[Beowulf]

Originally Posted by Shipwreck

It may have been a random nut sitting on the table that I accidently put in the bag, but for the life of me I can’t figure out where it belongs.

Kinda looks like one of the 4 nuts that are used on the end of the J-bolt at the battery tie down. Maybe you used it when you were installing the studs using the 2-nut method? Just a guess...

-B-

[beno]

I take packing HG's very seriously considering the cost of the part as well as the awaiting customer on the other end. I always plan for some damage along the way which is why I try my hardest to give the box some latitude in terms of predicted travel damage.

That said, doesn't always work out. UPS folks are very tough to boxes and sometimes even HG's don't make it.....like LT's order. I was very pissed about that. But his order was, ahem, slightly different....

[cruiserdan]

Originally Posted by beno

That said, doesn't always work out. UPS folks are very tough to boxes and sometimes even HG's don't make it.....like LT's order. I was very pissed about that. But he is, ahem, slightly different....

Spelling correction..............

[Atticus]

Originally Posted by Shipwreck

Thanks man. Yeah the knee has definitely slowed me down a little. I had x-rays and an MRI two days ago. It's a torn anterior cruciate ligament.
I meet with the orthopedic surgeon next week.

Not tech, but I had a serious knee injury and major surgery in August (I tore my quadriceps tendon, which is a bad bad injury), and I played basketball yesterday. So keep your chin up. You'll be back at 100% in no time.

[Poser]

Originally Posted by Shipwreck

Important: Don’t forget to remove the service bolt from the exhaust side camshaft gear before sealing up the valve cover. This could be easy to overlook.

Very good thread, thank you!


Did you happen to take any pictures of this bolt installed into the cam gear?

[Kernal]

Newb questions: before the valve cover is buttoned up, do you pour some engine oil or use any assembly lube on the camshaft, timing chain, etc? Also, do you use any device or method to pump up the oil pressure before you turn the engine over for first time after the job?

[Beowulf]

Originally Posted by Poser

Did you happen to take any pictures of this bolt installed into the cam gear?

Alia176 has a thread on the exhaust cam service bolt. These are the only 2 pics that I could find; the clear one is his, the other has the service bolt at 2-o'clock where the shiny spot is. As I understand it, the gears will all line up when the service bolt is installed properly. Like the middle picture. Ali's picture is at the bottom and I believe is when the gears are not lined up and therefore that picture is "incorrect" so to speak. Maybe Ali will chime in to clear things up.

-B-

[Chaldaean]

^Quoted image of Shipwreck's from above

I'm asking this question as I just buttoned up my HG this past Sunday night and wasn't too confident with the process of installing the distributor (never done it before). When I aligned the the marks on the drive gear/housing and pushed the distributor in, the rotor was pointing just to the left of the electrical connector on the distributor. I got the cap and tried to visualize where the rotor would meet the contact for cylinder #1 and it seemed to about right. Also, the FSM makes it look like the rotor should be slightly rotated counter-clockwise from 12:00 at TDC (FSM image below). I've driven my truck all week and it seems to run/sound fine, but I'm wondering if you or I are a tooth off.

(Off topic: I was in Tahoe, as well, at the same time that your HG gave up the ghost. It was my first time skiing out west and we did 2 days at Heavenly and 2 days at Kirkwood for a buddy's bachelor party. There are so many Land Cruisers down there! I saw a bunch of rackless/spoilerless 80s, not to mention 60s, 40s and minitrucks. It's LC heaven down there compared to NH and the skiing will definitely make me go back!)

[josharre2000]

[QUOTE
Josh,
Here’s the final steps for setting your timing and installing the dizzy:
I placed a new o-ring on the distributor, with a little oil added after to lube it before installation.
[/QUOTE]

Nice--- That is what I was looking for! Looks easier than installing a Dizzy in a push rod engine.

[josharre2000]

Originally Posted by Poser

Very good thread, thank you!


Did you happen to take any pictures of this bolt installed into the cam gear?

Poser-- I will be sure to snap a some pictures of this when I tear into mine next week.

Josh

[landtank]

the rotor should be pointing slightly to the left (11:00 o'clock) when installed properly. That's provided the crank is set to TDC and there is no slack in the chain.

[Marco7]

Threads like this give me a fonder appreciation for my frequently disparaged 3FE!

Nice work though.

[Shipwreck]

Originally Posted by Chaldaean

I'm asking this question as I just buttoned up my HG this past Sunday night and wasn't too confident with the process of installing the distributor (never done it before). When I aligned the the marks on the drive gear/housing and pushed the distributor in, the rotor was pointing just to the left of the electrical connector on the distributor. I got the cap and tried to visualize where the rotor would meet the contact for cylinder #1 and it seemed to about right. Also, the FSM makes it look like the rotor should be slightly rotated counter-clockwise from 12:00 at TDC (FSM image below). I've driven my truck all week and it seems to run/sound fine, but I'm wondering if you or I are a tooth off.

Good catch Chaldaean!

