Thank you Timmy. I used this video, your original valve cover video and the head gasket series to replace my gaskets and check clearances. Your videos are so good. Everything went smoothly and thankfully my clearances are in spec.
That's great to know our videos helped you out Andrew. Great job doing that job on your own. That is a lot of work. You saved a crap load of money and learned a bunch about your engine. Happy Wrenching!
@ex8280 It's a bit of a pain in the butt, especially if you have lots of valves out of spec. Having a multitude of shim sizes on hand makes the job more straightforward.
I used straight feeler gauges for my 5VZ-FE, but would have preferred the 45 degree feeler gauges as used in your video. I found it essential to dismantle the feeler gauge set and handle the blades individually. I made a feeler gauge rack using a piece of cardboard, slicing into the cardboard with a razor blade every few inches and labeling each slot with the name of the gauge destined for that particular slot. This made handling and reading the gauges most efficient.
Just went through this ordeal, with the engine on a stand, last week, without the special tool. I learned the hard way about turning the cam with a shim out. I escaped my predicament by using a thicker feeler gauge as a ramp and gritting my teeth just the right way. Pulling out the exhaust cams is absolutely a great shortcut - Be sure to bolt the split gears in place before you remove or you'll be very unhappy. Be sure to remove the bolt or you will be even more unhappy. I wish I could make a video to show my "no special tool" hack. I simply cut some 1/16" thick aluminum into a square at approx. 1-1/2" square. I nipped the corners to create a somewhat lopsided octagon. I then drilled a 1" hole through it using a step bit. (This is backwards - i actually drilled the hole FIRST then cut it into a 1-12" octagon). Lastly I cut the octagon with a hole through in half. Then I simply rotated the engine until the cam depressed the lifters and snaked the aluminum piece in to hold the bucket down.This worked really well, sometimes, and sometimes it didn't work too good at all, depending on which lifter I was working on. Raiding the local pick-your-part yielded all but one of the shims I needed. It also got me a few extra shims, one of which I spent two hours carefully sanding .002 of material off of. All in all it was a very harrowing procedure but it can be done.
@@TimmyTheToolman Started it this morning (for the first time) at about 3 am. It fired right up and so far so good. Thank you for all the great info you provide!
Thanks for your videos on adjusting valve clearances. Gave me the courage to do my 3RZ-FE myself. I had a lot more luck with the Schley tool when I took it apart and only used the bottom piece. Made the profile narrower and pushed the valve shim/bucket down further, so it was much easier to use the hold-down tool. It was easier to see what I was doing and gave me more options on where the tool could be used.
Your videos are awesome.. I'm in Australia and I've got the 1998 vzj95r 90 series Prado with the 5VZ-FE motor and 5 speed manual which is basically in almost every way the same vehicle as the 3rd gen 4runner you've got and we have very few people doing content on working on them and nobody doing content so in depth!! Your channel has single handedly step by step walked me through pulling apart and maintenance of almost every mechanical part of my Prado and for that I thank you sir! Amazing help and good clear and detailed step by step content on keeping these good old rigs on the road safely and confidently learning how to do things so I can repair, replace and maintain things when I'm on road trips and 4wd trips in remote locations! Really awesome stuff man!
Hey Aidan, thanks for the compliment. We appreciate it! Great to hear our videos are helping you keep your 90 series Prado in good shape. Happy Wrenching our Australian Brother!
Good video Timmmy Adjusting the valves is a lot harder than it appears. After replacing both of the heads on mine, I had a lot of fun dialing in the valves. Removing the cams and putting them back is no joke. I pressure washed my entire engine bay before I do any tearing things apart.
Lemme take a second and thank you! Everytike I wanna do something to my truck I say Tim the toolman probably made a video on it, you are probably the reason many of these vehicles are still alive props too you sir.
Me too. I need to do mine soon, and the best lesson learned [in avoiding yanking the cam] is... pull one shim at a time, mic it, put it back - then put covers back on & order up shims as needed.
Thanks for the nice compliment. We appreciate it. This is what I've told lots of people. The best person to work on your vehicle is yourself because you're not in a hurry like lots of mechanics are because they work under a flat rate system, and unlike you, they don't have a vested interest in your vehicle like you do. Professional mechanics makes lots of mistakes. Sometimes they are honest about them but sometimes not and you don't realize their screw-up until one day you're tearing into your engine or other part of your rig and realize what they did like strip a bolt or nut or you find missing bolts and nuts. Sometimes they flat out botch a job and they still aren't honest about it and then let you return and have to fight to get them to fix it or give you your money back. When I work on my rigs or other people's rigs, I take my time and I'm not in a hurry. I want to make sure the job is done right the first time. So with that said, I'm not a fast mechanic because of how meticulous I can be and that means I probably wouldn't be a mechanic that would make a lot of money under a flat rate system or make more money for the shop I was working for if I was paid hourly. This is big reason why Sean and I do what we do. We want to empower people to do their own work because we believe for the most part, people are better off doing their own work because they are going to make sure it's done right.
