runyonwc

Hello,

I've read the other posts about some ISF's ticking when they've warmed up and thought I'd share my story as of now.

About a week and a half ago I took my 2008 ISF to Lexus to have them check out the ticking noise. My car has 63K miles on it and I notice the ticking noise after it is fully warmed up. I normally have just been driving it in Sport-Manual too. The sound seems to come from the driver's side fender well area and I hear it best when it is in drive in my garage or at a drive thru.

At first Lexus couldn't duplicate the sound even after driving the car. So I went to the dealership and drove the car about 10 mins for them to hear. The service advisor and a technician heard it this time. They had to call the regional Field Technical Service rep for direction on how to proceed. The FTS person recommend swapping the driver's side high pressure fuel pump to the passenger side to see if the noise followed the pump. I guess they've had problems in the past with the high pressure pumps on the LS models. I again went down to the dealer to drive the car and the noise stayed on the driver's side.

They called the FTS person again and he wanted to have the valve clearance checked. So the dealer did that and the measurements were within spec but on the high side of the spec. They only measured the driver's side since that is where they heard the noise. This past Monday the FTS had to call some Lexus engineers in California to get guidance. They suggested to set the valve clearance to the low side of the spec to see if the noise goes away. They had to order parts to do this so we're on hold for them. I guess they had to order a shim kit. Not sure if it has to come from Japan or not.

I had the dealership send me some pictures of the open valve cover and thought I'd share them with everyone here. I'm sorry this is so long but maybe it will help others with this problem.

Oh yeah, they gave me a 2014 IS250 to drive. It's nice but it is definitely not an ISF! I didn't realize how fast and sporty our cars are until I drove this thing.

lobuxracer

iTrader: (2)

Valve lash isn't the problem. Setting it tight only jeopardizes the service life of the valves. I learned a long time ago, a loose valve is a happy valve, and at the lash Yamaha specs for the 2UR-GSE, there's no way the valves will tick louder than the DI injectors.

FWIW, I did the valve lash inspection on my car. All were in spec. None make noise.

kauaian

iTrader: (18)

I am very surprised they didn't state it was normal and sent you on your way. You have a great dealership and service techs! Keep us posted.

runyonwc

I'm not convinced it is a valve lash problem either. I think they don't really know what it is yet and are trying the easiest/cheapest things first.

I also agree the dealership is doing a pretty good job. They've been very helpful so far and keep me updated very regularly. Every time I email my service advisor I get a response within an hour.

Oh yeah I forgot to mention I also gave them a short video of the noise so they couldn't just say that they couldn't reproduce the sound and it definitely doesn't sound normal once you hear it. The car seems to run fine so I'm not sure how big of a problem it actually is. I just know not all ISF's do this so something can't be right.

kauaian

iTrader: (18)

Could you post the video here too?

shahir18

iTrader: (2)

please do share

your internals are really clean for 63k miles, also... I have a 2012 w/9k miles and I hear a slight ticking noise as well?!

runyonwc

Here is the link to the short video I gave the dealership. I took it while I was in a drive thru one afternoon.

lobuxracer

iTrader: (2)

Sounds similar to this. Mine makes this same noise. It is random, so your dealer is going to be pretty pissed off when they put it together and the noise persists. Valve lash ticking is never irregular. It's like clockwork. I've done lots of SOHC Honda rocker arms and I know exactly what a loose valve sounds like. This is not it, in either of the videos in this thread or the other.

The serpentine belt and tensioner do sound more like potential culprits, purely because the noise is very random, and belt tension is random - alternator load is never constant - so it makes a lot more sense to me it could be the tensioner and the belt. It most certainly is not the valve lash. I've done way too much valve work over the years to believe a noise like this is valve related.

runyonwc

Thanks for your input Lobux. It seems like if it was valve related, that it would do it all the time, not just when it is warmed up. I've read two threads though where one guy had his entire cylinder head replaced which seemed to fix the problem. Another guy had his motor rebuilt, the dealership had his car for 4 months! He also report the noise went away afterwards. So I don't know what to think.

VtotheJ

iTrader: (2)

Has it been proven that the ticking noise is detrimental to the engine? I've read in countless places that Yamaha-tuned engines have a tendency to make the ticking noise. A lot of high mileage F owners on here have the ticking noise and have reported no loss in performance.

torxuvin

Hmmm. I haven't noticed a sound like that. Are you getting a weird idle or any other symptoms?

ULTSISF

iTrader: (2)

Many have reported this issue I have it on my 11. It has been discussed that the sound is normal. I'll say leave it alone

caveman

My 2012 has that same exact noise when warmed up. From number of other forum members that have this noise, I just assumed it was "normal". Keep us posted on what happens with your car.

allst4risf

iTrader: (1)

stand nexto to a m3 on a cold start up.. sounds the same. but after it warms up the sound should go away a little...
edit his ticking is really loud after warm up i just compared it to mine.

2008ISF

iTrader: (1)

Wasn't this "random ticking/knocking noise" attributed to valve springs? Or was that the V8 in the LS460 only?

I have the "ticking" in my F, once the engine is warm. Most people do in theirs. I think it's normal.

The car doesn't behave poorly, so I am not concerned.