03 Es300 engine noise on cold start(below 50F)

[Cman99]

Hey everyone, 

I was hoping to get some solutions or point me in the direction if there’s already a thread on this.

When it’s cold outside and the car has been sitting for over 24 hours. The car makes a knocking sound and has been doing this since the temperature has dropped. 

I have tried uploading a video but it keeps failing

[RX400h]

How often do you change oil? Is its viscosity that which is specified in your owner's manual?  How many miles are on the odometer?

Quote

The knocking sound from your 2003 Lexus ES 300 when it’s cold could be due to several reasons:

1. Oil Drainage: The noise might be due to oil drainage from the top end of the vehicle. When you start the car, if the oil pressure and oil level indicator lights take a few seconds to go out, it could indicate this issue¹.
2. Piston Slap: The piston might not be aligned correctly inside the cylinder, especially if the car has more than 200,000 miles on it. This is often more noticeable when the engine is cold and typically quiets down as the engine warms up¹.
3. Engine Parts: Older engine parts that require replacement or repair could be making noise.
4. Air-to-Fuel Mixture: The proper amounts of air and fuel that mix together inside the combustion chamber might not be at the correct levels².
5. Valve Lifters: The valve lifters might be sticky.
6. Serpentine Belt: The tension of the serpentine belt could be causing the noise. The belt part is temperature sensitive, and applying some belt dressing to the serpentine belt or replacing it might help

 

[Cman99]

I change it every 3,000 miles, it’s about 500 miles away from needing another change. 
the car has 260,xxx miles. 
 

I just started it this morning(30F, and it was driven yesterday) it had no noise, started and drove perfect. Wouldn't engine slap occur on every cold engine start?

 

the oil lights go off as soon as the engine is started, but the noise continues. 
 

looks like I was able to upload the video this time!