VTC's disaster!
 

hello org. i have a ve auto.when i first bought my max, the vtc's were clacking. ive had my vtc's grounded for a couple of months now with no probs. now here the past couple of weeks they clack regardless of grounding. i checked all connections. the funny part is when i unground them theyll stop ticking, but when i ground them they start right back to doing it. i thought it was my motor actuall knocking untill i ungrounded them and they stopped. they are making me want to do bad things to the car. is there anything that could be wrong besides vtc. please help.

After awhile, the VTCs just clack, no matter whether they are grounded / ungrounded. Might be time to be thinking about a rebuild.

unfortunately you are about at the end of the road with your VTCs. Mizeree hit the nail on the head. Start saving your money...

So, since we're talking about VTC failure, I was browsing the TSB NTB93-189, and I noticed that cleaning the oil passages that feed the VTCs requires pulling the heads?? I was always under the impression this was not necessary. Also, in the TSB, the photos of the engine are all blurred out :( Anyone ever cleaned the gallies with a really long pipe cleaner or something, and not had to pull the heads? Or are the passages too winding?

Meh.. mine have been doing that for 50k miles... eventually they're going to let go, but I'm not too worried about it happening soon.

change the oil and use a good oil filter (the toyota ones recommended in the stickies are great).. use Castrol GTX and see what happens with them. also might want to run a good engine flush through it before you change the oil. it made mine a lot more quiet for a couple of months.

now I can hear mine clacking away while I'm driving.. just shift into a higher gear so I'm below 2500rpm and give it some gas and the noises go away. strange.

how much is the rebuild. if its too high i think i might end up saving for a newer car that doesnt have a prob like this. if i had a vg i might be a little happier. it is so embarassing to come to a stop, and people are at a light and it just knocks. it is so gay. if i go to oreillys what kind of car do i need to say to get the toyota filter. also what else can i do make it mechanically queiiter as far as engine flushes and lubes.

i got a 104,000 on my car doing the engine flush would mess up seals ? right what kind do you use

you need to go to a toyota dealer to get a genuin toyota filter

read the stickies on both of those comments- here and in the oil/lubricants forums. it's stated both places.

No it's not, thats exactly whats supposed to happen :kiss:

Yes Shawn he knows. Matt and I found this "lugging" fix about 2 years before you knew what this board was. I believe he's referring to how strange it is that this action quiets the assemblies down. It's always the load on the engine that does it.

oh that's easy, oil goes in the VTC's because the ECU grounding the solenoids.

http://s92599732.onlinehome.us/smili...iles/wavey.gif

oh and normally the "lugging fix" is only good for one stop light, in my car. Then knock knock knock.

<3 my grounding switch. ground them for about 5 seconds then unground and they will be quiet....... until the next stop light lol.

Um wha?? This works regardless if the assemblies are grounding or not. Probably oil pressure or something.

just rebuild youll be happier. I rebuilt mine and shes been quiet ever since

how much is the rebuild kit and is there a write up for doing it.if i am decently mechanically inclined do you think i can pull it off myself to save some money. ive dones struts brakes valve cover gaskets rotors and things of the sort myself, or do i have to be really inclined to do it myself

are you comfortable rebuilding your own engine? If so, then have at it. here's the TSBs that show how to rebuild them and etc.
http://mattblehm.com/faq/VTC_tsb.pdf

it'll be up to you to tear the engine apart to get that far.
you'll nee a hydraulic press, among many other special tools.

get the parts from a dealer. they're about $40 a head I think. here's what's in the box:
http://mattblehm.com/pics/car/VTC/spring_kit.jpg

Talk to MrGone about his "Hydrolic Press" Very Innovative :thumbsup:

and the fact said hydraulic press is probably what killed the rest of the engine. :hide:

how did a hydraulic press kill the engine if its what is required to do the vtc job

also if i decide not to do it is there anyone near chattanooga that would like to do it, and if so how much?

we'll let shawn explain what he used for a "press".

Shawns Suburban Press
 

looks like a.... could it be??? a SUBURBAN???

http://s92599732.onlinehome.us/image...s/P1010029.JPG

and is that the Rear housing?

http://s92599732.onlinehome.us/image...s/P1010037.JPG

;)

Brian

yes, that way works, however it is not necessary

a block of wood (or two) some various sized sockets and a hammer is all you really need. The main thing is to mark the hell out of them :)

guess what org i got great news. i just saved a lot of................... really though, i just did an oil change on my car. lately ive been taking it to firestone for that because i was to lazy to do it at times. when i got under the car the fires filter had new oil on the case like its been dripping. glad i caught now than later. but i went on ahead and got the toyota filter and some exxon 10w30 and i haven't heard a tick or knock yet. it sounds like when i first got the car. when I first crunk the car after the change she ticked for about 30 seconds, then she got really quiet and i had to see if she was still on because the motor was not making all the vtc,valves, and lifter noises. do you think it was the cheap oil that made it do all that or is it the toyota filter that making like it is now. and never again will i go to firestone, my motor could have locked up eventually.

Cheap Oil + Old Car = Disaster

This is a good example of why you should change your own oil...

The Toyota filter is just a temporary fix and really just helps slow the process down of the VTCs getting louder. If they were ticking before, they will probably continue.

its the end of the night and i still haven't got a tick yet.im really happy. if itsa temporary fix how long is it suppose to last. it seems to me grounded,thicker oil and that darn filter are just about a perfect combo for me. i think i actually might go aheads and start fixing the struts and stuff now.

I bought my car in Sept 2003, it started to tick a month later, switched to the toyota filter and GTX and havent heard anything since, maybe its the altitude in CO. but id like to say its the filter and oil :doublethu

i got a question about the vtc noise. when it started to make its noise, why do u all call the vtc problem a tick when it sounds like a knock. i thought it was motor knock at first untill i first started grounding the vtc's then it stopped. so does the sound really sound like a tick or a knock like a f350

It's more like a knock....(f350 pefect example) :doublethu Im not sure why they call it a tick... but it caught on and thats what we all refer to it as.

weel org this morning i got up to see if i would have the early morning start up knock/rattle/tick and............... she purred. not one sound. i had a smile from side to side. and i have been driving all day and still havent heard anything. also is it me or something else, but my car feels like it runs smoother and idles really really quiet. i consider this a good comeback for a car whose vtc's ticked 85% of the time. how long should i expect this fix to last. i used exxon superflo 10w30 to start but whats a better but not to expensive oil to use without going to synthetic.

5 quarts of mobil one full synthetic is only $20 at walmart... i changed mine on saturday