I bought a 2023 Tacoma with a 2.7L 4-cylinder five months ago, and now at 3,500 miles it has started making a knocking noise at idle when the engine is hot. I'm not talking about the typical injector tick, this is lower in pitch and can be heard best at the driver's side wheel well. Since day 1 it has also felt like it has a slight miss sometimes. I know the truck is under warranty, and I'm trying to build my case with knowledge, because they will probably try and get out of fixing anything.
Here is a video of with the noise:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8TqkmIIxAc8
Any help identifying the noise, and advice I can use dealing with the service department would be much Appreciated.
Thanks! Brian
Today I experienced a total loss of engine power, twice. My dashcam caught it. My apologies for the audio, I boosted it a lot to try and hear the engine over the radio. Could this be related? I just rolled over 4K miles, and I'm getting ready to take it in for it's first service.
they will probably try and get out of fixing anything
Yes, most dealers will.
Any help identifying the noise
It doesn't sound normal.
Sounds like it's from the crankshaft/piston/rod area.
3,500 miles
A lot of newer cars, even Japanese, have horrible, unforgivably low, quality. (and still better than GM/Ford)
For example, this 2022 Honda: https://carkiller.com/scottykilmer/qa/2022-honda-1-2-amaze-manual/
https://carkiller.com/scottykilmer/qa/super-unreliable-2020-honda-fit-transmission-question/
and the list can go on and on...
advice I can use dealing with the service department
Don't chat with the service advisor or give any irrelevant information, as far as they should be concerned this car was only driven conservatively on paved asphalt roads and treated only as suggested by the manual (you might want to familiarize yourself with it, some manuals say the owner must check oil levels and other stuff to keep the waranrty).
Don't agree to any services or stuff they may want to sell to you.
Just go to them and be clear that the truck makes knocking noises and you've came for them to remedy the issue (the warranty agreement is clear about how they owe you a working issue-free truck)
If the first dealer doesn't want to fix the car, you an just go to another.
Good luck.
Feel free to update the thread - information on what was the issue and how has the dealer responded might help other owners who might be facing similar issues.
Thank you so much for the responses. I'm glad you guys don't think I'm just hearing things. Most people on my Tacoma FB group just assume noises are normal, because they have the V6 with it's weird injection. I bought this truck with the 4-cyl because it was the last tried and true, bullet-proof old school engine, and Scotty recommended it. LOL.. Just disappointed because I wanted to drive this thing until the wheels fall off, and now I feel like I've been taken, and I plan on putting up a good fight!
Other cars might sound the same, but to my ear through the video it doesn't.
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You can use YouTube to find other engines of the exact same model (2TR-FE) and listen to them.
As you can hear (if you ignore the slight wind noise in the beginning, after 20s there are not other sounds) there's no rhythmic knocking, here only smooth operations and the normal sound of valves.
https://youtu.be/pbkmen4iCK0
The rhythmic metal sounding knocking I hear on your engine is not normal.
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I also recommend that engine, it's the work horse behind quality vehicles like the Hilux, Fortuner, Innova, and others, I do not think there is a better large 4 cylinder.
And it's not uncommon to see stuff like this:
https://www.instagram.com/reel/CqLCFUup9cO
you can see the "2TR" (the 2.7's designation) on the card,
and the maxed out odometer (1,000,000 km = 625,000 miles)
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Similarly I remember there being a post about a Toyota Corolla 2.0 leaking oil and what turned out to be a cracked engine block (haven't seen it before, haven't seen it after) - this kind of stuff happens, random quality issues and failures.
On average great cars with great engines, but like all brands - there are random quality mishaps (especially on cars built outside of Japan, but in the US and Mexico)
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Also, on my car I bough last year, at 46 miles I had a charismas tree on the dash and what turned out to be an ABS control module and actuator failure - and absolutely no issues since then. I own another car that's the exact same model and spec and it never had any ABS issues, neither has the dealer's service department manager (who happens to be a friend of mine) saw that happen on any modern car of the brand in the last 3-4 years.
Just a random issue with QC or manufacturing that affected me.
Good video. That’s a tough one. Definitely not a normal sound. Almost sounds like the fan or serpentine belt is hitting something, but that wouldn’t cause a misfire.
Ill be curious what people come up with.
As far as dealing with the dealer, you're off to a good start by making your first 'recording'. Just collect as much info as you possibly can while dealing with this issue. IMO - certainly doesn't sound like injector tick or valves to my ears.
UPDATE:
My "jerkiness/bucking" symptom is not fixed. Of course they say they couldn't replicate it (they drove half a mile and back to the dealership on a bumpy road. I asked them to drive at least 10 miles and find a smooth road or hill to test accelerating slowly-to-moderately). But it's not throwing any codes, so they shrugged. {black}:serious:
But, the good news is, I got a stethoscope and prodded around and isolated the sound to the front of the plastic intake manifold. They found it to be the VSV valve resonating through the plastic, and sure as sh!t, I can feel it with my hand there. I really miss metal parts!
Anyway, I'll update again once I have more proof of the uneven acceleration, and go to battle with them again.
UPDATE:
My "jerkiness/bucking" symptom is not fixed. Of course they say they couldn't replicate it (they drove half a mile and back to the dealership on a bumpy road. I asked them to drive at least 10 miles and find a smooth road or hill to test accelerating slowly-to-moderately). But it's not throwing any codes, so they shrugged. {black}:serious:
But, the good news is, I got a stethoscope and prodded around and isolated the sound to the front of the plastic intake manifold. They found it to be the VSV valve resonating through the plastic, and sure as sh!t, I can feel it with my hand there. I really miss metal parts!
Anyway, I'll update again once I have more proof of the uneven acceleration, and go to battle with them again.