Thanks I might have to do that if I don't get the dealer to do it.. I'd spend as much money on gas getting there and back as I would just getting them to do it.



I didn't really do the conversion. I helped out with it, but didn't do most of the work. I could help someone doing it to learn and be able to do the next time, but I don't want to attempt something like this. I may just get the repair manual and grab a buddy here in town that has done valve adjustments before, just never on a TL.

 

It should be noted that the pictures line up the wrong line for TDC on each cylinder. There is a notch at the edge of the teeth on the sprocket. You can see them in the picture and notice them more when you're doing it. According the HELMS manual you could line up the line on the edge of the teeth. NOT the line in the middle of the sprocket.

 

someone put this in the first post please

 

From Phee descriptions for the valve adjustment, it will take a lot of time to remove the tbelt cover and that is perfectly right the way it is. I think using his descriptions, you can actually skip that rear tbelt cover part, by using the front cam markings, and use the crank bolt for turning, and that will save you a lot of time.

 

Should we replace the valve cover gaskets or they both can be re-used?

 

Excellent question. Once you get the valve covers off you'll notice, especially on the back one, that they gaskets are really hard and not pliable anymore. You should get two valve cover replacement gaskets.

The kits from the dealership, the ones I used, have a pain in the ass grommet gaskets for the 5 bolts for the cover. Those are a real pain in the ass to remove. You have to remove them like removing a tire off a rim. I got sick of replacing them so I only did the back side since those were the ones that were stiff from heat it appeared. But, you should certainly replace the gasket around the covers and the gaskets for the spark plug holes. The spark plug hole gaskets are a pain as well.

I still have the directions from a budy of mine that works at a dealership. I'll try to scan them in tonight and get them on the site. I just did mine today following the directions in the first post and they're pretty dead on minus the TDC thing I pointed out. In addition, You don't have to remove the timing belt cover all the way if you don't want to. I just removed the 5 bolts and peep'd in to check the marks. That saved some time on the disassembly and reassembly.

 

Thanks - I'm getting ready to do mine in a few weeks. I wasn't planning on replacing the gaskets, but guess I will now. The info on the correct line to use seems pretty cruicial - I hope that didn't screw up Phee's adjustments! Just curious how you turned the engine - I've ready several different methods of doing it. How hard was it to turn / line up properly?

 

Its not that difficult to do. You need a torque wrench, long extension, and 19mm socket. I like to jack the car up and take the wheel off so I have more room. Some people just turn the wheel to the right, but I think its thats harder. Stick the socket through the hole on the passenger side wheel well and turn clockwise. Have a buddy check the marks or you can do it yourself, but its harder. If you're having problems with resistance you can take the spark plugs out and that may help.

 

Thanks. What's the purpose of the torque wrench, though - isn't that just when you're tightening to make sure it's not over / under tightened?? So you did it without taking out the plugs?

 

I kept the wheel on and the plugs in. TQ wrench is so in 50K a bolt doesn't come undone and you damange your motor.

 

OK - but if I'm turning it clockwise, isn't that tightening it anyway? Just confused why I can't just use a regular socket wrench for this?

 

Sorry. Replace torque wrench with breaker bar or flex bar whatever you want to call it.

 

Will anything bad happen to the engine if the valve adjustment is not performed?

 

well your engine will tick and make noise. if you never ever ever adjust the valves and they get waaaay out of sec, they can hit the tops of your pistons and bend, causing catastrophic failure of your engine.

honestly, its very rare, but you should get your valves adjusted every 100k to get better gas milage, smoother idle, better ride, and more power.

 

It does wonders... My car accelerated like crap before I did it. All my exhaust valve were way off on #3 and #5 cyl. Now it flys, especially on the highway!

 

you dont have to remove the timing belt covers. theres a grommet on the cover that you remove to do valve adjustments and the mark to line up the cam is on the cover. just remove the front grommet and you'll be fine.

 

Can this DIY do for CL (non type-s)? The shape of intake manifold at the picture is slightly different.

 

will work for s and p, 6spd and auto

 

^ the specs are different though.

 

if you never ever ever adjust the valves and they get waaaay out of sec, they can hit the tops of your pistons and bend, causing catastrophic failure of your engine.

Where did you get this information? I've never heard this before, and I don't see how it's even possible. Can you explain?

 

This could only happen if the valve was depressed at the top of the stroke. You'd have to be more then slightly off, a nut would have had to break. Allowing the bolt (forget the exact name) on the rocker to depress the valve when in TDC.

I'm actually not even certain this would happen. However you can get valve float in high reving/over reving situations, so it might be possible.

 

Never mind, I forgot about the possibility of a valve stretching. I was only thinking about valves receeding into the head, which is way more common.

