Corolla 2001 - Knocking Sound When Cold

Are you sure they replaced the timing chain? That usually is not a wear item, doesn't really need to be changed, unless you have a lot of miles on the car or if the engine was screwed up to begin with.

As for the knocking noise - could be nearly anything. The 1ZZ-FE engine is not known to be very quiet - to help narrow down the possibilities, it is a higher pitched, clear, metallic tapping or knocking, or a lower pitched, heavy, dull thumping or knocking sound. If the former - could be bad valve clearances, of the timing chain is not tensioned correctly (worn timing guides, sticking tensioner, poor lubrication, VVT-i issue, piston slap, etc.). If it is the later - then could be anything from poor lubrication to rod rod (worn rod bearings, worn crank journals, something bent or cracked, etc.).

What kind of mileage is on the car and what is the maintenance history of it - ie, how often do you change the oil, what oil weight, burns any oil, etc.?

Hi,

I got the car in April 2006. This car was in the dealer lot for 1 year and a half without moving... 78500KM on it. Now I have 105000KM. (Not much for a 2001). I change the oil every 5000KM and he is not burning any oil. They change the timing chain (At least this is what they said and it was still under warranty at that time... the car was making that noise before and after so i don't think it's related to the timing belt) I look at the car on carfax before buying and IT SEEMS to be the right KM. The car as been sold to the dealer with 76800KM (In Nov 2004). For the sound part, it seems to be knocking... but only when the car temp is not at normal state (IN the middle) after this is silent... One of my friend that do body work is 100% sure this car has more than 100K... But I cannot be sure what they did with the car in 1 year and a half. It's a Beige Model/Manual with air... I was under impression that it wasn't a popular model because of this and it's why it stayed at the dealer for that time.... I use to have a 2001 Corolla (That I got new in 2001) with a auto transmition and that car was very fast compare to this one... This one I always have to press hard on the gaz for the car to move, when i move my feet from the clutch a bit, the car should move a bit, this one, I think if I put my feet in front of the wheel he will stall!!. (No light in the dash, I do 9L/100KM so it's not that bad) They cleaned the injector, they replace the plugs.... They said if the light is not on, nothing can be done. I am sure that car as been in a accident and they repair it. The gaz tank doesn't seems to be original (Some written numbers on it with red paint??, Maybe if they changed the tank, the gaz filter need to be changed?)

Thanks... It's a lot of info but this is what I have to deal with...

Eric

Well the numbers on the tank probably don't mean too much, sometimes a manufacter will mark certain pieces to be QC'd during manufacturing. But something to keep in mind - just in case. I would find another shop/dealership. Just because the CEL is not on, doesn't mean that nothing can be done. You can connected a data logger and drive around a bit to collect some useful data to see if the car is in good working order. A good technician shouldn't have to rely on the OBD-2 system - they should still possess good diagnostic and trouble shooting skills. If a shop plugs in a scanner, reads the codes, and says part ____ is bad because the CEL code was this - then they have not done their job correctly.

The fact that you mentioned that this car seems down on power compared to a same generation automatic is not very good news. At the very minimum, the shop should double check engine compression - make sure that is OK. Normally this is done when the car is completely warmed up - but can be done cold, to get a good baseline. They should also test the VVT-i control system - oil control valve and filter, solenoid, etc. - there is a proper procedure to quickly check these to potential problems, do not have to wait for a CEL if the technician wants to rule out potential culprits. If possible, find out what the cause for the timing chain replacement. Of the 8th gen Corollas - I've only known two others that have replaced their chains - both cars were in excess of 250K miles. Their reason to replace it had nothing to do with mileage on the car, just one where there was no oil in the crankcase and the other from over reving his engine once too many times.

Fuel filter is probably OK - since the problem clears up when the car reaches operating temperature. It could be an EVAP related problem - most of the EVAP hardware is by the tank, if the car was damaged in some way around that area - could be a potential source for problems.

Hi,

I forgot to mention this, They did plug the car on the data logger and everything seems to be fine (Or on spec). The problem with noise clear up when the car reach normal temp but he is still down on power. (This was 2 differents problems...)

I will try to get to another mechanic to see.

Thanks,

Eric

I have posted on here before about my problems with my '01. Usually about my oil disappearing but also about my knocking problem.

Switching to a higher octane helped me. It also made my gas mileage go from 31 mpg to 34 mpg highway. So this is actually saving money right now in terms of $$/mile.

Last week I added 4 oz of Marvel Mystery Oil to the gas tank when I filled up with 89 Octane. The car is running a lot quieter and smoother. It had been shuddering a little at red lights. With my next fill up I'm going to switch back to the lower octane and use marvel again and see if the knocking has actually gone away or if this is all in my head.