How to adjust your 2f valve clearance

[g-man]

I haven't seen a definitive thread on how to do a valve clearance adjustment on a 2f motor so here goes:

1. find and remove the sight window to see the timing marks on the flywheel. This is located on the passenger side of the engine bay. It is on the flywheel bell housing between the starter motor and the block. It is down below the firewall near the passenger side rear corner of the motor where the block meets the oil pan. Find your distributor and follow the bottom of the engine block all the way back below the firewall. Here is an image of the sight window.

 

[g-man]

2. Move the TDC mark on the flywheel to the pointer (seen in the above image labeled "alignment marker") To do this you can bump the motor around with the key while someone else watches or remove the flywheel housing dust cover underneath the truck and move the flywheel with a tool or by hand. You'll need your truck in neutral to do this.

3. Remove the distributor cover and take note of the position the rotor is pointing. If it points between the 3rd and 4th spark plug holes while the TDC line on the flywheel is aligned with the marker then you have your motor's #1 piston on TDC and are aready to adjust some of the valves.

 

[g-man]

I like this chart I found on MUd. If your are the owner of this stand up and take a bow!

 

[g-man]

Ok. lets say your rotor is pointing away from your motor in step 2, You'll need to spin the flywheel around one more time and get it back on the TDC line. Now you should be pointed toward the block and hopefully between 3 and 4 plug hole.

A brief explanation of the above chart:

the 1st column is the valve you are working on starting closest to the front of the cylinder head. So #1 is closes to the radiator and #12 is closest to the firewall.

The 2nd column is letting you know that the valve in that position is either intake (IN) or exhaust (EX) valve.

The 3rd column is the valve clearance that you will adjust to using a feeler gauge while the motor is warm.

The 4th column is the valve clearance that you will adjust to if the motor is cold. I did both and found the cold clearance gets you close and the warm is maybe more accurate and preferred. (this is only my opinion and I have nothing factual to support this) my valves were still a bit loose after the cold adjustment compared to the warm.

The next 2 columns are giving you an order of operation, like do the "a"s first, then switch to the other feeler gauge that is indicated for that row or valve and do the "b"s. For example starting with the "a"s use .014 gauge with a warm motor and adjust valves 1,5 and 9.

For the next 2 columns marked "c" and "d" you need to ROTATE THE FLYWHEEL 360 degrees around. This time the rotor on the distributor is going to be pointing away from the motor. Pink rows are completed with the timing (edit) TDC on the EXHAUST stroke. yellow rows are with the timing on #1 piston TDC which is the compression stroke.

And the last column is letting you know what cylinder those valves in the corresponding rows are on. For example valves 11 and 12 are on #6 cylinder.

 

[g-man]

4. You will need to remove the air cleaner and the valve cover to see the valves and rockers. In the first image below you'll make sure the head bolts are tight. Then make sure the rocker support rail bolts and nuts are tight. The bolts that receive the valve cover nuts are actually studs that thread down into the head. Loosen the nuts on those and using the valve cover nut you can carefully snug the stud to make sure it's all the way threaded into the head. Then snug the nut down that holds the rocker support.

 

[g-man]

5. Adjust the valves. Figures 2-40 and 2-41 above show the actual adjustment. with one hand on the right side holding the feeler gauge in the slot between the rocker and the valve, the other hand loosens the lock nut and adjusts tension with the flathead screwdriver (2-41)
The feeler gauge needs to be able to slide in and out of the slot after the adjustment.

It's worth mentioning here again that you need to rotate the flywheel another 360 degrees around and back on the TDC mark to have the rotor pointing 180 degrees the other way before adjusting valves "c" and "d" in the chart.

I find it is possible to leave a box wrench on the lock nut without a hand on it momentarily and it can balance there while you turn the screwdriver and move the gauge back and forth in the slot. When you have the adjustment correct switch both hands to the left and holding the screwdriver still, snug the lock nut with the other hand.

 

[g-man]

This from the 86 Maintenance manual:

 

[micruz60]

Nice work.
Send to FAQ/ stickies?

 

[2mbb]

So I will take credit for the table. I still have the original on my hard drive someplace...The "hot" tolerances come from the Toyota FSM. The cold numbers are not Toyota, but are based on some other information I found on the internet relating to how much a valve might stretch when hot. I got a little frustrated rushing around trying to get all the valves adjusted while trying not to let the head cool down too much.

I also use a step feeler gauge where the tip thickness is the measurement tolerance (.008" for intake) but farther back the thickness steps up to .010". If the tip fits but is stopped by the step, then the clearance is correct.

I remove all the spark plugs and rotate the engine by putting a wrench on the alternator pulley bolt. From this position I can see the timing inspection window on the flywheel housing. Also by removing the spark plugs the engine will stay at TDC--sometimes with the spark plugs installed the engine will want to roll off TDC because of compression in cylinder 1 or 6. Finally you can put your thumb over the hole of the #1 spark plug as you rotate to TDC. If it is the compression stroke you will feel air push past your thumb.

