StuckInVA

Long story short, my valves are ticking. I'm going to try to do the valve adjustment one of these days, but I was wondering if anyone knows the best place to find the shims?

canucklehe

i'd start with ebay. this must be a royal PITA job, as VCs would have to be removed. my car is at mechanic today for knock sensors. I suggested valve clearance adjust as i have a bit of a tick (everything will be out of the way). He shut it down and said the shims are hard and don't wear (not sure why that's matter as i thought they usually tighten up and it's not the shim that wears). I think this is a huge job but I don't know. I have adjusted valves on quads that use shims. OH Cam has to be removed, cam chain removed and careful attn to timing & being on correct stroke. then calculate the shim size (which isn't hard to do).

if you do it, be sure to post a how-to, maybe even with some pics!!

StuckInVA

I'll see if I can't take some pictures while I do it and see if I can't make a post , Unfortunately I can't find the shims on Ebay and am pretty sure i'll have to order from the stealership. for me though, the nearest Lexus dealer is a 3 hour drive (maybe I'll just go to the Toyota dealer hehehe).

I'm no stranger to this engine, I've already had the thing out twice. and the front valve cover is cake to get off. I'm just hoping I can find a way to replicate the SSTs outlined in the service manual so I won't have to take the cams off

Also unless you're pretty certain that your valve clearance is out of spec then that tick might just be a sticky valve. I'd try some Seafoam in the crankcase first.

synrgy350

The toyota dealership will have the shims. However, they are about 10 dollars a piece. I would ask the dealership if they have used shims they've pulled out of other cars. If they have the size you're looking for, they may just give it to you for free. Also, I've used a 28 mm round shim, about .2 mm thick, and placed it under the current shim to bring the clearance back up to spec. The shims I bought were from mcmaster carr. (http://www.mcmaster.com/#standard-shims/=lvtbl6). Just look for a 28mm outer diameter shim. The rear valve cover is difficult to get to, but once you're done it once its easy. I can remove my rear valve cover in less than 40 minutes now. Best of luck!

-Lawrence

canucklehe

i put in a jug of marvel mystery oil last oil change. not sure on which snake oil is best, or maybe sometimes we expect the snake oil to fix a problem it can't touch.

do local parts stores carry shims? doubtful you'd get old shims for free, as most places have an exchange program so you give 'em yer old one and they give you correct size (cheaper than buying new).

whatever shim material you use, make sure it is same hardness.

StuckInVA

You seem to have done this job before. I was able to get the front VC off in <5 mins and the only additional things I had to unbolt were the plastic cover and part of the wiring harness for the fuel injectors.
I don't suppose you can give me a heads up on what I'll have to remove to get to the back one with the engine still in the car? I already know I'll have to take the air manifold off of course, and I've done that before. Anything else though?
Also, in the service manual it mentions SSTs to aid in depressing the valve enough to reach in with a little magnet grabber to get the shim out. Were you able to replicate this? or did you have to lift the cam up?

You don't happen to know the hardness of our current shims do you?
From the way I understand it the Mystery Oil is like an oil additive; the Seafoam is not like this. It actually does something to the viscosity of the oil after you run it for a while, on the bottle it says to change your oil shortly after adding it (30 miles maybe?) It's more like an oil flush and actually works by aggressively breaking down the sludge (Atleast, that's the way it was explained to me.)

canucklehe

don't know the hardness, only been told that they are very hard steel (lost one and thought i dropped it in the motor of my KTM 450 bike....found it on garage floor a month later!).

synrgy350

Once you get the intake manifold off you have to move the engine wiring harness, which sits on top of the rear valve cover. There are two bolts that hold it down on the valve cover and two bolts on the driver side of the engine, near the thermostat. There is one more on the passenger side that is hard to see, near the torque rod. Once these bolts are removed the wiring harness can be lifted up a few inches giving you enough clearance to remove the rear valve cover.

Regarding the SST, I ordered one from eBay for 15 bucks or so. It works pretty well because it wraps around the cam and depresses the lifter so you can remove the shim with a magnetic tool. It takes some getting used to though. No need to remove the cam unless you needed to replace a lifter bucket.

StuckInVA

Thanks for the info, I just found the tool (~27) I will order it as soon as I find one that needs adjusting. (been raining these past couple of days)