Ticking valves...?

[4tuner]

Hey guys,

Has anyone had to rebuild their heads yet? The 2uzfe motor is an interference motor and the valves are a bucket and shim design. My valves are ticking during normal driving conditions, but they tick like crazy while towing our trailer.
Toyota techs up here are not the brightest bunch, the last thing I want is for a dealer to f**k with my ride.

Has anyone attempted to do this job themselves? Has anyone has any experience with removing the heads and having an aftermarket shop re-due the valves, springs, retainers, etc?

There is a company in Florida called ttc performance, but these guys design everything for a forced induction Supra application, not to mention they are WAY OVER CHARGING people.

I would love to have the vales and springs all re-done, as well as port the exhaust and bump up compression for increased low end torque... any thoughts?

 

[BlackWorksInc]

How many miles do you have on your vehicle? Our dealership goes by Toyota's recommendation for valve adjustments (5yr/60k), but you can easily double that with no issues. What criteria are you using to determine that the valve tick is the result of valves not seating properly vs. possibly excessive valve lash?

You would be the first person I've heard of having to have the cylinderhead rebuilt on a 2UZ-FE; they tend to be pretty robust engines, even with fairly neglected maintenance.

 

[chris360hawks]

You sure it's not a cracked exhaust manifold your hearing?

 

[drewm]

Hey guys,

Has anyone had to rebuild their heads yet? The 2uzfe motor is an interference motor and the valves are a bucket and shim design. My valves are ticking during normal driving conditions, but they tick like crazy while towing our trailer.
Toyota techs up here are not the brightest bunch, the last thing I want is for a dealer to f**k with my ride.

Has anyone attempted to do this job themselves? Has anyone has any experience with removing the heads and having an aftermarket shop re-due the valves, springs, retainers, etc?

There is a company in Florida called ttc performance, but these guys design everything for a forced induction Supra application, not to mention they are WAY OVER CHARGING people.

I would love to have the vales and springs all re-done, as well as port the exhaust and bump up compression for increased low end torque... any thoughts?

Once you're talking about pulling the heads you're automatically into around $1600 worth of labor without parts. And I'm not sure how you're planning on increasing your compression ratio without new pistons which will be a full teardown of the bottom end too. Sounds like at least a $5k job for small gains.

Also valves shouldn't tick more under load, you're probably just hearing your injectors or an exhaust manifold leak.

 

[bergs]

You can increase compression by milling the head.

 

[MikeInNH]

You can increase compression by milling the head.

As long as you have the valve clearance.

 

[MikeInNH]

The 2uzfe motor is an interference motor and the valves are a bucket and shim design. My valves are ticking during normal driving conditions, but they tick like crazy while towing our trailer.

Are you sure it's valve ticking you're hearing...and not knocking? Valve ticking usually doesn't increase when towing...but engine knock sure does.

 

[bergs]

As long as you have the valve clearance.

Which piston engines don't offer enough clearance from the factory? None that I am aware of...maybe in special cases like crate engines but those are purpose-built and not in the spirit of the topic, IMO

 

[MikeInNH]

Which piston engines don't offer enough clearance from the factory? None that I am aware of...maybe in special cases like crate engines but those are purpose-built and not in the spirit of the topic

If you're just milling the heads smooth..then there should never be a problem. But if you're milling the heads for higher compression..then that's a different story. I've seen it years ago in older (60's) GM Small-block engines. Guys with 9:1 compression ratio..wanting 12:1 compression ratio...Mill the heads...and didn't check for clearance..put the engine back together...and start engine....Not pretty.

 

[BlackWorksInc]

If you're just milling the heads smooth..then there should never be a problem. But if you're milling the heads for higher compression..then that's a different story. I've seen it years ago in older (60's) GM Small-block engines. Guys with 9:1 compression ratio..wanting 12:1 compression ratio...Mill the heads...and didn't check for clearance..put the engine back together...and start engine....Not pretty.

This is very true, a lot of engines have reliefs in the pistons because the combustion chamber is so short and so milling the head without properly measuring/accounting for these differences can create issues when the valve is at its longest travel.

I would like to point out that most engines these days are interference engines because of their relatively high compression, even with the reliefs in piston heads the engine could smack into a valve under the right circumstances.