Cold knock

[MasonBuilder]

Hello, My g/f just got a 2005 Vibe AWD. Since I will be performing all the maintenance I figured I would sign up to the Vibe forum. My first question is the reliability of the 1ZZ engine? I have read good things about this engine, but I have also read of multiple main bearing and oil pump failures also. I know any one of those problems could happen on any engine, but I just want some opinions of the strong and weak areas of this engine and what I could do for the weak areas. Her car has about 37,000 miles on it and runs great, but on mornings when it is below about 25 degrees F , there is a slight cold knock for about 5-10 seconds. Is this anything to worry about, or normal? I know some will probably disagree, but I plan on using 0w-40 Mobil One in this engine instead of the recommended 5w-30 or whatever it is now. Thanks, Chris

[ehoff121]

Congrats on the purchase!I've got an '05 AWD, too. Great little car. Not too many engine issues around here. Wheel vibration, maybe, but not engine issues. Where did you read about the issues you mention?I've not heard a knock, per se, but it might take an extra crank or 3 when it's really cold. I found that adding half a bottle of "ISO-HEET" at each fill-up has reduced the amount of extra cranking quite a bit.I also use 5W-30 Mobil 1 with Mobil 1 filter every 5k and no issues. I'm not sure you'll get a lot of folks agreeing with 0W-40. Wouldn't 40 weight oil be too thick in the winter?0W-30 maybe? One tip is to be sure to use a torque wrench when replacing lug nuts on the wheels. 76 ft. lbs. is the spec-- over-tightening can cause wheel problems.Good luck!

[MasonBuilder]

I have read of the bearings on one of the toyota forums and I think Wiki has something on a bad oil pump. I was thinking of the 0w-40 Mobil One because I have heard Mobil One runs a little on the thin side anyway, plus I may be wrong but, in my opinion the 0w-40 should still allow decent cold weather start up while offering good hot engine protection.

[Sublimewind]

You "may" be hearing the belt tensioner knocking to... That is a common problem... it's the accessory belt tensioner and/or the idler pully on it that can knock... I need to replace mine actually..

[ehoff121]

Quote, originally posted by MasonBuilder » I was thinking of the 0w-40 Mobil One because I have heard Mobil One runs a little on the thin side anyway, plus I may be wrong but, in my opinion the 0w-40 should still allow decent cold weather start up while offering good hot engine protection.My advice would be to stick with 5W-30. Give some credit to Toyota for knowing what the best viscosity grade to use is. Even in the owner's manual, 5W-30 is recommended for all of the operating temps you'd find in NJ. It seems counterintuitive to be concerned about the oil pump, but run thicker oil through it. Thinner oil is easier to pump, right? Some people on here swear by Royal Purple, but it's more expensive than Mobil 1. On the other hand, others use regular oil and are happy.As long as there's oil in the crankcase, this engine will likely be fine for a long time.

[2002sportside]

Quote, originally posted by MasonBuilder »I have read of the bearings on one of the toyota forums and I think Wiki has something on a bad oil pump. I was thinking of the 0w-40 Mobil One because I have heard Mobil One runs a little on the thin side anyway, plus I may be wrong but, in my opinion the 0w-40 should still allow decent cold weather start up while offering good hot engine protection.From what I have read on Corolla/Matrix/Celica forums, most of the oil pump problems have been on 2zz motors. The oil pump is not driven the same on a 1zz. If an oil pump is going to fail, it is going to fail regardless of what is in there, but a thicker oil will obviously be harder to move. All in all a 1zz is pretty reliable, not a whole lot goes wrong with it. Actually, I don't think I have heard of a STOCK 1zz having bearing problems, but I could be forgetting someone. I'm not going to get into an oil weight debate (already read way too much of it on vw forums...). I've thought of going 5w20 or 0w20, but not thicker... In the end I'll probably just stick with 5w30 and a good filter.