My exhaust valves are all out of spec. A couple of them were so far out of spec the dealership doesn't sell shims to take up the difference. I will probably have the heads rebuilt in a couple months. Does anybody know of a good shop in the SF bay area that could undertake this for me and how much should I expect to pay. Thank you.
Kevin

 

Are your valves too tight?

 

My valves had too much gap between the cam and shim. One was .043 off the top of my head. From what I have been reading if the valves were burnt the gap would lessen and not increase. For 183K on the motor I am not disappointed in any way. It just needs a freshening up.
Kevin

 

Yes you are right, usually the valves get too tight and the exhaust valves end up burnt. When they are too loose, they make noise and you loose some power. If yours were indeed .043", then they are indeed way too loose. Are we still talking about a 3rzfe or is yours a different engine?

 

My $.02 on the dealer shim style valve adjustments. This is from personal experience.

The dealer I worked for recycled shims. Meaning we would measure the valves and those that were out of spec. would be replaced with used/recycled shims from a previous job. The dealer did not want to pay for new shims, but still charged the customers for the used shims as if they were new. As you all know those buckets rotate in the cylinder head assy. and the cam does not hit the same spot everytime, wearing the shims unevenly. So, next time you want a valve job, ask for new shims. You never know...

 

I'm trying to find a procedure for adjusting valves on the 3.4l. Our 4Runner has a loss of power at the top end.

 

Thank you for the response. It's a 5vzfe.
Kevin