Builds 1FZ-FE Rebuild full overhaul - picture heavy (54 Viewers)

[sbman]

That’s a real drag. Spend your time and money expecting a good job and they try to rob ya. Sux. I’ve been watching your build and this thread to determine if I want to rebuild or go with the LS and 6L90. Dreaming about GM selling their new 3.0L six banger diesel and the 10 spd trans. Doubt it happens but the dream is big. Hope you get your beast taken care of soon and minor extra cash.

If you rebuild, use all OEM parts, no exceptions unless you know it's from a very trusted brand. No re-boxers, only buy direct from brands that make their own stuff. AVOID Safety Auto Corp and all their parts, they are a huge aftermarket rebuilder parts source. Have the machine work done at a racing shop that builds custom engines and frets over the details, then fret over them yourself when you assemble it.

I used some other high quality after market parts that I've very happy with (silicon hoses, Cometic MLS head gasket, ARP head studs, etc...) but the head was one area I left to the 'experts', didn't do my own research and now I'm paying the price.

 

[baldilocks]

Thank you for having the humility and courage to reopen this great thread with such negative news. I agree with your opinions and laugh to myself when someone posts up a comment about Toyota parts being over priced or unnecessary.

I suppose it’s too far down the road to exact retribution on the shop that did this to you.....

 

[sbman]

Here is a photo of the valve issue:

You can see that the exhaust valve is slightly worn, but the intake valves are terrible. A massive step on the seating surface, rounded profile, etc... The metal was just eating away.

I went back to the shop that did the valve job and showed them the carnage. I was disappointed with their response. Best case I thought they might lean on their supplier and the manufacturer to get them to refund me some money on purchasing the defective valves. Worst case, I hoped they would at least order me a Cometic head gasket and sell it to me at cost to save me a little bit of money on the only non OEM part I'm using to put it back together. Refused on all counts. 12 month, 12,000 mile warranty. period. Their offer was to do a new valve job for no labor charge and to get me the best deal on replacement (same brand) valves that they could. I declined that and told them I'd be crazy to put that same brand of valves in.

The owner didn't even come out to see what the issue was, the counter guy (who was very professional) shuttled back and forth between me and him. I ended up going back in after thinking about it for a few minutes and asking to see the owner specifically, and he told me he had to pay his employees and overhead, and etc. etc. Finally agreed to do the one thing I was asking for, but by that point I had such a bad taste in my mouth that I won't even be doing that. I'll pay full retail for the gasket. Can't recommend HDS Machine (Carquest) in Escondido based on this attitude and also that I had to have multiple things redone on the bottom end when I originally built the motor four years ago due to tolerances not being what they should have been and forgotten work, I was on the fence before, but I'm done with them now.

As to the aftermarket VS OEM thing. I knew the drill but they convinced me back when they did the head that their parts were high quality and that they had never had an issue, I decided to trust that they knew what they were talking about and I'd get a quality job. This was mainly a defective parts issue, I mean all 12 intake valves look like this. The exhaust valves are also unevenly and deeply worn but not as bad as the intakes. Safety Auto Parts, (Safety Auto Corp) parts are to be avoided, you can see the results in the photo.

I also called Safety Auto and they had zero interest in seeing the problem or addressing it in any way. I had thought this must be an exceptional case and they might possibly be interested in getting some information about it to see what was going on with their parts, but they never had their tech call me as promised, so zero interest in the failure of their parts.

 

[Kernal]

Sorry to hear of the issue with the valves. Thanks for sharing, helps all of us.

 

[thetoyotaman]

Bummer. Could you post a pic of the top of your block? Thanks.

 

[Pin_Head]

You may have an actionable claim against the shop and in CA the limit is $10,000 for an individual. You may be able to show that they set the valve lash improperly leading to failure. When I turned wrenches in CA, the shop I worked for lost every small claims action no matter what evidence we had. The filing fee is small compared to your potential gain.
Try filing and see if their attitude changes.

 

[sbman]

It turns out there are only 10 exhaust guides in the U.S. in Toyota's supply chain. I have the last ten of them waiting for pickup, the remaining two to estimated July 27th. Seems like they are going to manufacture them fresh.

