94LS4LIFE

oh well you know what i mean doncha? would having a mechanic take off the valve covers and respec the valves take this tick away where it would be safe and a little quieter?

Joey

Sixdown

Umm. How much would it cost to get the valves readjusted?

Neofate

iTrader: (1)

Good question. Another reply said the lexus dealership cost $888.00 to adjust their valves.

If I am correct, the valves we are speaking of are on top of the engine right? Take all the crap off keeping you from clear exposure to valve covers and then yank the covers? Then check clearances with tools, and tighten/loosen, replace, small cheap'ish parts to adjust (not even sure if shims or what not are needed , or if it is simply a tighten loosen thing)... anyhow, get them in proper spec, checking all 'play'.. and then close it back up.

The actual work probably isn't but an hour.. Getting it apart and together.. the other 7.

Is this really a typical 8 hour quote from most mechanics? Also is this something one would feel a competent Master mechanic could do on any car, 'Just like Lexus would' ?

I'm with you Sixdown, I bet mine could use it as well.. but can't afford it.

Be nice to know when to know when to get this adjusted. I mean by the sound of it. If some ticking is normal then when do you one day think, hrmm, this has gotten too bad and might cause a problem or is doing damage, I need it done asap?

I've had this tick with several cars before.. and knew it was valves/lifters, maybe rockers etc.. And it sounds like metal hitting metal.

What is it actually? Metal on metal is obviously horrible. Also I have been able to quieten and silence some of this with some oil additives on my previous vehicle..

You would think if the noise was too loud, it would trigger some 'knock' sensor and a CEL would come on. Then you'd know, hey I need to get this adjusted.

93LSexy

Most Honda and Toyota engine ticks. It's a Jap engine thing... My Civic Si use to always tick since day one. You can do a valve adjustment if you have the right tools. otherwise, it makes no difference. I did an adjustment once by myself, but that was a 4-banger. It didn't make that much difference...and the ticking came back after about 10K miles.

SW07ES

Here's what can happen if the clickling noise is due to loose valve clearances and the owner ignores the noise.

Neofate

iTrader: (1)

So pay half price now just in case,.. or the whole price later if it happens ..

No really,.. there has to be a discernable major difference in an engine that is about to 'slip a shim' .

05SC28

Hi,
I did my own valve adjustment last week. It's a pain getting to the valves shims near the firewall due to it's location. I bought the valve adjustment to from Matco for 40 bucks. You need to check the clearance on each then replace the shims out of spec. The valve tick is not as noticable as before, but the injector noise is still there. I have to replace the EGR pipe down the road due to a crack.

Neofate

iTrader: (1)

Impressive. How much mechanic work have you done before? I know it is all a matter of just jumping in there and doing it. However - getting to the internals bothers me. It is sort of a get it right now and don't forget anything or boom -- I bet that first engine start after things are sealed back up is nerve wracking.


If you know,.. Would be getting to the valves for adjustment be part of the same process of removing parts to replace an EGR Pipe, or is the EGR pipe from the bottom up?

Bill Dowd

after spending $888.00 for a valve ajustment and I still have valves ticking just a little this is a normal sound you will never get them to be super quiet.

sam12345

iTrader: (1)

Can you write the procedure for adjusting the valves? Thanks

Amskeptic

There are those who get the valves adjusted correctly, and there are those who go to a shop or a dealer and get them adjusted by someone who just doesn't give a flickety fl**ck to deal with the math involved, or perhaps they, themselves, have attention deficit disorders:



or who doesn't have the uber-correct shim in stock, and says "ahh whatever?" and puts in whatever he has laying there, and says, "it is just the fuel injectors". Go listen to a nice Lexus engine and remind yourself that IF a Lexus engine can sit there and idle quietly, THEN a Lexus engine can sit there and idle quietly.

Valve adjustments are easy enough, but I think you know by now that they demand adherence to the procedures and you must pay attention and love to do good careful work. If you have a tick that has not been cured by adjustment, and you have heard it all from the person who did the adjustment, go home and check the adjustment yourself! In my case, I was the mechanic. I b***ch*ed myself out and rechecked the adjustments. Twice! Then I took off the camshafts. Took the buckets off of each of the 32 valves and inspected them.



Cleaned the heck out of the whole cylinder head camshaft area since this wear in the buckets is due to varnish build-up (prior owner negligence and cold NY driving)



Three had the little drilled-out centers on the hardened steel inserts inside the buckets(#7 intake rear was the worst - overall clearance was .018"). Replaced them, and had to reassemble the cams, check the adjustments AGAIN, disassemble AGAIN and get the proper shims AGAIN and put it together AGAIN, and when they finally came in at .007-8" intakes and .010-.012" I was very relieved. Three full days of annoyingness but it was fun.

My procedure for doing the valves does not follow the book, I prefer to be more involved.
It is an excellent thing to do them during timing belt change. I always check my clearances without fail with the cam lobes sticking straight up on each valve that I check. That means I do not follow the "set engine to "0" do these these and these valves, rotate 360* and do those those and those valves" like in the manual.

You may choose to mess with the adjusting tools, mine are crap that do not stay in place and damage the sides of the lifter buckets or go "ting!" midway through a shim change out. I take the camshafts off. And I hope not to do them until another 100,000 belt change out. Cleanliness is so extra critical with these cams running directly in the heads with racing engine precision .0008" clearances.
Colin

python

iTrader: (4)

clean injectors will tick, dirty injectors are silent

sam12345

iTrader: (1)

I missed the good old days when you could adjust while engine was running just by the sound. Thanks for the info. Since your vavlves are correctly adjusted how much noise is normal? Maybe you should upload a sound file of it

Amskeptic

Sounds nice. There is injector ticking but they all have exactly the same amplitude and sound sort of a background soft clatter that you cannot hear when you shut the hood. My bad intake bucket was a nasty old Buick exhaust leak tickticktick, and when you put it in gear, it would go down to a tock tock tock, clearly and obviously well beyond injectors. My power steering pump and A/C compressor add a nice steady overlay and the engine just does not bring any reciprocating racket to your attention.

Lex93fan

Mine ticks right now and it gets louder as you get on it.The guy I bought it from said it was probably stuck lifters from sitting so long.I knew it wasn't rod knock because it just didn't have the same sound.Once I had my friend look at it he determined its just the EGR tube thats cracked.