bigred*

First off I know yall are gonna tell me to search, and I have been for hours.. so I already have everything pulled, I have two exhaust valves that were at .20mm and another one at .23mm, would you suggest changing him as the clearances are from .22-.32mm
The trouble I'm havin is gettin these stupid shims out, I have bikes that use these same head designs, and when changing shims I can just depress the bucket with a flat head and pop em out, but I can't depress these with a flat head.. can I pry against the cam for leverage? Lol I know that sounds stupid, but I read somewhere someone doing that.. I don't wanna waste money buying a tool that seems to just make the job harder and I really wanna have this done by the weekend.. would it be easier to just pull the cams? I'd really not like to do that but will if I have to.. and if I have to does someone know of a good right up on how to? I just want these stupid shims out, pics work best but I have found zero pictures of this and at 2am I'm gettin cranky, thanks for the help guys

hilux3rz

The special tools do work ok but there is a trick to using them. If u don't want to get them, then you'll need some way of getting the buckets down to the bottom of their travel and holding them there while you pry the shims out. The way to do it is to find a screwdriver that's the same width as the little notch of the bucket. Put that in the notch while the bucket is somehow held down and u might need to give the handle of the screwdriver some taps with a socket driver just to shock them loose. Also handy to have a magnet to slide them out once they're free of the bucket.

The hassle is that the edge of the bucket is pretty thin so without the wedge tool u will need to find something the right shape and thickness. There is a YouTube vid showing someone doing this on a 7MGTE motor or whatever with just a few screwdrivers but it isn't close enough to see exactly where to put the screwdrivers but I guess does show that it can be done

scope103

Go ahead, spring for $30 and you'll be glad you did. http://www.tooldiscounter.com/ItemDi...kup=SCLSL88250

How long have you spent so far? This tool will take about 3 minutes to get the hang of it. After that, you can pull a shim in about 10 seconds.

bigred*

It probably took me around 3 hours or so to figure out how to get the whole top of the engine off to the valves, another hour to measure them, tried for about 20 min to try and get it out and new it wasn't gonna happen, so the tool does work then? Cuz I read a lot of negative stuff about it, but I'd rather not touch the timing if I dont have to

nerdlip

The special valve tool, a telescopic magnetic pickup tool and compressed air are your best friends when removing those shims. Not fun by any means but very doable.

Gamefreakgc

x3 on the tool. Amazon has it if you can't find it. You'll need the SST tools (called Valve Adjustment Tools for Toyota Lexus), a small flathead screwdriver, magnetic retrieving tool (small is better), a digital caliper and LOTS of patience. I'll try and describe how to use it as best I can:

First rotate the bucket so that the open part of the bucket is facing away from the engine. You'll need to insert a small screwdriver to pry the shim up and if this isn't facing the outside, you won't get the shim out.

Next place the edge of the "pliers" on the edge of the bucket. Squeeze the pliers around the cam (be sure it is not touching the shiny part of the cam, it does chip, trust me on that one...) and then slowly rotate the pliers down towards the edge. This will push down the bucket. It's easier to push it away from the engine and not towards the center since you can go farther and insert the pick directly in the center.

You'll then take the "pick" tool and using the wider edge, place on the bucket directly in the center of the cam on top of the bucket. If you incorrectly place it on the edge of the cam, the sloped surface will pop the pick out. A hint is to not to have the pick perpendicular to the cam, slant it slightly with the curve of the bucket, it'll make removing the shim easier. Once you have it in place, slowly release/rotate the pliers back until the pick stays in place, holding the bucket down. Then pop the shim out using a small flat head screwdriver and use the magnet to pull it out.

Use the caliper to measure the size and record it (record all the gaps you measured with the feeler gauge as well). Use the formula in the service manual to figure out what size you need. Basically, they come in increments of .05mm so if the gap is too much, you'll need a thicker shim. If too narrow, you need a thinner shim. Sometimes you can swap thinner/thicker ones around and save yourself a few bucks.

Putting the new one in is easy if you still have the pick inserted. If not, it's a bit tricky to line the pick directly on the bucket, since you don't have the shim to rest against. Note that shims are a special order from Toyota, mine took 2 days to arrive.

Be sure to replace all gaskets you opened along the way. You'll need new valve cover gaskets, the FIPG sealant (see the service manual on where to place), new air chamber gasket, EGR gasket, etc. Don't reuse a gasket unless it's new already, you'll create vacuum leaks and have to rip it all apart all over again.