Partially removing rear cam to replace lifter bucket on 1mz-fe? Is it possible?
10-12-13, 02:46 PM
#1
Partially removing rear cam to replace the lifter bucket on 1mz-fe. It can be done!
**This work has been done and everything worked as planned. Check the second post for pictures**
I have a bad lifter on the very last exhaust cylinder on the rear bank of my 1mz-fe (drivers side). I tried to put in a thicker shim to quiet it down but it still ticks.
My question is since it is the last cylinder in the rear on the drivers side, can i set the crank to TDC, and align the inner gears to the 9 and 3 respective marks, then just remove a few of the cam caps from the drivers side going toward the timing belt. Lift the cam up and out of the way just enough to remove the lifter bucket and replace it? Doesn't have to move much. IS this possible or will it throw off the timing on the motor?
I have a bad lifter on the very last exhaust cylinder on the rear bank of my 1mz-fe (drivers side). I tried to put in a thicker shim to quiet it down but it still ticks.
My question is since it is the last cylinder in the rear on the drivers side, can i set the crank to TDC, and align the inner gears to the 9 and 3 respective marks, then just remove a few of the cam caps from the drivers side going toward the timing belt. Lift the cam up and out of the way just enough to remove the lifter bucket and replace it? Doesn't have to move much. IS this possible or will it throw off the timing on the motor?
Last edited by lexusdog; 10-12-13 at 08:31 PM.
10-12-13, 08:18 PM
#2
For anyone looking to replace a lifter bucket from one of the drivers side cylinders, I was able to do so without removing the timing belt.
I had a valve tap from the number 5 cylinder, one of the lifters on the exhaust side had some wear on the inside causing a very large .044 gap when checking the lash between the cam and lifter shim. I first tried a thicker shim which did not work.
The problem with these lifter buckets is that the center of the inside of the bucket, where it fits over the valve spring, gets worn. This is a weak point on these 1mz-fe engines. Shimming it will not fix the issue.
To fix the problem and replace the lifter bucket without removing the timing belt, I had to get a bit creative. What I did was I removed all of the cam caps on the exhaust cam except the last one closest to the belt, and all but the last cap on the passengers side of the intake cam. I loosened the caps on both cams on the ends closest to the timing belt, but only loosened the bolts half way so there would not be excess stress in that area. After the caps are loose and the others are removed, you can slowly lift the cams enough together to be able to pull the lifter bucket on the 5th cylinder and replace it. A magnet comes in handy at this point to pull the lifter up out of the head.
Replace the lifter with a new one along with a new shim, slowly lower the cams back down into place without moving the inside gears out of alignment, then put all the cam caps back down in the order they were removed with assembly lube on the inside cap journals, and torque them down to 12ft lbs from the middle going outward.
Prior to starting this, make sure cylinder one is at TDC and the cam gears inside the head are at 3 and 9 oclock and the tabs are lined up.
Here are a few pictures showing the worn inside of a cam cap and a good one.
Good one on the left, worn one on the right:
Good inside bucket:
Worn inside bucket, take note of the wear in center of cap
Back in business and in spec:
I had a valve tap from the number 5 cylinder, one of the lifters on the exhaust side had some wear on the inside causing a very large .044 gap when checking the lash between the cam and lifter shim. I first tried a thicker shim which did not work.
The problem with these lifter buckets is that the center of the inside of the bucket, where it fits over the valve spring, gets worn. This is a weak point on these 1mz-fe engines. Shimming it will not fix the issue.
To fix the problem and replace the lifter bucket without removing the timing belt, I had to get a bit creative. What I did was I removed all of the cam caps on the exhaust cam except the last one closest to the belt, and all but the last cap on the passengers side of the intake cam. I loosened the caps on both cams on the ends closest to the timing belt, but only loosened the bolts half way so there would not be excess stress in that area. After the caps are loose and the others are removed, you can slowly lift the cams enough together to be able to pull the lifter bucket on the 5th cylinder and replace it. A magnet comes in handy at this point to pull the lifter up out of the head.
Replace the lifter with a new one along with a new shim, slowly lower the cams back down into place without moving the inside gears out of alignment, then put all the cam caps back down in the order they were removed with assembly lube on the inside cap journals, and torque them down to 12ft lbs from the middle going outward.
Prior to starting this, make sure cylinder one is at TDC and the cam gears inside the head are at 3 and 9 oclock and the tabs are lined up.
Here are a few pictures showing the worn inside of a cam cap and a good one.
Good one on the left, worn one on the right:
Good inside bucket:
Worn inside bucket, take note of the wear in center of cap
Back in business and in spec:
Last edited by lexusdog; 10-12-13 at 09:04 PM.
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