Do You Think I Really Need To Have The Valves Adjusted On My 1999 Toyota RAV4
Posted in Ignition Systems | Asked on Jul 6, 2011
I just got my first car–a 1999 Toyota RAV 4 with 133,000 miles on it. It only had one previous owner and it’s been well cared for. Not being very mechanically-savvy, my dad’s been taking care of getting some maintenance work done on it. It was due to have the timing belt changed so we had that done, along with the water pump. The oil and the transmission fluid has also been changed. My dad also put in some new spark plugs. It runs great–very smooth, quiet. My dad’s been saying he thinks we should have the valves adjusted since he read that it should be done every 60,000 miles and he doubts that it’s been done. However, it’s fairly expensive. I’ve read on a few online forums that if the engine is working smoothly and you aren’t having any problems, then you don’t really need to worry about it. Is that true? What would you recommend? I’m willing to go ahead with it if it’ll really make a difference, but if it’s more unnecessary, I’d rather not fork out the $250.
It’s a 4-cylinder automatic AWD, if any of that makes a difference.
There are 6 Answers for "Do You Think I Really Need To Have The Valves Adjusted On My 1999 Toyota RAV4"
If it runs good- leave it alone. Just change the oil.
Your RAV4 will have hydraulic tappets, they cannot be adjusted. If the tappets are noisey, then the hydraulic buckets can be replaced, if there is no noise, I would leave alone.
Totally unnecessary spending money on valve adjustment you only do that when they need setting they are fine.if t hey needed to be adjusted down it would tap noisily
I think your dad is a great guy.
If it aint broke don’t fix it.
If it’s running well don’t touch it. Valves should only be adjusted when necessary.I don’t think that type of motor has adlustable valves to start with..but I could be wrong..
No reason to guess.
Just check the valve adjustment yourself.
It only takes a few minutes, and all you need is a feeler gauge.
The clearances are:
Intake, 0.008-0.011 in. (0.19-0.29mm);
Exhaust, 0.012-0.016 in. (0.30-0.40mm)
(I don’t know if that is warm or cold, because it depends, so call the dealer to find out.)
Then you need to put the crankshaft to TDC (top dead center) of the timing marks on the pulley.
This is easier with the plugs out, if you were going to change them anyway.
Since the cam turns half the speed of the crank, then it is in position for checking the valve adj on cylinder 1 or 3. You will be able to tell by looking at the camshaft. You do the one with the lobes pointing up, away from the valves. In fact, you can check all the ones that are not pressing down at all. Then when you rotate the engine 360 degrees, you can do all the rest.
However, if the adj is out side of this range, the cam followers have to be removed and replaced for adjustment, so I would have the dealer do that.
But usually you don’t have to.
It is just a precaution.
And you don’t have to spend more than the cost of a cover gasket to know for sure.
To make it even easier, you can buy a feeler gauge that is stepped at these sizes, and you just use it as a go/nogo gauge, where you see how far you can insert it (without forcing).
After reading the other comments, I have to add, that no they are not hydraulic, and no you will not hear tapping when they are loose. That is because this is overhead cam, and there are no lifters or rocker arms, only follower cups.
It’s easy to check the valves but hard to adjust them. You have to remove shims and replace them with different shims. Rav4′s are pretty much motorcycle engines, so they don’t have hydraulic lifters.
So, if you’re worried or you hear ticking, have the clearances checked but don’t adjust them unless they’re out of tolerance.