@@TimmyTheToolman I couldn't agree more. I have a guy that lives close by that use to work as a mechanic on the flat rate system. He's got some stories, not very flattering ones either. You also hit on a point my dad taught me when I was very young; do it right the first time, or don't bother. He also taught me that if you're good a what you do and treat people right, you'll never be without work. It's obvious those traits were passed on to you and Sean also. I'm in Clearwater, Fla. and people like you two are few and far between. Keep up the great work!
@@da324 Your dad sounds like a good guy and he gave you sound advice. It's too bad paid mechanics being very conscientious about their work isn't the norm but rather the exception. We definitely plan on cranking out quality videos for people to use. Thanks and Happy Wrenching!
Good to hear you can understand what I'm saying Xavier. Sometimes I talk to fast, but I usually try to speak clearly so people can understand what I'm saying. You're very welcome and Happy Wrenching!
Thanks For your video an exelent video.i got a Toyota v6. 3.4 L 5vz-fe i just do my head gaskets using your video but the engine dont start😢 i Chek all the marks and theyr ok but cheking the valvs theyr aré out of range my question is.its that the reason the engine dont start? Is trying to start but dont start please help me . Thanks.
It's hard for us to point you in the right direction when so much work has been done to the engine. The only advice I can give you is recheck all your electrical connections and make sure you didn't forget to plug something in, like the crank position sensor or cam position sensor. Make sure your spark plug wiring is correct, etc, etc.
We measure in thousands, not millimeters for the purpose of this job. Any valve out of spec is a concern, but mainly when the value is on the low end. A valve without enough clearance won't close all the way and can end up getting a hole burned into the side of it.
In the past, on many Toyotas I’ve had it where the bucket itself actually wears out underneath where it contacts the top of the valve, leaving an almost imperceptible circular impression. Shims on top won’t fix this because they don’t make one small enough to compensate and that isn’t where the noise is coming from, it’s noise from the top of the valve stem to the bottom of the bucket where it’s worn. You replace the whole bucket to fix. Best practice I’ve found is replacing the bucket on valves out of spec and then re-measure to see if the clearance tightens up to in range.
So after watching I’m thinking and using some knowledge from reciprocating aircraft engines: 1) valve stems stretch over time due to creep, especially exhaust valves which are subject to heat - the valve stems elongate => gap closes up. This affects valve timing/overlap and volumetric efficiency. A leaking exhaust valve will cause a higher exhaust manifold temp as the gas is combusting in the manifold in lieu of inside the cylinder. 2) measuring components - a film of oil on a part (or variation in the film) yields different measurement answers. The cam in the journals may be positioned differently based on differences in the film thickness, similar for under the bucket / valve stem and between the shim and cam lobe. Aircraft oil is typically 50 weight so this is more pronounced but still a factor I think. 3) totally hindsight - I would disturb as little as possible - namely not remove the cam and the bucket either, leave the hold tool in place, remove and measure the shim and replace it (same shim) then on to the next one until they are all done. This would reduce measurement variability. Admittedly, I would take a week to do this waiting on parts. Then I would do my calculations and repeat the cycle replacing them all as needed. (Yes a stock on hand of shims would be preferable and reduce this timeframe). This isn’t my only daily driver, so I can. 4) it would be educational to see all the values and ‘shim moves’ that occurred. 5) hindsight again: I will do a warm before and after compression check. It looked like the tape was covering the intake during the compression test, I think I would remove it, but I would clean the engine to preclude the dust being ingested. Just some thoughts from an interested party. I may be doing this soon.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts. Hopefully you don't find what we found and have to adjust every exhaust valve because you'll have yourself a ball using the special tools to compress and hold down every bucket and not pull the cams like we did. Good luck with the job.
What a pain in the ass this job is. Had my Taco done at 144K by a pro mechanic friend who told me this is not something he enjoys doing "have to have a lot of patience and money" he told me. $800 bucks worth and I could not tell any difference in performance. Now that my 95 Taco has 190K I did a compression check 2 months ago and all cylinders were 210 to 220 so that was good news. Awesome video Timmy and as usual very helpful to those that choose to tackle this job. At close to 70 I don't see myself ever wanting to take this on and many other things for matter. Age unfortunately works against you in many ways. ROCK ON and PEACE OUT BRO!
Yeah, like I mentioned in the video, Nick at Yota1 Performance told me lots of shops pass on this job because they hate doing it. I now know why. I'm not as old as you but I'm not exactly a Spring Chicken either. I'm 56 and finding it harder and harder to be on my back for two days straight like I was recently replacing a auto trans on an FJ Cruiser a few weeks ago. A few days after that job I went straight into another marathon wrenching session doing a 3.0 to 3.4 Liter Swap on a 2nd Gen 4runner that took 6 days to accomplish. Those two jobs, especially the engine swap took a lot out of me. I'll be moving out of Commiefornia in the next couple years and will be looking to buy a home with some land with either a huge garage that can accept a hydraulic vehicle lift or enough land that I could build my own garage paradise with a lift or two. Sliding around on your back under a vehicle is very physically draining.
Hey Timmy, maybe I missed it in the video, but why and when would you do this exactly? I always watch your videos, even when i'm not doing it but just for the good information, just want to know why you would do this job, thanks for the videos!
