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78 Posts
I'm hoping that this will help some frustrated owners out there.
Right around 96K miles, I started to hear a disturbing sound coming from the engine right on the tail end of a startup. When it happened, it would be loud whirring or rattling sound that would last for a second or two then disappear. Cold, hot - didn't matter. I did manage to catch it on video .
It could not be replicated consistently and was real frustrating when trying to explain it, etc to the shop. When I finally got it on video I showed it to my mechanic and was told that it was an internal timing chain issue perhaps making contact with an internal guide as the tensioner was not engaging properly. As it was explained to me, the tensioner's actuation is largely controlled by oil pressure. Once it kicks in, any slack in the chain is minimized and contact with chain guides, etc. is abated. Moreover, it would be an expensive Toyota job to go in there, diagnose the job and fix it but otherwise was not causing immediate damage - only a nuisance. Screw that.
Enter Seafoam. I've used Seafoam products in the past in other vehicles (never in the crankcase oil) and have been happy with the results and thought since I was nearing 100k I could very well have deposits and sludge in my engine that might otherwise be affecting oil passages and things (and possibly actuation of the timing chain tensioner) - why not? So I decided on an all-out Seafoam regimen. While I treated my gas with 2 cans on a full tank and cleaned out the uppers with their intake spray treatment (which is awesome, by the way, no fouled plugs and same results as vacuum line method), the real kicker was treating the oil .
I added 1.5 oz of Seafoam per quart of oil (as per SF FAQ) directly to the crankcase oil and drove it for 200-225 miles prior to changing it out - which for me is roughly a full tank. All said and done, gas mileage has improved a little, engine idle has completely smoothed out and startup noise is GONE.
I remain cautiously optimistic but it's been nearly 3 weeks since I did this and still no ghastly startup noise. I will post with another update some time down the road and report if it has returned or not but so far so good.
Right around 96K miles, I started to hear a disturbing sound coming from the engine right on the tail end of a startup. When it happened, it would be loud whirring or rattling sound that would last for a second or two then disappear. Cold, hot - didn't matter. I did manage to catch it on video .
It could not be replicated consistently and was real frustrating when trying to explain it, etc to the shop. When I finally got it on video I showed it to my mechanic and was told that it was an internal timing chain issue perhaps making contact with an internal guide as the tensioner was not engaging properly. As it was explained to me, the tensioner's actuation is largely controlled by oil pressure. Once it kicks in, any slack in the chain is minimized and contact with chain guides, etc. is abated. Moreover, it would be an expensive Toyota job to go in there, diagnose the job and fix it but otherwise was not causing immediate damage - only a nuisance. Screw that.
Enter Seafoam. I've used Seafoam products in the past in other vehicles (never in the crankcase oil) and have been happy with the results and thought since I was nearing 100k I could very well have deposits and sludge in my engine that might otherwise be affecting oil passages and things (and possibly actuation of the timing chain tensioner) - why not? So I decided on an all-out Seafoam regimen. While I treated my gas with 2 cans on a full tank and cleaned out the uppers with their intake spray treatment (which is awesome, by the way, no fouled plugs and same results as vacuum line method), the real kicker was treating the oil .
I added 1.5 oz of Seafoam per quart of oil (as per SF FAQ) directly to the crankcase oil and drove it for 200-225 miles prior to changing it out - which for me is roughly a full tank. All said and done, gas mileage has improved a little, engine idle has completely smoothed out and startup noise is GONE.
I remain cautiously optimistic but it's been nearly 3 weeks since I did this and still no ghastly startup noise. I will post with another update some time down the road and report if it has returned or not but so far so good.
