For sure. I’ll clean and lube. I have such a mess I’m worried about chips falling onto the coolant hole. I’ll need to plug those up and start chipping
DIY Coolant Valley Leak Repair
- Thread starter jmanscotch
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I agree, it's a narrow, long, machined surface, in a high-heat area, with 200 degree pressurized coolant on one side of it. I would not expect that gasket to last forever. I have not worked on a UR, so I'm curious on how hard the intake is to get off. On a UZ it's an hour or so at most.
Maybe this is analogous for a Subaru EJ25 head gasket failure. Folks will replce them at 125K....only to have to do them again at 250K.
Maybe this is analogous for a Subaru EJ25 head gasket failure. Folks will replce them at 125K....only to have to do them again at 250K.
- Thread starter
- #163
This, to me, was the most critical part of the whole job. It really sucks to find out you pinched the o-ring and you have to immediately do the job again.
Granted, it’s notably easier to do it the second time as it’s all fresh in your head, but man is it a mental blow.
Glad the thread is helping still, but also…sorry it’s required.
One other critical thing is to make absolutely sure to blow out the valley plate bolt holes with compressed air. I thought they were clean, but a ton of coolant came spraying out once I shot them with a blow gun. That would have absolutely squeezed up and fouled the FIPG when torquing the plate down.
Acrad
GOLD Star
I figure "when" I end up doing this I am going to completely shop vac out every trace of coolant and compressed air as needed as suggested by @supersaiyan93.
F********** ME. I lubed the s*** out of that tube. This sucks. I think it has to be the tube bc it just straight dumped out. Is there a TSB that specifies if you’re supposed to keep the tube on the plate when mounting or if you pre mount it in the WP? It’s got me wondering if there is a better lube than silicone spray. I’m also wondering if I can straighten the tube out from the water pump cavity- likely not… dang.
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Ah man! I imagine the job to get back down to it is way quicker now that you’ve done it already. (Sorry, trying to find a silver lining).
I used Sil-Glyde brake lubricant for the o-rings. It’s kind of sticky, so I think that helped the o-rings stay put maybe?
I’m using di-electric grease this time. Or maybe some gasket lube for my pool pump.
Man that sucks! I think you're right it's the tube. Mine looked just like that. I kept my coolant tube in the plate because it just felt like my best shot of getting it in there straight but I still wasn't super confident. I am sure you'll get it right this time.
I left the foam piece out on the front so I could get a cheap boroscope in there to see what was going on. Luckily it wasn't leaking the second time but I would have been a nice tool to pinpoint the leak.
All done- no apparent leak. That was a lot easier this time. Still a pain but not terrible. I will update with some very important ideas no one else has mentioned with some difficult parts.
UPDATE: Follow OP’s BRILLIANT and extremely helpful guide and photos. Here are my lessons that were only learned the 2nd time around.
Here is after I pried attempt 1 off. The top plate has imperfections bc it’s “flexible” molded part. The engine is machined and was much cleaner. Two machines surfaces could use a gasket that compresses to almost nothing. You can see the black filling the imperfections.
6.
Before you start laying a bead, lube up the orings and tube with something good and practice multiple times pushing the tube in and out of the plate. Watch how any angle tries to roll the ring. Then actually practice the mounting of the whole plate and tube into the water pump and valley. The technique I used was the 2nd youTube video posted early in the thread. You can also thread a bolt in the front hole of the CV plat for a handle. I recommend this.
UPDATE: Follow OP’s BRILLIANT and extremely helpful guide and photos. Here are my lessons that were only learned the 2nd time around.
- Do not do the radiator, water pump, belt, and tensioner at the same time. There is zero benefit and you don’t save time or coolant. I ended up having to do the CLV twice only to find out my new radiator was busted. So I had to do that twice too. Not my easiest weekend!
- For disassembly- keep your bolts in the holes that came from. As long as you do that- you’re not going to “forget” what goes where. All the hoses and connectors all memory back nicely.
- The intake manifold removal is not hard with these tips.
- Disconnect 2 fuel lines. Spread the orange cover out and slide it down. Then get some old school, slip joint pliers to compress the sides to slide connector off. 4 minutes.
- Take a long, thin flat head screw driver and properly operate the rear right clip. 2 minutes.
- The left clip needs to be broken but mine barely looked broken. Take a large flathead and try to pry at the clip. Get as close as possibly and then muscle it. It almost immediately broke free- very clean.
- The toughest part is rear left manifold bolt. The easiest thing is to utilize the torx center of the bolt and an impact hex extension (4ish”). Be prepared to shear this- have some spares. However- I also did it by sliding a 1/4” drive 12mm socket onto the bolt head with a 1/4” extension- then I stand it up to reach from the vertical. It’s not easy- have a bore scope and grab tool or just have plenty of extra tools bc retrieval is easier after the intake is off. Come to think of it - stuffing some shop rags behind it might have save me an hour of retrieval.
- The rest is easy to get off and takes 10-15 minutes by following the OP photos.