You're right, I'm a tooth off. I do remember that photo from the FSM, but during my late night wrenching session I remembered it as the position the rotor should be in when the distributor is removed rather than installed.

Originally Posted by landtank

the rotor should be pointing slightly to the left (11:00 o'clock) when installed properly. That's provided the crank is set to TDC and there is no slack in the chain.

Like this?


Thanks for the catch guys. I'll edit the earlier post to note the correct position.

[Shipwreck]

Originally Posted by Poser

Did you happen to take any pictures of this bolt installed into the cam gear?

Here's a little more detail about the cam gear service bolt:
The exhaust side cam has a two part gear. A main gear and a sub gear separated by a spring and held together with a wave washer. I assume this is to provide a slight thrust against the intake gear and #1 bearing cap.



The service bolt is just a 6mm bolt (10mm head)placed through the sub gear into the main gear to compress the spring and hold the two gears together in proper position during the removal process.






This little bolt remains in the cam gears until the camshaft is returned to the freshened head. Then it needs to be removed. It is one of those little things that could be easy to overlook.

[landtank]

I should mention that once the cams are in place and before you install the dist. you should turn the intake cam CCW to take the slack out of the chain. This will ensure that the dist. is timed properly.

And the last pic shows the correct position.

[josharre2000]

Shipwreck--- Whats the status? Took the family to Disney for spring break last week and now I ready to get the HG started.

josh

[94SRUNNER]

Shipwreck---

Just wanted to tell what a great write-up this. Thanks for taking the time to take all of the pictures.

Look forward to the exciting conclusion!

[Shipwreck]

Sorry guys. I’ve been meaning to update this thread for awhile but have been hammered at work lately. I do have some final observations though, so here goes:

After buttoning up the engine and double checking that everything was in place and torqued correctly, I was ready to fire up the engine. I had filled the radiator with plain water since I planned to flush the system after driving a couple days. I also filled with Castrol initially and will switch to synthetic after a couple hundred miles.



First I wanted to make sure that everything was lubricated as much as possible. Before I placed the head back on the block I had cleaned debris from the cylinders by cycling the pistons several times and wiping the walls. I then added some Marvel Mystery Oil to the rings. I also primed the oil pump before replacing the upper oil pan. I added a quart of oil to the camshafts when they were placed.
The last step was to turn the engine over several times to get oil pumped to the head and crank. I did this by disconnecting the coil wire and cranking the starter a few revolutions. Once this was done, I reconnected the coil wire and turned the ignition key.
I was a little surprised when the engine fired up on the first revolution. I was also expecting quite a bit of smoke on start-up but it too was less than anticipated.



The smoke cleared in a couple minutes. The engine idled slightly higher than normal and was a little erratic, but I had not yet set the timing so I wasn’t too concerned. Unfortunately, when I grabbed the timing light to set things straight I discovered a broken magnetic pick up on the light. It was dead. The timing would have to wait.

I drove it for a day until I could buy another timing light and reset the timing. It idled high and jumped around by 50 rpm. I stopped at Sears on the way home from work, bought another light and timed the engine in the parking lot. Turns out I was at least 20* advanced. Once I dialed it in to specs the idle returned to normal.

I drove it for a week with no problems. No leaks anywhere. It was so nice to see a clean oil pan without a single drip forming. The following weekend I flushed the cooling system. Twice. Then added factory red coolant. I was done. The last step is to change the oil to synthetic after putting a few more miles on her.

[Chaldaean]

Let me be the first to congratulate you on a job very well done! Thanks for taking us along for the ride!

[josharre2000]

Very Nice! I really appreciate all of the time and effort you spent putting this thread together. This will definitely help me as I dig into my LX's HG.

josh

[concretejungle]

i have heard about putting marvel mystery oil to the rings during a rebuild also. Nice job.

[Shipwreck]

Originally Posted by Chaldaean

Let me be the first to congratulate you on a job very well done! Thanks for taking us along for the ride!

...and thanks to you for noticing my misplaced dizzy.
I appreciate the catch.

[Beowulf]

Well done mate... very well done!
-B-

[Shipwreck]

A few thoughts on how I approached this job and what I’d do differently if I were to do this as a preventive maintenance.

1) The wiring harness – This seems to be one of the biggest debates or differences in how people approach the head gasket repair. I chose to pull the entire harness through the intake manifold. With my plan to overhaul the oil pans and r & r as much as I could while I was in there, this made the most sense to me. I would do this again if this were a planned preventive maintenance HG replacement. If I were in a rush to get the truck back on the road sooner, or was concerned about the fragility of the wires near the EGR, I might have considered pulling the ECU end or leaving the intake manifold in the truck as described in Doug’s video.
One advantage to pulling the harness was that I could clean all the connectors. Several of the lower block and tranny connections were soaked with old oil and grease. After cleaning them I placed dielectric grease on the contacts to prevent corrosion and aid in waterproofing. Another advantage was being able to heat wrap the wiring harness near the EGR before it went back in place. I also have added to my knowledge base as I had to learn the location and function of each of the sensors. I’m sure this will benefit me in the future.