When you do it is personal preference. I would suggest doing it if it's never been done and you have 200+k miles on your engine. The reason you do it, is because keeping the valve clearances within spec can improve the engine performance and prevent an expensive failure. Valve clearances usually tighten because the valves and valve seats wear over time. A valve that gets too tight of a clearance won't close all the way and the result is a hole gets burned into the side of it. Start watching this video we made at play time 10 minutes and 5 seconds for an explanation of how a tight valve can get damaged. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-rFPHrASrCUM.htmlsi=NHoj7E339nNeDPuu
Hi Tim! Hope you are well. I just had the heads torn apart and built from scratch because the valves had uneven wear and didn't seat properly. We adjust clearance on the bench instead but your video came in super useful when putting everything back together. I am too afraid to check the clearance now that the head is back on the engine 🤣🤞🏼
I bought a 99 4runner with claimed blown head gaskets 437,000kms went to do a compression test and had coolant launch out of spark plug hole on #1 when turning engine over prior to compression test. So I just start disassembling, sent heads to machine shop, turned out to be cracked cylinders heads. Bought a parts runner, stripped the heads off that motor, sent to a machine shop they were good to go, puts heads back on installed camshafts re assembled motor. Turned it on no more head gasket issue. some other issues had to be addressed. Have put on 10,000kms since repair, has always had a valve tick since repair. Been waiting for a video like this. I Should of checked out all the clearances when I was that far into it, and not assumed it would be good to go. Live and learn I guess. !
Good job on doing all that work. The hard part is over. Hopefully the lower end of that engine lasts you a long time to come. Just pull the valve covers and check your valve lashes. Hopefully you won't find too many out of spec. Good luck and Happy Wrenching!
Yes sir !! Waiting for this video for a long time, my valves are noisy and your video give a perfect explanation and procedure on how replace it / adjusted. Keep the good content coming my man 👍👌
Hey timmy im checking the clearances on my 97 tacoma with the 5vz fe engine with 220000 miles and you said that the clearances tighten over time however almost all mine if they werent good they were way loose like 0.018 on Exhaust am i doing something wrong?
That's the usual occurrence that the spec tightens. If you're measuring with feeler gauges, you're doing it right. It's interesting that all your clearances got looser rather than tighter. Just make the adjustments with the right thickness shims bringing your valves back into spec and call it a day.
@TimmyTheToolman ok thank you so much and when putting the feeler gauge in do I stop when I need to push it or do o go Lal the way until I can't push it any more?
@DavidWilkinsonCube If the feeler gauge can fit between the cam lobe and shim, check the next larger size until you find you can no longer fit the next size in. The biggest feeler gauge that can fit is the gap spec you currently have. It's ok to use some force when sliding the feeler gauge between the cam lobe and shim. The feeler gauges are thin and fragile, so you obviously can't use a crazy amount of force.
Thanks for the video, part numbers, and the worksheet. Speakin of the worksheet, it says that someone used "Shim #8.5"... do these in-between sizes actually exist??
They technically DO NOT exist, but as we were pulling out used shims and measuring them, they were in the middle of an 8 or 9 for this example, So for that reason we couldn’t label them as a whole number and gave them an 8.5 and put them back into our supply of shims for future jobs. When you look at the factory service manual, it has shim thicknesses and labels them with simple digits i.e “7”, “8”, “9” etc. brand new shims will have measurements that coincide with the numbering system of shims so you know what to order from the dealer, But the shims we have the .5 numbering on were used shims and weren’t a true 8 or 9, hence that 1/2 number… hope that makes sense. - Sean
No, we didn't. I don't know what the purpose would be. Could there be wear on the cam lobes? Yes, there could be wear. Now, what do you do about it? The same thing we are doing, adjusting the valve shim thickness. If you swap out a cam, you're swapping out the head as well. They are a pair.
Wow am going to try this, I have to connect ps etc back! I’ve got ahead of myself! My thought was a total rebuild! I’ve taken fan off, so I need to put back on! Extra work! Thank you for explaining! I truly need to hear step by step! Your book is better than mine! But it does explain to! I need to buy tools!
@@TimmyTheToolman After watching this I believe I need to have someone do it! I like watching Ray from s az how much did it cost him! I know it’s personal! I have a 2001 tundra sr5 thank you Timmy
@@CharlieCiampa He spent a lot on the engine swap. The engine was around $3500 and he spent a lot on other parts. I don't know the total. Engines from Yota1 Performance are now more expensive.
Timmy I just finished your engine swap video with a remanufactured engine and now dealing with what I think is ticking from valve clearance issue. Your video is incredible and helped me measure all my valve clearances. Thank you so much for the help. During my compression tests I was get 120 PSI but not noticing any change in the way it drives. Would the valve clearance be causing the significant low compression test results?
Dude, I am so so grateful for your channel. I have a 2000 4runner, and you have covered most of the common and important repairs with great instruction and detail. I've so far followed along and done the o2 sensor, drive belt replacements, oil change and MAF sensor. Next project is the spark plugs. However, I did recently have a major expensive repair I was unable to diagnose and hence am about to foot a thousand dollar mechanic bill for a drive shaft replacement. Do you have any "maintenance must do" type of videos? Critical stuff that someone with a higher mileage 4runner should look out for and inspect to prevent such a type of situation (for example, I didn't know to grease the driveshaft every 5k miles). Plus I didn't have the lifts and big tools to do the job, and it was already at the mechanic so I felt pressured to accept their work, not knowing if they'd retaliate and sabotage my rig if I declined.
