I have an 08 es350 with 75`000 miles running on Pennzoil 5w20 synthetic. Last January I noticed a tick on cold start up (attached garage)when temp[s were colder then 50 F . Sounded just like hyd. lifter tick, not piston slap. It would go away after 3 to 10 miles of driving. The colder it was, the longer it took to go away. I changed my oil in April and put in Castrol Edge 5w20 synthetic. The noise went away and made me think that the new oil had some type of additive to revitalize the seal in the lifter that was leaking down or so I thought. I drove all summer and no tick at all.
The tick has come back on cold start ups again. I decided to dig further into this. In neutral and revving the motor, there is no tick. With the car moving in all drive gears and reverse the noise appears again. It doesn't equate with the rpms but rather with the speed of the vehicle. In gear with the brake on, there is no tick. My brake pads are still well within tolerance. No rocks in the tires either. I turned some heat on in the garage last night, temp this morning in garage was 62 F. No tick tick. I can`t see it being an engine problem. I`m starting to think it could be the belt. Have any of you experienced this problem?

 

I would go with Mobil 1 0-20 High Mileage and high flow oil filter.

 

Could be an idler pulley for the belt. Open the hood when you hear it and try to pinpoint the location on the engine. Take a length of hose to use as a stethoscope and place it against various areas to help hear it better. Metal contracts when cold and expands when warm.

It could also possibly be your brake hardware making the pads rattle around. I had this issue on my 08 ES350. I do my own brake work and after servicing them a few times with the noise still present, I learned there was a Technical Service Bulletin for Lexus to replace the old brake hardware that made the pads rattle.

I also found this on engine ticking: http://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/owners/SearchResults;jsessionid=1JLTYvGSPGM2JBDxGqMLXwQmHRkPDGNk91ndjn212h8kYHhVRHPX!2056668107?prodType=V&searchType=PROD&targetCategory=A&searchCriteria.model=ES350&stats=223270%2C3%2C1%2C118%2C20%2CES350&makeStats=&jsonBaseURL=%2Fdownloads%2Ffolders%2F&searchCriteria.model_yr=2008&searchCriteria.make=LEXUS&searchCriteria.prod_ids=223270SUMMARY:

LEXUS: ENGINE TICKING NOISE AND/OR MIL ON P0014, P0015, P0024, P0025, P0017, OR P0018. ENGINE MECHANICAL. *PERequest Research

Manufacturer Communication No.: SSC-70F
Component(s): EQUIPMENT ADAPTIVE
NHTSA ID Number: 10032516

Also referenced this way: 2007 Lexus Es350 Engine And Engine Cooling Service Bulletin 273938

• Action Number: 10032528
  Service Bulletin Number: 273938
  
  Report Date: Mar 19, 2009
  Component: Engine And Engine Cooling
• Summary: Lexus: engine ticking noise and/or mil on p0014, p0015, p0024, p0025, p0017, or p0018. Engine mechanical. *pe

 

[QUOTE=LjeksesES;9683377]I would go with Mobil 1 0-20 High Mileage and high flow oil filter.[/QUOTE

I`ve been waiting for quite awhile for the Mobil 0w20 to go on sale again. Sure enough, i was able to pick up 3 jugs at Cdn. Tire for half price last May or June. Mobil uses PAO`s for their basestock which eliminate the use of Vi improvers which can and will deteriorate over time. Next oil change due in Dec.
But that change to Mobil will not eliminate the tick tick. The noise comes from the drivetrain, not inside the engine,

 

Thank you for your thoughts CLUTCHLESS. The idler pulley could be the source of the noise but the tick is not apparent in gear with the emergency brake on. I don`t feel safe riding under the hood while the wife is driving as the noise is only noticeable when the car is in motion.
You are definitely right in your metal contraction temp variation. This is where my focus is now and brake hardware seems to me to be an area where I am focusing on next. I will be changing to my set of winter wheels shortly. Then I will examine the bake pad situation etc. It could be the brake pad wear shim or the brake hardware issue you went through. On my next cold start, I`m going to run the car with my foot lightly on the brake for a bit to heat up the brakes and see if the tick disappears any quicker. Do you or anybody happen to have a copy of the Lexus TSB related to the brake hardware replacement?

 

Have you lifted each corner and spun each wheel independently? Noise could also be wheel bearing, CV shaft, ABS sensor, etc... Does noise change when cornering? Hitting a bump?

it can't be the belt since you say the noise comes on when the vehicle is in motion and the belt spins when the vehicle is also not in motion.

 

come on. The noise is there on idle because of the low pressure.

 

I want to thank you all for your perspectives. I should add that my hearing is not up to standard even with very good hearing aids. The weather got cooler yesterday. The noise was louder. The tick is now apparent with the emergency on and the revs up to about 1500 rpm and the car motionless. The speed of the tick increased with the the revs of the motor but not fast enough to indicate valve lifter problems. SO the idler pulley and or belt is a very definite possibility as LjeksesES just stated because of the low pressure. I will be getting one of my grandsons to come over and do some listening for me. A tube with funnels on each end will be part of the check as well. Sorry for some of the misinformation above. This check may not occur for a couple of weeks as I plan to do all this when I change to winter tires and rims. I will let you know when I find the source and remedy.

 

Record a video and post it on youtube.

 

I also have some annoying rattles in my '15 F Sport. The dealer just replaced my sunroof mechanism and the passenger side rattle is now gone, but now I have a NEW one on the driver's side. Grr! I don't doubt the 19" V rated rubber is a contributor to the extra vibes the car needs to attenuate internally. I have a '04 Mazda 6S V6 hatchback I bought new, and after the original struts/shocks wore out I went with Bilstein Sport units... MAN did that ramp up the amount of rattles and ticks that car never had before! I spent the next couple years taking apart interior door, trunk and body trim panels to add foam, felt, cloth, duct tape you name it to quell the new noises. It made me insane. Sure, the car handled great, but wow was it noisy for a while!