FJ60 valve adjustment (1 Viewer)

[Pighead]

An exhaust leak at the manifold can mimic valve noise very well...
Loose valves are noisier than tight valves.
The sequence 1,2,3,5,7,9 works from front or back after you rotate the crank 360.
(After you adjust in the TDC #1 position, you adjust in the TDC #6 position)
I always adjust valves with the engine off now. Tried it once with the engine running, did not care for it.
It's easy to tell if you are at TDC #1 or #6 when the BB is at the pointer by where the rotor points and by which rockers are loose.

 

[TicoCafe]

Thank you guys for the feedback...
I then decided to Tackled this tonight...not bad at all!

I did the adjustment with the engine cold and removed all the plugs since it was getting new plugs. I may do new plug wires too while Im at it.

Lessons Learned:
1-Line Up The Line of FlyWheel with Line in Window in conjunction with the Dizzy Rotor pointed to #1 Cylinder will give you TDC @ Compression Stroke. Adjust half of your valves...Yellows in the Table Below

2-Line Up The Line of FlyWheel with Line in Window in conjunction with the Dizzy Rotor pointed to #6 Cylinder will give you TDC @ Exhaust Stroke. Adjust the other half of your valves....Pinks in the Table Below

I used this table below provided by 2mbb from this thread/post... this table is Brilliant...Best thing since slice bread!

I hope this info will help someone...it did help me a ton!

https://forum.ih8mud.com/showpost.php?p=4300965&postcount=7

 

[Slow Left]

Adjusted the valves 'cold' on my 60 today using the chart in post #1 of this thread...thanks for making that chart @2mbb !

I adjusted the valves 'hot' several weeks ago, but by the time I got around to the last valve, I think the metal had cooled down significantly...so I reajusted them this time 'cold'...

Ambient temperature in the atmosphere was ~45 Fahrenheit.

 

[SHERMAN FJ62]

The vehicle should run and sound smoother and the valve noise should be quieter if you done the job right

 

[Slow Left]

The vehicle should run and sound smoother and the valve noise should be quieter if you done the job right

Understood. It does run smoother (both at idle and under acceleration) since I adjusted the valves 'cold'. Without the time pressure of having to adjust the valves 'hot', I was able to focus more on finding the correct tension on the feeler gauges...trying to find that sweet spot where the feeler gauge still grabs, but not so much that it slides too easily...

I also gave consideration to the fact that the exhaust valves will probably tighten over time (build up of deposits on the valve seats) and the intake valves will probably loosen over time by erring on the side of 'looseness' on the exhaust valves and a being OK with a little more 'grab' on the feeler gauge with the intake valves.

I did this by tightening the screw on the rocker arm with the appropriate feeler gauge in the valve gap so that it fully pinched the feeler gauge (couldn't move the gauge at all), then backing off the screw slightly and then tightening down the nut...then checking the tension at the gap...
Then, based on the tension on the gauge, I would either torque down and recheck and be OK with it or repeat until I got the tension I was looking for at torque.

I'm hoping that having given sufficient attention to detail when adjusting the valves (and hopefully improved my skill at it) that this will help rule out another factor in the equation for resolving performance issues I am working through (sluggishness under acceleration and poor gas mileage). I don't have any measurements yet whether my gas mileage has increased as a result of this latest valve adjustment (if so, it would be an indicator that I did a good job on adjusting the valves), but without having readjusted the base timing or carb screw settings, I can notice better (more even and less hesitation) acceleration...so I'm chalking that up as a positive indicator and throwing credit to this thread for providing the guidance...!!

Thanks!

 

[jestlurnin]

Guys quick question about where the dizzy rotor should be pointing during valve adjustment to assure you are on exhaust/compression strokes.

After I line up the line on the fly wheel with the line in the window....

For compression stroke:
Should the dizzy rotor be pointing to where the #1 spark plug literally screws into the engine block or should the dizzy rotor be pointing to where the #1 spark plug wire plugs into the dizzy?

For exhaust stroke:
Same question - dizzy rotor literally pointing to #6 spark plug or pointing to where the where the #6 spark plug wire plugs into the dizzy?

I think I know the answer but need a wee bit of reassurance.

Cheers guys

 

[gregnash]

Guys quick question about where the dizzy rotor should be pointing during valve adjustment to assure you are on exhaust/compression strokes.

After I line up the line on the fly wheel with the line in the window....

For compression stroke:
Should the dizzy rotor be pointing to where the #1 spark plug literally screws into the engine block or should the dizzy rotor be pointing to where the #1 spark plug wire plugs into the dizzy?

For exhaust stroke:
Same question - dizzy rotor literally pointing to #6 spark plug or pointing to where the where the #6 spark plug wire plugs into the dizzy?

