ntwrkguy1

I know this is a longshot, as diagnosing 'noises' over the Internet is a pretty inexact science. But I figured it's worth a shot.

We're having some construction done at our house, so my car has been sitting for the last 72 hours. I went to start it this morning, and it made (for the first time ever) a really loud noise. I immediately shut it off. Because the car was sitting outside, I figured I better check to see if any wildlife had taken up refuge in the engine bay, which they hadn't.

I don't really even know how to describe the noise -- it's almost like something is hitting the fan as it rotates, only it's much louder. I've started the car twice this morning, and let it run for a grand total of about 6 seconds. I checked to see if anything was in the way of the belts, etc, but nothing seems to be. The fluids are all where they need to be, and the last oil change was about 2,500 miles ago. The timing belt has a few miles on it (about 55,000), but the car was running perfectly the last time I shut it off. The car has 167,000 on it these days, but it has never made any strange noises, much one like this. It's a daily driver, so it's rare when it sits for even 24 hours.

Any thoughts? I'm reluctant to let it run for much longer than I have, but I don't think this noise is going to stop on its own.

repugnante

sound clip?

ntwrkguy1

I don't know how well that would capture it, but I might have to try to do that.

The more I think about it, the more it sounds like a metal on metal sound, as if the car was out of oil. But I've checked the oil about 10 times already this morning, and it's right where it should be.

How often are oil pumps and issue on these cars? I did a Google search that seemed to turn up next to nothng, so hopefully that's a good sign.

JLAWS

Maybe your gas went bad? How much gas is in the tank? Sounds like engine knock. Also double check oil levels.

ntwrkguy1

The gas shouldn't be bad -- I just filled up at Costco on Saturday, and there's over 3/4 of the tank remaining.

I've checked the oil a lot this morning, because that's the part that concerned me. The oil is where it should be on the dipstick, so I don't think that's the issue.

But it's definitely a nasty sound. By engine knock, do you mean rod knock?

ntwrkguy1

I found this merged thread for "Engine cranking / Startup noise", but it seems like it relates to the IS250/350 guys, as well as the GS350's.

https://www.clublexus.com/forums/is-...hreads-25.html

Any chance it could be the cam gears? If so, that would explain the metallic sound I'm hearing. Do cam gears wear out slowly, or are they good one day and bad the next?

After thinking about it, I started the car on Tuesday morning to move it out of the driveway, and Wednesday morning to move it again (about 20 feet). Neither time did I get this noise.

ttaylor993

What about the water pump? When was it last changed? Sometimes when they go bad you will hear a metal-on-metal sound as the impeller wobbles inside the housing as it spins.

ntwrkguy1

The water pump and thermostat were changed with the timing belt service, which was about 55,000 miles ago.

Is it possible for the starter -- which is the original starter -- to make a similar metal-on-metal sound?

clos430

iTrader: (21)

Did the noise go away ? Still there ?

ntwrkguy1

Still there.

Fortunately, I work from home, so it's not the worst thing in the world to be without my car.

The engine isn't stumbling, but the noise sounds like ball bearings in a metal can. I'm reluctant to let it run more than a few seconds. Given how it just started fine on Wednesday morning, I'm wondering if the gear inside the starter is stuck.

clos430

iTrader: (21)

Sounds like a drive belt tensioner bearing or the idler. If your handy with tools, remove the drive belt and start it up. See if the noise goes away.
Post a video of the noise.

ntwrkguy1

Interestingly enough, the drive belt, tensioner, and ilder pulley have all been replaced within the last 10 months.

Dumb question, but will the car stay running for long without the drive belt?

I'm going to post a video of the noise tonight. I've got roof work going on at three of my neighbor's houses, and there's a lot of extraneous noise in the neighborhood. As soon as it quiets down, I'll take a 10 second clip or so.

I remember the noise the idler pulley made when it was going bad -- it was literally a high-pitched whining noise. It actually sounded similar to a blower whine, except quite a bit quieter:

ntwrkguy1

Got sidetracked over the weekend by one too many jobs to do, but I found this on youtube, and it sounds almost exactly like the noise my car is making. The metallic sound is just about the same, and it sounds like a metal on metal noise. At first I was supsicious it was the starter not disengaging from the flywheel, but I don't know if the noise would be that pronounced. (Yes, he has an LS400 while I have a GS430, but I'm hoping the similarity is enough to where the problem is the same):




The interesting thing is that whoever posted this never replied to how they fixed it. Any thoughts?

JLAWS

Did you change the oil yourself ? It wouldn't hurt to swap out the oil and filter again. I had a car once that made the same knocking sound to the point that I thought I needed a new engine. The noise went away when I change the oil and filter that must have been clogged.

ntwrkguy1

I will do that before I have it towed to my mechanic this weekend, just so I can cross it off my list (and inspect the oil to make sure there are no metal shavings in it).

I usually have the oil changed at the Toyota dealer -- is this the correct part # for the OEM filter: # 90915-YZZD3.

Or is there a better aftermarket filter? Wix, Purolator, etc?