@@TimmyTheToolman Unfortunately I'm already committed and agreed to their damn repair (the part is ordered, although delayed, just waiting for their call back). I am curious what your option was? I watched your U-joint replacement video and was surprised by the pain it was for you guys grinding the sides down to get the old one out. And these guys were telling me it wasn't the Ujoint that was the issue with mine. I mainly didn't do my own replacement because I don't have multiple lifts/jacks, or the right crows foot wrenches. Also I had no idea what the increased rattling issue actually was (I thought it was a CV axle), so I needed a professional diagnosis. But trust me, after this experience I'm doing everything possible to avoid mechanics shops in the future. I'll do my best to continue support of your channel by using your links. You should start a discord channel, or join the one we have at discord.gg/cGhsAr86
@@TimmyTheToolman I walked in there today and pulled my 4runner out of there like a child being rescued by Child Protective Services. They hadn't installed the drive shaft yet so I said I'm taking my truck home! I inspected the shaft, didn't "see" or feel anything wrong or wobbly, but did find one of the rear bolts loose. I tightened it down and now have taken it somewhere with honest people which quoted much less AND specialize in Toyota's. They said first we need to determine if its even something that I actually need, which has put me at ease knowing its in the hands of trustworthy individuals that aren't trying to scam me.
@@stewartxp2400 You did the right thing. I'll be interested what the new shop says. If you want a second opinion before authorizing any service, run it by me.
watched a head gasket replacement video before this and apparently you have to put the camshaft in a vice to get the split gear back to aligned. Also holy smokes this job is a nightmare and a half trying to get stuff into spec....
Hell yes Timmy! I’m doing a valve gasket job (appreciate your excellent video for that!) and thinking I should do the valves while I’m at it so thanks for this upload!
@@TimmyTheToolman Timmay!! I just completed a valve cover gasket et al on my T100 and wanted to leave a hearty THANK YOU for your tutorials. It’s initially intimidating but marking every hose/bolt and lots of photos and references to your videos were a great help. A quick question: all the valve lashes were pretty close: .008/.009/.010 on the intake side and .013-.018 in exhaust side. I decided to kick shimming until I get to the timing belt job in ~20k miles. Does that sound sensible to you? Cheers from Marin County and have a great weekend.
@@theotherserge You're very welcome. Good to hear our videos have helped you out. You're probably ok waiting. Some of your exhaust valves, if they're at .018 are pretty far out of spec, but you'd rather have them too loose than too tight. Too tight ends up burning up exhaust valves which is not a good result.
Thanks Dennis. We appreciate the compliment. I learned a lot on this one which will help me when I check the valve lash on my 2000 4runner.. I'm just hoping I don't find as many valves out of spec like we did on Wei's rig. I do have a full set of shims available so I won't have quite the fight that we did when making this video. If I have lots of exhaust shims out of spec, I'll pull the exhaust cams to make life easier. Even with the OEM valve tools, I'm guessing it will still be a pain in the butt to get the shims out and back in.
I know that valve adjustments are supposed to be done at certain intervals, is there a way to know when this needs to be done without taking the VCs off? Valve tick, loss of power, no starts?? I haven't owned my T4R for very long and the car has high mileage. Previous owner just did VC gaskets also so I don't want to go in.
Valves making extra clatter could be an indicator, but valve clearances usually tighten and not loosen so I don't know if valve train noise is the best indicator. Definitely loss of power or a misfire could lead you down the road to needing a valve adjustment. I don't know if Toyota has a recommended interval to check the valve clearances on this engine. My 2000 3rd Gen hasn't had a valve adjustment yet and it has 215k miles but I plan on doing it soon. I think every 100k miles would be a good interval for this 5VZ-FE engine. Other engines like the 4 cylinder 3RZ are more known to have valves to be out of spec and should be checked more frequently like every 50k. If you have over 200k, I think it would be prudent to check the valve clearances. From what I saw on Wei's engine, I'm a little concerned about what I'm going to find with my 2000, but I did do a compression check of my 2000 engine 3 years ago when it had 170k miles and my compression numbers were pretty good. .
Just a point of reference, the interval for my 2000 Tacoma is every 30,000 miles or 24 months. Maybe when I read “valve clearance check” it might have seemed out of my skill level, so possibly that’s the reason I have never done that job on any of our vehicles. I know me bad, but from what you said about how commercial shops don’t want that kind of business, it isn’t any wonder. That’s a shame because you and Wei have, in this video, PROVED that bad engine performance (poor compression) can be almost completely corrected by a good valve adjustment being done. At the point you did the initial compression check, I was thinking OVERHAUL, only to take it all back by the end of the video. By then I was amazed, and realized the importance of doing that part of the suggested maintenance.
If you take out any spark plug and use a long wooden dow drop in the plughole then turn the engine by the crank pully the wooden dow will go up and down by the piston then it is not hard to figure out where the top dead center is reached, this procedure allows to do both exhaust and intake valve to be adjusted at the same time without any guesswork.
