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Sanity check please; plan for valve clearance, timing, etc in one project

Discussion in '1st Gen. Tacomas (1995-2004)' started by PathFinder1776, Jan 24, 2025.

  1. Jan 24, 2025 at 12:53 PM
    #1
    PathFinder1776

    PathFinder1776 [OP] Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Aug 23, 2021
    Member:
    #375045
    Messages:
    201
    Gender:
    Male
    Colorado Front Range
    Vehicle:
    2003 DCSB TRD OR 4WD
    TRD S/C & TRD Boost Gauge Snugtop Topper Chevy 63 Swap, Gen 1 Raptor Shocks Boxed rear frame Aluminum F/R bumpers, sliders AEM 340 Fuel Pump Odyssey 27F Battery Shifted LCAs UCAs Icon 2.5 Ext. Coilovers
    My truck is at 210k. Timing belt is almost due, supercharger is due for a rebuild, overdue for valve clearance check, and knock sensor or harness went out. The plan is to do it all in one project to avoid duplicating work later on. Everything on the truck is extremely clean and rust free so it should be nice to work on. Since everything will be happening at once, I'm hoping to take advantage and make some things easier. Can anyone who has done the above maintenance help with a sanity check to make sure I'm not going to screw anything up?

    1. Remove supercharger, intake, throttle body, etc
    2. Remove front bumper, grill, etc.
    3. Remove radiator hoses, radiator, and A/C condenser. Maybe have room to flip the condenser out of the way without unhooking hoses? All this to gain direct access to the front of the truck. Crank bolt etc.
    4. Remove everything down to and including lower intake components and cover with tape.
    5. Remove PS pump and belts, fan, etc. Set crank to TDC. Use puller to remove harmonic balancer
    6. Remove fan bracket and covers for timing belt. Remove timing belt components
    7. Remove valve covers. Measure valve clearance while rotating cams by hand.
    8. As needed, swap bucket shims. If one bank needs a bunch, just pull the cam to do it instead of fishing them out and in underneath the cam.
    9. Remove cam pulleys and do cam seals. Also do crank seal at this stage.
    10. Reseal and install valve covers
    11. Swap spark plugs
    12. Install new timing components, set timing
    13. Replace knock sensors and harness
    14. Reseal coolant bypass.
    15. Install new injectors
    16. Rebuild S/C
    17. Final assembly of everything
    There are details missing in the steps above, but is setting valve clearance with the timing components off going to cause any issues? Does it make sense to take advantage of doing all of this at once? The truck isn't a daily so it's fine for it to be down for a while.

    Thanks
     
  2. Jan 24, 2025 at 1:07 PM
    #2
    O'Silver_Taco

    O'Silver_Taco Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Aug 26, 2021
    Member:
    #375390
    Messages:
    4,246
    Gender:
    Male
    First Name:
    MD
    Vehicle:
    98 Dlx Sr5 ext AT Rwd
    3rz to 2Rz bebuilt block and new heads
    I would compression test 1st.....and see what you're getting into

    and then maybe inspect the cylinders with a borescope

    SC's cause accelerated wear


    And then have a plan in case of the dreaded head cracks common in between the valves......any of those cylinders have the 'steamed clean' look?
     
  3. Jan 26, 2025 at 7:06 PM
    #3
    PathFinder1776

    PathFinder1776 [OP] Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Aug 23, 2021
    Member:
    #375045
    Messages:
    201
    Gender:
    Male
    Colorado Front Range
    Vehicle:
    2003 DCSB TRD OR 4WD
    TRD S/C & TRD Boost Gauge Snugtop Topper Chevy 63 Swap, Gen 1 Raptor Shocks Boxed rear frame Aluminum F/R bumpers, sliders AEM 340 Fuel Pump Odyssey 27F Battery Shifted LCAs UCAs Icon 2.5 Ext. Coilovers
    I'm not too worried about the health of the engine. It was an old man truck from 2008 until I bought it last year. Very well maintained with good records. No indication whatsoever of anything wrong aside from the knock sensors.
    Looks like I'll be swapping headers at the same time...is it necessary to shift the engine forward to get them on?
     

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