Monday, November 02, 2015 - 04:13 pm, by: Scott Vim(1uz1jz)
I can't tell you if it's safe to drive or not. I can tell you that the 1uz is very durable and pretty much bullet proof. Unless you are running it without oil. What might help is to post up a video on youtube of the sound. I'm sure if you went into a dozen mechanic workshops and asked that question they would all respond with 'I can't say much without seeing it first'. A decent video with the sound would be a good start.
My guess would be that you will need to do another timing belt job.
