Another Blown Head Gasket - repair in progress (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter Shipwreck
- Start date
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bpenn1980
SILVER Star
Awesome job man! This has been a great HG thread, but sorry it had to be you. Nice work again and enjoy another 150k! 
- Thread starter
- #43
Yep. The smallest o-rings are for the fuel injectors. Each injector takes three; one for the intake end, one for the fuel rail end and the smallest for the electrical connector. A total of 18. It'll all make sense to you once you dig in.
I got another hour or two of work done tonight after putting my 4 year old to bed. I threaded the wiring harness back through the intake manifold and over the transmission and got all of the connectors hooked up. I was surprised at how much easier it was putting it back compared to pulling it out.
I'll try to post a couple more pics tomorrow. I'm goin' to bed. :zzzzz:
- Thread starter
- #44
Morning Update
As promised, here are a few pictures of the process of putting the wiring harness back in place. When I first made the decision to pull the harness I was a bit intimidated by all of the sensor connections and the length of the harness all the way back to the O2 sensors. After having pulled it and now put it back in place, it is not such a mystery anymore and I’m glad I did it this way. I’ll try to discuss pros and cons in a later post but for now lets get on with the show…
The harness seems like a big tangled mess of branches and connectors:
However, when you spread it out there are just three major branches. The first is easy. It is the electrical connections for the injectors and throttle body. You don’t have to thread this branch through the intake manifold. Just hook it up. The other two branches split just below the intake manifold. One branch goes to the rear for the tranny connections and the other branch serves all of the various sensors on the drivers side of the block.
It was easiest to thread the long transmission/O2 leg through the manifold first. Then drag the last four sensor connections that hook up to the head.
The harness is fed between the #4 and #5 intake runners. The fuel line to the fuel rail shares the same space and makes this a tight fit. Removing this line might have made this process a snap, but I didn’t do it. If you have removed the fuel rail to service the injectors, leaving this fuel line off until after the harness is in place may be helpful. Even so, it was pretty easy to thread everything through.
Once the harness was through the intake, I started at the front and began hooking up the connections. Starting with the four connections at the head…
There are two tabs that secure the harness to the block. This is the front one…
You may notice from the last two pictures that I painted the block.
When I had everything stripped off I went ahead and hit it with a coat of high temp black rattle can. This should make it easier to spot any leaks once I fire it up.
As promised, here are a few pictures of the process of putting the wiring harness back in place. When I first made the decision to pull the harness I was a bit intimidated by all of the sensor connections and the length of the harness all the way back to the O2 sensors. After having pulled it and now put it back in place, it is not such a mystery anymore and I’m glad I did it this way. I’ll try to discuss pros and cons in a later post but for now lets get on with the show…
The harness seems like a big tangled mess of branches and connectors:
However, when you spread it out there are just three major branches. The first is easy. It is the electrical connections for the injectors and throttle body. You don’t have to thread this branch through the intake manifold. Just hook it up. The other two branches split just below the intake manifold. One branch goes to the rear for the tranny connections and the other branch serves all of the various sensors on the drivers side of the block.
It was easiest to thread the long transmission/O2 leg through the manifold first. Then drag the last four sensor connections that hook up to the head.
The harness is fed between the #4 and #5 intake runners. The fuel line to the fuel rail shares the same space and makes this a tight fit. Removing this line might have made this process a snap, but I didn’t do it. If you have removed the fuel rail to service the injectors, leaving this fuel line off until after the harness is in place may be helpful. Even so, it was pretty easy to thread everything through.
Once the harness was through the intake, I started at the front and began hooking up the connections. Starting with the four connections at the head…
There are two tabs that secure the harness to the block. This is the front one…
You may notice from the last two pictures that I painted the block.
When I had everything stripped off I went ahead and hit it with a coat of high temp black rattle can. This should make it easier to spot any leaks once I fire it up.
- Thread starter
- #45
There are two large connectors for the transmission near the starter. Another knock sensor at the rear of the block, a starter connection and the oil level sensor down at the pan.
This large wire threw me for a couple minutes until I jogged my memory. I hadn’t marked it when I removed the harness. It is a ground connection to the rear of the lower intake manifold.
Here is a little rope trick I did when I removed the rear wiring harness over the top of the transmission. I tied a rope to the end of the harness and dragged it along with the wiring harness up through the firewall. This made it much easier to feed the harness back through the same path past the starter and over the tranny. It is a tight fit between the tranny and the body below the drivers footwell.
There are two connections at the transmission:
And two O2 sensors. This is the front:
I finished the evenings’ work by placing the upper intake and throttle body. I’m almost there.
