VALVE ADJUSTMENT INTERVAL

[jemmah]

I have a 2007 Yaris hatch with 138000 miles. This Yaris has been great other than half-a-dozen headlights each year. I try to do all my own maintenance.
Compression is good all cylinders but it's such a project to check valve lash that the Toyota manual states that valve clearence is checked by a Toyota technician with a stythiscope. I assume having Toyota preform this task would cost me a bundle plus they probably would adjust them whether they needed it or not and there goes the $$$$. I few Yaris owners I spoke to say they never needed a valve adjustment BUT my mileage is higher than most.
I want to know from someone who really knows: What is the point in time where most Yaris's require a valve adjustment. Not a single person I've talked to needed one BUT as we all known this auto had solid lifters and a adjustment should be needed sooner or later. They must be using some serious metal for this area of the engine!!!!
Thanks,
JEM

[cali yaris]

What is the point in time where most Yaris's require a valve adjustment. Not a single person I've talked to needed one

Doesn't that kind of answer the question?

Maybe another high-mileage driver will have something different to tell you.

[Vinceb]

131,000 km on my 08, never had the valves adjusted. As far as I'm aware in the 'maintenance" which is pointless, since they only 'look' for problems and you still pay extra to fix them, I think it states "check valve clearance (Audibly) - as in they only listen. if they think they hear a problem, it'll cost you to have them take it apart and check it. I don't think anywhere in the Toyota maintenance intervals does it say to actually adjust it at a set # of KM's (or miles) or months.

[ilikerice]

well.. using a stythoscope is one way of quick check without pulling the valve cover off.. but u can easily check the clearance with a feeler guage though. i mean if its really buggin you then i see no harm in doing that check..

[bronsin]

It is actually quite easy to CHECK the clearances. ADJUSTING them is not so easy. To check them you simply remove the metal valve cover under the black plastic one. You want to remove all the sparkplugs so the engine can easily be turned. Find out what the clearances are and get a feeler gauge. You turn the engine so each lobe of the camshafts points up or very nearly so. Then use the feeler gauge to measure from the round part of the cam to the folllower. This distance tends to get SMALLER not larger as time goes by. Smaller is not good because if it become zero the valves can be held open in the combustion chamber during ignition and burn, destroying their ability to seal. Google Checking Yaris (echo) valve clearances for more info.

[BambuFlute]

Shims are good because they do not usually need adjusting, but i found on my old Camry, at 150k after I adjusted the shims the car ran much more smoothly and quietly. I bought an 07 yaris sedan with 31k on the clock. It has very noisy valves. I checked the clearance when they were cold and they are all at the upper end or outside the recommended settings for both inlet and exhaust. It seems like someone who did not know what they were doing checked them when they were hot and decided that they were too tight, so put in thinner shims. Apart from that, the economy is good and it goes great. I would adjust the shims if I had the time, but I'm too busy at the moment. The job requires a few days off the road waiting for new shims to arrive. They are not held in stock in the city I live in. Either I pull it apart and measure the shims and put it back together while i wait, or I leave it pulled apart.

[fj40dave]

I have 198K on my '08 HB.....no noisy valves - just runs like a top!

[dogsridewith]

if never checked in 198k, might want to...silence is not golden w/ valves