2) Parts list - I placed my order to CDan hastily because I wanted to get moving on the repair quickly. In hindsight I could have stepped back, read the FSM thoroughly, and made a comprehensive list of all the little things I needed in addition to the basic head gasket items. Since I was also doing the oil pans, oil cooler, timing chain cover and oil pump there were several gaskets needed that aren’t included in a typical head gasket replacement. Since the head spent a week at the machine shop, I didn’t need any parts for at least a week and a half after tear-down.
Luckily, I pass Stevens Creek Toyota on my way to work. They are a TLCA member business and offer the same discount that CDan does. I had to make a couple stops for little things like dipstick tube gaskets and bypass hoses.

3) Injectors – In the interest of time, I didn’t send mine in to be cleaned and flow tested. If I were to do this as a PM I’d have this done.

3) Shock Towers - I’ve been considering a change to longer, custom Bilstein or Sway A Way shocks in the front. When the engine bay was torn down to just a block, this would have been a perfect opportunity to weld in an eyelet shock tower extension like Slee did on the Shortbus. (without all the ghetto flat washers ) Clearance is especially tight on the drivers side and it would have been easier to get the position correct. I didn’t have a chance to do this and I kind of regret it.



As I mentioned earlier, I think most guys on this board could tackle this job without too much difficulty. Aside from the monetary savings, doing it yourself gives you the peace of mind that it was done correctly and with attention to detail. No matter how good a shop is they will not put the effort to clean, polish and inspect each part that you can when doing it yourself. I’m confident this engine will be trouble free for any upcoming trip (knock on wood). I also know that if a problem does show up I’m in a much better position to pinpoint where it is.


Now I just need to figure out how to get this:


Into this:

[96r50]

Hey Craig, when you have some time, can you elaborate a little bit on how much extra work it took to pull and reseal the oil pans and the timing cover/oil pump? I have a bunch of little leaks on most of these parts and I would like to pull them while I do the HG. I'm wondering how much more complicated my project would become if I decide to add these steps.

Originally Posted by Shipwreck

Somebody needs to stop me!

This is getting out of hand now. The head didn't come back from the machine shop, so I've been delving further into the engine and it's stripped down to a block, crankshaft and pistons now. I think I've finally removed everything that needed service and now I'm starting to put things back on.

Before all of this started I planned to pull the oil pans to reseal the pan arches. They were leaking front and rear. Now was the time since I had easier access.


It took along time to clean the pans. They were both coated with a thick layer of old grease and oil.


The front was also leaking at the timing cover, so it came off too:


Since the cover was off, it was a simple procedure to replace the oil pump gasket and the front crankshaft seal.

The oil pump seal was dry, brittle and cracked easily when I pryed it out.
I had to use an impact driver to remove the screws on the cover. This job would have been a bitch if trying to go at it with everything still mounted on the truck.




I placed a new crankshaft seal in the cover and tapped it into place using the old seal.




Next step was to set the timing again. I aligned the bright link of the timing chain with timing mark on the crankshaft gear:


...and then did the same with the upper gear:


After the chain was aligned with the gears, I buttoned up the timing cover using some black FIPG.
josharre2000 - When you set the head back on the block, the timing gear and chain needs to be positioned as shown in this photo. I'll try to take more pics of the process of putting the cams back into position once I get the head back from the machine shop.

[jlg32281]

I would be interested in seeing a cost break down of this job so I know how much to save up before I tackle it.

[concretejungle]

Originally Posted by jlg32281

I would be interested in seeing a cost break down of this job so I know how much to save up before I tackle it.

just for parts? Or are you going to pay for labor plus parts?

I'm also interested in all associated gaskets, hoses, ect. parts pricing for this. I want to do the work myself.

[Shipwreck]

Originally Posted by 96r50

Hey Craig, when you have some time, can you elaborate a little bit on how much extra work it took to pull and reseal the oil pans and the timing cover/oil pump?

Another full day. Much of that time was spent cleaning up the pans and sealing surfaces.

[Shipwreck]

Originally Posted by jlg32281

I would be interested in seeing a cost break down of this job so I know how much to save up before I tackle it.

Originally Posted by concretejungle

I'm also interested in all associated gaskets, hoses, ect. parts pricing for this. I want to do the work myself.

Damn. I was hoping no one would ask about this. Now I had to go back and total up the receipts.

Here is the breakdown:

I didn't have to rent or buy any tools aside from replacing my broken timing light. I have an engine hoist and large torque wrench. If you need to rent or buy extra tools that would add to your total cost.

Remember, this was not a standard head gasket job. It was also redoing the oil pan arches, replacing water pump, new fan clutch and resealing oil pump and timing covers. These prices also reflect my location; which is silicon valley, and it has one of the highest cost of living in the nation. I suspect machining and local parts cost elsewhere will be less.
Just for grins I asked the local dealer what a ballpark estimate would be for a headgasket job and they came back with a 3 - $3500 figure. No preventive maintenance or oilpan work included. I'm glad I did this myself.

[cpg]

Who did the machine shop work seems like a good deal?