Yeah, it was a lot longer of a video than I thought it would because of the hurdles we experienced. The frustrations we experienced will hopefully be lessened for those that watch this video and listen to our suggestions. After this video, I put together a full kit of shims for myself. I don't want to have to deal with the valve adjustment tools more than once per valve. Get the bucket down, measure the shim, get the right shim back in that will bring the clearance back in spec, and move on to the next valve. I'll be doing this job on my 2000 4runner pretty soon and I hope I don't find 16 valves out of spec like Wei did.
@@TimmyTheToolman it would have been nice to know what the compression was for each cylinder at operating temperature prior to starting the job. That is something I am going to check on my 2000 4Runner since it has over 300,000 miles on it.
@@steelriggins2101 The numbers would have been higher at operating temp but those low cylinders wouldn't have come up over 100 psi, because the engine was warm. The fact a couple of the cylinders were pretty high, 180 & 195. shows me the difference between cold and warm isn't a huge difference. Also, those two cylinders that had the highest values both needed their exhaust valves adjusted so the reason they came up into the 200's could have been partially from the valve adjustment and not just from the warming up of the engine.
On a rebuilt head, I always set clearances for exhaust on upper range and intake mid range. Exhaust valves wear into the seat much faster. On a well used head I would set all mid-range.
Let’s say, I’ve got multiples of all size shims and set up to get that perfect valve lash. What does that look like? Should it be .13 on intake? Which end of the spec for exhaust? .37?
The target is .007 for the intake valves and .013 for the exhaust valves. Watch the video and look at the information provided in the video description.
The cam marks at 7:39 are useful. But... those are really cam phasing marks, and an incorrect belt arrangement [being off a tooth or whatever] could find cams phased at some unknown piston position. If this is screwed up, it probably happened with the last timing belt change or water pump replacement.
The reason for the zero clearance is because of the wear on the valve face and seat . It’s very easy to change the valve to regain your clearance on a lobe that has zero, after which you can resort to juggling the shim that would give you the desired (recommended) clearance
Well, you have to remove the head which is a fair amount of extra work so there's that. So, I wouldn't say it's easy. Is what you're saying true? Sure. But, if I'm going to pull the head, I'd may as well rebuild the whole thing. And, if you're going to rebuild one head, you may as do the other one.
Excellent video, gents. I'm sorry you had to experience the frustration, but I'll be so grateful to have your knowledge in my back pocket when the time comes. So does the truck run noticeably better now? Maybe restored a little bit of precious horse-power? Thanks!
Thanks Mike. The interesting think is Wei can't tell any difference in performance which makes zero sense. He hasn't taken his rig into the mountains and driven over any big grades so maybe he'll detect more power the next time he's driving mountain roads.
Not much in the way of symptoms. If a valve gets too tight, you'll burn a hole in it so you should check the clearances at some point for peace of mind.
When you measured the old shim usin a disc micrometer your contact point for the micrometer was upon the whole surface area where there is no cam contact also my point is if you use the formula does it take into consideration shim wear vs total shim thickness ?
I usually measure a few times in different areas to get an average on the shim thickness. The shims and cam lobes can wear. When we measure shims, they quite often fall between sizes you can purchase from Toyota because of the wear. You measure, do your calculations, install the shim that's closest to the size you need, and then recheck the valve clearance. Sometimes, you can't get it exactly where you want it because of the shim sizes available. You get it within the spec the best you can and call it good.
Hows its going tim, kind of confused at the end of the video. You stated it didn't work out in the beginning and the numbers weren't coming in as expected. So then Wade i believe is his name, opened it back up to correct it & got the valve lash specs as close as possible? which prompted the better compression test results? Did you guys not have the valve lash specs in range on the first time around? Was having a warmed up engine a factor of better results, than the first check with a cold engine? Great vid. thanks
The valve lash can be tricky. You measure the lash, make you calculations, put in the right thickness shim, re-measure and find your it didn't bring the lash to where you thought it would. I just did this job on my 2000 4runner and I had a sort of similar experience. Sometimes the new shim brought the lash exactly where you wanted it and other times not. I even cycled the bucket down and up many times to make sure the shim was fully seated in the bucket. My buddy's name is Wei. He finally got the valve lash close enough and called it day. The end result is his compression numbers improved. The warmed up engine can be a factor, but it wouldn't make up for a massive number difference like we saw. His issue was the valves not closing all the way due to the valve lash tightening over time.
@@TimmyTheToolman were there any new tips you had apart from what’s in the video after doing the job a second time on your vehicle? Wondering if you ended up having lots out of spec on your vehicle like Wei’s. Did you pull exhaust cams? And did you use the Toyota tool instead of the aftermarket one & was it worth the extra $$? When I do this job I’m going to call my local Toyota dealer and see if they’ll tolerate me ordering loads of shims only to use the ones I need and return the rest.
@andrew-online When I did my valve adjustment, I had way fewer valves that needed adjusting. Some that I adjusted were in spec, but at the edge of the spec, so I brought them to closer to the middle of the spec. The genuine Toyota tools worked out well. I didn't use the aftermarket ones. But, even with the Toyota tools, it's still not a fun job. It's a back breaker leaning over the engine for a long time. I suggest taking lots or breaks.
