How do you adjust valve clearance?
Use a ring spanner to loosen the locknut and turn the screw clockwise to decrease the gap, and the opposite way to increase it. When the clearance is correct, hold the screw with a screwdriver while you tighten the locknut, then re-check the clearance. There may be a self-locking adjusting screw with no locknut.
Why do valves need adjusting?
Too much clearance means the valves will likely clatter and, over the long term, cause damage to the valves, camshaft lobes or rocker arms. If there’s too little valve clearance, the valves won’t fully close, causing excessive heat, and the engine will lose power.
Is 22re a good engine?
The 22R and RE are by far the most reliable engines Toyota ever built, I had three pickups with both the 22R and RE engines and never had a problem. All of them had well over 200,000 miles on them.
Why does the valve clearance keep changing on my truck?
The valve CLEARANCE WILL CHANGE after a good period of time when the camshafts, valve seats, and valves wear in. This is very common on any engine with a rocker arm setup like the Toyota 20R and 22R/RE/RET motors in Pickup trucks and 4Runners.
How important is it to adjust the valves?
The importance of checking and adjusting your valves resides in that if you have too much clearance it can quickly cause destruction or extreme damage to your engine. Also if a valve is burnt and isn’t sealing properly you aren’t getting a fully sealed combustion chamber.
How do you fix a loose locknut on a valve?
Once the gap has been set, hold the screw in position with a screwdriver and retighten the locknut. Re-check the valve clearance and make sure it did not changed when the locknut was being tightened. If so, re-adjust it until it is correct.
What happens if a valve is too tight on a motorcycle?
Valves that are too tight and have zero clearance may wind up burning the valve face and valve seat. Valves that are too loose may cause undue wear on cam lobes, adjusters, and may even mushroom valve stems. If you’re in the neighborhood on the specs this should not be a problem.