 

[sbman]

I managed to order two more guides from partsouq, so hopefully next week I'll have a couple from UAE in my mailbox. I'm going to keep the two that I ordered previously on order so that maybe the U.S. supply will get restocked by Toyota. Maybe I'll end up with two extras if anyone needs them.

 

[sbman]

Here is $1100 worth of Toyota valve train parts

 

[sbman]

My local dealer parts guy was able to get the remaining two guides overnight from Japan for me, plus the ones I ordered on Partsouq are here, so I have two extra ones. Will be dropping it all off at the shop on Monday to get the head machine work completed.

 

[sbman]

The job is done. $2,200 total, not including any removal or re-installation since I did that myself. I had quite a few hours sitting up on the second battery in the engine bay to contemplate the situation. I was able to experience the PHH first hand in-situ. The EGR isn't much fun either, but I did find a work around.

The engine now runs much smoother and has better power. It is considerably smoother at high RPM and has a lot more power there than it did before, ever. The new shop checked everything and he found that all of the springs were weak from age, as much as 30% lower than spec, and he believes this is what caused the valves to fail. Not enough seat pressure to keep the valve face in contact with the seat and cool it down. This also seems to be confirmed by the marked difference in upper end power and smooth running.

I think the previous shop never checked the springs. They certainly didn't tell me that they needed to be replaced.

To break it down:

• $770 machine shop labor. Valve job, surface, replace all exhaust guides, remove broken sensor body
• $1100 in toyota parts (all new valves and springs, new exhaust guides, upper gasket kit)
• $210 Cometic MLS head gasket
• $100 misc (oil, coolant, etc)

I learned a few things.

1. Remove the drivers side front wheel. It helps with access under the manifold as well as with the PHH
2. Remove the hood
3. The radiator is a good seat
4. Top of the exhaust @ the header is a great step
5. The power steering pump is also a step
6. You can sit on the air cleaner but it's not as comfortable as the radiator
7. You can leave the EGR assembly on the head. Remove the studs where it bolts onto the manifold and the manifold will come off with it still on the head
8. You can leave the lower manifold in the truck

I also put on a new set of ignition wires and a cap and rotor. The wires on cylinders 1 and 2 had melted onto the plugs, I think those plugs and cylinders were running hotter than they should have been due to the valve issues.

Anyhow, I'll let you know in four or five years if the new shop is a keeper.

@thetoyotaman Sorry, I didn't get a pic of the top of the block, I was on a mission to complete the job and didn't take any pictures really.

 

[sbman]

Also, I forgot to thank @RDC76, the front bumper makes a great step to climb up into the engine bay!

 

[ppc]

"The radiator is a good seat"

Sitting on the radiator may be comfortable on your butt and back but can damage the top tank seal to the core.

 

[thetoyotaman]

@thetoyotaman Sorry, I didn't get a pic of the top of the block, I was on a mission to complete the job and didn't take any pictures really.

I was curious how clean the top of the block was using a mls versus a standard head gasket.

 

[sbman]

@ppc Yes I knew it was a risk. My radiator is on the short list for replacement anyways.

@thetoyotaman the top of the block was very clean. I did scrape it lightly and carefully with a razor scraper in a few places where a little bit of the coating had stuck, but it was nothing like the OEM gasket sticks, literally just a couple of tiny places you could only feel. The block was still very smooth. I wiped it down with a lint free cloth and alcohol after to clean it up and the new gasket went on.

 

[Newbie2the80s]

Thankyou

I received some more parts, so more progress. Am still waiting for pistons to arrive, however AJIK overland exchange delivered this today:

Installation is pretty straightforward. Line up the oil hole with the galley feed, not the bottom hole which is just a machining access hole, then drive it in with your hammer. Job done. I lined it up with the hole really nicely and didn't bottom it out, just stopped where the hole was lined up. Thanks @landtank for getting these oil pump idler bushings made, you are a lifesaver.

Thankyou!

 

[BillyGoatMTB]

Bump

Morning Mud

My original plan was just to do valve job and hopefully get her to run well for the next year or two while I can slowly build a new motor on a factory short block. I kept finding things I wasn't comfortable with like the timing chain and guides so I kept going deeper.

I have my 1fz torn down for the head gasket and had the head redone. I wasn't comfortable with the timing chain tensioner not feeling solid so I tore out the oil pans and the timing chain cover I'll be replacing everything with fresh Mr T parts.