I installed new shims on my both of my number 6 exhaust - they had the same clearance & old shims before (0.015), so I installed the same new shims on both and now one is at 0.012 and another at 0.010 - should I just leave the shim in that made the valve 0.010 (0.001 tighter than spec)? I think you mentioned the exhaust will loosen up while the intake will tighten... it was a massive pain as im using the toyota SSTs. took me much longer than I'd like to admit. what do you think? thank you so much for all of the amazing videos!! :)
Wei didn't say the engine sounded different before and after the valve adjustment. He also didn't really notice a difference in performance which was even more confusing because he had bad compression in several cylinders.
Hey, great video! Looks like Schley has discontinued this tool. Any idea if the JTC or similar models will do the job? I know the length of the end of the Schley tool even seemed to short. Thanks!
I don't have experience with the JTC tools. You can get the OEM toolset as well. I provide the part number in the video description. It's a lot more money though.
I think when timmy the toolman gets super stressed and has a hard time with a job. It means its time i really think if this is something i want to tackle. The 22re valve adjustment seems super easy and like something i could do. This on the other hand.... Man oh man. I just dont know lol
I really wonder how many 5vze get this adjustments throughout their lifetime. I always see them at high mileages. Makes me wonder how long they last with no valve adjustment. And wonder if this leads to premature engine failure. Even if thats 300k for a 5vze when it could last 500 with valve adjustments. I just wonder. Makes you realize why mechanics charge what they do. And I feel i would need to find just the right shop to trust doing this accurately
No doubt doing the valve adjustment is a pain in the butt. How necessary it is for the 5VZ-FE engine is debatable. I did a valve adjustment on my 2000 4runner with 240k miles, and the valves were still in spec. Some of the valves were at the edge of the spec, so I adjusted them, but technically, none of them were out of the suggested spec. Some shops won't even do this job for a customer. They pass, because they don't want the hassle. I wouldn't trust a shop to do this unless I personally knew the owner and the guys turning wrenches there.
Good evening Timmy I have a question; I was doing cam seal replacement today and I purchases the special tool to hold the cam pulley a friend of my was helping me so he hold the special tool to brake free the cam bolt and when I apply force to brake the cam bolt free, somehow the tool that my friend was holding slip from his hands and move the cam counterclockwise I feel tension and i heard a pin or knock. You have a lot experience working with the 5vz fe engine ; the I fu&$# up something !? I understand this engine's are not interferences so the valve will not hit the piston, that being said I still concern because like I told you, when I apply force to brake free the bolt the cam move with force also. I appreciate the help thank you.
Most guys use a 5w-30 for these engines. The brand or synthetic vs conventional doesn't really make a difference in how clean the engine will look. It's the frequency in which you change the engine oil that makes the difference. I wouldn't let engine oil and filter changes go any further than every 5k miles. Renewing your engine oil at regular intervals is the single best thing you can do to increase its longevity.
I'm trying to find Top Dead Center on my gears but there doesn't appear to be any paint marks. I've seen what I believe to be both single and double dots pressed into the metal. Is the position we are looking for 1 dot/2 dot opposing each other? Also, are we looking to align dots on both passenger and driver side simultaneously? Thanks for the great vids.
Amazing work. Just curious though, given the life of the engine, would it make more economical sense to just drop in a newly rebuilt engine? I own a 2002 4Runner (OG owner) and the valve covers and rear main seal have started leaking.
A quality rebuilt engine will cost you a lot of coin. Doing the valve cover job is easy and affordable. The rear main seal job requires the removal of the transmission but we have videos for that as well. But, your rear main seal might not be leaking. Oil traveling down from leaking valve covers can make quite a mess. Do the valve cover gasket job, check and adjust your valve clearances while you're in there and then clean up the underside of your rig really well and then monitor for leaks. Even if the rear main seal is leaking, it would have to be a big leak to motivate me to pull the transmission. Oil is affordable and if you're willing to deal with a little mess, a small oil leak is nothing to lose sleep over. My two cents.
I was curious how many miles were on this engine when you performed this job? EDIT: NVM I saw the mileage in the video on the excel spreadsheet lol :) 251,600.
How did the car run before the valve adjustment? and what made you decide to do the valve adjustment instead of checking for a burnt exhaust valve. Excellent video
The weird thing is Wei said his engine was running fine before the valve clearance check which really didn't add up with 3 cylinders with poor compression. Wei and I talked about checking his valve clearances because he was due for a valve cover gasket job and he knew I didn't have a video yet for checking and adjusting valve clearances on the 3.4L V6 engine. Glad you like the video.
@@TimmyTheToolman I bought a 2001 4runner last year with 227k miles. I am chasing and intermittent and now constant Cylinder 5 misfire. Car runs and drives great except that when in drive and stopped at a red light, the car pulsates and shakes and gets worse if A/C its on. The minute I apply the gas everything is fine. I changed plugs, wires, sensors, checked injectors etc. Everything is great and all plugs are clean burning. I did compression check and found Cyl 3 at 100psi and 5 at 85psi. I was told I have a burnt exhaust valve. But after I watched your video, I believe I am in need of a valve adjustment. Thank you once again Tim, great job.
