Well, you guys can add me to the list. Same knocking sound between 1800 and 2000 under light load. Engine doesn't feel as if it's missing. I can hear the noise
very faintly if the truck's parked in neutral, clutch out, and revs bround up to around 1000. What bugs me is that I spent hours reading all the reviews of Tacoma owners who'd owned crummy small American trucks and were much more satisfied with their new Tacomas. So I go out and buy a year-old '02 with 8K on it and I get a rod noise along with the deal. Great.
Well at least I got an extra warranty that covers me to 100K. I'm not sure if I'll go back to the dealer with the problem -- I may just drive it as is and let it be a rolling advertisement against this motor. We'll see how bad it gets over time....
OS