Sicarius428

I have a 97 automatic with 160k that has been ticking for a while. After reading up on the procedure and purchasing the SST tool and a Chiltons I went after it this weekend. I only got as far as my driver side head and all my exhaust shims were out of spec. The worse of which is .043(suppose to be a max of .014). Unfortunately with the gap of .043 and the size of the shim... for the life of me excapes me right now(it's written down at home) I don't see an available shim large enough to bring it back into spec. I will have to say this operation was pretty tedious even with the special tool. Having to line the spacer tool on the bucket took some effort but I was getting better at it. The shim originally installed was labed 37 but it isn't even available in their .002 increments. It didn't measure between the size 36 and 38 shim either. Does Toyota offer more shims than what is said to be available? At this rate I am about to bite the bullet and take it to Toyota. Do you guys have any suggestions or know of a good Toyota shop in the SF Bay Area? I'm beginning to think my motor was made on a friday or monday because the tolerances are all out of wack. I checked to see if the shim had worne that much but the difference between the outside edge and inside is almost unmeasureable. You can't even see light through the gap if you hold it up to the light. Any thoughts? Thank you for your time.
Just remembered the shim thickness of the oddball... it was 2.93mm or .1155in
Kevin

Sicarius428

Well I just got off the phone with the stealership and they quoted me 900 dollars.
Kevin

BajaRunner

900 only? Wow.

I've never adjusted my valves before, but, it sounds like a nightmare.

Sicarius428

Even the guy on the phone muttered wow before he told me.
Kevin

Sicarius428

How much does the average rebuild cost? I am thinking I rather put the 900 dollars plus whatever a timing belt. waterpump and pullies will cost towards a rebuild or another motor... Damn this is adding up quick.
Kevin

toy_tek

Mine ticks and I've been dreading adjusting the valves on it. I'm going to look through the FSM on it... and I'll be watching this thread. Good luck.

Elton

150k never adjusted hmm seems fine to me

Sicarius428

Damn you guys with your non adjusted valves. hehe. I am just worried that something else is wrong with the head. Maybe the the valve seat is coming out or something. It seems like an awful lot for a shim to wear without any wear marks on it. Granted i have 160k on this thing but whatever is wrong with hydraulic lifters. I much rather change those at 100k because they are cake.
Kevin

gpcollen1

Did you get a price for pulling the heads yourself and just dropping them off at the shop?

Sicarius428

Not yet. I am still in the shopping around for prices stage. Also cosidering buying a used complete motor from the nippon motor place for about 1500ish. I am due for a timing belt too so if I get a motor with 30k I can hold off on that for a while and this way I can have spare parts. I want this truck to last me at least another 10 years. It's also my DD though I do have 2 mustangs that I can use if need be. I know any machine shop can rebuild the heads but is it better to have a place that knows toyota to do this one?
Kevin

Weasy2k

The number ON the shim is NOT what it really is. I have about 80+ shims here and the ones with some markings on there (IE 37) are not 3.7mm like people think, nor is it listed as a number that you can reference the FSM. I do not know how the hell they came up with that kind of numbering system but they have made it better since. When you buy new shims, say a 3.3mm, it will have 3300 written on the shim itself.
Depending on the caliper if it shows a 2.93mm then it is most likely a 2.95mm again that depends on the caliper and how hard you are pressing on the little adjustment knob.
If you are worried about everything there is a way to help you and that is valve spring spacers. I send those out with cams when people purchase new regrinds from me. I have .015" and .030" spacers which fit under the shim. Most people will be scared to do this but I have ran the .015" in my tacoma WITH .020+" of clearance (my mistake i forgot to reshim the head when i did the cam swap ) for over 1 year...and that was with supercharged and not. So the myth of them FLYING out with the spacers is kinda put to rest there

Anyway just a idea.

Oh it could also be that your CAMS are out of spec....

jjrgr21

i put 215k on my 98, and it started ticking @ 35k, never had any issues

tmisiak

After speaking with my tech he says that there is probably a much bigger problem and that you should take the head apart and inspect it. We do have lash caps that would take care of your problem with the shims. Do yourself a favor and call into our tech dept. and ask for John for some expert advice. The number is 877-505-2501. I hope this helps you somewhat.

profuse007

save the money and time.

why dont you just go get another set shims and just slap it on?

Weasy2k

problem with that is he may not be able to get large enough shims to fit it Toyota only makes a certain range, if he is out then something else may be wrong. Cam, Valves, Head...etc...

Sicarius428

Thank you for the replies. Mine has been ticking for 50k now... It's starting to sound like a desel. hehe. Yeah it didn't add up as far as the numbering of the shims on the bottom. I figured it was Toyota trying to throw a little more chaos in my weekend. The thought that my cams are out of spec did cross my mind but if measuring from the back of the lobe on a nonfriction area... unless it is bent didn't make sense at the time. I did have two valves which were in reasonable wear tolerances of .017 and .019 on the driver side. Thank you Tony. I will give John a call tomorrow if I get a free moment. I am not adverse to a spacer so I might give that a try. Thank you Johnny for the suggestion.
Kevin

Sicarius428

Thank you Tony. I talked to John and I will do a compression test this weekend. He said ultimately I will probably take the head off to find out what is really happening. He said if the valves are burning the clearance typically goes the other way which is good to know. I will let you guys know what the results of the compression test are. Thank you everybody.
Kevin

funjumper

A trusted mechanic I do business with recommended

http://www.cylinder-heads.com/

95-97 5VZFE right and left heads @ 300.00 each.

I have never done business with them. I am not affiliated with them in any way.
The mechanic who gave the advice has been doing business with them for a while and has never had a problem. I thought that it was a bit odd that a California based mechanic would be buying heads from a company in Clearwater, FL. They must do a good job. He's pretty picky about his suppliers.

Sicarius428

Thank you for the lead. I may be replacing the heads... or the whole motor depending on funds.
Kevin

GSGALLANT

If your valve lash is too high, it could mean that your valves just aren't closing fully. There may be a carbon buildup on the valves or seats (although that would typically be worse on the intake valves than the exhaust valves. Pull the heads, remove, clean and re-install the valves, then check the clearances again. If you do that, then replace the valve stem seals while you're in there.

I seriously doubt that your shims have worn.