Hi Bricksters,
Need some help/advice from ppl wiser than I....
Background: 87-740T lower radiator hose busted a few min after I parked and sprayed out all coolant. Today I finished replacing lower,upper,and expansion tank hose. Also replaced small hose on flame trap b/c of deterioration. Car had sat ~4 weeks while getting parts and time to fix. Upon start and warmup everything I changed held fine.

Problem: While warming up I began noticing a ping ping sound I hadn't heard (or maybe not noticed) before. Checked oil and it is at the midway mark. No loose screws and fan wasn't hitting the shroud. Drove her over to a DIY Toyota mechanic friend,~3miles away, who said it sounded like the noise was from my lifters. So:

1.) Did something in the block get messed up when the coolant sprayed out?
How could I have messed up something in the block if I was parked?

2.)A search came up with oil pump pickup tubes with bad o-rings introducing air. What is the likeliness of this? If I should check this out what is the actual name of the o-rings(I couldn't find them on IPD site)?

2.) I also looked in the FAQ saw something similar saying it might be the plastic "hushers" around valvev stems. Likeliness of this?

Any other ways I can check to find out the specific problem before I throw money/time at the car? Kinda hesitant to mess with cam area.

Thanks, Servano
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87-740T (B230FT w/Garrett) 142k