This engine will never look this clean again.
This large wire threw me for a couple minutes until I jogged my memory. I hadn’t marked it when I removed the harness. It is a ground connection to the rear of the lower intake manifold.
Here is a little rope trick I did when I removed the rear wiring harness over the top of the transmission. I tied a rope to the end of the harness and dragged it along with the wiring harness up through the firewall. This made it much easier to feed the harness back through the same path past the starter and over the tranny. It is a tight fit between the tranny and the body below the drivers footwell.
There are two connections at the transmission:
And two O2 sensors. This is the front:
I finished the evenings’ work by placing the upper intake and throttle body. I’m almost there.
This engine will never look this clean again.
Beautiful job, I have to do the HG on mine sometime soon. You can drive that thing with pride after all that time!
Nice Shipwreck. I appreciate the info-- definitely takes some of the mystery out of this process.
I nominate this thread for the FAQ!
I also found this link (https://forum.ih8mud.com/80-series-tech/163541-valve-grind-kit.html) on the actually parts which comprise the VG Kit from CDAN. I can't remember if this invoice has this detail or not.
Josh
I nominate this thread for the FAQ!
I also found this link (https://forum.ih8mud.com/80-series-tech/163541-valve-grind-kit.html) on the actually parts which comprise the VG Kit from CDAN. I can't remember if this invoice has this detail or not.
Josh
Excellent work! Thanks for sharing!
Nice job. I'm debating doing this as PM this spring before I drive across the country. How many hours do you figure you have into it? I may have missed it earlier in the thread, but what mechanical experience did you have prior to starting this?
Thanks!
Thanks!
This American Toyota invoice will only state the following:
04112-66035
--which is the valve grind kit. The invoice will not show the actual part numbers that are included in the kit. Each of the parts in the valve grind kit does have its own part number that you can order separately if you so choose--say, you are only doing valve cover job with some throttle body work--these parts are sourceable separaly. But, they are also included in the above part number.
I compile these "HG jobs" daily at American....I have a much longer list of part numbers that I would include on a job like this as well as components that I think should be replaced "while you are in there." My rebuild was a bit over board--I replaced almost every single piece of hardware in the engine bay--but I think this thread gives a novice a very good starting place for tackling a PM type of approach for the HG job.
Again, nice job Shipwreck.
Very nice photo skills, too. I would end up with a foreground wire harness out of focus while you could see the firewall behind it clearly somehow. Very clear. Did you play any music in the garage? I chose old James Taylor - seemed like it went with the ebb and flow.
DougM
DougM
- Thread starter
- #53
I haven't really been keeping track of the hours. I've been working on it a little bit at a time. I guess around 30 hrs or so. I've been pretty busy at work, then cycling home, dinner, play with my son, then go outside around 9 - 10 pm and work for a couple hours. I've gotten some big blocks of time on the weekend, but we've had other family obligations too so it has been slow.
This job could be much quicker if you had a couple extra hands helping, if you didn't do all the preventive maintenance stuff that I've included and aren't as meticulous about cleaning as I've been. If you notice in the pictures, I've wire brushed every nut, bolt and part that I removed. It takes time. Keep in mind also that I pulled the pans and timing cover too, which usually isn't needed for most HG jobs.
The one thing that I skipped in the interest of time was servicing the injectors. I'd send them in to be cleaned and flow tested if I were to do this as preventive maintenence.
As far as mechanical ability; I think I'm just an average garage wrench. I'm a Research Microbiologist by trade, not a mechanic. I have worked on cars since I was a kid in high school though. This job is time consuming and takes some organization, but it is still just a matter of loosening and tightening nuts and bolts. If you have a decent set of ratchets and can follow the directions of a recipe in a cookbook you can do this job.
- Thread starter
- #54
This American Toyota invoice will only state the following:
04112-66035
--which is the valve grind kit. The invoice will not show the actual part numbers that are included in the kit. Each of the parts in the valve grind kit does have its own part number that you can order separately if you so choose--say, you are only doing valve cover job with some throttle body work--these parts are sourceable separaly. But, they are also included in the above part number.
I compile these "HG jobs" daily at American....I have a much longer list of part numbers that I would include on a job like this as well as components that I think should be replaced "while you are in there." My rebuild was a bit over board--I replaced almost every single piece of hardware in the engine bay--but I think this thread gives a novice a very good starting place for tackling a PM type of approach for the HG job.
Again, nice job Shipwreck.
Thanks for the props Beno.
