Adjusting valve lash.

[LoveMySupra]

I got a head back that just had a valve job and it's not installed yet.

If I swap pucks around, will the lash for the corresponding valves be proportionally changed? (The difference between the size of the two pucks added or subtracted from the lash that was already there?

In your experience after putting the head back on and running the engine, does the lash change as if something hasn't settled.

Is it hard to remove the pucks with the cams in? It shows that as the way to change the lash but I haven't tried it yet. It looks like it will be hard.

 

[rtrdpenguin]

I just did this and it honestly took me about 30 minutes to get the first shim out from under the cam with the special tool. But I figured out how to use it properly and it's a pain but it's not that hard. It might actually go faster taking the cams out but I figured I already had the tool and eventually I got pretty good with it. A faster learner probably would have made good time changing the shims with the cams in =)

 

[zachm611]

i find it easier taking the cams out but then again i dont have the tool to do it with them in.

 

[Rennat]

http://www.supramania.com/forums/showthread.php?t=50674&highlight=shim+spec

that way you dont have to guess (use the link at the bottom)

 

[rtrdpenguin]

The sheet I used (probably the same one rennat linked) was in inches, so make sure you change the excel box formulas if you do it in mm. I almost put the wrong shims in my car!

If you need shims I have about 50 of them ranging from about 2.70mm to 3.10mm

 

[LoveMySupra]

http://www.supramania.com/forums/showthread.php?t=50674&highlight=shim+spec

that way you dont have to guess (use the link at the bottom)

Very nice... Very nice!

Question, How does the calculator know if I'm inputting mm or inches? Does it know automatically? Edit: (lol, guess I need to learn to read as the above post clearly says do it in inches. LOL)

I've hear that used shims become cupped and using new shims can be a little tricky because you can get a tighter clearance than planned.
Any thoughts on this?

 

[GrimJack]

Yes, the clearances will change a bit after you run the engine for a while. I put them in a bit on the loose side, and they generally tighten up to about the middle of the range.

I also tend to run it for ~500 miles, then pull the valve covers and check the clearances again.

 

[LoveMySupra]

The sheet I used (probably the same one rennat linked) was in inches, so make sure you change the excel box formulas if you do it in mm. I almost put the wrong shims in my car!

If you need shims I have about 50 of them ranging from about 2.70mm to 3.10mm

Thanks very much, I appreciate the offer. However, this engine needs to get put back together asap so there wont be time for shipping them out.

I guess from now on I'll have to get shims out of engines at pick-a-part whenever I go as it seems you really need a collection to not have to buy new ones.

 

[LoveMySupra]

Just got back from pick-a-part with a full used set of shims out of a 91 Cressida. Hope the measurements I need are in this set.

 

[rtrdpenguin]

=) Good luck! If I caught this earlier I would have said that the older corollas (pre-93 I think) with the 3 bolts on the valve cover are easy to pick shims from and there were tons at my local yard. I never did figure out a good fast way to get the shims out of the newer I4s or V6s =(

 

[LoveMySupra]

It took about 30 minutes to get the valve covers off.
After that I got them out in like 5 minutes.
I tested out unbolting the cam towers in any order and not evenly distributing the loosening. The result was a broken cam. Oh my gosh. Follow the tsrm for unbolting stuff or else!!
I'm taking an eating break. I measured everything out and switched shims around and am about to torque the cam towers back down and re-measure the lash. We'll see how accurate my method is. :icon_surp

The exhaust side came out with 95% accuracy.
On to the intake side...
The intake side was about 85 - 90 % accurate.
Everything is within specs, valve lash adjusted and head not installed on the car yet.
Now to get all my stuff and head over to where the car is and put it all back together.

 

[rtrdpenguin]

One reason I didn't want to take the cams out is that I might not get exactly the right torque on the caps the second time around. It should come out the same but you never know... I just made sure they were all to spec and left them there. My intake side was easy because I had tons of shims exactly the right size but my exhaust shims are probably only around 90% accurate =\ It's quieter but the valvetrain still makes more noise than I'd like. Let me know how yours sounds, I think my cams might actually be moving back and forth a bit...

 

[Rennat]

love - you serisouly broke your cam?????

 

[LoveMySupra]

love - you serisouly broke your cam?????

NO, no, no...

At the local yard, I broke a cam on that car when I was getting a spare set of shims. Which by the way, I ended up using 9 of them. The others I moved around like a puzzle. I think only 3 shims ended up staying in the same spot.