I own a 2008 ES with about 106k miles. I bought it with about 98k. It makes a grinding noise when i start the engine for a few seconds on a cold start.....usually before I leave for work, and sometimes when I am leaving work. The previous owner said it used to do the same thing but only on cold starts on cold days. Since I've owned it, it doesn't matter what the temperature is outside. Anyone have any idea as to what the issue might be? I've included this link to best describe the sound. Even though this is a Honda, this is the exact noise I am referring to. Any assistance would be appreciated. Thank you!

 

Change the oil and make sure it is synthetic and see if the noise is reduced. I would take it to a shop that does a lot of Toyota work and ask their opinion.

 

I've changed the oil once since I've had it (with synthetic Mobil 1). The previous owner is a close friend of mine, and he is just as OCD about car maintenence as I am. He ALWAYS used Mobil 1 synthetic as well.

 

Does it happen when you rev the engine too? It might be a loose catalytic heat shield.

 

No it does not happen when I rev the engine. In fact the car runs perfectly fine.

 

Then it is time to have a dealer or Toyota specialist look at it. You will not find your answer here. It could be any number of engine components, or just normal noise for an aging Toyota V6.

 

I had this happen on my ES for a spell and never did figure out what was happening. Had it in to the shop at least once and they couldn't replicate it. On mine, it sounded like the starter was clicking against the flywheel rapidly. It seems to have gone away over time and not caused any damage - whatever it was. In attempting to read up on mine, it could be the vvti noise... see post #7 on this link (video) and see if your noise is similar:

http://www.toyotanation.com/forum/8-...-start-up.html

 

My noise is very similar to the video on post #7 in the link you sent. I may do some more research on the conversations on the thread in this link to see how much trouble it would be to fix the issue myself.....that is if the vvti is indeed the problem.