valve adjustment, not that hard or expensive

[iBison]

Just finished replacing the head gaskets to fix the coolant leaking into #6 cylinder. I wanted to adjust the valves since I have had some that have been ticking kind of loud since I bought the 4Runner a couple years ago. After reading on here about the cost of it I decided to not do it. Everything I have read on here indicated that you adjust the valves using shims and that the shim kit was around $500. They look like the cylinders in this photo.

Well, first it's very probably not going to cost you five hundred bucks to do the job if you can live without your vehicle for a while. If you're lucky, like me, it wont cost you anything.

After we took out the shims/lifters to take the heads of we thought we might have gotten one or two of the intake/exhaust swapped. Unfortunitely the only way to tell was to put the heads back together and measure the valve to cam spec then take the cams out to switch them back. We measured all of them and we found one exhaust valve on the passenger side had a little to much clearance and one was a little tight. We figured if we swapped them they may be a little closer. Turns out that put both in spec. We had a similar situation on the driver side. We were able to get all of the valves in spec by swapping two lifters on each head. When we put everything back together it was all in spec and completely quite.

If you have a few lifters that need to be replaced YOU CAN ORDER THEM INDIVIDUALLY from the online discount dealers for under $15 EACH! You don't have to order a $500 kit. You measure the valve-cam clearance and order the size lifter to bring the valve back into spec. You only pay for parts to fix individual valves.

Hope this helps someone.

 

[BlackWorksInc]

I didn't realize people were getting quoted $500 for the "Kit" Normally we have a tackle box full of old shims that we've measured and marked for valve adjustments from other valve adjustments we've done. If we don't have a shim that fits we order the shim from parts; this is usually explained to the customer that there may be additional costs for each valve shim that is out of spec (perhaps dealerships/shops are just quoting a straight $500 to account for the possibility that all the shims are out and cover their asses?)

It's not a hard job really, it just takes patience (it helps if you have the little tool to pop the shims out if they're not bucket style units like the 2UZ-FE), some math, and time. Glad it worked out for you.

 

[iBison]

Yes, not hard, just time consuming, especially when you add the head gaskets. The lifters are easier to get out with gloves and bare fingers, Maybe a small suction cup would work. I got the $500 from doing a search for adjusting valves. Last summer I had thought about doing it, but I was under the impression that I was looking at that much for the shims. As you mentioned as I found out you would have to replace all of them to come up with that. I'm pretty happy that at 170k miles I didn't have more issues. The coolant passages looked like a new engine and the heads were pretty clean too.

 

[Nostromo]

I'm still sore over this one. When I got my headgasket replaced the machine shop at Carquest said I needed a valve job. I have about 190k so I said sure, go ahead.

Let me tell you how they adjust the vavles. Any loose valves they just ignore. Any tight valves they grind the valve stem instead of tracking down the correct shim. After I went ape shit on him he lamely exclaimed "that's how everyone does it, the shim kit is too expensive".

Morons....

 

[iBison]

Wow, I can understand you not being happy about that.

 

[Jeremy556]

Wow, glad I have the new roller rocker cams. Having done many shim under bucket valve adjustments, charging for the shim kit is BS.