justinh

i originally posted this under maintenance but no one ever looked at it or replied so here goes....

anyone had to deal with this, my 1997 4runner with 128k on the clock is making some valve noise. carmax tells me it isn't a warranty issue but is a maintenance issue and they need to be adjusted. so far i have spoken to two toyota dealerships and both have said that they do not adjust the valves. when i questioned that one dealership said that it is possible for them to go in and shim them but it isn't a recommended/required maintenance issue. anyone else have any experience?

MTL_4runner

I asked about this a while ago.
It is a royal ain in the but to do the adjustment and really the best way to do it is when you do a timing belt. That way you can take the valve covers off and just unbolt the cams. Failing in that I would just leave them as is, the cam and shims are very hard steel so the wear should be very minimal at best.

Hope this helps.

Gadget

Well the Toyota dealers strike again. It is simply outragous for them to tell you that.

The valves on this engine are not self adjusting and if they are out of spec then they do need to be adjusted. The good thing here is that a lash that is to much will make a noise. The side affects are a power and fuel economy loss, but there is unlikely to be engine damage.

A valve that has a lash that is to small or non-existant is a very bad thing as it can lead to a bunt or runined valve and seat reqiuiring at least a partial overhaul. A lash that is to small or non-existant will not make any noise, usually.

If your valves need to be adjusted, then they need to be adjusted. It is just that simple. Yes is a real PITA to do. Yes it is easier to do it in conjunction with a timing belt change so you can just remove the cams like the other guy said. It will make the job so much easier.

Order yourself a factor service manual and studdy up on the proceedure and see if you think it is something you can handle yourself or not.

Gadget

www.GadgetOnline.com