NewHilux.net

Hey guys,

Has anyone had their D4D valve clearances checked (I think the 160k service). Mine aren't noisy so i'm tossing up whether to actually check them yet.

How many people have had to shim there's?

CHeers

Theyre meant to do it at 40k i think, but they just do an accoustic check. WTF. so some block listens to the engine while its idling and thinks yep that sounds ok, no way dealer - i want the cooler off, rocker cover atleast and some feeler gauges used to actually check! Lazy pricks.

I would check them myself at that sort of mileage as i would guarantee its never been done by toyota...

Hahaha, true.

Yeah i might pop the top off and check. Checking is easy, changing them is a little more involved.

Let us know how you get on mate, pretty sure once you know what shim sizes you need you can order them from a dealer yeah?

Great I've been meaning to start a thread on this subject myself.
My bus has almost 200k and I doubt the tappets have ever been done.
I replaced my injectors myself but was in a roaring hurry that day and didn't check the valve clearances...kicking myself now.
Just checking the clearances involves disconnecting the injector delivery pipes from the injectors....which (by the book) means replacing those 4 pipes, plus potentially exposing the fuel system to dirt.
No wonder the dealers do a "sonic check" as opposed to a real check as they would be liable for problems they caused by getting dirt in the fuel pipes.

I've had those pipes off about 30,000kms ago when i did my EGR clean and re used them. They are just a swagelok style connection so i dont see any problem reusing them. Mine havent leaked so i guess all good. Just have to watch out for residual pressure in their when you loosen them.

I might do mine then. Maybe even take photo's and do a step by step thread since i have the service manual to guide me through.

Problem ive got with a sonic check is that i cannot be accurate enough to know whether they are out by a thousandth of an inch, thats why feeler gauges are needed. Im sure a sonic check would let you know if they were miles out but it cannot be accurate enough to know whether they are within limits surely...

If you could do a write and some pics in a new thread im sure it would be greatly appreciated, seeing as the bastards at toyota dont do it and needs to be done!

Yeah sounds good. My father in law is a diesel mechanic at a local refinery and they have all hilux's there so if mine need shiming i can order through him.

Give me a few weeks to when my service is due and i'll do them then and put a write up on here.

Cheers

Hello
Quick question,does the motor get quiter as the valve clearance needs doing or makes or tappet noise? i have been told quiter

They're supposed to be checked every 40K, mine have never been done in their 107K but I'm getting them looked at in a couple of weeks. I was starting to worry about it but had my father in law put me at ease reassuring me that they were fine and that Toyota wouldn't be pulling the top off the engine every 40K to check them anyway.
In saying this, how would they do an acoustic check on the tappets with the intercooler in the way?





Lee.

hdlux wrote:Hello
Quick question,does the motor get quiter as the valve clearance needs doing or makes or tappet noise? i have been told quiter

They only get louder as far as i know. Due to all the parts being metal, as the clearances go out from general wear, there will be more slack and the noise will be louder as the parts travel further before coming into contact. Like tapping some steel with a hammer from close up, and then from further away, it will be louder the longer the swing.

I suppose if the clearances have reduced instead of increased it may not get louder but this doesn't usually happen from what i know.

It depends on the engine, but generally the clearances close up as the valves hammer themselves deeper into the head, but component wear...e.g. cam lobes, rocker gear etc. can work the other way and give more clearance.
The "sonic check" is a new one on me and I've been a diesel mechanic for 39 years, it sounds like somebodies creative "bullshit baffles brains" terminology to confuse a customer asking a legitimate question.
It's important to keep valve clearances in spec. as this affects valve timing and in turn, performance.

bloke&tackle wrote:It depends on the engine, but generally the clearances close up as the valves hammer themselves deeper into the head, but component wear...e.g. cam lobes, rocker gear etc. can work the other way and give more clearance.
The "sonic check" is a new one on me and I've been a diesel mechanic for 39 years, it sounds like somebodies creative "bullshit baffles brains" terminology to confuse a customer asking a legitimate question.
It's important to keep valve clearances in spec. as this affects valve timing and in turn, performance.

x2

Finally got around to doing this today and it was confirmed that Toyota only do an "acoustic" check on them. Allegedly they simply start the car to make sure they sound normal.
There is no way that they would go through the headache of removing everything to throw a set of feelers in there!
A couple of hints,
Before you pull it all apart, beware that the seals around the injector pipes (called nozzle holders) get hard and brittle and will break when removed. Buy 4 of them before you start! I didn't, so i wandered down to my friendly parts interpreter (ha ha funny) at Stewarts and was told that there was none at all in Sydney and that I'd have to wait two days for them to be shipped up from Melbourne
Lucky for me I called another dealership and had them within an hour..... dickheads.
Replacing the rocker cover gasket doesn't hurt either.
Being a bucket and shim type set up, if they're out of tolerance the timing belt needs to come off and the cams need to be removed to gain access to the shims. If it goes that far and you have good kays on your car it'd probably be the right time to replace the timing belt, water pump and even injector seals.
Mine were in spec




Lee.

Good tips right there mate well done. Just out of curiousity how many kms has the old girl done?

115k mate, as Ive serviced it myself since I bought it (it was 2 years old with 23k when I bought it) it's never been done.
The bloke who owns the shop I use to do my work works on a race car owned by a Toyota service manager who let the cat out of the bag with the "acoustic" check, they start the car and listen, so long as it doesn't sound abnormal they leave it.
I also done all my driveline fluids.




Lee.

Not all it depends whitch dealer you go to any good one will have the cooler and rocker cover off

Hi all.
Reviving an old thread here and need some advice.
I am located in the Wimmera region of country Victoria and need some advice on where others from this area have their servicing done.
My 07 is due for its 80,000km service which involves checking the valve clearances, replacing the injector seats etc.
I had a very quick chat to a local Toyota service centre and as soon as I mentioned cold rattles and injectors on the D4D he started talking about bad fuel and secondary filters. They are obviously well trained in this area, but unfortunately, not in some other areas.
Hence, I'm not enthused to have them servicing the lux for this important one.
Is there any reliable service group out this way that I can go to with the D4D or do I have to take the risk of trying just a local diesel mechanic.
I would rather use someone that has experience with the hilux and that others have had a good experience with.
It's a bit like looking for a good doctor to take your kids to.

Thanks,
Kev.

At 80,000km your valve probably won't need adjusting. Why don't you have faith in your local toyota dealer? They are going to work on more hiluxs then anyone else in town.

I'm in the process of adjusting valves and replacing injectors now. 140,000km 2005 model and the valves are only just a little tight and the injectors where all original. Just have a 2 day wait to get the correct valve buckets from Sydney.

Yep buckets are the killer



Extra time and the cost of the buckets can make it an expensive job.
From my experience around 160000 is when they get a little towards the tight side of things.