Alright. I've looked at a lot of threads and I know most of them say it's the timing chain guide on the driver side but I don't really see any breaks in mine. I drive a 1987 single Toyota pickup 4x4 5-speed with the 22r. When driving, under heavier acceleration, 2500 - 3000 RPM band, there is a pretty apparent rattle. It dies away when I upshift. Then as the RPMs build, as does the rattle. Now it's pretty apparent and annoying and I want to fix whatever it is correctly the first time. I'm in no place to waste money. Which is why I've come to the forum. I bought the truck for 500 not running and threw a timing chain in it. A 200 dollar one that included guides (metal), water pump, oil pump, timing cover, chain, tensioner and gaskets. That was 15,000 miles ago. I took off the valve cover and checked the guides and tabs that hold the guides arent broken although the guide has some bend to it. Bend; not play. But from symptoms it sounds like everyone else's guide or tensioner. Is there any way to know for certain before dropping money for another timing kit? Since it's my daily driver I want to try to do whatever needs to be done by the weekend and get my parts in. Thanks for any help,
Jason.

 

Rattles can be pretty hard to diagnose across the internet.

Where is the rattle coming from?

What does the rattle sound like?

Does the truck have to be moving for the rattle to appear, or can you replicate it in the driveway?

Sometimes a video can be helpful to capture the sound you are hearing.

 

Adjust the valves, and see if that makes a difference.

 

Lots of details missing here, you should at a minimum answer the above questions.

You pulled the valve cover to look at the chain guides and mentioned there was one bend ? They both flare outwards originally, is this not what you are seeing?

Look at the inside of the valve cover for contact points. Old worn rubber or over tightening the valve cover causes the tapet to contact the cover.

What is your oil pressure (we need a numeric value here, X location on the factory gauge isn't quantifiable), your oil pressure (during engine loading) is important as it's a big part of the timing chain tension.

Shouting from the hip here noise under load, that isn't the timing chain (this really has a distinct sound) nor a loose bit of exhaust, is typically going to be predetonation (rod knock).

You need to find a circumstance you can produce the noise while parked in the drive way.

Your mechanics stethoscope is a big help here, another big tool is a length of hose to isolate sounds. The later one is handy for finding noises sources in the air (like an exhaust gasket leak, or rattling heat shield), the former is good for internal noises like chain rattle and rod noises.

 

It sounds almost like marbles and glass in a tin can being shook up. But it builds from 2500 RPM. I can't replicate it at idle all the time. Its intermittent. Seems to be easier to do after a longer drive. Say 20 or so minutes. I'm not able to 100% find where it's coming from. When I pulled the valve cover, I used a screw driver to pry on the guides. They don't have a bend in them, they bend a little. Just checking to see if that's fine for them to do or if they should be sturdy and stationary. Since, I've changed the oil and oil filter. 10w-30 and a Toyota filter. Truck acceralates and behaves fine. Its just the noise.

 

Check your grill. The grills on these trucks can make some weird noise when they are loose.

 

True.

Mine makes an occasional loud rattle at idle on cold days.

I need to actually buy those grille clips I keep putting off buying.......

 

It's gotta be your tailgate.



No seriously. I have had someone crawl around cabs looking for squeaks - turned out it was the door panel right next to me ... and stuff like that.

 

"It sounds almost like marbles and glass in a tin can being shook up."
Could it be coming from the catalytic converter? That's how I would describe the sound of one failing. With the truck cold if you thump on the cat with your palm and hear a bunch of stuff bouncing around, that could be your problem. Also when the heat shield on the cat breaks loose, it can create a sound like that when it vibrates.

 

X2. during the summer I had a quiet squeek/rattle that was driving me nuts, turned out it was my sun roof vibrating very slightly when it was open.

Weird things can make weird noises when the truck vibrates at certain frequencies.

 

Had a 22re with similar issue after head gasket was replaced. New timing chain kit would stop the rattles for a short period of time only to return after a few miles.
the only thing I could think of was the head was surfaced and the tensioner ran out of "adjustment" with the shorter distance between crankshaft and cam.