That’s one of the best RU-vid DIY videos on auto maintenance I have ever watched, and I have spent a LOT of time watching, ever since I decided to do my own auto repair. That was many years ago, when I had a bad MT clutch replaced on my 1994 Celica at a local shop. My wife had collided the right front tire with a curb. She didn’t tell me, and later on when I was driving I heard a strange noise. I pulled up the hood and saw the right engine mount had broken and that side of the engine was hanging down about two inches. Two bolts that were pushed through from the top of the mount did not have nuts, no nuts at all, I thought because it would have been a little hard for the guy to reach underneath to put the nuts back on. Only one bolt was holding the engine in place. Since I began doing all my own auto maintenance, I have seen many things done improperly by jack-leg “mechanics” who charge for their services. Everything you said in justifying your own decision to DIY is absolutely correct. So, in doing my “due diligence” before doing the valve adjustment on my 2000 Tacoma 2.4L 2RZ-FE 2WD pickup, I looked around for info on doing the job and discovered your excellent video. I learned so much from that video. I had begun by chasing an oil leak, and traced it to the (one valve cover gasket). When that was popped, I was faced with a horrible oil sludge problem. So I started cleaning by using brake cleaner on the inside of the valve cover, installed new spark plug gaskets, checked the PVC valve, placed a new gasket on it and set it aside. Went at the camshafts with diesel fuel as a solvent, trying not to use anything that might damage the engine internals, planning to go to the engine bottom, remove the sump and clean everything there with brake cleaner. That left me with deciding what to do with the sludge internal to the engine. Thinking BG EPR, but am trying to be cautious. While the valve cover was off, I thought I might take the opportunity to check the valve clearances, and that brought me to your video where I learned that taking the exhaust camshaft out isn’t all that hard, so my next step is just that, to see how much more gunk I can remove before doing the clearance checks. The two links you provided for the valve tools show “out of stock.” So, I am still on the hunt for those tools. The Toyota SST you showed is $178 (or so), which is out of my reach, so it’s ok its not available. The other tool is about $70 with shipping, also pricy. Guess I can’t complain, given the rampant inflation and supply chain disruption. I don’t know you personally, but do hope you will continue producing such excellent DIY auto maintenance videos, and hope you do well with them.
Yeah, that's an idea. In reality, it's just a guideline. The only thing you have to understand is you want the cam lobe well away from the shim and bucket of any valve you are checking the clearance on. Once you get that concept, the amount you're turning the crank to get the next set of valves in position to be checked becomes less exact or important.
Your exactly right after I think about it. I guess the way they say to do it is so you can keep track of what you’ve done maybe or the most efficient and quickest method. I’ve got a idea for a even better tool for getting the shims out. If it works I’ll send you one. Your pretty good working on stuff and explain things very good. Like to pick your brain some time about my 92 4 runner. If you have time.
So i have a ‘97 4Runner that is generating a ticking noise more towards the top end, but some people have said that it doesn’t sound like a lifter or control rod issue, is it possible that improper valve clearance can also create a ticking noise?
Yes, it's possible the valve clearance is causing it, but the valve clearance would have to be pretty loose to cause it. Valve clearances usually tighten rather than loosen though.
Hey Timmy my name is Scott. I have a off question compared to this particular video. I have a 1996 Toyota T100 3.4L M/T that I'm in the middle of doing the whole Magnuson Supercharger mod. I already Installed an ECU from a 1997 model with everything exactly the same as mine. It was only $500 on Ebay, lol. Ok I got the supercharger bolted correctly, replaced the plugs with Denso IK22's, switched to a 170 degree thermostat, switched over to min 91 octane fuel, etc. Ok so I bought a brand new throttle body with everything included. My problem as you already know is my 96 has a 4 wire TPS and the 97 has the 3 pin TPS. I was able to find a new 3 wire custom harness with 3 long blue wires coming off the new connector. I could really use your advice on how to correctly wire up this new 3 wire TPS into the correct wires under the hood and whatever I need to do inside with newer 97 ECU wiring. Or will it work correctly if I were to leave it alone and not switch out the throttle bodies and tps. Just leave it running the 4 wire set up. I understand that the extra wire on the 96 is for the idle or something? And the newer 97 3 wire is 100% controlled by the ECU? How is that going to affect running with the Supercharger as far as the 3 vs 4 wire TPS? Anyways thank you so much in advance for any help! Scott!
@@arinmirzayan3949 Roger Dodger. Yeah, we wouldn't steer our viewers wrong. The job was difficult and we learned a lot and hope others will have an easier time learning from our experience and following our suggestions.
A lot of comments talk of "noisy valves", but what do noisy valves sound like? Any videos (on this channel or elsewhere) that have a good example for this engine? Thanks.
Honestly, I can't remember. I think it was because he wanted to do the valve cover gasket job, and he knew we didn't have a valve adjustment job for the 5VZ-FE engine yet. I'll text him to confirm the reason and get back to you, Mark.
What's weird is with the valves being out of spec, he didn't detect engine issues before the job and no obvious improvement after the job. It doesn't make sense.
I'm having a hard time dislodging the shims. They seem to be fused with the bucket. When the bucket is down the shim stays down with it so that I can't get underneath the shim with a pick. Any suggestions? Removing the camshaft for one or two shims seems crazy.
