1997 Hilux 5L - Zero intake valve clearance

Asked by GuruFTC79 Apr 18, 2020 at 08:20 PM about the Toyota Hilux

Question type: Maintenance & Repair

Hey all, I was hoping for some advice. I have a 1997 Hilux LN147R with the
5L engine, naturally aspirated. I've been having problems blowing black
smoke under load. After replacing air filter, my next port of call was installing
fresh injectors. When removing the throttle body housing to get to the
injectors, I noticed it was full of black crap. Anyway, whilst I was in there, I
decided to check my valve clearances (bucket and shim type). My exhaust
valves were a little tight and out of spec, but all of my intake valves are so
tight I can't get my 0.03mm feeler under there! My question is this, could the
tight intake valve, cause it to be slightly open during combustion and gasses
blowing up into the valve cover, through the breather and into the throttle
body? Also, should I pull the shims and get them back into spec or is it likely
i'd need a valve job. What would you guys do in this situation?

Many thanks in advance,
J

1 Answer

Thanks Ed92626, I feared that might be the case. So to clarify, you'd pull the head and grind the valves before making any shim adjustments? Would I be a fool to adjust the shims first and wait to polish the valves further down the track? This is my daily driver so I can't have it out of action for too long. I haven't noticed a reduction in power particularly. Also, if you were going to pull the head and grind the valves, would you do a complete valve job and resurface the head whilst you're in there? Sometimes is hard to know when to draw the line..

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