 

I've never ever heard of a valve stretching and I usually deal with pushrod engines with lots of spring pressure. I think that's a non-issue. More commonly, the intakes get too much clearance and make noise. The exhaust recedes and the clearances get too tight. Eventually the exhaust valve won't close all the way causing it to overheat and fail.

Getting ready to do mine at 80k.

 

I agree with you, I was trying to make sense out of phee's comment that ignoring valve adjustment could result in piston contact. I haven't heard of valve stretching in many years. This may be off by a mile, but I'm thinking it happened on early z-28s.[some foggy memory of valve "tuliping"] But I agree, it was a high spring pressure, extreme duty problem.

 

I could definately see how stretching could happen, especially with over 300lbs over the nose, I've just never heard of it. But on a factory car, especially OHC with it's very anemic sping pressures it's usually not an issue.

As far as a valve hitting a piston from it, no way. I can safely say that only happens if it drops a valve or gets out of time. If a valve stretched the required amount to hit a piston, it would have a dead miss on that cylinder a long time before it contacted the piston.

Off topic but I kind of like the 2nd gen forum, more DIY people.

 

What about valve float due to an over revv

 

Definately. Been there done that too many times. Luckily mine was "barely" an interference engine. I learned to feel when the power was falling off up top and shift before it got severe enough to smack a piston.

 

I over reved my engine. Bouncing off 9k for a sec to two, have bent valves in cyl 2 and cracked an exhaust rocker at cyl 5. Still pulls like crazy with the bent valve or 2. Replaced the rocker. But have a misfire bc of the valves

 

The pictures of the timing gear alignment is incorrect. The line on the outer edge of the gear is to be lined up with the mark on the rear cover behind it. The picture shows the other line on the gear lined up with the rear cover. That line is to be lined up with the mark on the front cover inside the access hole.

 

im a bit lost on this. . .

when do you adjust your intake valves then your exhaust valves. . . you cant do them at the same time

can someone explain this a littel bit better?

 

Firing Order

123
intake
456


when I adjust the intake on 1 do I adjust the exhaust on 4?

 

read the diy again- it says what valves adjust when

 

wow you were 100% not helpful thanks for your absolutely useless post.

OP does not explain at all when you adjust intake valves and exhaust, maybe im retarded but I didnt know you could adjust both the intake and exhaust at the same time. If someone could please explain if your supposed to measure both intake and exhaust valves at TDC at the same time it would be greatly appreciated.

so say im on bank 4 do I set it to TDC then adjust intake and exhaust or do I need to rotate the motor before I can do the exhaust valves for bank 4

 

I'm in a hurry but if no one has explained in more detail when I get back into town I'll break it down a little more.

You do all valves at the same time period but they have to be fully closed when you do this. At certain points in the crank rotation, only certain valves will be closed so you do every valve that is closed, rotate the crank until some more are closed and do all of those. The manual will tell you which ones are closed at what crank or cam position. I usually cheat and wiggle the rockers on some engines to determine which ones I can do at which time if I don't have a manual in front of me. Doesn't work for all engines. You can watch the valves open and close as you rotate the cam by eyeball to see which ones to do. The manual is like a cheat sheet.

 

A normal answer!

thank you, I was not sure what ones would be closed at what time, THAT'S what I was getting at, I don't have a manual, and the DIY is not all that specific with anything its more like "hey look I took some pictures when I did mine, and kind told you what you need to do"

 

when the cam gear points at 1 you do all of the cylinder one's valves, then turn it to 4, do all of cylinder 4's valves and so on,
also your post at 7:31 IS NOT the firing order, it is what cylinders are numbered what (also 1&3 are at the timing belt end), the actual firing order is 1-4-2-5-3-6 which should also be what order the numbers on the cam gears are, and the order you shoud adjust the valves
GL with adjusting the valves, it is not very hard just a time consuming task

btw, you look through the timing belt cover through that little access hole (right above the alternater)to line up the numbers, (not the actual numbers but the little lines next to the number) to the little raised pointer in the cover

 

how can you do ALL the valves on piston #1 are they all closed at once?

Ive done valve lash before but only on inline engines. . .

as for the firing order question, all I posted was the location of the pistons in the engine

 

because you are doing it when each piston is at tdc between it's compression stroke and firing/power stroke, so the valves kinda have to be closed and sealed for when the gas is ignited and expands it actually pushes down the piston and does not go straight the intake or exhaust

and the location of the pistons in your little diagram were correct just:
...........firewall
.........123
belts intake tranny
.........456
...........radiater
don't mind the ......, otherwise the numbers and the text be aligned against the side

 

I'm doing it too, my question is how many gaskets do I need to get and how much did u guys paid at dealer?

 

ep3. when u are at cylinder 1 TDC. adjust the exhaust and intake valves on cylinder 1. then move on and do every cylinder that way