I think I know the answer but need a wee bit of reassurance.

Cheers guys

Compression stroke - I believe when the guys are referencing the dizzy rotor pointing to a specific cylinder/spark plug it is on that given location on the dizzy not pointing towards the cylinder. I could be wrong but I had your initial impression and then furthered reading brought me to this new conclusion.

For the exhaust stroke I am not really sure.

 

[too tall]

The distributor should point to the where the number 1 plug wire plugs into the dizzy for valves 1,2,3,5,7,9. After that just rotate the crank through 360 degrees and put the flywheel back on the same mark then adjust valves 4,6,8,10,11,12 .

 

[jestlurnin]

I think compression - stroke dizzy rotor is pointing to #1 on the actually dizzy.

I think exhaust stroke - dizzy is pointing to #6 on the actual dizzy

All the while the line on the flywheel is lined up with the line in the window.

I'll wait for someone who knows to chime in and correct my assumptions if I'm wrong.

 

[Ridge Runner]

The distributor should point to the where the number 1 plug wire plugs into the dizzy for valves 1,2,3,5,7,9. After that just rotate the crank through 360 degrees and put the flywheel back on the same mark then adjust valves 4,6,8,10,11,12 .

Too tall is correct.

 

[jestlurnin]

Thank you gentleman!!

 

[BigIronPilot]

so to find it you use the line or the bubble? one complete rotation on the flywheel equals one on the dizzy? Here's what mine sounds like after adjustment at about 1000rpm.

 

[BigIronPilot]

not sure if I did it properly, sounds the same prior to adjustments. There is a loud ping whenever I accelerate. thought it could be a valve adjustment issue. any ideas are welcome. i think i didn't adjust it properly.

1987 FJ60

• BigIronPilot
• May 8, 2015

"The Bruiser"

 

[Output Shaft]

That doesn't sound right. Something is definitely clicking. Maybe a loose valve or two. It also sounds like there is an exhaust leak. While you have the valve cover off, slide a .008" feeler gauge under each valve stem while the engine is idling. If the clicking noise is a valve, it will quiet a bit when the feeler takes up the slack.

 

[2mbb]

so to find it you use the line or the bubble? one complete rotation on the flywheel equals one on the dizzy? Here's what mine sounds like after adjustment at about 1000rpm.

The Line is TDC. The BB is 7deg Before TDC. You want to be at TDC.

For every complete rotation on the flywheel, the distributor only goes through 1/2 rotation (2 flywheel rotations = 1 distributor rotation). When the line is at the pointer you could be at TDC compression or TDC exhaust. You need to know which TDC you are at to know which valves to adjust. In the table posted earlier in the thread, you adjust the "yellow" valves when at TDC compression and the "pink" valves when at TDC exhasut.

There are a number of ways to tell if you are at TDC Compression. This thread discusses some of them...

Good luck.

 

[Output Shaft]

For reference, the link below [EDIT updated better video link below] has audio of a idling 2F that was running well. Wear headphones if you have them to listen. The microphone on this camera is pretty sucky, so the engine sounds are not all that accurate... but it provides a reference.

This engine was set to fast idle at about 800 RPM for this vid and all the valves were adjusted (as well as I could) right before shooting the vid. You can still hear them clicking a bit. There is no exhaust leak (on this day..)
This engine had/has 280,000 miles on it and has sounded like this (as much as I can remember) for 27 years.

Other guys' 2Fs I've heard are a little quieter (maybe cuz of tighter valve lash) but this one has always sounded like this when the valves are set so I can just get a feeler gauge between the valve tappet and rocker arm while it's idling. Engine when this vid was taken ran very good (for an engine with 1/4 million miles on it).

VIDEO/AUDIO LINK

 

[Bear Lake Cruiser]

Sounds perfect Output Shaft, just like my 60. However the 40 with same engine needs adjustment to sound like that but no worries, just a tad out.

 

[onemanarmy]

Glad I found this write up. thanks to all who posted, this is a job I've got to get done.

 

[Output Shaft]

I think it would be great if 'someone' started a thread titled "Let's Hear Your 2F at Idle"
& the brave ones could post audio clips of their engine running for everyone to use as a reference. The more we had, the more helpful it would be to all, but it would also kind of be like dropping your drawers and showing the world your junk... So I understand the apprehension.
Anyway... That's my junk.

 

[FJ60Seth]

Whats the easiest way to know that Cylinder #1 is on Compression Stroke... I am assuming the Piston on #1 Cylinder will be on "Up" Position on the Compression Stroke?

Take out #1 spark plug and replace with rubber stopper. Rotate engine by hand until stopper pops out. Insert long nylon cable tie into #1 spark plug hole. Rotate engine and watch as cable tie raises. When cable tie stops moving, piston is at TDC of compression stroke.