Terrible day Options

[Special_Edy]

So it all started with a flat tire yesterday, which was no big deal since I was in a GREAT mood because I figured out my dead cylinder was being caused by a valve shim(holding a valve open) and not a burnt valve, So I replaced the tire began the process of measuring the valve shims.
Upon removing the valve cover I found a mirror-on-an-extendable-stick tool sitting inside my engine, which means Im a retard and left it there last time I had the engine open. The mirror was missing(probably in a million peices inside my bearings) so I changed the oil and filter immediately(thank god the oil looked perfect, maybe it is all in the filter)
Lol so then last night I dropped a feeler gauge into the engine, and it slid right down into the oil pan and is unretreivable with a magnet so I guess I will be pulling the oil pan.
Oh and toyota said it will take one to one and a half weeks for the shims to come in and they do not carry the valve tool so guess I will be removing/installing cams twice, once to measure the shims to order new ones and again to install new shims.
Oh and why is the FPIG $40 bucks? that seems outrageous

[Special_Edy]

BTW it is a 94 GT hatchback with a 5S-FE and the 5 speed with less than 118,000(but the PO drove it with a blown headgasket till it stopped running )
Okay,
So what happened is I had a dead cylinder with no compression(leak down test showed exhaust valve), and I assumed it had a burnt valve. So I was thinking that I was gonna have to rebuild the engine and spend at least $800 - $900 dollars, and I removed the valve cover just to look for some obvious signs of a burnt valve or a crack maybe(exploratory surgery ). I noticed one of the dead cylinder's exhaust lifters was hard to turn but all the other lifters turn easy in their bore. So I went and bought some feeler gauges and realized the shim was holding the valve open. I did a compression test with the Exhaust Camshaft removed(It the easy one to pull), and compression was restored! So I tried my hardest to find a Lifter Tool but even the 3 dealerships I called didnt know of one. Thats what made me decide to remove the intake camshaft to measure and transplant shims.
So I am in the process of installing the Intake Camshaft back in, I just gotta put down the RTV(on the main-cap on the timing belt) and torque it down. I took feeler gauge measurements and moved shims as best I could(alot are out of adjustment) to make them all correct. I will have to wait a week for a single exhaust shim from the dealership and I still have to remove the oilpan to retreive the lost feeler gauge.

Lessons learned----
1. Dont let children any where near your garage while you're rebuilding an an engine(they throw the nuts and bolts in the bushes and mix up all the lifters)
2. Dont be a dumbass and leave a tool in the engine, there is no excuse
3. Buy the Valve type feeler gauges for valves(dont use the regular straight ones), and dont use small tools in the vicinity of an open engine.

Anyways, I will update this as the reassembly and tool-retrieval-mission progresses

[mak5603]

FIPG $14 from Twos R Us.

[enderswift]

when it rains it pours. At least you have the skills and knowledge to fix it up

[Tigawoods]

there was a place in philly i went to where i was able to trade the shims i had with the ones i needed. Im not sure if you could deal with them over the phone and send your stock ones in and they send you the sizes you need. or if there is a similar shop around you that does engine rebuilding on toyota's (like this shop did) and has a whole box of shims. Its worth looking into. Toyota told me the exact same thing when I looked to order shims from them. 2weeks to get from NY to PA. a 3hr drive lol

[bmj67]

Valve Tool

[Special_Edy]

Valve Tool

Omg thank you so much, gonna order one of these immediately, I wonder if it will work on my Seca 750 too. For $7.00 definately worth keeping one in your garage.
On a side not I have a .111 shim with no clearance, I dont think they make shims small enough for that valve...

This post has been edited by Special_Edy: Mar 29, 2012 - 11:04 PM

[Special_Edy]

Anybody got advice for getting the very bottom bolt out of the block/bellhousing so I can remove this reinforcement plate that covers the end of the oil pan? Im not looking forward to removing the cross-support that the mid motormounts bolt to to remove this single bolt. Can I just loosen the rear mount and undo the front mount to get enough room to pull it?

[Special_Edy]

Whoops sry my phone posted that last message twice, any way to delete a post?

This post has been edited by Special_Edy: Mar 29, 2012 - 5:03 PM

[Spider77]

Anybody got advice for getting the very bottom bolt out of the block/bellhousing so I can remove this reinforcement plate that covers the end of the oil pan? Im not looking forward to removing the cross-support that the mid motormounts bolt to to remove this single bolt. Can I just loosen the rear mount and undo the front mount to get enough room to pull it?

I had to remove the front crossmember bolts, remove front motor mount bolts, and loosen rear mount bolts. Then move crossmember out of way, just enough to give me clearance.

[Special_Edy]

okay so I have the motormounts unbolted(i had to remove ALL the bolts on the crossmember to get enough slack, and that center bolt on the rear mount is a b!tch) and I still cant get the 'reinforcement-plate' loose. It seems there is a stud on the rear of the plate that the intake manifold brace fits over. So how the heck do I get the reinforcment plate out without removing the stud or doing some cutting? Is this stud normal or did a PO put it in there?

I'm pretty close to just putting it back together and driving the car with the feeler gauge still in there. In fact, If I had it to do over again I would of left it in the engine for sure, its not worth the work retreiving it......



***Quick edit****
here is a video showing the problem
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NdSAuJ5H4E4...eature=youtu.be
Surely this stud isnt from toyota

This post has been edited by Special_Edy: Mar 30, 2012 - 9:30 PM

[bmj67]

Try backing the stud out using the 2 nut method. If that doesnt work just cut the tab off the reinforcement plate around the stud

This post has been edited by bmj67: Mar 30, 2012 - 10:24 PM

[Special_Edy]

Thanks I got it out with the two nuts, and finally prised the oil pan off. There was alot of junk in the bottom of the pan and on the screen, and I found the feeler gauge sitting right on top of the windage-tray/baffle. Definately a good thing I pulled the pan.
I think I'm gonna repaint it while I have it off, alot of paint came off when I scrubbed the grime off the outside of the pan. I also want to pick up some plastigauge tomorrow and check the main bearings