Another 1FZFE with Ticking Sound! 96 LX450 with 181,000 Miles (Video included) (1 Viewer)

[OkieOverland]

For anyone wondering about the Taiho bearing set sizes and how it stacks up to the Toyota OEM markings, here is a spec sheet they sent me on the STD size bearing set that they manufacture.

The main bearings (M708A1) are on the upper end of the Mark 4 Toyota bearings and the connecting rod bearings (R708A) are on the lower end of the Mark 2 Toyota bearings.

 

[GeoffBart]

Good to hear things are still moving along ok. Know what you mean about getting the engine out (and back in when that time comes) with disconnecting all wiring and auxiliary systems etc (and then reconnecting and replacing everything on refit)............have done a few six cylinders in and out of various sedans in past years but this 1FZ-FE is a dead-set beast being so deep and soooo heavy. The truck being so high is another killer. On refitting, also found it a bit tricky to line up the engine mounts too. Things are tight in there with the clearance between the top of the rocker cover and the firewall when trying to get the bolts on the engine mounts lined up with chassis mounts . Found the key is to get the engine at just the right angle (tilted down around 10-15 degrees at the back to get it to drop in the mounts. Had three of us guiding it in and it was still a challenge. An engine leveller on the crane is a must.

Realise its a little time away yet, but when you do get the engine back in its worth removing the rocker cover and BEFORE you fill the sump pour say 1-2 litres of engine oil (of your 7.5 litre total fill) over the cam lobes and around all the 24 cam buckets. The oil will "pool" around the cam buckets and not run back into the sump and provide initial lubication for the cam lobes and buckets from the first spin. It takes a little while for oil to get to the top of the head and then run around the buckets from a "dry start" and while its worth applying a sticky assembly lube (like Driven) to the cam lobes as well it does get wiped off quickly once the cams start to rotate so the oil around the cam buckets is good insurance. Of course rocker cover is bolted back on before the first start or things get messy real quick with that timing chain flying around .

Also another thing learnt from experience on my first start............have a timing light connected and check straight away that timing is close to say 3-6 degrees advanced as soon as you have someone turn the key and spin the engine over. While I was sure I had the dizzi in the right position and rotor lined up with the number one pole on the cap it was actually one tooth out and ignition retarded by about 10 degrees........Dohhhhhhhhh.

Do keep us up to date with your rebuild and refit..........someone on this forum will have an answer to pretty much any queries you may have as you progress. Good luck.........

 

[OkieOverland]

@GeoffBart Truly appreciate all the comments and bits of wisdom. It has really been the littlest things that seem to slow me down the most. Even something simple like having to run to the hardware store a couple of times for the correct bolts for the motor stand to connect to the bell housing.

One other issue I've discovered is the oil pump bushing has some scratches. The FSM calls for replacement of the entire block when you see this, but I searched a few threads and found this oil pump bushing - 1FZ 4.5L Oil Pump Bushing - Yota1 Performance, Inc. - https://209yota1.com/products/1fz-4-5l-oil-pump-bushing/ I supposed I'll start a new thread to see if anyone has used this.

Edit - found this one mentioned in a thread as well.

@landtank
Oil Pump Bushing - https://landtankproducts.com/products/oil-pump-bushing-and-install-tool

 

[COYS]

One other issue I've discovered is the oil pump bushing has some scratches. The FSM calls for replacement of the entire block when you see this, but I searched a few threads and found this oil pump bushing - 1FZ 4.5L Oil Pump Bushing - Yota1 Performance, Inc. - https://209yota1.com/products/1fz-4-5l-oil-pump-bushing/ I supposed I'll start a new thread to see if anyone has used this.

Nah, bro.

Oil Pump Bushing

The oil pump bushing is not available through Toyota and is often needed for a proper engine rebuild. This is a machined bushing that matches the original in design, however is made out of navel brass which is more durable. In addition there is an install tool available to aid with installing...

landtankproducts.com

Gotta show love for @landtank. We need more legit LC vendors like him so let's support him.

 

[OkieOverland]

Nah, bro

Oil Pump Bushing

The oil pump bushing is not available through Toyota and is often needed for a proper engine rebuild. This is a machined bushing that matches the original in design, however is made out of navel brass which is more durable. In addition there is an install tool available to aid with installing...

landtankproducts.com

Thanks, I just edited after finding that in another thread!

By the way, @COYS , I have to say that your parts thread has been extremely valuable to me. I'm sure there are many others who benefitted from it as well. Thanks for putting it together.

 

[OkieOverland]

After plastigaging the Taiho bearings, I feel a lot more confident that they will work. All of them were within factory specs regarding clearances. Both the mains and the rods. I have read enough threads on Taiho bearings having good quality to feel like they aren't going to hurt the reliability of my motor.

I would have preferred to go Toyota OEM, but there are 0 Mark 5 rod bearings anywhere in the USA. Partsouq showed 7 available, and I put them on order last week but haven't received a confirmation yet. I don't know if they will ship, and if they do ship I have no idea when they will get here. The other option is to order Mark 4, I just don't know if that is going to gain me anything over using these bearings from Taiho.

I really need to get this buttoned up by this weekend, so I'm going to roll with them.

 

[JoeCova]

Thanks, I just edited after finding that in another thread!

By the way, @COYS , I have to say that your parts thread has been extremely valuable to me. I'm sure there are many others who benefitted from it as well. Thanks for putting it together.

Yup, using it now. Great list.

 

[OkieOverland]

Made a little more progress this morning. Checked the gap on my new piston rings and everything was within spec. Next step is to thoroughly clean all dust and debris from every surface and start reassembly. I'll be tacking the reassembly of the block tomorrow.

