Hi. My Corolla is making a loud tap/knock noise at high RPMs. I can't say what range since I don't have a tach. If the car is in park and I rev it up, i can hear it on the belt side of the engine. When I am driving, I can only hear it when it goes to shift gears. It's like a rapid tapping sound. It last for a few seconds until it shifts up to the next gear. I am stumped on it. I changed the oil when i first noticed it and it came out black as tar. The new stuff is staying clear so I not sure what caused the oil to turn black. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Brother said it could possibly be timing chain guides maybe, but I'm not sure how to check it. Here is a video of the sound. I noticed the tapping isnt as loud in the video, but it's definitely a heavier sound to it in person. I'll try tomorrow after work to get a clearer capture of the sound.
01 CE High RPM Tap/Knock?
- Thread starter Miyokorei
- Start date
it sounds like it could need a valve adjustment. unfortunately the 1ZZFE isn't the easiest to adjust because they have tappets. but what you can do is at least measure the gap between the cam lobes and the tappets. If you do a youtube search you can find videos on how to check tolerances. here's one to get you started:
now if the gaps are really off, you may need to replace the tappet and potentially the valve. here's another video on what looks like the non-approved but cheaper way to fix gap tolerances. It at least shows you what's involved regarding the valve train. I'm thinking Toyota would say you need new tappets and valves.
Toyota made a beautiful engine and I'm sure the goal was to make it as maintenance free as possible. the issue is if you do have to do some maintenance it usually means replacing instead of adjusting.
all 1ZZFE's as the years go on develop the dreaded valve train rattle. and it gets louder and louder. there's no avoiding it! the #1 enemy of any engine, esp high revving high compression is not changing the oil on time. no need to get fancy. the cap says 5W/30, any toyota mechanic would say we use what Toyota says to use so 5W/30 it is. The fact you said the oil came out black as tar means the engine got hotter than it should and also may have warped the all aluminum engine.
so if it was me the order I would go is: pull your spark plugs, the way they look can give you a better picture of what may be happening internally and esp how hot the engine has been running and then check the valve tolerances
now if the gaps are really off, you may need to replace the tappet and potentially the valve. here's another video on what looks like the non-approved but cheaper way to fix gap tolerances. It at least shows you what's involved regarding the valve train. I'm thinking Toyota would say you need new tappets and valves.
Toyota made a beautiful engine and I'm sure the goal was to make it as maintenance free as possible. the issue is if you do have to do some maintenance it usually means replacing instead of adjusting.
all 1ZZFE's as the years go on develop the dreaded valve train rattle. and it gets louder and louder. there's no avoiding it! the #1 enemy of any engine, esp high revving high compression is not changing the oil on time. no need to get fancy. the cap says 5W/30, any toyota mechanic would say we use what Toyota says to use so 5W/30 it is. The fact you said the oil came out black as tar means the engine got hotter than it should and also may have warped the all aluminum engine.
so if it was me the order I would go is: pull your spark plugs, the way they look can give you a better picture of what may be happening internally and esp how hot the engine has been running and then check the valve tolerances
Last edited:
Awesome information. Thanks. I will take a look at this as soon as I get home today and see what I can figure out. The sound has gotten muffled somewhat. It nowhere near as loud, but you can still hear it when it shifts. I have been without Internet access for about two weeks. Somebody hit the junction slick down the road from me and destroyed it. ATT finally got all fixed yesterday.