toylexmods

BTW, The running rough is a key factor. You could be getting some blowby due to excessive piston clearance and ring clearance. Not good Also, I have said all along just do the proper diagnosis not the song and dance with ears and eyes closed. Hell, I would expect Chevy to do that with a pos 30000 dollar Suburban...not Lexus and a 65000 LX470. Yep, I dont know how many more winters this thing will last with this slapping. It is loud if left outside....sounds like a rod knocking. Just one cylinder too!

dmichaels, Glad to see this thread is still getting noticed. I too got the same song and dance of no reported failures of this engine. My question is this, we all know this is a wear concern and wear will increase over time until it really starts going. Toyota/Lexus are banking that us owners will trade the truck off or sell it before things really get bad and the engine absolutely needs repair. The problem with this position? Those of us who know whats happening will never own a Lexus again. Period. We have had 5 and will not purchase another Lexus. End of story ;( And we have owned Toyotas for 20 years. Sad day. Ours knocks at 58 degrees on a cold start up. Its getting worse. Send me a PM or email at Toylexmods@hotmail.com for some additional tips. It makes me sad that even Ford stepped up to the plate and repaired the knocking v8 in its trucks. Cheers to all and good luck with Lexus!

Tex, I agree completely. Some noise is ok on a real cold start. The problem is....mine is rapidly getting worse and its just one cylinder not a series of knocks. Oh, you can hear it in the cabin, outside the truck, across the street and down the block. I think of a real cold start as 10 degrees or below.....not 50 degrees. What do you guys think? This thinks knocks at 50 degrees. ===================================================

Thanks for the feedback everyone. Keep the replies coming! From this and other lists it does seem that the knock is not a normal condition with these vehicles. I do need additional responses to make the numbers more reliable. Check out my thread on the Landcruisers forum. Lots of good input and feeback there.... http://forum.ih8mud.com/showthread.php?t=30084 Thanks again, Dave

Js, What do you base your statement on? 5/30 and 10/30 are the weights I use. At 40 and 50 degree temps...5 or 10 weight will make no difference on a cold start. Right?

Jocigar, Thank you and exactly the information I needed. If ever we needed the actions of a community such as this...it is now. This should not be the normal condition in a 65k vehicle. I have read all the horror stories about GM and the ongoing problems. Ford on the otherhand has fixed this problem and replaced thousands of engines. I dont think this is a rampant problem with the LX/Landcruiser and hope to come to the table with 100 owners and no problems. That will make Lexus listen. And a side note. Sure, when started there can be some cold engine noise...for a few seconds...say 15 seconds. But, when the noise goes on and on for minutes and minutes and you start driving the car and can hear the noise. That my friends is excessive wear and your pistons are paying dearly. Go read the MIT article on it. Cheers

No solutions yet on the Tundra/Sequoia boards. I have heard of Toyota looking to replace some engines. Nothing concrete yet. Bottom line, this is not a nuisance or subjective issue. One piston is making lots of noise....noise is wear, the noise is getting louder and louder each year, the wear is getting more and more. Lexus does not want to fix it because it will cost lots of money. I dont care about the Lexus bottom line...nor the Toyota bottom line. If it is out of spec....its out of spec. If its normal there should be other owners having the same noise. So, here is the poll. If you have some noise...speak up and be counted. If you hear no noise....speak up and be counted. Thanks

Nope, I was hoping that mine was the manifold. No dice. What are your specifics? age/mileage and location. Does it get cold where your at? and does the LX sit outside from time to time? The best way to duplicate the knock noise is as follows... 1. Start engine cold with outside temps below 40 degrees. 2. Put truck into gear 3. Power brake the truck just so the rpms get to between 1000 and 1100. If the pistons are rattling...you will hear it as a distinct knock, knock, knock...that will go away after 30 to 120 secs. Thats it....any other questions? ===================================================== Is this the problem with the exhaust manifold crack? Theory being that the heat expands the manifold and closes the crack after it warms up. They should have a recall since it seems to happen alot or at least cover it under the drivetrain warranty. I have a very faint tick and it goes away after 2-3 min. No where near the sound of a diesel. ←

