4AGE Valve Adjustment

[MaelstroM]

I have an '87 MK1 MR2. There's a valve tap; a bit of a sputter that noticable when accelerating. I just wanted to know how to go about adjusting a valve, including how to find out which valve is tapping, what special tools I'd need and what the clearances/torques are, if there are any at all. Is there a write-up somewhere? I've been unable to find one.

Thanks for the help!

[emar2]

Is it just under acceleration?

[emar2]

Sorry for the incomplete post. I have used the old long screwdriver to the ear on the valve cover method before and it has worked pretty well. That way you can tell if the sound you are hearing true valve noise and not exhaust manifold.gasket leak. I had a bad gasket on one of my cars and I heard it under acceleration, louder when cold. It sounded like a valve tap. I am a little confused on this as well, because knowledgeable mechanics have told me that valve adjustment is not necessary on these engines, but I have read online that people do it. I do know that it is a shim/bucket type and that Toyota sells a specific tool to do this.

[MaelstroM]

Originally Posted by emar2

I have used the old long screwdriver to the ear on the valve cover method before and it has worked pretty well. That way you can tell if the sound you are hearing true valve noise and not exhaust manifold.gasket leak.

That makes a lot of sense. I'll have to check that out on my lunch break, today. The noise sounds more like a sputter than a valve tap, it's just when I heard it, I said "Ooh! Valve tap!" and have been looking for ways to fix it. I can't hear it when the engine is running idle, only when the engine is cold and under acceleration. The more the engine warms up, the less I can hear it. It almost disappears once the engine has been running for 10+ mins.

Thanks for the input, I'll keep you posted!
~Ian