justin1203

I have a '10 RX with 79K.

Using the Lexus Drivers site I see that at 67K under a year ago the water pump was replaced by the dealer.

Description is as follows:
RADIATOR - FAN - CUST STATES THEY HAVE BEEN HEARING A TICKING NOISE FOR THE LAST FEW YEARS. HE THINKS IT IS COMING FROM THE WATER PUMP. - VERIFIED. NOISE IT IS THE BEARING IN THE WATER PUMP - REPLACED WATER PUMP

Over the last week I've been hearing a ticking sound when first starting the vehicle in the morning. The ticking appears to go away after a few minutes (I typically start my vehicle, go back inside and come back out in 3 to 5 minutes).



Could this potentially be the water pump again?
If so, would I be able to get it replaced considering the pump only has 12k on it/less than a year old?

I was under the impression we should be getting a good 50k out of them?

Thank you!

Clutchless

It needs to be evaluated by a mechanic. Many things could make a ticking noise upon start up. If it goes away it could just be cold valves or lifters before oil gets fully pumped up. Take it to the Lexus dealer.

Droid13

I'm going to bet it's something else. I had to replace my water pump last summer because of bearing noise. The noise was fairly consistent.

As far as warranty goes, I believe it works something like this. If the powertrain warranty has 2 days left, and a new water pump is installed, then technically the new pump has 2 days of warranty. Now that's a bit extreme if the new pump should quickly fail, and I believe a typical dealer will usually warrant new parts and labour for a small period of time, like 90 days.

justin1203

Clutchless, Droid13, and the dealer (via e-mail) all guessed something else (lifters from my description). I can take the vehicle in tomorrow, just concerned over what something like this may cost me.


Droid13--they actually have a decent warranty, 12 months/12k miles. If it was the WP, I'm 3.5 week/200 miles just inside of that.

SteveCraig

Dealer should have a stethoscope. Noise could be from water pump......sure.
It could also be from a noisy valve train, noisy injectors etc..

2 year warranty is just as described above. They warranty to get you to 24 mos. or XXXXX miles.
After either of these expire, liability is gone & you're on your own.

justin1203

I'll be scheduling to have vehicle looked at by Lexus shortly. In the meantime, I found this:

http://www.edmunds.com/car-maintenan...97470&type=tsb

Vehicle: 2010 Lexus RX 350
Summary:
LEXUS: ENGINE TICKING NOISE AND/OR MIL ON P0014, P0015, P0024, P0025, P0017, OR P0018. ENGINE MECHANICAL. ( NHTSA ITEM NUMBER - 10032528 )

Do TSB's only apply to a vehicle for a limited amount of time? This one is quite old.

Droid13

I believe the ticking noise referred to here is that which results from having no oil in the engine, after too much leaks out (or sprays out, depending on severity) of the rubber oil cooler line.

Clutchless

If that line fails all your oil shoots out rapidly and then your engine seizes. If it is just seeping, your oil level may be low. Have you checked your oil? Noticed any oil drips under the vehicle?
That TSB has evolved into an extended warranty for the hose that was mailed out last year. There is another thread about that issue where I posted a link to the document. https://www.clublexus.com/forums/rx-...-question.html

justin1203

Clutchless,

That's not my case. Sorry, I was searching through and stumbled upon that TSB but did not realize it was a low oil issue (the ticking sound). I believe as you suggested earlier, it may be the lifters. I suppose if it is, it's something that I can either live with or pay to repair.

As an update, I have not heard the noise for almost the last week. Weather has been moderate here in PA.

MDames2

iTrader: (1)

I also have a 2010. It has only 35,000 miles. There is a slight ticking sound that you can hear when the car is cold. It goes away after a few minutes. This is common and not a concern. This was first noticed on the 2007 ES350. Everyone thought it was piston slap or some onerous problem. But it wasn't. I wouldn't give this another thought.

Clutchless

If it is just noisy lifters, I would do a couple of oil and filter changes at 5,000 mile intervals to help clean out the engine. Only use 0w20 synthetic oil.

SteveCraig

I may be on the wrong track but: do our overhead cam engines even have lifters ?

Clutchless

Yes, hydraulic valve lifters, they pump up with oil and have very small oil passages that are slow to pump up, thus creating more noise when initially starting up. They are also more prone to getting clogged reducing oil flow and making them noisier as time and mileage increases. Some vehicles are more notorious for this than others. I thought Toyota/Lexus had a reputation for being pretty quiet.
The overhead cam eliminates rocker arms and the number of moving parts. Still need valve lifters.

SteveCraig

Right you are. I was thinking of my old push rod 350 in the Buick.
Haven't had an overhead cam engine apart yet.