Apparently my rig was driven for years without anti-corrosion coolant. One of the channels in the engine block was eaten away at the no. 6 cylinder. They repaired it by welding and used something like epoxy filler to close the gap. This 'putty' was burned away. They also 'putty knifed' the heads with it, although there were no leaks (yet).

While I'm at it, I want to see if something can be done about the tapping noise but for that I need the proper clearances.

All intakes (measured cold) have .30 mm except one which has .15 mm. The exhausts range from .25 mm on the left side and .40, .35, .35 mm on the right block.

I could swap the .40 and the .15 shims so I'll get roughly .25 and .30 mm instead.

But the clearances should be larger on the exhaust valves, no?

Anyone know the correct distances for the 3VZE?

Note: the valve with .15 mm clearance didn't show any signs of leaking. The .40 valve has no signs of forging or other exessive wear.

Ava.

 

Found it at: http://www.net-impress.com/4runner/cd/ in the 30l_v6_v.pdf file. Lots of info here, but not very explanatory filenames. No descriptions either, so you may have to download a lot of files before you find what you need.

Exhaust: .22 - .32
Intake: .18 - .28

Measured cold and in millimeters.

 

Ava-

Just a note. Swapping shims to try and get an average valve clearance may not work. It's very possible that they are the same size shim or it may make the problem worse.

You need to measure your valve clearances before you remove the shims then remove the shims that are too tight/loose and measure them. Then add or subtract the amount that you need to get the valve back in spec and that's how you find the correct shim size.

GL

 

Let us know if that solves your tapping problem because I was told nothing could be done about it. That was after i spent $700 at the dealership for them to adjust the valves. I've been told that the noise is the injectors and it is just a normal sound but it sure sounds like valves tapping to me.

 

Ok, ok, where did I say I'm stupid or don't know anything about engines? ;o) I cannot find any shims overhere so I have to make do by swapping them to minimize overly large clearances. I could improve a couple of valves. .40 is now .30, .15 is now .25 and I could knock off a few 1/100 mm on some others valves. I know have 'only' four bad ones that are 0.02 mm outside specs at the most. Not bad really.

Has anyone here ever seen a system that uses ordinary shims (the hard steel ring type used to fill out gearboxes and stuff) underneath the shims we have in our rigs? Our shims are about 3 mm thick and made of strong and hardened material, possibly ridgid enough for this to work. But what am I saying, I can't get those rings overhere either! :pat:

A question about a related subject. My (old) rig seems to have two or three different types of injectors. Apart from outside appearences, some have one and some have two holes. Would that be a problem? I mean, do all (Toyota or Denso or whatever) injectors deliver the same amount of fuel into the cylinders? These are very basic injection systems, more a valve than a really controllable delivery system like diesels had in the old days. If the same pulse is used for two-hole and for one-hole injectors on the same car that would lead to a higher amount of fuel injected in some of the cylinders. Or are the nozzle holes not the controlling part of the injector?

On some of the injectors with a green nozzle I can rotate the green tip, on others I cannot. Is that a problem?

Ava.

 

Do you know what size shims you need? I'd be willing to get them for you and then send them to you if you could pay me.

As for injectors, I've never seen them on your motor, but on mine they are all the same and all have the same number of holes. What is the green tip that you are talking about? Can you take a pic?

 

The green tip seems to be a thin plastic 'thimble', with a whole in it, that covers the injector.

I can take a pic, and I probably will, but I'm not going to show it to you.

I was robbed at gunpoint by a couple of burglars and they took my laptop and the cable (but not the camera!) that I need to get te pics from the camera. Since the manufacturers of digital cameras expect to create 'the' interface cable of the future they put weird sockets in their equipment and not even a dealer will have a cable in stock. And if you can get one, it'll be very expensive. And not available in this country, of course, like the Toy shims. There 'are' standard USB cables, you know, Nikon!

I think I got the shim puzzle solved. The camshafts are in and all valves have reasonably good clearance.

Ava.

 

Well if you need used camera parts check out KEH.com they carry a lot of used Nikon parts both SLR and digital.

 

I think the green plastic tip is just a heat insulator. But the injectors with the two holes don't have such a thing, so I won't worry about the one that's a bit loose.

Ava.

 

I don't think the tapping is injector noise. Try for yourself by using a screwdriver as stethoscope between your ear and one of the injectors. The soundlevel is much to low.

I think the tapping is caused the large diameter of the valves and the drumlike lifter design. Added together, the surface is quite large. The best you can do is to adjust the clearances to the smallest values or a bit below that. Remember that the .15 mm exhaust valve wasn' t burned or otherwise damaged. But I don't live in a country where you can drive fast for a very long time; there are simply no roads flat and long enough for that.

Ava.

 

The tapping is stil there, but it's less loud because the valve that had 0.40 mm clearance is now within spec.

This is a big engine and since there are only two valves per cylinder, the valves are large, so are the lifters, and that makes a lot of noise. We have to live with this, I guess.

Perhaps some sound insulating measures would help. There's so little space behind the engine that there's no sound barrier there on my car.

Ava.

 

I never thought I'd see those words used to describe the 3.0!

 

Ok.. take it from me, don't (and I say again.. DON"T) try to run them down to the edge on the tight end.. I have been messing with my adjustment for 10k now and the shop has had quite a bit of problems with the setting being good for say 3k then needing a thinner shim... Now there is no way in hell it makes since to me about why.. But these heads are very pickey on valve adjustment.. I would try to keep them in the middle and live with a little noise. I like the thought about the lifter bucket acting like a drum.. Good thought, they could just do that indeed. If you have shims that are too thick, a good shop may be able to mill them down for you..

 

 

If your valves and seats wear faster than the cams and lifters you'll get less clearance over time, say 3k.

And my shims aren't to thick, some are even too thin. I could try those hardened filler rings (aren't the called shims as well?) used for aligning gearboxes and pinions. If I could find them I'd slip a 0.10 between the lfter and the shim-plate.

Ava.