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4 cyl has rattle noise near or under valve cover - 96 Camry I want to buy

Hi,

I hope someone can help me with an engine noise that I am concerned about on a 1996 Camry LE 4cyl car that I want to buy for my wife.

Car background:

96 Camry LE with 76,000 miles (4 cyl automatic) Car drives great, acceleration is as expected Engine is very quiet at just above idle to 5000 rpm

Symptoms:

  1. Start the car and at idle I hear a light rattly sound coming from the top of the 4 cyl engine. Possibly from under the valve cover, but not sure.

  1. Sound is like light metal rattling at engine vibration freq., similar but not quite like valve train rattle on a chevy V8.

  1. When I roll the throttle up slightly (~1000 rpm), the rattle disappears.

First thing I thought of was maybe the exhaust heat shield is rattling because many years ago I had heard this was an issue on certain 4 cyl Toyotas, but the sound seems to come from closer to the valve cover than the heat shield.

Questions

  1. My fear is that it is an oiling issue with the top-end on the Toyota 2.2
4 cyl. Has anyone had experience with this.
  1. Did any one else with this engine hear similar noises and what did it lead to?

Thanks in advance, Greg in Puyallup

Reply to
gregk
Loading thread data ...

Fuel injectors make a rapid "tiktik-tiktik-tiktik-tiktik-tiktik" sound at idle and *some* examples can produce a sound volume like slightly loose valves. Is normal.

Reply to
Philip®

My 98 LE (88k miles) makes a rattling noise similar to what you describe. When the RPM's go above 3k the noise totally disappears. My mechanic says not to worry about it so I just turn up the radio. I bought the car used last summer and it runs like a top so I don't worry about it.

NRJ

"Very funny Scotty..... Now beam down my clothes!"

Reply to
Navin R. Johnson

Thanks to everyone for the help. I decided that whatever the rattle noise is, I can live with it. I went ahead and bought the car, it really is a beauty--the wife loves it!

disappears.

Reply to
gregk

I agreee with the responder who said water pump. Been there done that..... and at about the same mileage. Your Camry is due a timing belt anyway..... Do the pump at the same time (it's driven off the timing belt). Mine is a 97 and currently at 159K miles with no other problems ....

Reply to
T. Wilson

Reply to
John

timing kit sounds like a good idea. water pump too.

thanks, Greg

Reply to
gregk

Don't wait - I have been told that in rare instances that the oil pump can be damaged and that will be more expensive to repair. I just put the timing belt and adjusters in with a new water pump on my 97 with 70K miles. It took me 2 nights of 4 hours.

Scott

disappears.

Reply to
Scott C

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