 

[PescaBaja]

A question if I may...
In the above section of the FSM "Hot Engine Operations" Section 10c - Adjust Valve Clearance... the first step says "Start the Engine". Then the next step is to use a feeler gauge, loosen nut, turn screw, adjust valves clearance, etc. Why does it say to "Start the Engine" ? Is the engine now running and the rocker arms are moving up and down as you adjust the valves? I never could figure out why I'm supposed to "starting the engine" 1st or am I overthinking something here? Thanks

 

[2mbb]

Yes that is what the procedure say's. I guess this way you don't have to worry about setting the engine at TDC, etc. I have never adjusted valves with the engine running. I'm not even sure how you manage trying to adjust rocker clearance on something that is moving up and down, or how you measure a clearance that isn't static. So I do the adjustment with the engine off. Others are successful doing it with the engine running, and they can tell their own stories.

 

[OSS]

This topic -adjusting valves on a 2F- has already been covered in great detail to the minutiae in several other threads. The reason the information can't be found is because the search function on this site continues to be virtually worthless. So we continue posting the same stuff over and over because nobody can find anything.

As for the Toyota recommended valve adjusting procedure for the 2F, the engine FSM is missing a word or two in the description.

The Toyota procedure recommends CHECKING the valve clearance while the engine is hot & idling. After a few valves are checked, (while the engine is running) the engine is then TURNED OFF to adjust them.

Then the engine is turned back on again to check what you did and do a few more that way: check while idling/adjust while off.

That's how I adjusted my valves for thirty years and never had a problem. I tried the method described above by the OP (engine always off) and my god what a pain that method is. I tried it once and never did it again - too much of a hassle with too much uncertainty for me compared to the engine running method.

The always off technique is useful when adjusting the valves for the first time after the head is rebuilt, but other than that (in my opinion) that method is for the birds.

Granted some guys have tried both ways and prefer the always off method, so it's best to try it both ways and make up your own mind. The end result is the same.
The one drawback of checking (not adjusting) valve lash with the engine running is it hammers the feeler gauge a bit, but I used the same feelers for over a decade & although they got a little bent (and I'd bend them a little to get a good angle anyway) their thickness never changed, so it didn't matter.

The benefit of checking valve lash while the engine is idling (then momentarily turning off the engine to adjust, then turn it back on) is that all the valve train stays uniformly hot and you can hear and feel how the valve clearances are.
You can hear if one is too loose (clicking louder) and you can feel if one is too tight because you won't be able to slide a feeler in the gap.
You can feel & hear the engine (while its idling) after all the adjustments have been made to verify everything is spot on. There's no guessing.

 

[Seth S]

My search technique is to go to google and type “Fj60 topic of interest”. Ie “FJ60 valve adjustment”. Mud threads are almost always the first several results and often there is a summary list of mud topics to choose from. Works far better than the site search tool.

 

[Seth S]

Also loose is safe.

 

[NeverGiveUpYota]

Also loose is safe.

I’ve yet to hear loose is better.

 

[Seth S]

I’ve yet to hear loose is better.

I see what you did there

 

[Beehanger]

2. Move the TDC mark on the flywheel to the pointer (seen in the above image labeled "alignment marker") To do this you can bump the motor around with the key while someone else watches or remove the flywheel housing dust cover underneath the truck and move the flywheel with a tool or by hand. You'll need your truck in neutral to do this.

3. Remove the distributor cover and take note of the position the rotor is pointing. If it points between the 3rd and 4th spark plug holes while the TDC line on the flywheel is aligned with the marker then you have your motor's #1 piston on TDC and are aready to adjust some of the valves.

Unrelated question: What is the dust cover you are referring to? Like the bottom of the bell housing? The reason im asking is I have a "dust cover" from what seems like from a different car in my bin. I don't think its for a land cruiser, as I also have the bottom of the bell housing as well, attaching photos for reference.

 

[g-man]

bottom right in this schematic. I recall only having to remove about 6 or 7 small machine screws. I believe they had 12mm heads. Mine is an 87. bottom of the bellhousing would be the same thing as the dust cover or aka inspection cover.

 

[Beehanger]

bottom right in this schematic. I recall only having to remove about 6 or 7 small machine screws. I believe they had 12mm heads. Mine is an 87. bottom of the bellhousing would be the same thing as the dust cover or aka inspection cover.

Cool. I don’t have the gasket or plug for it , can’t find them anywhere online. will it be fine without ? I was gunna use RTV but seemed like a nightmare to get it back off if I need to

 

[g-man]

you can make a gasket with gasket making material or even household door weatherstrip that you buy in a role at any hardware store. The plug is just rubber. You prob can find something in a parts store. I've driven mine without the clutch fork boot for years. I have one just haven't put it in there. Not critical.

Image of the plug: