News in

2013 with 5.0. It likes abuse, I guess. I've got about 15k miles on it, and the last 5k miles or so I've noticed a knocking sound at idle. It comes and goes as far as intensity. After I drove home from work one day last week (30 miles), i cranked the truck after it had sat 30 minutes or so, and it knocked pretty loud. I could hear it inside the cab, although in-cab, it's muffled and it sounds more like an exhaust leak. So anyway, it pisses me off, so I pretty much dog the truck into town. Several WOT runs as the road would allow. I'm thinking maybe the knocking might get worse. To my surprise, when I get home and let it idle, I can barely hear the knocking. It sounds like what I'd consider normal. Today after work, same scenario. The knocking is too loud, I run it harder than usual, and the knocking is quieter after. I generally drive below 3k rpm. Maybe I need to flog it more often.

Any ideas what the noise could be? It sounds like its in the block. Can barely hear it from under hood. Can hear it standing beside the truck, louder through driver fender well, and loudest from under truck. I just don't know why running it harder lessens the noise. The only experience I've had with an engine noise that lessened when the motor was run hard were sticking lifters, but the noise sounds lower in the block.

Kinda sucks, regardless. Thinking seriously about trading it for a Toyota Highlander for my wife and driving her old car awhile. Already called dealer and they offered $28,500 trade allowance sight unseen (I bought it there, they sell Ford and Toyota). I paid $32k. Not that huge of a hit if they'll deal a little on the Yota. I can find a beater 4wd to drive on the weekends. Hell, if my truck's going to knock, I want it to be old and look like it should knock.

Can't believe I'm thinking about trading this soon. But the more I'm in the truck, the less I like the seats. And the friggin knock noise. Two things I can't stand in a vehicle are uncomfortable seats and stupid engine ticking and knocking noises. Sorry, I'm venting and thinking out loud here. Ah well, I'm open to suggestions. If any of you had a bad experience with a Highlander or know what the knocking is, speak now or forever hold your piece. Lol

02themax

So what did the dealer say about the knocking?

sullyman

The fuel injectors on these trucks can tap loudly at times, so it might be that. I would have the dealer check out out. My truck is extremely quiet, and most I have been around are also quiet.

As for the seats, I think there have been a few threads where the majority (90%) love the way the seats fit, but the people didn't love them tended to hate them. There seems to be no in between. Anyway, I'm in the comfortable camp, wishing my office chair was as comfortable as my truck chair! At 6' 4" & 300lbs, I found the Ford seats to be the best combination of comfort and support. The Toyota and Nissan seats seemed much too thin, lacking padding, very stiff. The Dodge lacked support, but was soft enough, but from experience, I can tell you they don't hold up. Don't know about the Chebby, never test drove it.

News in

Well, the service writer/manager/whatever walked out and started his truck (same motor), and he didn't tell me what he was doing but I followed him and listened too. He said, "yours is definitely more pronounced, take it back there and let David listen to it." So, I took it back, and he listened, and he crawled under it. And he looked up TSB's for 2013's and said he didn't see any. Basically said to bring it back later, so I mentioned I needed to get the oil changed pretty soon and I could bring it back then and possibly they could look at it then, something might even show up in the oil. Said they'd isolated the noise, get on the Ford tech line and go from there. Said if needed, I'd get a new block, etc. They were nice enough. Also told me the service writer's truck was new and wasn't broken in and they'd sound different after break in. And I was kinda like "12k miles (at the time) isn't a whole lotta miles, so that shouldn't be an issue", but I stopped myself there cuz I didn't want to be a smartass.

