What does the VTC clacking sound like? I know people talk about the clacking alot but how would you know it was the vtcs and not something else making the noise? Today after driving in the rain when i pulled into my neighborhood it sounded like a very hungry woodpecker was going at my engine. There was a very fast and loud noise... is this the VTC noise? or what is the vtc noise like?

could be did it change with engine speed

my ticking would stop "around" 3k and above for some reason i don know if thats normal but it would tick at idle

Never heard of this ticking thing before

Yeah i knew i was going to suprise everyone with the ticking noise... but this is a terribly loud noise, and since i have never heard what the VTCs sound like its kind of scary to not know whether my car is okay or not.

If it is loud and 'clacking' (best adjective I can think of to describe it), then it is your VTCs. Check to see which area of the engine it is coming from -- should be from where your oil cap is (or slightly behind it if you are looking at the engine head-on).

Is it a really loud noise? Because like when i go up to around like 3000 Rpms its very loud, it doesnt make any noise until i go up to like 2500 and above... whats the possibility of like throwing a rod or spinning a bearing on the VE? Also my headgasket is bad if that helps anyone think of anymore ideas. I will be buying a new engine for this car anyways but im still curious as to whats wrong with this one.

If you rummage around on the site, you will find a way to ground out your VTCs (take them out of action) - probably in the "Stickies" - that would be the best way to know for sure, although in all likelyhood, I would say that is the problem, which is very common with the 3rd gen maximas VE30DE engine.

Some things you can do that may improve the situation, if it is indeed your VTCs:

Try the Toyota Oil Filter (again rummage around)
Definitely check your oil level immediately!!! I noticed that my max makes a lot more noise when it is low on oil - long story....

There is also a thread where an oil additive called "BG MOA" is recommended - if you google for it you can buy it on the web for about $10.

Hope this helps..... my VTCs are VERY LOUD on a cold start, then quiet down when the rpms get higher and the engine warms up....

it sounds similar to a diesel engine

if your headgasket is allowing the antifreeze to mix with the oil then the chance of ruining the rod bearings is VERY high.

Is there any way to know if i have ruined a rod bearing? Like without taking apart the engine?

nope .....

Okay, well i guess i will learn alot when i disassemble this engine.... anyone have a used ve for like 500 bucks???

I paid less than that for a complete running VE car

Haha, well then does anyone have a VE whole car for under 500 dollars?

Just start calling junkyards. Even if someone on .org had one, it would cost you that much to ship it to you.

Unless you have "sources" like internetautomart or get a really good deal at an auction, you aren't going to find a $500 VE that will drive very far.

If your car is in good shape and you are thinking about rebuilding the engine, I would look at putting in a JDM. If you think you have the mechanical ability to rebuild a VE, then installing a JDM will be a breeze for you. With your own labor, the total cost will probably less than $1200 (depending on how much you get the engine for) and that would include all the gaskets, hoses, seals and a new knock sensor.

i get a loud "ticking" from my AC area after using it. its probably my VG VTC's

my current VE has a rod knock but it only knocks when above 1800rpms and progresivly gets louder the higher the rpms get (its very loud)

but it has VTC tick at idle

Yeah i am in the process of taking off the oil pan to see if i can see anything wrong... let me tell you that oil pan is not easy to get off, but i think i have a rod knock judging by what you say subs

If you threw a rod or spun a bearing then your motor would run like $hit.

If it's just a loud ugly noise but otherwise runs ok then chances are it's VTC's I would recommend grounding them and selling the car before more stuff breaks.

Sorta like what you are doing Dave?

he bought the car for like 800 so hes probably trying to fix it up not dump it considering hes selling his VG. also VTC's clacking doesnt mean the car is done for.

Well i had planned on putting in a new engine anyways.. this one has 209,000 on the clock and a bad head gasket, so it wasnt worth it for me to fix the head gasket anyways, so a new engine was in the plans already.

Precisely !!

Not neccessarily.
I've had 2 rod knockers and both ran fine for a good long time. only reasons I got rid of them were unrelated to the knocks