Sounds like a normal Toyota 3.5L. Maybe a tad quieter than my '08. It'll sound like that at 250k miles. Close the hood and enjoy.:grin:

 

Sounds like a normal Toyota 3.5L. Maybe a tad quieter than my '08. It'll sound like that at 250k miles. Close the hood and enjoy.😁

That’s good to know. I’ve got a ‘17 Sienna with 63000 miles and sounds just like that. Because of the mileage, the noise had me a little concerned. Feel more relieved. One another note, relating to knocky Toyota engines, I had a couple of old Corollas with the old “K” motors in them in the past and the mechanical lift fuel pump on those made the same knocking sound as these modern v6’s!

 

Hey guys. I'm now 2 months into ownership with my new 2017 Highlander Limited. Absolutely love the ride so far, except for one annoying issue...engine noise.
It sounds like a knocking to me, and gets very loud when in the garage or next to a wall or barrier that reflects the sound

Maybe other 2017 owners will compare how their eng. sounds VS yours? Curious...does noise get quieter after eng. warmed up? Kinda reminds me of exhaust leak at headers (exhaust manifold)? Sound maybe normal, maybe not? N/A cause mine diff. eng. but it dosen't make same loud noise like yours.

 

My guess is the high pressure fuel pump. This idle clicking is certainly louder than my 2016, which doesn't have the HPFP. This clicking also sounds similar to my Honda that also has the HPFP.

If it bothers you, sorry to say: I think it's normal. Maybe when you find out for certain what it is, it won't bother you as much.

 

My guess is the high pressure fuel pump.

The fuel pump is in the gas tank.


It's not engine knock. Tough to tell over the net..even with the audio.


Is this something new? Does sound loud...but that could just be the volume control of my speakers. But I didn't hear anything unusual.

 

Thanks for all the replies so far. Yes, I was hoping other 2016/2017 owners would chime in to see if theirs sound similar. I'm also going back to the dealer next week to have them start a few other 2017s so I can hear how they sound as well. It just sounds loud to me, but this is my first Toyota. I'm coming from a 2004 Honda Accord and a 2006 Honda Pilot...neither of which have direct injection. If it is indeed normal, I will be able to live with it....it's just that sinking feeling that your newly acquired $40K transportation device is making noises that it shouldn't.....:surprise:

 

Sounds normal.....D4S goodness. I'd worry more if you could couldn't here it! And, will assume that your oil level is full.

Most likely external noise. To prove it, try a 5w30 synth or 0w40 at your next oil change. If no change in engine sound, then don't worry about it as direct injection and higher pressure DI pump/inector make some noise.

 

Most likely external noise. To prove it, try a 5w30 synth or 0w40 at your next oil change.

I wouldn't do that. It's not consistent with symptoms of piston-slap nor some hydraulic actuator glitch in the valve train...which a slightly thicker oil MIGHT partially address as a poor-man's band-aide.

 

Hey guys. I'm now 2 months into ownership with my new 2017 Highlander Limited. Absolutely love the ride so far, except for one annoying issue...engine noise.
...

Did you notice the engine noise recently? Is the excessive noise at cold start? Or has engine been idle for awhile? What;s the outside air temperature? Are you concern about the noise or the "ticking" sound?

I have 2017 XLE AWD & I thought the engine is one of the quietest... (but I come from a noisy 99 civic...)

 

its called Hood-Liner




A quick fix I did for my Accord 2012 to cut the engine noise is I have stuck a Hood-liner on the bonnet and then some more on the wall between cabin and engine.. problem fixed.

I find the HL is noisy when you start first in the morning and then it quiets down a bit after it has run for like 20 mins or so.

and on cruise speeds u dont hear the engine noise at all.

just use 2 sheets of hoodliner and you should be all set IMHO

I am doing hoodliner between engine wall and compartment this yr

to cut this noise.

 

Here's my 2017 SE from cold start:

and after about 30sec

(sorry for the orientation :rofl

 

I just went and listened to my 2017 XLE, and there is a difference. Yours sounds like it has an exhaust leak of some sort. That's my best guess.

 

I have a toyota highlander 2017 too and does the same noise

 

Sorry to revive old thread....

OP, any update on your engine noise "issue" (if it is an issue at all)?

are you able to compare to other 2017 HLs at the dealer?

thanks

 

A 2017 engine sounds like THAT? That is horrible! Last engine I heard that made that much racket was a 1988 plymouth reliant I used to drive.

Did that noise start recently? That would have went back to the dealer pronto.

 

AN old thread and would be nice to know what OP found out. There does seem to be the sound of an exhaust leak. That's the first thing I heard.

 

2017 3.5 has how many fuel pumps to feed how many injectors? That will provide an answer to what many hear under the hood and is why the engine and cabin have soundproofing.

You really want to hear that engine??? Toss the engine cover in the trash and enjoy the mechanical symphony.

I haven't seen too many 2gr's with exhaust leaks or problems, unlike some other engines with common cracked exhaust manifolds.

I think many would be surprised at how the exhaust manifold looks on the 2017+ 2GR vs the earlier engines.

 

2017 3.5 has how many fuel pumps to feed how many injectors? That will provide an answer to what many hear under the hood and is why the engine and cabin have soundproofing.

