Oil Pump Questions

Hey there, got an 07 TRD sport with 1gr-fe 4.0L V6, 200,000km, 2nd owner - and I think my oil pump is on its way out. Anyone replaced theirs? Looking through factory service manual it says front diff carrier assembly, power steering link, and a bunch of other stuff needs to come out - is this true? I know the front of the engine basically has to be disassembled, but I guess I'm just looking for a rough list of what needs to come out. Sometimes FSM can blow things out of proportion.

Basically the problem is driver's side ticking coming from valve covers. It's NOT coming from the little vacuum valve mounted to the intake manifold. I've also recently replaced exhaust manifolds to fix a minor leak and the tick is just as loud as before, and is definitely coming from driver's side valve cover. I've read that this is the first area to stop getting adequate oil as the pump wears. I'm looking to fix it before it does serious damage to my engine.

Another idea I had was to basically run a second external oil pump, much like a dry sump system, except just use my oil pan as the reservoir, but I don't know enough about the 1gr-fe to tell if this is even possible. Just looking for some input/feedback from some of you who've been in these things before. Thanks.

 

try this first...

http://www.tacomaworld.com/forum/2nd-gen-tacomas/43632-ticking-engine-one-fix.html

 

did you read the original post when I said "it isn't the little vacuum valve on the intake manifold"?

 

nah brah my bad

 

No worries. I've actually tried that fix, there's an o-ring on it right now, haha. Then I figured it was due to a minor exhaust leak at the manifolds, so I replaced those. Fixed the leak but not the noise. At this point I think I've pretty much ruled out all the simple stuff. Can't really think of anything else that could cause it besides oil pump wearing out.. except maybe valve clearances are off, but I don't think so after only 200K km.

 

Only shit I can find to give a general idea of how much of a PITA it'll be

 

Yeah, I know it's behind the timing chain cover.. the FSM says you have to remove the whole front axle assembly, lower control arms, power steering link and a bunch of other stuff.. just wondering if that's all really necessary..

 

I would strongly consider other options before replacing the oil pump. I'm not saying it can't go bad, but it is unlikely. Have you checked to see what the actual oil pressure is? That is much easier than doing the pump....if I had to do one I would pull the motor. I hate working in cramped places, and while you had it out you could tear it down to check everything over and maybe soup it up a little.

 

Trust me, I'd rather not have to do it. There have been cases of oil pumps going bad. What happens is they start to wear out, but still pump oil, so the pressure at the sensor is fine, but oil pressure changes throughout the system - further down the line, less pressure. The driver's side valvetrain is apparently one of the first places to get starved of oil - it still gets oil, just not enough..



http://www.tacomaworld.com/forum/2n...upercharged-09-taco-chirping.html#post5490015

http://www.tacomaworld.com/forum/2nd-gen-tacomas/73107-sounds-like-bad-pulley-wish.html#post1384704

http://www.tacomaworld.com/forum/technical-chat/250657-who-has-had-major-failure-1grfe-v-6-a.html

 

What other options are there to consider? What else could it be?

I have been thinking about setting up a secondary pump - just use a pump for a dry sump system, but instead of using a shallow oil pan and reservoir, I could just pull oil from the oil pan itself.. but I'd like to get some insight from someone more familiar with these particular engines first..

 

Could be clogged oil galley's, build up from using dino oil, not changing oil enough, worn cam bearing, etc etc. Could be nothing, 1GR's make a lot of unusual clatter. Mine has been rattling for about 70K miles, but still runs fine. Check your oil pressure at the filter. There is a port that's capped off there. If it's good...run it. If you're still having a panic attack pull the valve covers off and have a look. If one side isn't getting oil you will see that it's cooked..

 

I hope that you know that these engines do NOT have hydraulic Lifters. They will make more noise than an engine with hydraulic lifters.

Have you checked the oil pressure? I think you are putting the cart before the horse.

If it were me I would fully investigate a valve adjustment first. At least get the clearances checked. Also adjustment is not really what happens they use a bucket that has no adjustment but they measure the clearances on all the valves, disassemble down to the buckets and measure the thickness, figure the difference to return the clearance to spec and replace the buckets with the correct thickness.

These 4.0L engines are loud anyway. best of luck on your quest.

 

you can get the timing cover off without removing all that stuff. i have a few off at work and never removed more then the stuff on the front of the engine

 

Thank you. How long would you say it would take to replace the oil pump, roughly?

I know you guys deal quite a bit with people who have absolutely no clue what they're talking about, but I'm a machinist of 10+yrs, and I've been working around engines for longer than that. I'm no master mechanic by any means, and I'm new to toyotas, but I know my way around. I know these engines use shim-under-bucket lifters, and make more noise, like any engine with solid lifters. Compared to other tacos, I find mine makes significantly more noise, but only on the driver's side.

Of course I will exhaust every avenue before going the full course and yanking the timing chain case apart, I'm just trying to educate myself about the process if/when it comes to that. My next course of action was to yank the valve covers off and check clearances. I'll also be able to tell for sure if the driver's side is being starved of oil, as it'll have more burnt oil residue. I'll check oil pressure too.

 

bump

 

Put a good pressure gauge on it before you waste countless hours highly doubtful the pump's bad. A cam will seize in a heart beat from lack of oil. The buckets are selective no shims.