And thanks for the parts. I've been meaning to ask if you do the packing for American's shipped parts. When my order arrived, I had to laugh. I think it was packed in a box for a bumper. It was about five feet long and I had to keep digging through empty boxes used as packaging filler until I got to the three little boxes with the good stuff. Tough to find a box that is long enough to fit a head gasket, huh?
Thanks Doug. ...and thanks for the DVD. It helped on several occasions.
The camera I use is just an old 2.0 megapixel Canon Elph. I just use the close-up setting for most of the tight shots.
Music? Yep. I started with Led Zeppelin at the beginning when I was tearing everything apart and switched to mellower stuff for the late nights. I've been doing everything in our side patio outside and I'm sure the sound travels straight to our neighbors house. We had new neighbors move in a few months ago and the wife delivered her first baby just about the time I started this project. I bet they're starting to have second thoughts about moving in next door.
That is funny-- I thought the same thing when I got my box 'o parts. It looked like another ARB bumper had arrived...
The trick is to pack the head gasket well enough to keep UPS from destroying it in transit.
- Thread starter
- #57
It worked. Everything was in great shape despite one corner of the big box being crunched.
Thanks for the parts advice Dan.
- Thread starter
- #58
The Last Steps...
Got another hour or two of work in last night. Lots of little details at the end of this job; hooking up all the throttle cables, installing the fan and belts, dipstick tubes, placing the distributor, new plugs, wires and then double checking that everything is secure and in place.
It is a good sign when you have just a few tune-up items left on the parts table:
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.
Then align the mark at the base of the shaft housing with the mark on the drive gear.
Now with the engine still at TDC and the camshafts still in the previously described condition, stab the distributor into position with the alignment marks held vertically.
The rotor will rotate to the 12-o’clock position as the helical gears engage.
Edit: Incorrect rotor position. I'm off by a tooth. See post #68 by Chaldaean for the keen observation and discussion.
This is so much easier than installing the dizzy on my old 2F engine! Remember though, if you rotate the engine after you’ve installed the camshafts, it is possible to be 180* off even if the crank position appears to be at 0* top dead center.
I’ve got the engine all buttoned up now. I just need to hook up the battery, add fluids and then I can fire it up. This will wait ‘till Saturday when I have some time to flush water through the cooling system and troubleshoot any codes that might pop up. Today is my son’s fourth birthday so no wrenching tonight.
In the mean time, this little nut will keep me awake for the next couple nights. It was an extra nut in the bag I kept the hardware for the upper intake manifold. Every bolt on the manifold is accounted for. 6 bolts and 2 studs if I remember correctly. 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.
-2 points for unaccounted hardware:
I plan to fill and flush the radiator with water for a day to remove any debris from the system before switching back to red coolant. I’ll also fill with cheap, generic dino oil for a week or two before switching to synthetic. If anyone has any other suggestions before I turn the key, let me know!
Got another hour or two of work in last night. Lots of little details at the end of this job; hooking up all the throttle cables, installing the fan and belts, dipstick tubes, placing the distributor, new plugs, wires and then double checking that everything is secure and in place.
It is a good sign when you have just a few tune-up items left on the parts table:
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.
Then align the mark at the base of the shaft housing with the mark on the drive gear.
Now with the engine still at TDC and the camshafts still in the previously described condition, stab the distributor into position with the alignment marks held vertically.
The rotor will rotate to the 12-o’clock position as the helical gears engage.
Edit: Incorrect rotor position. I'm off by a tooth. See post #68 by Chaldaean for the keen observation and discussion.
This is so much easier than installing the dizzy on my old 2F engine! Remember though, if you rotate the engine after you’ve installed the camshafts, it is possible to be 180* off even if the crank position appears to be at 0* top dead center.
I’ve got the engine all buttoned up now. I just need to hook up the battery, add fluids and then I can fire it up. This will wait ‘till Saturday when I have some time to flush water through the cooling system and troubleshoot any codes that might pop up. Today is my son’s fourth birthday so no wrenching tonight.
In the mean time, this little nut will keep me awake for the next couple nights. It was an extra nut in the bag I kept the hardware for the upper intake manifold. Every bolt on the manifold is accounted for. 6 bolts and 2 studs if I remember correctly. 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.
-2 points for unaccounted hardware:
I plan to fill and flush the radiator with water for a day to remove any debris from the system before switching back to red coolant. I’ll also fill with cheap, generic dino oil for a week or two before switching to synthetic. If anyone has any other suggestions before I turn the key, let me know!
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funny remember getting a head gasket from you sent to landtanks and it looked like ups dragged it all the way to Massachusetts don't know how ups was able to inflict so much damage it was all good tho ups paid for a new one
btw nice work on the HG, how did you clean the valve cover wire wheel?
a lesson learned on my order