UH? - One. And it sits inside the gas tank which is located in the rear of the vehicle.

 

This is so weird. I have the same sound on my Toyota highlander 2017 as well. Mine is even louder.
It comes from left front side. 2nd video from under the engine and it’s noisy.



https://youtu.be/NKGvryLy9Cc

https://youtu.be/SOvcI0XJ35I

 

Did you ever find out what the problem was? My 2014 has been doing this for the last year, but only when it’s cold outside. My Toyota dealer is 50 miles away and it’s never cold there, so they can’t/won’t diagnose the problem. Even after showing them a video ?. It’s so embarrassing.

 

I think the original poster of this thread is either pushing up daisies or now driving a telluride, maybe go to the Kia forum and ask if they are now truly happy? Your vehicle has a personality it feels the cold, strange thing about toyotas, people say they are boring but in fact they have a ton of quirks and always have.

 

No, the oil was changed about 500 miles ago. It didn’t happen all summer. The temperature just dropped down into the 30s this week and it has started again.

 

Let me clarify: on your next engine oil and filter change, take a close listen for the same noise while the oil is still within ~50 tp say 100 miles of the oil change , I suspect that you will not hear the noise (or at least the noise is more faint than it is now)... Let us know when the time comes and if you can circle back here if that is true... Thank you!

 

Hey guys. I'm now 2 months into ownership with my new 2017 Highlander Limited. Absolutely love the ride so far, except for one annoying issue...engine noise.
It sounds like a knocking to me, and gets very loud when in the garage or next to a wall or barrier that reflects the sound. I've read about the "ticking" that is apparently common to Toyota engines, but this sounds louder than that to me. I've heard many people explain the ticking as the noise the fuel injectors make, which I believe is the sound you can hear clearly at the :25 second mark in my video...but this is a different, louder knocking type sound. Any ideas what could be causing this?

(sorry for the vertical video...?)

My 2018 Highlander sounds exactly like that. From what I gather below, it is from the high pressure fuel pump in the engine bay. I sat in the car in my driveway with the driver door and hood open, with me leaning out the door to hear clearly, then revved up the engine to about 3000 rpm. It sounds like the engine internals are smooth and that the knock sound is separate, but that's just guessing. But I'll have it checked it out at the next maintenance.

 

My HL is 2016, doesn't have the GDI, so I cannot experiment with it...
Just wondering though, if any aftermarket sound deadening wrap may be available to minimize the noise (of course, with heat shied on the outside)... perhaps there is no room/space for a such thing.

 

My 2019 HL with the V6 that has both a direct and a port fuel injector per cylinder does have an idle that varies in sound. I can understand how it could be perceived as "not normal" or lead to a lifter/valve concern, but I think in many situations the idle is normal. I've read that at idle these engine can randomly go in to a cleaning mode, that from my experience does make the idle louder but my engine always sounds fine during normal driving. However, it's possible others on this forum really do have an engine with an idle sound that truely is not normal/a sign of problem.

 

My 2017 XLE sounds the same as OP's. I asked the dealer to look into it and they said it was normal. It does seem to quiet down after a few minutes? Would love to hear if OP found a solution.

 

I bought a 2018 LE a month ago and just did my first oil change. I had never noticed the noise before because the hood has always been closed while the engine is running. I started the car with the hood open after the oil change and noticed the excess noise immediately. I doublechedked to make sure I used the right quantity of oil and the dipstick mark was fine. I came on the forum and it seems this is normal but it did startle me.

Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk

 

My 2018 XLE has the same idle noise. I notice it even after it’s been warmed up and driven for an hour. I believe this is normal for GDI engines as my 2017 Subaru WRX has GDI as well and has a similar tapping idle sound.

 

Recently bought a 2018 SE. At cold start I hear a clicking/tapping sound like a pump or something under the hood for the first 30 seconds or so. After that it quiets down to a slight click (typical of DI engines). It almost sound like an exhaust leak but always disappears like it was timed . Safe to assume it’s the high pressure pump?

 

Hi guys my highlander has the same noise. I put a stethoscope to the fuel pressure damper and it is freakin loud there. I'm going to see if I can swap it out with a new or used one and see if it goes away.

 

Have you tried replacing the high pressure fuel pump? Did you do something? Has the sound disappeared?

 

Good evening guys and author of this topic! Did you manage to find out where the sound comes from in the engine? Or do you continue to ride with this sound? Is this sound audible in the cabin at idle? What does the dealer say about this issue?

 

Hey guys. I'm now 2 months into ownership with my new 2017 Highlander Limited. Absolutely love the ride so far, except for one annoying issue...engine noise. It sounds like a knocking to me, and gets very loud when in the garage or next to a wall or barrier that reflects the sound. I've read about the "ticking" that is apparently common to Toyota engines, but this sounds louder than that to me. I've heard many people explain the ticking as the noise the fuel injectors make, which I believe is the sound you can hear clearly at the :25 second mark in my video...but this is a different, louder knocking type sound. Any ideas what could be causing this? (sorry for the vertical video...😁)

Did u ever find out what the noise was? My 2016 just started making the same noise