In an attempt to improve the fuel economy of our HZJ105 Landcruiser, through the process of elimination we started with checking the valve clearances.  We purchased a T & E tool which didn’t work as sold  for our application, some modifying was required.

 

After checking the valve clearances on our Landcruiser with a feeler gauge, we discovered the clearances were out of spec.  The first job to do was get a hold of a tool for compressing the valve buckets.  I would recommend trying to find SST 09248-64011 tool.  However, it can be done with T&E tool No.88250, with a bit more sweat and swearing.  There are tutorial videos on Youtube about replacing valve shims.

 

Preparation

After removing the air intake crossover and rocker cover you’ll find the camshaft and valve train.  You’ll need to get the engine to TDC (Top Dead Centre).  I had to remove the bash plate and steering shock absorber to access the 32mm nut on the crank shaft.  I found marking the TDC groove on the pulley and engine with a paint pen makes it easier to line up.  Turn the crank in a clockwise direction with a good sized breaker bar & 32mm socket.

Problems with Tool No.88250

When it came to using the tool to compress the valve bucket, I  found the tool didn’t work with the 1HZ.  One of the hand grips would hit the edge of the head, therefore not allowing the valve bucket to compress far enough for the shim to be removed.  Also the wedges provided were too small.  I ended up unbolting the T&E tool and using half of it, this fixed that problem.  I also found that the EGR pipe was in the way of one of the valves, I rectified this by cutting roughly 25mm off the end of the handle, this helped it to clear the pipe.

The next problem was the wedges, I ended up making my own.  Using 50mm x 8mm flat bar, I cut it into several ‘L’ shaped pieces making various thicknesses from 10.5mm to 12.5mm in 0.5mm increments.  The wedges need to have a square sharp shoulder as there is a very small amount of land on the bucket to wedge against.  I found that along the camshaft there were random diameters, this meant I needed different thickness wedges for each bucket.

Smooth sailing

Once I sorted the tool and wedges, the shims came out with a bit more ease using a flat bladed jewellers screwdriver, telescopic magnet and torch.  You need to turn the bucket with your fingers or screw driver to a position where you can access the groove before you start compressing the bucket.  Once the wedge is in place, slowly remove the compressing tool, then carefully remove the shim without knocking the wedge.  I’m not sure what happens if the wedge slips out without a shim in place, it didn’t happen to me.  Only remove and replace the shims 1 at a time.

Using a micrometer I measured all the shims and recorded the thickness on a notepad in order of 1-12.  The clearances on average were 0.1mm out of spec.  After doing the maths I ordered the correct shims from Precision Shims Australia.

Replacing the shims

The new shims went in easier now that I had the tool and wedges sorted, it is virtually the same process as removing the shims.  During the removal and replacement, the crankshaft had to be turned to different positions in order to have the camshaft in the correct spot or the pistons in the correct spot. The valve will contact the piston if it is in TDC.

After the shims were replaced with new ones, the clearances were all back within the recommended spec range.  Now we just need to do some long trips to see if there is any significant improvement to the fuel economy.

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