[UPDATE]

Had an opportunity to hear another GX do a cold start up and the sound was identical. It's fan clutch, plus valve train sound.

 

No, it’s not normal. Cold start clatter is cause by lack of lubricant or oil being circulated. Metal to metal contact most likely cause by carbon / sludge in the engine preventing lubrication. Up to 90% of engine wear comes from cold starts and yours sounds particularly bad.

I use MMO to clean the engine in all my vehicles for years now. Also works for the fuel system. You can also try using an engine flush but I personally like MMO better. It does a more thorough job. You run it with the oil for usually 500 miles or so and then change the oil. You need to clean the internals. I would suggest running a quart of the product. Don’t overfill the oil! Extract or drain a quart of oil before adding MMO. Walmart sells it for like $4 a quart.

Also, what oil are you running? Should be at least a 5w fully synthetic in cold climates. Cold start clatter manifest more in particularly cold climates because cold oil takes longer to circulate. If you are interested in additional protection I also suggest checking Cera Tec by Liqui Moly. Another product that I particularly love. You can find it on Amazon. My engines start with zero clatter even on the coldest days.

 

I wonder if there is something up with your fan clutch?

 

Oil is Mobil1 and properly spec’d—OEM filters.

 

Seriously try MMO. I’ve used it on many vehicles to eliminate upper valve train cold start clatter. The detergent in oil alone is not enough to keep the engine properly clean.

 

Any update?

 

Took a ride in another GX, sound is identical.

 

I moan and groan when it's 30 degrees also...

not exactly sure what I'm hearing honestly, sounds like injectors & lifters mixed with a ton of fan clutch.

 

Good to know. Thanks.

 

It sounds exactly like the infamous Toyota Tacoma tick on their 4.0 V6 engine. It's completely normal and more present in cold weather than warm weather but you can certainly find a number of post about it over on Tacomaworld.com. I suspect the 4.6 V8 is no different in terms of valve train noise and of course the level of noise can vary greatly between manufactures. I tend to think Toyota is on the louder side of that but the LS motors Chevy make are up there as well. I wouldn't worry about it other than checking your engine oil level and running premium fuel.

 

I’ll make a video of my engine tomorrow morning for you to hear the difference. I seriously think it is lack of lubrication due to carbon preventing proper oil flow to the upper valve train.

 

Here you go, I made it this evening as the temps are actually supposed to be about 6 degrees warmer in the morning. Temp on outside thermometer said 36, vehicle read 37 degrees.

Truck has been sitting for 2 days as it’s not my daily. I’m currently running Mobile 1 EP 0W-20. Cleaned the engine with MMO as mentioned when I received the vehicle about 5 months ago and changed the oil after about 500 miles of driving. Then treated with Cera Tek by Liqui Moly. Cera Tek product is amazing. Best thing since sliced bread for cold start protection among other things. I use in all my vehicles. As you can see / hear my engine is much more quiet than yours. It’s not magic...

 

Asking this question on a forum ... any forum ... is asking for remote input that will only fuel paranoia that something is wrong when there is no issue, or argue it's normal so you potentially ignore what may be a major problem. Best to have a trained technician ... in person ... lean their calibrated ears close to the concerning noise in question, and even use a stethoscope to target any potential noise sources.

 

It’s not the fan clutch but I digress.

 

I hadn't seen the OPs video.. it doesn't sound like fan clutch to me either but IMO also doesn't sound catastrophic

Agree... with ASE... have a trained tech check it out