- Doing the FIPG- I think 3-4mm is too much. I did 3-4mm the first time and flattened it out with a moist finger. After removal of the 1st seal job- it actually looked pretty good but was more than needed.
Here is after I pried attempt 1 off. The top plate has imperfections bc it’s “flexible” molded part. The engine is machined and was much cleaner. Two machines surfaces could use a gasket that compresses to almost nothing. You can see the black filling the imperfections.
6.
Before you start laying a bead, lube up the orings and tube with something good and practice multiple times pushing the tube in and out of the plate. Watch how any angle tries to roll the ring. Then actually practice the mounting of the whole plate and tube into the water pump and valley. The technique I used was the 2nd youTube video posted early in the thread. You can also thread a bolt in the front hole of the CV plat for a handle. I recommend this.
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7. Lay your bead and mount. I left the rear stud on for guidance but the only focus should be on the straight entry of the tube into the Wp.
8. Let the FIPG cure/setup for an hour and then put everything back on up to the intake manifold. Leave the manifold off and TEST! I had my brother put his finger over this tube fitting and poured antifreeze. I recommend just putting a clear 3/8” tube on it and running it over the hood- you get to see the level too!
View attachment 3576062
If there are no leaks then proceed with reassembly. A big time saving tip here is to go ahead and insert the rear left bolt in the manifold hole before putting it in the engine bay. Getting that bolt in the hole otherwise is a problem and you’re likely to drop it down into neverland.
I left off all of that sound deadening foam. This was admittedly an unintentional omission but when i was fully assembled I have loved the peace of mind by having a clear view into the CVP. I can easily put a borescope to check the water pump tube and plate for leaks. It’ll help with future PCV valve replacement.
I threw a MAP sensor code. It was due to a loose wire which I soldered back into the waterproof connector- good as new.
If I had to do this a 3rd time I bet I could do it in under 4 hours but I don’t want to find out! I just want to reiterate to do several lubed dry runs of the CV plate and tube installation before applying the FIPG. And remember, YOU’VE GOT THIS!
Pic of oring and the havoc it caused.
8. Let the FIPG cure/setup for an hour and then put everything back on up to the intake manifold. Leave the manifold off and TEST! I had my brother put his finger over this tube fitting and poured antifreeze. I recommend just putting a clear 3/8” tube on it and running it over the hood- you get to see the level too!
View attachment 3576062
If there are no leaks then proceed with reassembly. A big time saving tip here is to go ahead and insert the rear left bolt in the manifold hole before putting it in the engine bay. Getting that bolt in the hole otherwise is a problem and you’re likely to drop it down into neverland.
I left off all of that sound deadening foam. This was admittedly an unintentional omission but when i was fully assembled I have loved the peace of mind by having a clear view into the CVP. I can easily put a borescope to check the water pump tube and plate for leaks. It’ll help with future PCV valve replacement.
I threw a MAP sensor code. It was due to a loose wire which I soldered back into the waterproof connector- good as new.
If I had to do this a 3rd time I bet I could do it in under 4 hours but I don’t want to find out! I just want to reiterate to do several lubed dry runs of the CV plate and tube installation before applying the FIPG. And remember, YOU’VE GOT THIS!
Pic of oring and the havoc it caused.
Great write up OP. Posts like this are what truly make forums great. Used this as a guide while doing this repair on my 2013 and it covered everything in more than enough detail. Made it to 170k miles before needing it.
I agree with Hank above on plenty of his points, but i have a few pointers I’d like to add myself.
For anyone interested, total repair time was 10 hours over the course of two days. Could have probably been done in half that time but I like to throughly clean everything and allowed a full day for the FIPG to set.
Anyways, here’s my list.
1.) break off the wire harness clips, using caution on the passenger side clip. I replaced the driver side clip, because it maintains the clearance between the wire harness tray and the fuel line at the rear of the manifold.
2.) disconnect the fuel line crossover on the rear of the manifold at the two rails on each side. It takes 2 minutes and if you have a rag ready you won’t spill any gas
3.) like it’s said above, a combination of 1/4 swivel/wobble extensions and an elbow joint make the passenger corner bolt on the intake manifold light work. It only took me a bit longer than the other bolts.
4.) once you have the valley plate off, it’s crucial to clear out all the threaded holes but also clean any remaining residue off the bolts themselves. You want clean bare metal for any potential surface the FIPG will touch.
5.) use some sort of lithium based lube on the coolant pipe O-rings. Even a tiny bit of Vaseline will work. Spot clean both entry ways and dab your pinky with some grease and distribute it in both entry ways.
6.)less is more when it comes to gasket maker, don’t overdo it.
7.) take the time to clean off your throttle body, MAF sensor and PCV. Remove the throttle body and clean both mating surfaces/inspect the integrity of the gasket there
8.) buy a set of picks from harbor freight and use the small angled one to work silicone spray in between hoses and there nipples. It will make removing old hoses 200% easier
I think that’s about it. Truthfully not a bad job at all, the worst part for me was cleaning all the old coolant and gasket off. Oh and working on a tall engine bay… I need to figure out a better way to elevate myself up there.
