Annoying Ticking Sound under Hard Acceleration (GS400)
#1
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Annoying Ticking Sound under Hard Acceleration (GS400)
Since mid-May, my GS400 has made a soft ticking sound (sort of like shuffling a deck of playing cards, but a little more metallic-sounding) when I accelerate briskly. At a steady speed, the engine runs smoothly, and the idle sound and RPM are perfect. It's not a loud ticking sound--it's so high-pitched that my dad could not hear it when he drove the car to the airport last week. .
It only happens when the car is in gear, though: revving the engine in Park doesn't seem to cause the sound. I put the transmission in Normal, ECT Power, and Manual modes, and the sound still occurs.
I did a transmission drain and fill and changed my oil. I don't have a CEL and fuel economy is normal at 18 MPG.
I searched for this issue, and came up with a couple responses/explanations that are possible.
(1. My car needs a valve adjustment. After 124k miles, this seems possible.
(2. It's the valves, but this noise is normal for a Lexus V8. (But why did my car accelerate without making this noise when I bought it in 2010??)
I don't relish the thought of having the valves adjusted ($$$) if that isn't even the main issue. I'm kind of hoping that it's an exhaust problem instead, but I doubt it.
I'd really appreciate any thoughts you might have before I bring this to an independent Lex mechanic.
It only happens when the car is in gear, though: revving the engine in Park doesn't seem to cause the sound. I put the transmission in Normal, ECT Power, and Manual modes, and the sound still occurs.
I did a transmission drain and fill and changed my oil. I don't have a CEL and fuel economy is normal at 18 MPG.
I searched for this issue, and came up with a couple responses/explanations that are possible.
(1. My car needs a valve adjustment. After 124k miles, this seems possible.
(2. It's the valves, but this noise is normal for a Lexus V8. (But why did my car accelerate without making this noise when I bought it in 2010??)
I don't relish the thought of having the valves adjusted ($$$) if that isn't even the main issue. I'm kind of hoping that it's an exhaust problem instead, but I doubt it.
I'd really appreciate any thoughts you might have before I bring this to an independent Lex mechanic.
#2
I have a GS300 and this happens to me only when I first turn the car on in the morning and get going. For the rest of the day it is fine. I don't know if that helps you or not but I just figured I would give my input. I do not think it is very detrimental or anything. It almost sounds like the exhaust vibrating ever so slightly or something along those lines.
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I read your thread about your valve adjustment, and I know it worked for you. I guess I will live with the noise for now & drown it out with music; once my passengers start complaining, then I know it's gotten bad enough to fix. I can afford to adjust the valves now, but I'd feel like a real chump to pay $700 only for my mechanic to tell me that the valves were only the slightest bit out of spec.
Or I can drive my car like a grandma and avoid the sound that way. 9 seconds to sixty FTW.
#5
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The oil level is still halfway between full and low, so that can't be the issue.
I read your thread about your valve adjustment, and I know it worked for you. I guess I will live with the noise for now & drown it out with music; once my passengers start complaining, then I know it's gotten bad enough to fix. I can afford to adjust the valves now, but I'd feel like a real chump to pay $700 only for my mechanic to tell me that the valves were only the slightest bit out of spec.
Or I can drive my car like a grandma and avoid the sound that way. 9 seconds to sixty FTW.
I read your thread about your valve adjustment, and I know it worked for you. I guess I will live with the noise for now & drown it out with music; once my passengers start complaining, then I know it's gotten bad enough to fix. I can afford to adjust the valves now, but I'd feel like a real chump to pay $700 only for my mechanic to tell me that the valves were only the slightest bit out of spec.
Or I can drive my car like a grandma and avoid the sound that way. 9 seconds to sixty FTW.
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It could be the servo related issue?
I have a GS300 and this happens to me only when I first turn the car on in the morning and get going. For the rest of the day it is fine. I don't know if that helps you or not but I just figured I would give my input. I do not think it is very detrimental or anything. It almost sounds like the exhaust vibrating ever so slightly or something along those lines.
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