VALVE ADJUST??????I just hit 118000 miles!

[burrpenick]

I had to replace the front seal- that stopped the oil leak. I am still using mabye a quart every 2-3K. Should I be concerned about the valve clearances?penick@nettally.com

[Old Tele man]

...when the wife's 2004 1.8L Vibe came due for "valve clearance check" I called the local Pontiac dealer and quoted them the statement right out of the Owners Manual and they knew nothing about it!...so, I called Toyota and there they said it's only necessary if the engine is running rough or noisely...otherwise, they (Toyota) actually don't perform the "valve clearance check" anymore.

[joatmon]

Valve clearance check looks at the space between the cams on the camshaft and the valves to make sure the valves open enough but not too much. The outcome of that check won't affect oil loss though. There are seals on the valve stems that might be leaking, allowing oil from the top of the engine into the cylinders. A valve clearance check won't tell you if you've got leaky stem seals.not sure of an easy way to check for leaky stem seals, I think maybe my vibe's got them but all I know to do is the rather involved procedure of replacing them, and I've just been putting up with the oil loss for now.

[RIT]

Leaky valve stem seals can be detected by a small amount of oil being consumed, but more so by a puff of blue smoke when you start your car up in the morning because some oil will flow past the seals into the cylinders.

[djkeev]

I completely agree, adjusting valves does not oil use fix.BUT Adjusting valves isn't a repair process to fix a running problem. It is a MAINTENANCE procedure to head off potentially serious engine problems.Why Toyota doesn't do it anymore? I can't answer that.If the valves get tight, which they do as they wear they will burn because the duration of contact with the valve seat is reduced and hot spots will develop which WILL result in the head coming off and a valve job being done. The good news is that at that time they'll also put on new valve stem seals for you !! Included in the cost.Get the clearances checked, discount those who say you don't need to as uneducated in the world of the internal combustion engine and move on to someone who knows what they are doing.Dave

[burrpenick]

Thanks for all the input. I have alot of experience with valve issues and feel like I should at least check the clearances. I know the expense of having to pull the head w/b tremendous. I have not noticed a puff of smoke at start up as would be the usual result of leaking valve seals in American iron but who knows if they would allow for the loss of some oil during rhigh speed runs. It may just be ring wear, so I too am not being concerned but just watching it closely. George in TallahasseePictured below is my Cuda- it uses alot of gas but no oil!

Attached files

[RIT]

Are you sure that new valve seals is part of a valve adjustment procedure. Seems to me that replacing seals is much more complicated that a valve adjustment. When I did it on a VW engine, I had to remove the camshaft - but that was quite a few years ago - with a VW Dasher !

[joatmon]

Quote, originally posted by djkeev »Get the clearances checked, discount those who say you don't need to as uneducated in the world of the internal combustion engine and move on to someone who knows what they are doing.Just to be clear, I wasn't recommending not checking valve clearances, I was only saying that bad valve clearances are not going to be his cause for oil loss. I've checked the valve clearances in mine twice, at about 100K and 200K miles, and both times they were well within spec, with no measurable change between the two times I checked them. But I did check them. It's not that difficult on the 1ZZ. And having good valve clearances, I have more of an oil loss issue in mine, with no smoke puffs at startup, but some day I'll go after the stem seals and see if that helps. I need to do some research on it, seems like stem seal research can be controversial, so I don't know if I will post any info about it.

[djkeev]

Quote, originally posted by RIT »Are you sure that new valve seals is part of a valve adjustment procedure. Seems to me that replacing seals is much more complicated that a valve adjustment. Absolutely NOT. I never said they were. I did say that IF you don't maintain your car by adjusting the valves and as a result have to pull the head and do a valve job to fix the burned valves (which requires valves be removed from the head, replaced or reground and possibly new guides as well) that new stem seal would indeed be part of that repair.I strongly advocate that valve clearances be checked and not ignored as apparently some Toyota specialist are choosing to do.Dave

[djb383]

The Vibe engine is somewhat similar to a number of DOHC motorcycle engines. It uses "shims" to adjust and set proper valve clearance. Most people don't understand a DOHC, shim adjusted, mechanical valve train. Slappy (noisy) valves are happy valves, within factory spec of course. What wears is the valve seat. As this happens, the valve to cam clearance decreases and the valve seal at the seat decreases and the mechanical ticking/clicking noise also decreases. Not good. The exhaust valves are more prone to "getting tight". I can't imagine a mechanic worth his salt not using a valve inspection report and giving it to the customer once completed.http://www.calamarichris.com/images/valveform.pdf

[djkeev]

Quote, originally posted by djb383 »The Vibe engine is somewhat similar to a number of DOHC motorcycle engines. It uses "shims" to adjust and set proper valve clearance. Most people don't understand a DOHC, shim adjusted, mechanical valve train. Slappy (noisy) valves are happy valves, within factory spec of course. What wears is the valve seat. As this happens, the valve to cam clearance decreases and the valve seal at the seat decreases and the mechanical ticking/clicking noise also decreases. Not good. The exhaust valves are more prone to "getting tight". I can't imagine a mechanic worth his salt not using a valve inspection report and giving it to the customer once completed.http://www.calamarichris.com/images/valveform.pdf My point exactly!!Dave

[RIT]

My apologies - I read your post incorrectly at 6 am. You were correct. Guess I should have slept more !

[Old Tele man]

...nice '71....I had a 70½ AAR 'Cuda 340/6BBL (vin: BS23-J0B-297188)...dark metallic green...wish I still had it!