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2.7 Valve adjustment?

Discussion in '1st Gen. Tacomas (1995-2004)' started by taco57, Jan 8, 2020.

  1. Jan 8, 2020 at 8:04 AM
    #1
    taco57

    taco57 [OP] Well-Known Member

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    All,

    I read here that is a good idea to have the valves checked for tightness on our 2.7 engines and with my OCD is kicking in with my truck at 250K miles I am considering having mine done.

    I could do this myself if I had the proper tools and more specifically the shim stock, which I do not.

    Is there anybody in or around the Columbus Ohio area that has the experience doing this that can assist?
     
  2. Jan 8, 2020 at 8:39 AM
    #2
    Wsidr1

    Wsidr1 Well-Known Member

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    There are several good videos. Timmah has one, as do others.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f0zzsBhs3iA
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pKEkOdQuJR4

    If you don't know anybody with a shim kit, you can order just the shims you need after you measure to see what adjustments (if any) need to be made.

    I ordered these tools off Amazon for mine:

    https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0014DF1AG/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

    Here is one similar to the one in the second video. I have heard people prefer this type for compression.

    https://tinyurl.com/ygafydxm
     
    crazytacoman likes this.
  3. Jan 8, 2020 at 9:21 AM
    #3
    nzbrock

    nzbrock Well-Known Member

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    It's fairly easy to check the clearance yourself before dumping time/money into it. You just remove the intake and the valve cover. The videos that @Wsidr1 posted are what I used.
    You just need some feeler gauges, these angled ones worked best for me https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B004FEPDJU/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

    Here's a link to the post in my build about it: https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/tiffany-the-taco.374490/page-6#post-15408330
     
  4. Jan 8, 2020 at 10:05 AM
    #4
    taco57

    taco57 [OP] Well-Known Member

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    Thanks! Now just finding the time to do it. And hope I can see well enough with my bifocals. Hence part of the reason why I asked if there was someone younger than me local to me to assist in that part.
     
  5. Jan 8, 2020 at 10:10 AM
    #5
    nzbrock

    nzbrock Well-Known Member

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    You don't need to see much to put the feeler gauge between the cam and the shim. It's more about the "feel"

    You will need to turn the engine with the crank bolt to measure them all though.
     
  6. Jan 8, 2020 at 1:38 PM
    #6
    Old n' slow

    Old n' slow Well-Known Member

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    Just a note about the Schley Products tool.....I just checked my valves for the third time in 130,000 miles. I finally needed one tight exhaust valve adjusted. After much wasted time trying to remove the shim I realized the smaller tool ( the one that holds the valve open ) was not thick enough to hold open the valve enough for the shim to slid out, even when I had needle nose pliers pulling on it. I added about 1/8” of metal to it, compressed the valve again and slid the hold open tool in and the shim slid right out first try. Maybe I got a ( brand new ) defective tool but be aware if you have trouble.
     
  7. Jan 8, 2020 at 3:38 PM
    #7
    taco57

    taco57 [OP] Well-Known Member

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    Thanks for the tip, I'll be aware of it when I go to use the tool. Is Amazon the best place to get the tool set? Or is there a better quality tool outlet to get a better quality tool set for just a bit more $?
     
  8. Jan 8, 2020 at 3:55 PM
    #8
    Old n' slow

    Old n' slow Well-Known Member

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    I bought mine awhile ago and finally just now needed it, but I think it was eBay.....usually eBay and Amazon are about the same.

    P.S. I’m in eastern N.C. , there are plenty of old shim adjusted Toyota’s all over the roads here .......but I couldn’t find anyone who did shim type Toyota valves....... Maybe other parts of the county it’s different.
    (Also, I’m almost 71 with bifocals it was no problem once I fixed the defective tool)
     
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  9. Jan 8, 2020 at 4:06 PM
    #9
    Old n' slow

    Old n' slow Well-Known Member

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    When you do get around to checking, it would be interesting to see if after all those miles your valves were out of adjustment.
     
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  10. Jan 8, 2020 at 4:28 PM
    #10
    taco57

    taco57 [OP] Well-Known Member

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    Me too. Not sure if driving style, fuel quality or even oil quality has anything to do with valves tightening up or not. I pretty much baby mine, mostly freeway driving, all stock, careful where i get gas and full synthetic oil since new.
     
