Strange sound

I was wondering if anyone could help w/ a strange sound I hear. I
have a 1997 Toyota Tacoma and when I start it up I hear a
'clickety-clickety-clickety' coming from the center under the hood. It
only makes this sound when it's very cold outside. Once the engine
has warmed up the sound goes away. Any ideas?

Thanks,
MKO

"MKO" <molly588@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:1135089984.583957.284870@g44g2000cwa.googlegroups.com...[color=blue]
>I was wondering if anyone could help w/ a strange sound I hear. I
> have a 1997 Toyota Tacoma and when I start it up I hear a
> 'clickety-clickety-clickety' coming from the center under the hood. It
> only makes this sound when it's very cold outside. Once the engine
> has warmed up the sound goes away. Any ideas?
>
> Thanks,
> MKO
>[/color]

Just a hunch, but what weight oil are you using?

Sorry, but I'm automotively challenged... but I believe the oil weight
is 5w/30?

Is that important?

"MKO" <molly588@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:1135102806.437596.69870@g49g2000cwa.googlegroups.com...[color=blue]
> Sorry, but I'm automotively challenged... but I believe the oil weight
> is 5w/30?
>
> Is that important?
>[/color]

It was probably not a great question to ask, but I asked anyway. :-)
Reason: I've had cars which made the sound you describe for just a second or
two until the oil got moving, especially when cold. 5w/30 is the right oil
to use, but you never know what effect advertising might have on someone, so
I asked.

If you open the hood and get close (without letting your tie dangle into the
belts), can you get a more focused idea of where the sound's coming from?
How long does it last? Does it vary with the RPMs? Change when you activate
the compressor (turn on defroster)?

constant rate ticking.


- Consistently from the left-rear side of the engine compartment.
(closest point to the driver)

- Mostly in cold weather. I drive a few blocks ticking goes
away.


- If I increase engine revolution, the ticking rate remains constant,
but usually goes away.


- Ticking rate is about 3-4 ticks per second.

-No change if defroster is on.

constant rate ticking.


- Consistently from the left-rear side of the engine compartment.
(closest point to the driver)

- Mostly in cold weather. I drive a few blocks ticking goes
away.


- If I increase engine revolution, the ticking rate remains constant,
but usually goes away.


- Ticking rate is about 3-4 ticks per second.

-No change if defroster is on.

Sounds like a valve adjustment is in order, just did one on mine. I had
similar problems and this fixed it. To tell exactly where the sound is
coming from; get a 3' piece of vacuum or fuel line, stick one end in
your ear and move the other end around the engine while it's
running(kind of like a stethoscope). Watch out for moving objects! If
the sound is coming from under the valve cover, most likely the problem
is just an overdue valve adjustment.

Thank you so much. I'm actually going on a 500 mile trip
tomorrow...is this something that can wait or should I rent a car? I
don't want to be stuck in Detroit in freezing weather on the side of
the road. What do you think?

Thank you so much. I'm actually going on a 500 mile trip
tomorrow...is this something that can wait or should I rent a car? I
don't want to be stuck in Detroit in freezing weather on the side of
the road. What do you think?

The noise means there is too much of a gap between the valves and
rocker arms, what you hear is the slack being taken up before the
rocker arm contacts the valve. The main problems with this condition is
that it hurts your engine performance and gas mileage. Since there's
too much of a gap, that means the valves are not opening as much as
they should and the heads are not taking in as much air/fuel or venting
as much exhaust gasses as they should. Over an extended period of time,
several months, this could lead to other problems.
If this is a fairly new condition, the trip should be fine. When you're
accelerating and you start hearing the noise, back off the accelerator
a little, don't push it too hard for too long.

Thank you so much for your help. The trip went smoothly. I'll have
the valves check when I return. Thanks again! :)

He mentioned the rate stays the same with an increase in engine speed. I
would think
this would point to something other than valves as I would expect the rate
to change
based on engine speed.

I have heard some clicking on my Tundra, especially when it is cold that
sounds to
me like a solenoid of some type. No idea if this could be a possibility
here.

"MrFixit469" <MrFixit469@verizon.net> wrote in message
news:1135151607.200593.320890@g44g2000cwa.googlegroups.com...[color=blue]
> Sounds like a valve adjustment is in order, just did one on mine. I had
> similar problems and this fixed it. To tell exactly where the sound is
> coming from; get a 3' piece of vacuum or fuel line, stick one end in
> your ear and move the other end around the engine while it's
> running(kind of like a stethoscope). Watch out for moving objects! If
> the sound is coming from under the valve cover, most likely the problem
> is just an overdue valve adjustment.
>[/color]

If its at a steady rate have a look for a noisey fuel pump.



"Dan" <cd_seller80@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:O0arf.53954$XC4.23230@twister.nyroc.rr.com...[color=blue]
> He mentioned the rate stays the same with an increase in engine speed. I
> would think
> this would point to something other than valves as I would expect the rate
> to change
> based on engine speed.
>
> I have heard some clicking on my Tundra, especially when it is cold that
> sounds to
> me like a solenoid of some type. No idea if this could be a possibility
> here.
>
> "MrFixit469" <MrFixit469@verizon.net> wrote in message
> news:1135151607.200593.320890@g44g2000cwa.googlegroups.com...[color=green]
>> Sounds like a valve adjustment is in order, just did one on mine. I had
>> similar problems and this fixed it. To tell exactly where the sound is
>> coming from; get a 3' piece of vacuum or fuel line, stick one end in
>> your ear and move the other end around the engine while it's
>> running(kind of like a stethoscope). Watch out for moving objects! If
>> the sound is coming from under the valve cover, most likely the problem
>> is just an overdue valve adjustment.
>>[/color]
>
>[/color]

"MKO" <molly588@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:1135089984.583957.284870@g44g2000cwa.googlegroups.com...[color=blue]
>I was wondering if anyone could help w/ a strange sound I hear. I
> have a 1997 Toyota Tacoma and when I start it up I hear a
> 'clickety-clickety-clickety' coming from the center under the hood. It
> only makes this sound when it's very cold outside. Once the engine
> has warmed up the sound goes away. Any ideas?
>
> Thanks,
> MKO[/color]
perfectly normal on older toyotas
cold start injector on my 2nd gens are real loud

I thought I had read that somewhere else..... I'm glad you confirmed.
Thank you!