Have this valve tap that just wont go away ive tried thicker oil, lucas, and other additives and the valves still tap. The noise is less noticeable when the car warms up but it never goes away, my next move will be to do a valve adjustment. Does you think a valve adjustment will fix my issue? My car is in really good condition and really quiet besides this issue so this valve tap has really got under my skin.
Valve Tap
- Thread starter Gonzalgi21
- Start date
A thicker oil can make the problem worse. Pour in oil additives are not recommended by Toyota engineers and can cause unplanned and negative affects.
What year/make/model/engine is this, how many miles are on it, when did this noise start, (as in miles), and under what circumstances did this noise first occur? What brand, type and viscosity of oil and also oil filter was being used in the engine when this noise first occurred and what brand, type, viscosity oil and brand of oil filter are being used now?
What year/make/model/engine is this, how many miles are on it, when did this noise start, (as in miles), and under what circumstances did this noise first occur? What brand, type and viscosity of oil and also oil filter was being used in the engine when this noise first occurred and what brand, type, viscosity oil and brand of oil filter are being used now?
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So i took the car to my mechanic today and he told me the timing chain has play in it and needs to be replaced so thats whats making the noise. So i bought the chain & tensioner and he's going to replace it for me. Im kind of pissed that the problem was much bigger than i thought it was but also glad i found it before the chain got any worse.
I'm glad my advice helped you out. Although it's never fun to have to put money into the daily driver, imagine the world of hurt you would have been in had that timing chain failed halfway into your trip. You would have had to pay a big tow bill and additional repair costs. So try to look on the bright side and then having to spend that repair money doesn't seem as bad. 
looking for opinions
I am new to this forum and have a 2002 prizm (corolla wanna be) with the 1zffe engine with 90k on the car. I have a similar problem I think. Occasionally when starting the car I hear what I first thought it was a noisy hydraulic lifter noise, this doesn't happen all the time maybe every 10th time or so. It does quiet after running for a minute or 2, but I am starting to think it is something other than that. I thought it might be a sloppy timing chain due to a bad tensioner but again I don't have a solid diagnosis for it. I am also wondering if it can be a timing issue because I noticed a pinging when accelerating, so I decided to run 93 octane to see if that would help, performance was better but I still hear some pinging when accelerating. Something else I noticed is when I take my foot of the gas peddle around 50 to 60 mph I hear some tapping that sounds like its coming from the top end i.e. valves/ lifters. Is there anyone out there that may have a suggestion as to what is going on???
Thanks
Richie T
I am new to this forum and have a 2002 prizm (corolla wanna be) with the 1zffe engine with 90k on the car. I have a similar problem I think. Occasionally when starting the car I hear what I first thought it was a noisy hydraulic lifter noise, this doesn't happen all the time maybe every 10th time or so. It does quiet after running for a minute or 2, but I am starting to think it is something other than that. I thought it might be a sloppy timing chain due to a bad tensioner but again I don't have a solid diagnosis for it. I am also wondering if it can be a timing issue because I noticed a pinging when accelerating, so I decided to run 93 octane to see if that would help, performance was better but I still hear some pinging when accelerating. Something else I noticed is when I take my foot of the gas peddle around 50 to 60 mph I hear some tapping that sounds like its coming from the top end i.e. valves/ lifters. Is there anyone out there that may have a suggestion as to what is going on???
Thanks
Richie T