When I took it back for the oil change, I just got an oil change. No one came to listen to the motor or anything. So I suppose there was some miscommunication there. So I went looking for David and reminded him of it, but the motor was pretty much sounding normal at the time. Slight knock, what I'd consider normal for the 5.0, but nothing like it was previously doing. So David had the filter cut apart, no metal in it, no excessive noise now, so down the road I go. Said to bring it back if it I had any problems. But the knock came back. But crap, I don't really have time to drop it off and it doesn't knock, go pick it back up and it will knock, etc. I kinda need to bring it in there when it's doing it, and have them diagnose it then. I understand that would be inconvenient for them (me also, but I can deal with that), but I don't want to bring it in making the sound and have to leave it, then they crank it 4 hours later and it's quiet, ya know? And to be honest, I think I'd rather trade it off and lose a little money than have a rebuilt motor in a truck with 15k miles. So I haven't taken it back again yet. Honestly, I've chased crap like this once before under warranty on another vehicle, and unless the motor doesn't run right, I think it'll be a waste of time.

News in

It's definitely not the injectors. I'm not an engine expert, but it's a more metallic sound, much lower in the block. Injector noise is more of an electric shock sound. I can hear the injectors also, listening to the top of the engine with the hood open. This noise is best heard from the fenderwell or underneath the truck. Pretty much sounds like a rod knocking, piston slapping, loose wrist pin, something like that. Seems strange that if you run it hard, the noise goes away for a while. Put cruise control on and drive down the interstate at 2k rpm, the noise will be back. I dunno.

Seats may be because I don't have the 6 way power adjustable deal. Just manual recline, lumbar, and fore and aft sliding. Seems like I should be able to find a good position with that, but I guess I can't. The seats seem to push on my lower back and upper back, but no support in the middle. I'm not real picky about seats, never given much thought to them really, but these make my back hurt after about 30 minutes and I start squirming around.

I wouldn't consider myself picky about vehicles in general. I drove a 98 Dodge Ram (like you hate) for 190k miles and never took it to the dealership until it had over 100k. I just do not like unusual motor noise and the seat issue, iI guess that part's my fault for not taking it on a road trip during the test drive.

UFLBret

Sounds like you've already made up your mind. Go trade it in. Little things will come out and bug you more and more because you will subconsciously be looking for them, trying to find more reasons to do what you really want to do.... Life's too short to settle or be unhappy.

sullyman

That's an interesting knocking noise then, and would certainly take it in while it's doing it. They most likely won't rebuild the engine. Seems that you would get a new engine based on posts on here.

As for the seats, I've got the manual seats as well. Everybody likes something a little different, that why there's so many furniture makers out there. Too bad auto manufacturers don't give you different options.

News in

May do it. Dealer wants the truck plus $6k for a new Highlander with leather and V6. If I can get down there with my wife to look at it and she likes it, I'll offer them $3k out the door. If they take it, the wife has a new ride and I'm driving a friggin Buick for a while. If they won't budge off the $6k, I'll keep it. I'm honestly over the "I have to have the awesomest vehicle" or the "look what I'm driving" phase of my life, so I'm not looking for little things to be wrong and wanting to trade it. Mainly the knocking bothers me. I figure it'll still run a long time with the noise, but it sounds damn awful at times for a truck with 15k miles. The seats...I could figure something out for them. But the two together do have me thinking.

We'll see, mainly just wanted to gripe I guess and see if anyone had an idea as to what the noise could be. I noticed if you rev the motor to 4k at idle when it's knocking fairly loud, the noise will go away when it returns to idle. Weird.

News in

Dealership did say new block, but they said they'd have to put it together with existing parts. I'm not sure what they'd re-use, they told me "It's almost impossible to get a totally new engine" were the exact words. So I don't know, guess it depends on exactly what's causing the sound. I imagine if the block isn't damaged, they'll reuse it. If it is damaged, they'll probably re-use the heads and intake. I dunno. But not sure I want to go through all that crap. I honestly think as long as it runs as well as it does, the Ford tech hotline will most likely call it normal operation and they might not do anything. Ah well, we'll see. I'll see what my wife wants to do on the new one for her and go from there.

News in

Drove truck to lunch and didn't hear any knocking. Switched the headrest with the passenger side one and for some funky reason, that helped. That headrest doesn't push my head forward. Maybe it has a little less padding in it or something. I dunno, but it helped. As far as the knocking sound, no idea why that comes and goes like it does. Toyota dealer called in the mean time and said "they had some room to negotiate" (I haven't even looked at the Highlander yet lol). The plot thickens. lol