3.0L making a knock from the top left side(facing truck). ran amsoil flush and the knock wasnt as loud but still there, hydrolic lifter possibly?... any suggestions before i pull off the intake manifold so i can get to the valve cover to check

 

Are you sure that it is coming from the "top" on the passenger ["left side(facing truck)"] side? As this is a common occurrence for the bottom driver's side, i.e., rod bearing.
If so, then I would have to say that it is the lifter and it needs to be reshimmed and/or tightened, both of which you can "search" here for info on.

 

yeah, im possitive its coming form up there, thanks for the advice

 

they aint no hydraulic lifter in no 3.0!

 

Nah, there's not. But if you point in the right direction, they can usually sort it out for themselves, 3yotys.

 

you sure there arent hydraulic lifters? when i was trying to figure it out before i came here i was told it could be a collapsed hydraulic lifter...by a friend who happens to be a mechanic at a local toyota dealership

 

The valve lifter, or hydraulic lifter (although it's operation is purely mechanical), or even camshaft follower, is basically a little cup that sits atop the valve, with a shim of varying thicknesses on top of it that acts as a spacer for the cam's lobe to ride on.

Normally the lifter itself does'nt "collapse", instead, the shim becomes worn and needs to be replaced with a new one of proper thickness, which is determined with a feeler gauge and some plasti-guage.

It is also common for a spring to have "collapsed" or broken, but your problem is probally just that the shims need to be adjusted, a "scheduled maintenance" item suggested to be performed every 60,000 mis.,
or every 2 yrs., whichever comes first, which will definitely cause a "loud knocking" at the top of your engine.

Just a little clarification to avoid confusion, so ask your "mechanic...friend" about this and let's know what he comes up with.

 

alright, thanks alot man

 

No prob, and good luck with what you find out.
Reshimming is the easiest and cheapest route, something you can do yourself, whereas a valve job would start to get a bit more involved and costly as it is common practice to do them all if you have to do one... so best wishes.