I'm asking because the block is still in the truck I'm considering pulling it for a full rebuild but before I tore it down compression was amazing and my black stone oil reports showed no bearing wear. I thought today at least pull a few rod and crank bearing caps and have a look.

The PO was honest about overheating it and I did see there's a tiny hairline crack under the freeze plug above the block drain, maybe I'm kidding myself but I replaced the freeze plug and use some JB weld.

To rebuild the bottom or not to be rebuild the bottom...... Where's the line for rebuilding the bottom end. Again I had fantastic compression and my Blackstone oil reports don't show any bearing wear.

Also I thought my cylinder walls looked fantastic photos attached.

I'm glad I followed my gut and pulled the timing chain cover because the fpig and o-rings were completely rotten I don't think they've ever been taken apart. At some point the upper oil pan have been off because someone used gray rtv that had basically turned to powder when I was removing the bolts.

My current plan is valve job new valve seals (complete), all Mr t all new timing components, Master head gasket kit, freshen up oil cooler, new radiator, new hoses, New belts, new factory wiring harness, ARP head studs, new plugs of course,

Injectors got redone about 5,000 miles ago so I won't send those back in for cleaning and balancing.

Every hose and clamp in the truck is new...... About a year old.

Thanks for the input, I admittedly feel slightly paralyzed by data....... Today I'm thinking inspecting the rod and crank bearings if all looks good throw back together and order the Factory Short block to start the new build.

I did not have the milkshake or what I would consider classic head gasket symptoms so I made this video and I also plan on making a new mud thread once everything is solved.

 

[OkieOverland]

@BillyGoatMTB I am at the exact same spot as you are, however I do have rod bearing wear and will be taking the lower end to the machine shop this week.

My 2 cents.. knowing that your cylinders are in good shape, if your bearings look good I would put the head back on and call it a day. It also depends on the time you're willing to have the car inoperable. Are you in a hurry to get it back together?

Are you able to get your hands on a factory short block? I went to my local Lexus dealer parts counter and they said they were discontinued. He didn't seem too knowledgeable on some of the other questions I asked him, so I am not sure whether or not that was accurate.

 

[Green Hell Mustang]

@BillyGoatMTB
Are you able to get your hands on a factory short block? I went to my local Lexus dealer parts counter and they said they were discontinued. He didn't seem too knowledgeable on some of the other questions I asked him, so I am not sure whether or not that was accurate.

I just went through the exercise (expense?) of doing all of this. I went with the option of doing the new short block. I had a lot of hard miles on mine, 305K to be precise.

The 1FZ short block should still be available, the long block is not. I'd steer clear of the Lexus dealer for anything 80 series related unless it's absolutely last ditch. Their pricing alone would be a reason to go elsewhere. The short block should be in the ballpark of $3.8K to $6.5K. I don't know if they've gone up in price with the current parts shortage. If there is market to sell 1FZ short blocks, Toyota will continue to sell them.

 

[BillyGoatMTB]

@BillyGoatMTB I am at the exact same spot as you are, however I do have rod bearing wear and will be taking the lower end to the machine shop this week.

My 2 cents.. knowing that your cylinders are in good shape, if your bearings look good I would put the head back on and call it a day. It also depends on the time you're willing to have the car inoperable. Are you in a hurry to get it back together?

Are you able to get your hands on a factory short block? I went to my local Lexus dealer parts counter and they said they were discontinued. He didn't seem too knowledgeable on some of the other questions I asked him, so I am not sure whether or not that was accurate.

Thanks for the two cents I appreciate it

I'll inspect my bearings today and if good I'll throw it back together while continuing to source and build a new motor on a new shortblock, head, and cams.

I'm not in a huge hurry but I've already been down for a few weeks and I don't want to miss out on any family camping trips or adventures, we love our 80.

I have learned at the factory parts department sometimes I need to be an advocate for myself and sometimes I need to just completely change dealerships when people are unable to find or help what I'm looking for

The Factory Short block is still available shop around pricing varies significantly from dealer to dealer and if you cut a deal with the parts department you should get pretty good pricing.

I think I'll quit him....hawing around and order a short block today so the hardest part of the ",new " equation is solved.