4AGE Cam Covers-What Lies Beneath

**L4AGZE** · 25-05-2008, 07:25 AM

Hi there,

My 4AGE has recently been sounding like a bag of bolts so i thought it may need re shimming. Took the cam covers off and checked all the valve clearances and they were within the tolerances.

One thing i did notice was on the intake side there was a lot of build up of grease and dirt. I am thinking this may be the source of the problem. I have posted up some pictures of what i found and was really after some advice as to whether this was the cause of the problem and how to go about rectifying it.

What do you think?

JP · 25-05-2008, 09:26 AM

engine's had a poor service history.

It's not hard to clean out the cam cover, but you'll have a very hard time cleaning out the atual head.

Have seen a couple of import 4ag's that look exactly like your photo's. I got lucky with the last one I purchased and it was still silver under the covers

**L4AGZE** · 25-05-2008, 09:42 AM

Originally Posted by JP

engine's had a poor service history.

It's not hard to clean out the cam cover, but you'll have a very hard time cleaning out the atual head.

Have seen a couple of import 4ag's that look exactly like your photo's. I got lucky with the last one I purchased and it was still silver under the covers

If i clean out the head will it solve the problem of the noisy engine? Could do with some tips on how to clean the head without taking the head off... any ideas?

The cam covers will clean up easily enough, they wont be a problem. My major concern is the noisy engine. So looks like the engine has not been serviced regularly. Does it mean nothing to worry about once all cleaned up?

**allencr** · 25-05-2008, 09:54 AM

Originally Posted by l4agze

...sounding like a bag of bolts...
If i clean out the head will it solve the problem of the noisy engine?

No, but you do have the potential to make it worse if that's possible at this point, with my assumption that the noise is a rod bearing.

**Cuzzo** · 25-05-2008, 11:12 AM

Id say a head rebuild is your first step.

Take everything out and get it dipped in (something). Im not going to suggest what because im not sure if the acid will burn the alloy.

**LeeRoy** · 25-05-2008, 02:58 PM

Youll be able to get the head clean yourself using brushes, petrol, degreaser, and warm soapy water. Its not a quick process though and definately not something id be doing with the head on.

As has been said above it seems like the car has had a poor service history and it wouldnt be suprising if as a result it has some worn bearings.

Alot of the oil in the covers and head will be burnt on there also. Most probably from the engine having been given a fairly hard life.

**Vios-GT_07** · 25-05-2008, 03:40 PM

hm.. before rebuilding it try a few things like engine flush and oil change early for a while ...

if it gets worse then u're overdue for a rebuild anyway.. but yea i have the same problem, my freshly imported car sounded like crap, and i discovered had shot valve stem seals.. turns out one of the lifters had "collapsed" and two of the valves needed to be replaced.. it looks like someone tried to fix it before and did a very bad job, not checking clearances and a lot of things weren't tightened properly...

after fixing all the problems and double checking all the valves and lifters were within spec, we did an engine flush which saw the rattle noises go away, new oil and 500 kms later it sounds good..

**L4AGZE** · 29-05-2008, 02:41 AM

I did try engine flush when doing an oil change about two months ago. It did quieten it up for a short while but it was still slightly noticeable and then came back to its usual self.

Can it really be a rod bearing?

Basically im after a quick fix for now and will look to rebuild the engine later just dont want to do more damage if any has been done

**Pimpin_1JZ** · 29-05-2008, 11:48 AM

If you can describe the sound a bit more it may be able to help us to tell you what the problem is?

Is the sound coming from the top of the engine or the bottom?

Is it a rattling sound or a knocking sound?

If you can answer these it may help us a bit more.

**allencr** · 30-05-2008, 03:09 AM

Originally Posted by L4AGZE

I did try engine flush when doing an oil change about two months ago. It did quieten it up for a short while but it was still slightly noticeable and then came back to its usual self.

So, these pictures are after pics of a flush?

What 'flush' & its procedure?
No, I don't think it's a bearing anymore, since its been doing it for Months without change and you've been dicking around with this 'flush' shit.
I'd look for a qualified and/or knowledgeable opinion about the sound, not the looks - they're pretty much irrelevant, before touching anything else.