Hey everyone, I seem to be having a problem with Lexus and the tech assist department. Can any owners post some documentation please. 99 LX470 with 75,000 miles. Started last winter in Colorado. Engine knock when started in cold temps. Sounds like a diesel truck....ie knock, knock, knock....lasted for 30 seconds or so. We didnt leave the truck outside that often...but the noise was worse the colder the temps. I really noticed it when I had to move the truck in the driveway after a cold start....it sounded like a diesel. on accel....knock, knock, knock. Ok, winter 2002 there were no abnormal noises heard...45k on the odometer. Ok, winter 2003 it sounded like this with around 60k on the odometer. 10 degrees....it would make noise even at idle on start up. 20 degrees....less noise but could still hear it. 30 degrees....hard to tell, but if you put it in gear and loaded the engine it would knock. Ok, fast forward to this year winter 2005 in Oregon with 75k on the odometer. 30 degrees...much, much louder knock....same knock as last year just louder at a warmer temp. Also, the knock will last for 2-3 minutes...or if you drive the truck it sounds like a constant knock, knock with engine speed. You can hear it outside, inside and all around the truck. Stand fifty feet away and listen as the truck takes off. Yes, you hear it just like a diesel truck taking off. 40 degrees....less knock noise that 30 but its very clear and lasts for the same 2-3 minutes. 50 degrees....I heard it this week on a cold start. Put the truck in gear and moved it in the driveway....there it was the diesel knock noise. So, the trend is getting worse and I made the appt to have it looked/listened to. I had to leave the truck overnight. Got the call...and Lexus techs said could not duplicate. Ok, leave it again....same response. 3rd day I come to pick it up and take the techs out on a 49 degree morning. I start it, put it in gear and there is the knock. Two techs heard it....jumped out and listened. It lasted for about 2 minutes and the techs said they would have to call tech assistance. I told them that the noise was about a 3 on a scale of 1- 10 because it was farily warm that morning. Ok, now the round and around with Lexus customer service. Tech assist says its piston noise and normal. Lexus customer service says that the dealer is saying its normal piston noise. .....round and around general passing the buck. So, I come to find out that the Tundra/ Sequoia group have been having this problem for a couple of years but on a much higher/ louder scale. Nothing is mentioned in the Landcruiser circles....nor here in the LX40s circles. These are different engines than the Tundra and should not have this clearance issue with the pistons. Bottom line, noise is wear...and its getting worse. And, its not several pistons...it is just one piston. The knock is one piston, period. Are these things Chevys that destruct at 100k? I am begining to wonder if all the hype is just that. __________________ Cheers, Dave Hall 99 LX470....special knocking diesel model. We were thinking about a new GX470 but forget it now. 92 SC400 00 LS400

Hey everyone, I seem to be having a problem with Lexus and the tech assist department. Can any owners post some documentation please. 99 LX470 with 75,000 miles. Started last winter in Colorado. Engine knock when started in cold temps. Sounds like a diesel truck....ie knock, knock, knock....lasted for 30 seconds or so. We didnt leave the truck outside that often...but the noise was worse the colder the temps. I really noticed it when I had to move the truck in the driveway after a cold start....it sounded like a diesel. on accel....knock, knock, knock. Ok, winter 2002 there were no abnormal noises heard...45k on the odometer. Ok, winter 2003 it sounded like this with around 60k on the odometer. 10 degrees....it would make noise even at idle on start up. 20 degrees....less noise but could still hear it. 30 degrees....hard to tell, but if you put it in gear and loaded the engine it would knock. Ok, fast forward to this year winter 2005 in Oregon with 75k on the odometer. 30 degrees...much, much louder knock....same knock as last year just louder at a warmer temp. Also, the knock will last for 2-3 minutes...or if you drive the truck it sounds like a constant knock, knock with engine speed. You can hear it outside, inside and all around the truck. Stand fifty feet away and listen as the truck takes off. Yes, you hear it just like a diesel truck taking off. 40 degrees....less knock noise that 30 but its very clear and lasts for the same 2-3 minutes. 50 degrees....I heard it this week on a cold start. Put the truck in gear and moved it in the driveway....there it was the diesel knock noise. So, the trend is getting worse and I made the appt to have it looked/listened to. I had to leave the truck overnight. Got the call...and Lexus techs said could not duplicate. Ok, leave it again....same response. 3rd day I come to pick it up and take the techs out on a 49 degree morning. I start it, put it in gear and there is the knock. Two techs heard it....jumped out and listened. It lasted for about 2 minutes and the techs said they would have to call tech assistance. I told them that the noise was about a 3 on a scale of 1- 10 because it was farily warm that morning. Ok, now the round and around with Lexus customer service. Tech assist says its piston noise and normal. Lexus customer service says that the dealer is saying its normal piston noise. .....round and around general passing the buck. So, I come to find out that the Tundra/ Sequoia group have been having this problem for a couple of years but on a much higher/ louder scale. Nothing is mentioned in the Landcruiser circles....nor here in the LX40s circles. These are different engines than the Tundra and should not have this clearance issue with the pistons. Bottom line, noise is wear...and its getting worse. And, its not several pistons...it is just one piston. The knock is one piston, period. There it is gang, if you can document your LX age, mileage and climate that would be great. Oh, and if your hearing any abnormal knocking when you put the truck in gear and or take off from a cold start. My argument is simple....if this is normal, then any number of similar aged/mileage LX470s will have this noise. Simple, right? Well bring me some trucks that make the noise. So, post if your having the noise and/or if your not having any noises. __________________ Cheers, Dave Hall 99 LX470....special knocking diesel model. We were thinking about a new GX470 but forget it now. 92 SC400 00 LS400

Sorry, I couldnt delete this post and started another. See the other post for a better description. __________________ Cheers, Dave Hall 99 LX470....special knocking diesel model. We were thinking about a new GX470 but forget it now. 92 SC400 00 LS400