I agree with Hank above on plenty of his points, but i have a few pointers I’d like to add myself.
For anyone interested, total repair time was 10 hours over the course of two days. Could have probably been done in half that time but I like to throughly clean everything and allowed a full day for the FIPG to set.
Anyways, here’s my list.
1.) break off the wire harness clips, using caution on the passenger side clip. I replaced the driver side clip, because it maintains the clearance between the wire harness tray and the fuel line at the rear of the manifold.
2.) disconnect the fuel line crossover on the rear of the manifold at the two rails on each side. It takes 2 minutes and if you have a rag ready you won’t spill any gas
3.) like it’s said above, a combination of 1/4 swivel/wobble extensions and an elbow joint make the passenger corner bolt on the intake manifold light work. It only took me a bit longer than the other bolts.
4.) once you have the valley plate off, it’s crucial to clear out all the threaded holes but also clean any remaining residue off the bolts themselves. You want clean bare metal for any potential surface the FIPG will touch.
5.) use some sort of lithium based lube on the coolant pipe O-rings. Even a tiny bit of Vaseline will work. Spot clean both entry ways and dab your pinky with some grease and distribute it in both entry ways.
6.)less is more when it comes to gasket maker, don’t overdo it.
7.) take the time to clean off your throttle body, MAF sensor and PCV. Remove the throttle body and clean both mating surfaces/inspect the integrity of the gasket there
8.) buy a set of picks from harbor freight and use the small angled one to work silicone spray in between hoses and there nipples. It will make removing old hoses 200% easier
I think that’s about it. Truthfully not a bad job at all, the worst part for me was cleaning all the old coolant and gasket off. Oh and working on a tall engine bay… I need to figure out a better way to elevate myself up there.
Hey all.. thanks for all the awesome write ups…
I ran into a weird issue. As I was trying to remove the PCV housing / separator case . The plastic that holds one of the bolt which is right next to the nipple closer to firewall on driver side, broke off. I can’t put the bolt back anymore. Attached some pictures for reference.
Should I just replace the whole thing or just leave that one bolt and put everything back.. any suggestions??
I ran into a weird issue. As I was trying to remove the PCV housing / separator case . The plastic that holds one of the bolt which is right next to the nipple closer to firewall on driver side, broke off. I can’t put the bolt back anymore. Attached some pictures for reference.
Should I just replace the whole thing or just leave that one bolt and put everything back.. any suggestions??
Welllll, it kinda comes down to how much and how long. How much is a replacement and how long do you have to wait for it.
For me if it's under a C-bill, I'd probably replace it, just to keep it all properly built.
If it's over $100, I may epoxy it back together.
If you epoxy (or whatever), find a short piece of PVC sch 80 tubing with the same inside diameter as the piece broken off, cut it to length, and then cut a small section out of it, so when assembled, it fits over the broken assembly. When it's all glued up, that bit of PVC will add radial strength to the piece that broke off.
Hope this helps.
Thanks much Richard for your response. I was bit worried about finding the part and waiting for the part to arrive. But a dealership near me already has it and it is not that expensive. It'd probably cost me more to fuse it with epoxy. Also "Acard" recommended changing the casing as part of this job. Will throw it in and see how it goes. Will keep you all posted
I pulled the valley plate out.. As I tried to pry the valley plate little coolant entered the oil return pipe.. anyone run into this?
Thank you all for all the excellent tips and suggestions. Fixed valley plate leak.. no leaks no cel so far everything looks good. I still need to replace the radiator though.
@jmanscotch I took a colour printout of your whole write up and used it as a manual. I owe you man. You motivated me to payback to the forum community. Thanks a lot.
@Acrad @r2m Special thanks to you two as well
My 2 cents… I bought an endoscope on Amazon to check if the heat exchanger gasket rolled and it definitely helped. After sealing the valley plate and waiting for a day I poured a quart of coolant to see there are not leaks from valley plate just to make sure before putting everything back.
@jmanscotch I took a colour printout of your whole write up and used it as a manual. I owe you man. You motivated me to payback to the forum community. Thanks a lot.
@Acrad @r2m Special thanks to you two as well
My 2 cents… I bought an endoscope on Amazon to check if the heat exchanger gasket rolled and it definitely helped. After sealing the valley plate and waiting for a day I poured a quart of coolant to see there are not leaks from valley plate just to make sure before putting everything back.
Sharing my experience. Slow leak started at around 150k miles. At 155k miles I was loosing about 1 qt if coolant every 300 miles. Saw the dry drip on the transmission bell housing. Quoted every Toyota and Lexus dealer in a 50 mile radius. Treasure Coast Lexus on Fort Pierce, FL did a great job for $1800 and they gave me a loaner for the five days they took to repair the car. This is the only repair that my GX has needed in 15 years, you can’t beat that!
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