Question for anyone who has replaced the oil pump bearing, how did you remove the old bearing? I used the tool from Landtank (@manofthewoods saved me on this one) and the tool is not deep enough to push the bearing out the back. There is some interference from the block so you can't push it out the front. What I ended up doing was pushing it as far as I could out the back, and then VERY CAREFULLY chiseling it in half so that I could bend it enough to slide it out. Took me about an hour. I'm sure there's a better way and I'd love to hear it.

 

[manofthewoods]

Made a little more progress this morning. Checked the gap on my new piston rings and everything was within spec. Next step is to thoroughly clean all dust and debris from every surface and start reassembly. I'll be tacking the reassembly of the block tomorrow.

Question for anyone who has replaced the oil pump bearing, how did you remove the old bearing? I used the tool from Landtank (@manofthewoods saved me on this one) and the tool is not deep enough to push the bearing out the back. There is some interference from the block so you can't push it out the front. What I ended up doing was pushing it as far as I could out the back, and then VERY CAREFULLY chiseling it in half so that I could bend it enough to slide it out. Took me about an hour. I'm sure there's a better way and I'd love to hear it.

Well...
I "fabed" up a tool based on old MUD posts. But, wasn't confident that it would work. Your method is what I would have done if mine needed to go.

 

[Pin_Head]

The oil pump idler gear bushing looks normal for its age. I would keep it.

 

[OkieOverland]

@Pin_Head The pictures might be deceiving. There were a few deep scratches and the oil pump gear had some scratches as well. I put the new bushing in this morning and the new gear fits just right.

Ran into another issue of course. As I was torqueing down the cylinder oil nozzle and check valves, the first 2 both broke at the weak point in the valve bolt body. This is incredibly frustrating because now I probably have to wait at least another week to get (6) of these in, and I can't really do much assembly without them. I needed to have the motor back in by next Sunday so that I could have a couple of weeks to break it in and line everything out before a trip in June.

 

[COYS]

The hangs ups and unplanned events will make the end result all that much sweeter. You can't buy this sht off the shelf so the wait and suffering adds to the joy of ownership.

For those replacing any factory gears with new (e.g. vane gear, oil pump gear, crank gear), make sure you double-check that even the new one is free of any nicks or imperfections. I had to reject a power steering vane gear out of the box from Toyota. They're not packaged very well.

Keep up the good work homey.

 

[OkieOverland]

Working my way through the reinstall of the motor. Can anyone look at their transmission cooler lines for me? I don’t have a good pic and didn’t mark them. I believe this is the orientation they go in but I want to double check.

 

[GeoffBart]

My truck is a manual so can't check but suggest it won't matter which way you connect them as it's just a cooler in the bottom tank so flow direction won't make any difference? If you can get the hoses to reach and connect comfortably in a circuit then just go with that?

 

[OkieOverland]

Well I got her up and running last night. Everything seems to be working well. I got a P0330 code before I adjusted the timing. I replaced knock sensor 2 because I broke the wiring harness when I removed it originally. After I cleared the code and adjusted timing, the code didn't come back. I'll just have to keep an eye on it.

It feels great to have it back together. I hope it's good for another 200k miles at this point!

Thank you all for your advice and help throughout this project. This forum is full of amazing people who are happy to share their experiences at a moment's notice.

 

[chbrow10]

how has it been since the rebuild?

 

[OkieOverland]

how has it been since the rebuild?

It runs great. I have about 1,500 miles on it since the rebuild. The 1,000 mile break-in oil change looked perfect. I still need to get a sample sent off to blackstone.

The only problem I've been having is still the P0330 knock sensor. I think it's because I haven't spent the $$$ on an OEM sensor. It's the one thing on this build that I went to Ebay / Amazon for.

I have tried (2) of the $20 amazon sensors. The first one would throw a code about every 5 miles. The 2nd one is very random and sometimes I'll make it 150 miles before getting the code. Other times I'll go about 2 miles. One of these days I'll get around to buying an actual Toyota sensor.

 

[lumbee1]

It runs great. I have about 1,500 miles on it since the rebuild. The 1,000 mile break-in oil change looked perfect. I still need to get a sample sent off to blackstone.

The only problem I've been having is still the P0330 knock sensor. I think it's because I haven't spent the $$$ on an OEM sensor. It's the one thing on this build that I went to Ebay / Amazon for.

I have tried (2) of the $20 amazon sensors. The first one would throw a code about every 5 miles. The 2nd one is very random and sometimes I'll make it 150 miles before getting the code. Other times I'll go about 2 miles. One of these days I'll get around to buying an actual Toyota sensor.

Unfortunately, you've got to bite the bullet for OEM knock sensors. I've heard that anything other than OEM is junk and either doesn't work or won't last.

 

[elbobino]

I've had luck with this knock sensor from autozone. Was $21 when I bought it in July 21 and no codes since. Price has gone up though.

https://www.autozone.com/engine-man...on-sensor-su5813/364506_0_0?searchText=SU5813

 

[manofthewoods]

It runs great. I have about 1,500 miles on it since the rebuild. The 1,000 mile break-in oil change looked perfect. I still need to get a sample sent off to blackstone.

The only problem I've been having is still the P0330 knock sensor. I think it's because I haven't spent the $$$ on an OEM sensor. It's the one thing on this build that I went to Ebay / Amazon for.

I have tried (2) of the $20 amazon sensors. The first one would throw a code about every 5 miles. The 2nd one is very random and sometimes I'll make it 150 miles before getting the code. Other times I'll go about 2 miles. One of these days I'll get around to buying an actual Toyota sensor.

Congratulations!
It's been 13+ months since my project, I still smile every time I fire it up.
Good luck with the knock sensor issues.