconsistant idle ( normal or high usually) which I have heard might have smething to do with the valves, but could also very wellbe the throttle body needing a good cleaning, which I believe it is due for.

Anyway, I say all that to say that our problems sound somewhat similar, and barring any other issues I'd say it sounds like a Valve adjustment issue.

Edit: The exhaust manifold idea sounds spot on too. Glad I read that cuz I think mine is looking pretty ancient as well which may be contributing to the noise factor.

modot66

well, after driving it around for awhile and consulting with a 22RE engine builder in town here, i am pretty sure it is either piston slap from a bad piston or a loose wrist pin. for some dumb reason when i rebuilt it i let me buddy handle the block work and we reused the same pistons. oh well, the knocking is just a sound, the engine runs great. i'm only bored over once from factory so i will just drive it until it needs another rebuild!

lesson learned: if you are rebuilding you engine it is WORTH the time and money to bore the block at a good shop and get new piston heads and pins!!!!

modot66

one more thing...

pretty soon i'm going to be dropping out my front diff to regear to 4.56 and permanently lockout the ADD so at the same time i will drop the pan and check the bearings. i'll make sure to update this thread in about 3-4 weeks when i am at that point.

and for anyone who has the same symptoms they are:
- runs quiet upon first starting
- once warm and oil thins a clacking starts that sounds like ratting a piston back and forth inside a tin can (not really a knock)
- valves are adjusted and verified at spec
- when RPM's & oil pressure pump up go up sound goes away
- after driving for 20 minutes or so sound quiets down but is still perceivable at idle
- when driving sound is not present

modot66

timing is spot on, verified it with a very nice Snap On light

modot66

it kind of sounds like that, but i think that since the sound disappears almost instantly when i up the RPM's and accelerate it might be something else. i know rod knock can do the same thing when the oil pressure builds up and cushions the bearing again. but from the sound i think it is more likely piston slap or a loose wrist pin. those were the only things i didnt check or replace during the rebuild

cman1

iTrader: (1)

also make sure your valve cover isnt over-torqued!! sounds stupid but if its tightened down too much your valve cover will sit on top of the rocker assy,to check ,loosen the top bolts a little at a time while its running and see if it quiets down.cheap easy fix if thats it.

modot66

very good point! i checked that as well and loosened it to the point i had oil spilling out everywhere, tightened back to where i had it, no change...

was at the exhaust shop yesterday to get a new cat-back fabbed up and they checked for leaks up front and didn't find any

Duffdog

I only say that because I had the exact same thing happen with my 87 22re. The knocking would go away at high rpms and only be there at 2000 rpm. When I dropped my front diff to regear, I dropped the pan and checked all the wrist pins from underneath--those were all tight. Then, checked the main bearings and found #1 was toast and the rest were not good. I pushed in new bearings on all cylinders and have been good ever since. This was 40k miles ago.

I'm sure you will find the source of the noise, especially if you are getting that deep into it.

modot66

Hmmm interesting..

Did you just put new bearings on without taking the crank out to get it checked? Or did you just put new bearing on, plastigauge, and button it up?

Duffdog

neither,

I just went to kragen and got a set of new con rod and main bearings. Noted that the rod journals were already ovalled and scored, didn't care, got a kitchen knife, bent it into a half circle, jammed it into the block to push out the top main bearings, then did the same with the con rod bearings. I did use a torque wrench to get the right numbers on the con rod bolts and main bolts. I did this on my back in the backyard, so I probably got a bunch of dirt on the bearings as well.

when I first started the engine, it had super high oil pressure. But then, as I drove it, the oil pressure became normal and the engine ran super smooth. Still running great.

The only reason I did this instead of buying a new engine is because I was told that you could do it by the shop foreman at Toyota and I didn't believe him. Turns out he was right.