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  11. Jan 8, 2020 at 6:19 PM
    #11
    ireymon

    ireymon Unknown Member

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    I just checked the valves on my 2.4 a couple months ago for the first time at 191K and only 1 exhaust valve was right at the limit. Figure I'll check again in 15-20k.

    Super easy to check, only special tool needed are feeler gauges! Those angled ones look awesome! I didn't have to replace any shims but seems pretty straight forward. If it's a daily driver though, it could turn into a multi step process - check the valves, if any are out of tolerance, measure those shims, put it all back together so you can drive while you wait for whatever shims you need to order. When new shims arrive, take it apart again, swap the shims then put back together (check tolerances again after replacing shims to make sure you're good!).

    Be sure to get a new valve cover gasket set since I'm sure it will need replaced. Here's the one I got and seemed like it was pretty decent quality. I didn't use the half moons, mine stayed put.

    https://www.amazon.com/Evergreen-VC...eywords=2rz+valve+cover&qid=1578535513&sr=8-1

    Good luck!
     
  12. Jan 9, 2020 at 5:13 AM
    #12
    BarnBoy

    BarnBoy Well-Known Member

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    It's a pain in the ass to change the shims, honestly it's likely easier to pull the exh cam when you do it. Don't need to mess with the timing chain, and it will give you more room to do any intake adjustments esp if there's more than 1 exh valve that needs adjusted. I believe the shims are 28mm, don't hold me to that though. There may be a kit you can buy, honestly I think you could sell the kit when you're done, just measure and throw your old shims in the box. Someone on here would buy it.

    I really do think its retarded the way Toyota did this. It makes it such a hassle, what with ordering shims, waiting on them, hoping it's the right one, blah blah blah.
     
  13. Jan 9, 2020 at 5:37 AM
    #13
    nzbrock

    nzbrock Well-Known Member

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    I agree with this. If you have maybe 4 out of the 8 to change, pull the exhaust cam. Even if you need to change cyl 4 at the firewall, pull the exhaust cam. The one at the very back is hard to reach and see.
     
  14. Jan 9, 2020 at 6:11 AM
    #14
    Timmah!

    Timmah! Well-Known Member

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    I think all the tools are defective. My buddy Jordan who I shot the video with had the same experience with the Schley tool. It's just not quite tall enough to push the bucket down far enough so you can sneak the shim out. We talk about this in the video. What Jordan did is smash his in his bench vice to flatten the metal out more so it would gain some length. I did the same thing but used a hammer to pound it a little more flat to gain that tiny bit of extra length.
     
  15. Jan 9, 2020 at 6:20 AM
    #15
    Rachelsdaddy

    Rachelsdaddy Well-Known Member

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    I will drive mine till they are so tight they squeal. Then I will replace the head or the entire motor. Not that it sounds mechanically difficult, just a royal pain in the ass....
     
  16. Jan 9, 2020 at 6:33 AM
    #16
    Timmah!

    Timmah! Well-Known Member

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    I think you will end up regretting this decision unless you're just kidding. These engines are well-built and can last a very long time but they have been known to burn up exhaust valves and you could get a ton more miles out of it by just periodically checking the valve lash and adjusting any that need it. Pulling the valve cover off this engine is beyond simple. Checking the valve lash is pretty easy too. Replacing the occasional shim is going to keep you from doing a much more involved head swap or motor swap and is well worth any aggravation experienced replacing a shim. And, just like everything, once you do it once, the next time will be that much easier. Be smart and save yourself time and money in the long run by doing a little required maintenance.
     
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  17. Jan 9, 2020 at 10:09 AM
    #17
    Old n' slow

    Old n' slow Well-Known Member

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    I wish I had watched your video first, I must have spent 30-45 minutes wrestling with that darn shim thinking it was me that was doing something wrong.
     
  18. Feb 29, 2020 at 11:00 PM
    #18
    Steeprock

    Steeprock Well-Known Member

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    Are they shins on the exhaust and the intake the same size normally? I measured .109” for intake and .112” for exhaust. Do you guys see any issue using an intake shim for exhaust if it measures right?

    I ordered three 2.65mm ships and six 2.70mm shims based on the assumption all Were the same size.
     
  19. Mar 1, 2020 at 6:25 AM
    #19
    nzbrock

    nzbrock Well-Known Member

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    you can use the shims on either side and they would rarely be exactly the same stock
     
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  20. Mar 1, 2020 at 6:32 AM
    #20
    super_white

    super_white Well-Known Member

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    I think I need to check the clearances on my truck. I have a tick when the engine is cold.
     
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