Tapping Noise

[jimbouk]

Had my 52 reg Rav4 2.0GX for almost a month now and have to say i am very pleased with it.

One thing concerns me a little , when i run it from cold there is a tapping sound ( poss valve related ) which continues until the engine is warm.

is this normal or should i be getting it checked out ?

[rpaterson]

Really depends how long it goes on. I'm reckoning it's the tappets not enough getting oil until the engines been running a short while. My BMW 328 does this now and again but usually goes away after two or three minutes. Does the frequency of the noise increase with engine speed ie if you rev it, does it get quicker?? If so, tappets. Sometimes an engine will start to get 'tappety' when it's due an oil change and some people will use thicker oil to shut it up.

[Uncle Bob]

I have the same engine thats done 18K and i have no noises ,so best get it checked out.

[moonstone mart]

When was the last oil change/service?

If it was a while ago it may benefit from an oil and filter change with correct oil.

martin

[jimbouk]

Only had the car appx one month , and it was serviced ( supposedly )by the Toyota main dealer prior to my collection .

Has a years Toyota warranty on it so looks like ill be pointing it in their direction for answers

[anchorman]

Only had the car appx one month , and it was serviced ( supposedly )by the Toyota main dealer prior to my collection .

Has a years Toyota warranty on it so looks like ill be pointing it in their direction for answers

Serviced might mean the oil level was checked. You can probably tell by the colour of the oil. In any case I have known cars make "tappety" noises for years with no long term detrimental effect so don't lose too much sleep over it.

If it is a petrol (your profile does not say), they have a valve that opens when the engine is cold to circulate fuel vapours through a charcoal canister (to reduce NOx emmisions). That valve can sometimes generate a tapping noise.

See what the dealer says but I really wouldn't worry. Tapping that gets louder when the engine warms up is more of a concern.

Regards