1997 Landcruiser engine rebuild question and ideas.

[landtank]

So valve grind and seals is all that really needs to be done to the head?

It depends I. The head. If you have overheated it it might need to be resurfaced. However in my experience that us not a given.

I do however do most my head work as PM.

Right now I'm working over an engine that had a knock but not a typical HG failure.

 

[landtank]

Rick, I was led to believe that a MLS gasket requires the block and head to be resurfaced? I don't have a friggin clue which is why I'm asking.

There is specs for flatness and smoothness but it doesn't mean that you have to machine anything.

A vender once said that changing out only the seals on a steering gear box doesn't mean it was rebuilt. Actually it does if nothing else needed replacing!

It's all about the wear in the parts!

 

[NLXTACY]

I suppose I will be the voice of dissent. I come from the engine rebuilding world 20+ years ago so take my opinion with a huge grain of salt. From the shade tree world they use to use an orbital sander with a head that just came off to get it smooth if we needed to get the car on the track asap. But that kinda sucks because it just makes the head uneven and then you MUST wash it down to get the grit away. Grit is bad for engine bearings.

We used either copper or FelPro gaskets and FelPro always left some residue. Surfacing gets rid of all surface blemishes and potential paths for compression gases. I was always taught that as soon as there was a scuff or scratch on the head, it should be surfaced so long as it was within spec. The most important spec is flatness. A straight-edge and feeler gauge will tell you what you need to know. But after that are there any cracks in the head? When you have been working on certain heads for a long time you know exactly where to find them. You can always have the head pressure tested if you want to be sure. If you overheated your engine then you should realize that your chances of cracking or warping the head go way up.

So why would I always surface the head (and for my case the block)? Because the aluminum head and steel block expand and contract at different rates and this takes its toll on the gasket. If I want the gasket to do its job fully I'm going to make sure it has the best chance to do so, that means surfacing.

As an aside, the head I took off my motor at 300k was warped and cracked. The head I got from BENO was not cracked but needed surfacing because there was a very very minor bow in it. Was it within spec? Sure? But since I have it all out why not surface it?

 

[NLXTACY]

BTW, here is my engine blocked being decked. This is just the first pass. You can clearly see that only the upper outside edges were even touched. No what do you think the head would look like considering its a much softer metal?

 

[lispeej]

I had my motor rebuilt a few thousand miles ago. I picked up all oem parts for the rebuild. I received a large discount from a dealer when I ordered all the parts and paid cash. The parts guy was pretty cool about the discount for me, total cost was 1800 with all new rods, bearings, .20 over pistons, every gasket, plugs etc. basically everything for a full rebuild top and bottom end. I found a machinist local that could perform the work and total bill for him was 2100. So my total rebuild cost was just under 4k, I did replace the starter, alternator, ac compressor and radiator previously so I did not pay for those during rebuild but, received discounts on all those also.
Discount was at 30% from Midwest toyota and the parts guys name was Trent.

I'm curious if you still have your parts list including part numbers in a pdf or word format?

 

[landtank]

Just to be clear, I'm not advocating anything other than meeting the specs for what components you are using.

I do however think that some will defer to an easy out by machining with our provocation.

 

[Rookie2]

If I do mine, I hope it to be in the pm category with no overheating. I have a small coolant leak on the drivers side but haven't been able to discern if it's an external leak at the gasket or phh leak. No white smoke or high temps at this juncture.

 

[landtank]

Most of these vehicles are 23 or so years old.

THE HONEYMOON IS OVER !!

There are no simple fixes! Only thoughtful ones!

 

[locknloadfzj80]

Could head over to car-parts.com find a local place to buy a mid milage engine. Swap the HG on the replacement to be safe. Then swap the engines. If everything is running well with the replacement then take the time to tear down the original and do a full rebuild. That way you're nice and familiar with the engine and you have the spare in case the one being used pops. This method has worked really well for me on my other vehicles... They are Fords though so the extra assurance is needed lol!

 

[Howard705]

Rebuilding an engine as I type this.

Hasting rings, Clevite bearings and LT oil pump bushing.

The latter a shameless plug.

Are those Hastings rings Chrome or Iron? Any special honing used if chrome? Ever used the NPR rings?

 

[cruiserdan]

THE HONEYMOON IS OVER !!

CRAP!


Now you tell me..............

 

[PabloCruise]

BTW, here is my engine blocked being decked. This is just the first pass. You can clearly see that only the upper outside edges were even touched. No what do you think the head would look like considering its a much softer metal?

Very interesting image! How much did you have to shave to get it flat?
Were the crank journals still true?