The only way to build confidence is to tackle things. If you lack the confidence get a friend with a little more car experience to assist you the first time. The valves clearances need checked every fifteen thousand miles or so. So we are talking a considerable amount of money over time if farmed out.
Most times it will be just be a check and if lucky none or few valves will need adjusted.
I will not delve too deep into the true cost of farming something like this out . It is far more expensive than you think. For starters there are costs involved in getting the money you earn. Then if you pick an unethical garage things can go south really fast. A lot of people unconsiously set themselves up when they talk to a service guy.
This does not mean most mechanics are crooks. Far from it but they are out there. In my town there are about thirty service places. One place was still honest the last time I checked. The owners of these places are mostly not mechanics as well.
The beauty of these older diesel cars is that you can do a reasonable amount work on them.
In the last month I took the wifes toyota in for a yearly safety check. Two rubber bushings were delaminating from their steel shells on the lower control arms. For only a thousand dollars he would replace them. Toyota does not sell the bushings without the control arms. Three hundred and fifty apiece.
Of course he did not mention that aftermarket were available for about 100.00 apiece. About one hour for an old guy like me to change each side. Also would I have gotten the aftermarket arms instead of the OEMs installed for a thousand with tax? Another way to look at it my non taxable pay is 400.00 per hour if I do it over his quote. With things factored in properly that is about a true additional cost of 1200.00 or more if farmed out for those two hours I put in. Do it often enough on a lot of things in life and you never have enough money. Unfortunatly economics are an important fact of life.
The real pain here is the bushings should be available as a straight replacement item themselves. They are worth about 15.00 apiece for a lot of cars. You have to learn all this stuff today to prevent being just a victom in my opinion.
Does the skill level required to adjust valves or actual time charge justified at 150.00 plus gasket forgetting the true actual cost to you. Not really in my opinion.

I appreciate all the encouragement. At this point, I don't even know what a feeler gauge is or where to get one. I wouldn't know a cam lobe from a rocker arm. I tend to be able to figure things out, but it's all the jargon that gets me confused because I don't know what anything is called. I'm still trying to figure out what the hell "ALDA" stands for.

I believe **************.com sells the wrenches for cheap.

The instructions are pretty good too http://**************.com/node/715

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1985 CA 300D Turbo , 213K mi