valve shims, and yes i searched. please help, i want to get my sr running!

[tailout240]

ok i got my sr in and everything done to start it up. when i started it for the first time it ran horribly and it was making noise around the head. we pulled the valve cover to find that it was out of time and missing one valve shim toward the back and on the intake side. does anyone know what the oem shim thickness is or where i can get them? i found them in various thicknesses but i dont know what thickness i need. any help is appreciated greatly, thanks alot!

[exhsturbine]

http://www.mynismo.com/products/?id=5834

the is a measurement that needs to be taken in order to determine which shim to aquire. the site above is the first link i pulled from google. not sure if they are reputable etc. but it was just a quick search, they sell oem nissan shims in different sizes.unfortunately i have never measured shim thicknesses although i do know that mazworks http://www.mazworx.com/store/?...t=131 offers a service for this sort of thing. its $140.00, but gets it done right. though i would try and find the shim first. i have lost one before and it took for ever to find. turns out it was in the head! so luckily it wasnt flying around. if you choose to buy and measure your own, the s14 sr20 factory service manual section EM-47 outlines the procedure on how to measure. Like i said i have never done it so i cant offer you any advice. good luck!

[tailout240]

yeah man i went there when i googled it and found all the diff. thicknesses. i was hoping to find out if there is an oem thickness or if theyre all diff. i need to look more thoroughly through the head to try to find it and if not then i guess im gonna have one of the others measured and use the same thickness. thanks alot for your input though man, really appreciated. im just ready to drive it, i hate that something this small is standing between me and drivin this thing!

[exhsturbine]

im not sure about a specific oem thickness but after some wear and tear, there maybe a 1000th of a difference in metal. when i found my shim lost in the head, i sat with a magnet probing inside the head looking for it. eventually i found it nearly lodged inside of an oil hole. glad i found it cause it would have cost a little bit more than i would have liked. but yeah i know what you mean, ive had little things hold me back and it p***es me off. ive got the engine on the stand right now about to tear back into it. so i feel your pain. im sure we all do

also, if im not mistaken i think that all the other shims are labeled what thickness they are. if they're all the same, and your not concerned with proper tolerances just order that size i guess.
Modified by exhsturbine at 11:47 AM 6/29/2008

[JJ240]

every single one is different, and OEM specifies a tolerance of +/- .001" MEASURE IT OUT don't just copy one next to it. buy a dial indicator with a stand, pull a lifter out and take it to a machinist and have them turn it to the same diamater, and same angle cut as the lifter leaving the top flat. Have them drill and tap it to match the dial indicator stand post, and use that to measure the height of the guide paired with that shim. You measure the height of the valve stem where your shim goes, and subtract that from the height of the center slot in the guide on top of the paired valve. That measurement is the thickness of shim you need. And you can order them from your local nissan dealership as a sentra SE-R shim.