Camshaft replacement

[murdamechanik]

If your highlander ever makes a loud chattering sound during cold starts and when i say cold start I mean hasn't been started for a least a few hours regardless of temp, Give toyota hell, they just replaced my camshafts and vvti controller and it took about two weeks. They could never duplicate they sound neither could i so every morning i started it with a camcorder in the engine compartment till i finally recorded the sound. I really dont feel the same way about driving my highlander anymore now, not after they have dug up into the engine.

[jeffs3820]

Did you have vibration when you heard the chattering? I have had loud noise and shaking only twice when starting from cold...

[deadrx7conv]

There is a service bulletin for the camshaft issue.

[HLSport]

Had the same parts replaced last year. Camshaft TSB 0094-09. Controller TSB EG003-08.

[sweeneyp]

my highlander started doing this about 2 weeks ago. I was going to the dealer for a service so i decided to ask them about it, they claimed the engine is in perfect working condition. Since when is a metal grinding noise at startup normal... Even a local toyota/lexus technician who owns his own shop in town claimed it was exactly what you said, the camshafts. Though he also said he had seen this issue before on the lexus version of the V6, but not in the 2gr-fe V6 in our highlanders. Ive been trying to get it on tape to show the dealer, but the sound has been hiding from me when the camera is out. Anyway, did Toyota cover this in the 5 year 60k Powertrain warranty? Because i don't think a car with only 48k miles should be having engine issues, especially since this engine is used in a majority of Toyota vehicles. And that kind of labor sounds like a lot of $$$, that I don't want to pay to fix.