With the bucket compressed, can you spin the shim? If you can, that means you have the bucket compressed enough. If you can't spin the shim, you don't have it compressed enough and that's why it's fighting you. If the shim spins, you just need to use more force against the shim with a pick tool while giving force upwards to dislodge it. Another trick you can try is try blasting shop air under the shim to dislodge it. If the shim doesn't spin, you might want to get a buddy to help you. One of you presses down the bucket with a flat blade screwdriver while the other guy either uses a pick tool or shop air nozzle to get the shim out. You'll get it. It's frustrating.
Hello, Thanks for vids. I have 205K on my 04 , V-6 M/T tundra and looking for parts (OEM) I can’t seem to find the “Stone gasket set “ for the valve covers. Any help for sources would be awesome. Bob
Hey Tim! Thanks so much for these videos they are so helpful. Is it worth it to get the oem tools to push the bucket down? Or should I just stick with the cheaper option?
@@TimmyTheToolman gotcha, no worries. I will maybe try the cheaper option. I just know sometimes it's not always a good idea to use cheaper tools. But also sometimes the cheaper options are just fine. Thank you
I was curious on what you were guessing how many revolutions these engines had. It equaled exactly 1 Billion. Which is crazy. I assumed average RPM 3K. Average speed: 45. Average mileage: 250,000
Dear? Interesting. I don't have a digital copy I can offer you. I have the physical books. If you do an online search, I'm certain you'll find one you can download.
Timmy, I saw a few comments you made about Wei not noticing any difference in performance after adjusting the valve clearances. Did you happen to do a compression test after the valve adjustments? And thanks again for another great tutorial. I wonder how many 3rd gens are still on the road because of your vids! My 2002 just passed 312k miles so I'll be sure to check valve clearances soon.
@@TimmyTheToolman I'm curious to see what his compression would have looked like had the engine been warmed up before the first test. I've got a 5vzfe with 290K on it and was blown away by how low his compression was compared to mine, but maybe I'd see similar results on a cold engine. As far as I can tell, other owners of this engine rarely need to adjust the valves unless they're going for a 500K engine. Some engines seem to remain in tolerance even when checked around the 300K mark while others are way out. I can only wonder why. Anyhow, thanks for another thorough video and all that you do.
@joshuaelkins9943 His numbers would have been higher if the engine was warm, but the numbers would have still been very low. I did a valve adjustment on my 2000 4runner with 240k miles, and a few valves were out of spec, and some more were on the edge of the spec so I adjusted somewhere around 8 valves. None of them were way out, only by 1-2 thousands, so my engine could have gone longer without issue, but I'm glad I did it. You're very welcome and Happy Wrenching!
I like and appreciate your videos Tim. I'm in the middle of the same process. What manual are you using? I have a Haynes manual but it isn't nearly as good as what you're using. Thanks for your time.
what was toyota thinking when they came up with this shim idea? On all of the molder diesels on tractors and Mercedes you do a two wrench system and ther whole job is ionly 30-60 minutes
Hey Timmy, what is that red contraption on the upper radiator hose? I also want to say THANK YOU, because of your videos I am currently making a 10 year old dream a reality on my 3rd gen 4-runner. Thank you very much!
Hey I got some heads rebuilt from a highly recommended place in fl they said they are going to check lash to make sure they are within spec. Can I check the lash my self before I install on to the block? As long as the cams are tourqed before Install they can be checked? Or do they have to be on the block and then checked?
Timmy have you ever encountered TRD headers on the 3.4, and if so what did you do for the gasket? The TRD header gasket is NLA, so I'm figuring on just trying the stock gasket. I've got to remove the heads on my '02. I've had it since 40k. The truck now has about 250k on it. When new the dealer installed the TRD headers, stainless exhaust, SuperCharger, and the high flow air filter. At least one cylinder gets coolant in it, and fully expecting to see cracks....
@@TimmyTheToolman ya I watched the video. When you guys were struggling with the red handle tool I was scratching my head like dam those cams need to come out
What did the new compression numbers end up being after swapping the shims? Thinking I need to do the shims on mine it has 260k miles and cylinders 1, 3, 5, 4 were 180 psi ~ a couple psi and cylinder 2 and 6 were around 165 ish psi.
@@oniefields83 Good luck with the job. The OEM tools really make a difference. They are much better than the Schley tools but they are considerably more expensive. This job is a test of patience. If you find yourself getting frustrated, take a break.
You can buy them from your local Toyota Dealer Parts Department or any number of Online Toyota Parts Sellers. We list the shim sizes and the part numbers for them in the video description.
You have to do the math like we show in the video to figure out the shim to install to bring the clearance back within spec. Based on the shims thicknesses available, you can't always get the spec right in the middle, which is ideal. Before asking more questions, please watch the ENTIRE video and check out the video description for the tools needed. We are here to help, but we can't watch the video for you.
Timmy, would this job be similar to 2008 GX470 engine? I have not had a reason to remove the exhaust manifold or valve cover off the engine yet, but this video (awesome video) intrigued me. I do most of my own wrenching by watching videos like yours. Please keep em coming (especially for GX)! Thanks, Bluegrass GX
Hey Lee, the process would be very similar because your engine also has a shim over bucket design. We will continue to have more videos for the GX because my buddy Thanh owns one and we have other videos planned like replacing the starter. Happy Wrenching!
