egr tube blowout turns ugly & related idle issues (1 Viewer)

[Infinity00]

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I found the problem for my vacuum leak and exhaust smells. The guy who put the manifold on tried the technique of using 2 gaskets and a whole bunch of high temp RTV to try to make up for a full 1/32" gap! You can see light between the flat machinist table and the manifold. You can visually see the RTV bead didn't make it to the head after it was tightened down. This only worked for 10-20 miles.

 

[Slow Left]

That's awesome! That's gotta feel good figuring that out. I'm amazed that you dug into it again and ripped those manifolds off especially after you had so much invested already.
Congratulations! It's gonna be even more sweet when you get it running the way you want it again.

You gonna get those manifolds shaved down or look for another set?

You gonna replace those manifold studs, bolts nuts and washers?

Also, see picture below. Not sure if you already use it, but I always paint the threads (especially for exhaust bolts!) with this Permatex copper antisieze before reinstall. It makes it alot easier to get them off again if you have to.

 

[Slow Left]

Hey, while you have the carb off, spray through those vac ports on the inside walls of both barrels with carb cleaner to make sure they are clear.
Also might want to remove the idle mixture screw and spray through there, remove the two plugs on the front of the carb and spray through the main jets, and spray through the gas inlet (be careful of the screen) that leads to the needle valve.
Easier to make sure they're clear while you have the carb off.

 

[Slow Left]

Just remembered something else. If you are going to keep the emissions equipment on, and while there is room in there with the manifolds off, you should replace the check valve that goes on the skinny pipe connected to the exhaust downpipe.
You should be able to purchase the check valves (there are two) at an aftermarket autoparts store (Advance Auto).

 

[Slow Left]

Thought of another thing you might want to do while the manifolds are off. You can get 3 new studs and 3 new nuts from Toyota for the bottom of the exhaust manifold where the exhaust downpipe mates. And a new donut gasket goes in there too, if you already didn't get a new one when you removed the manifolds last time.

Easier to back those studs out with the manifold. Know the trick to back out the studs, right? Using two of the old nuts, thread one nut onto a stud followed by another nut right after that. Then back the top nut out against the second nut, making sure that the second nut doesn't move, then the stud should break loose from the manifold and back out. Once you get the stud out, back the second nut off of it, then the first.
Repeat for the remaining two studs.
Use the same principle to install the new studs. Make sure you coat the threads with the copper antiseize.

Also, when you reinstall the downpipe onto the exhaust manifold, don't use that orange RTV again. Doesn't need it. Just make sure when you are tightening the nuts over the 3 studs that you tighten them down evenly, as you would torquing down the head, so that the gasket seats evenly. Make sure they're snug or you'll be under there again looking for another exhaust leak...

 

[Infinity00]

Slow Left, thanks for all the support! I called Cdan today and ordered all new gaskets for everything including the donut for the down pipe/ manifold junction, egr gaskets for the intake and exhaust mating surfaces, and the rings/springs for the exhaust end pipes, and insulator with double gaskets between the intake and exhaust. I like the idea of getting new studs and bolts. Cdan gave me a great deal on the parts I needed. I really want to do this right and spare nothing to get this running right again and not have to take it apart again. No orange rtv is touching anything. Won't be necessary after I get the manifold planed down. Have yet to find someone that can do it in the greater denver area though.

To answer your question, I do need to get the emmisions back on by next summer but meanwhile, I bought a decent egr exhaust blocking plate with a machine plug from JimC. The one my mechanic friend put on was thin aluminum and that warped within the first 50 miles. My friend knows landcruisers like the back of his hand, but after I've seen what he did to save me a little money, it wasnt worth it. First time in a long while that I've let anyone work on one of my vehicles and its a reminder, lets say a nail in the coffin, to never let someone again. Like you said though, I'm trying to see this as a great learning experience and I feel a lot better knowing one more system of the cruiser.

The carb is apart and back in the cleaning tank. After cleaning and rebuilding it, and putting new vacuum lines on, its seems the increased vacuum was enough to pull some crud down above the venturies. Also, I'm having second thoughts about a couple pieces I put in from the rebuild kit that are slightly different from the originals. That will probably be in a carb thread ill start to see if anyone else used these parts or not. No screen in the fuel line maybe I should see if cdan has one. Will spray cleaner throughout the hard lines so nothing else ends up in my pristine 2x clean carb.

Your theory on the brakes failing is very insightful, brought me to a whole new thinking about the egr system. The brakes failed by going to the floor though. Do you think it would be harder to press, like manual brakes when there is no vacuum assist?

You've got good eyes, the donut wasn't included in the picture I took of the egr tube but it was there. I ordered one of those also for when I get the egr back on.

Ill post up after getting this back up and running, hoping for 20" hg! It's kinda fun again....

 

[Infinity00]

Thanks for the info on the check valves- should I look into my air rails also?

 

[Slow Left]

Thanks for the info on the check valves- should I look into my air rails also?

In general, the Air Injection system does not affect the performance of your engine, expect for smog.

I would only replace the air rail if it had rusted holes in it. If it has holes in it, then it is an exhaust leak, because it is on the exhaust side of the check valve. Remember the two check valves allow air that is being pumped by the air pump to pass through the ABV/ASV unit, pass the check valves and into the air rail or pass the other check valve out into the exhaust.

Technically, if the air is being injected into the air rail, it will affect performance, since some of that exhaust is being sent through the EGR system, back into the chambers for combustion.

 

[Slow Left]

You might want to see what the price difference is between buying a whole new/refurbished manifold assembly (intake and exhaust together) versus getting the ones you currently have planed.
The reason why this might be a viable option for you is because from looking at that picture, they look really warped. I'm wondering if planing them down might take them to the point where it becomes a challenge to rebolt them correctly. I've heard of people clipping washers in half and putting them behind the head of the bolt when remounting resurfaced manifolds, to compensate for the difference in height between the in/ex.

I would definitely buy new hardware (bolts, nuts, studs and washers).
For the manifolds, considering buying two additional inside bolts to use in place of the two center studs. get the studs and nuts too, just buy two extra of the inside bolts so you have the option of using them in place of the studs when reassembling. using bolts in place of the studs supposedly makes it easier to maneuver the manifolds with the downpipe still on.

Get the hardware (studs, nuts and donut gasket)f or the down pipe and swap out the studs on the bottom of the exhaust manifold like alluded to above.

 

[Slow Left]

For the EGR system, see if you can still use the cooler. Might be able to clean up those threads and reuse.

I'd buy a new stainless steel j-pipe, gasket and replace those two studs and nuts too.

You're going to have to test the EGR valve and modulator and make sure they work correctly. I've heard that you can clean both. They should still be available to purchase new, although pricey. I replaced both of mine last year.

But it is most likely that the EGR valve was stuck shut, and the heat and pressure is what caused the j-pipe to pop off. No where for that exhaust to go.

 

[Slow Left]

I really want to do this right and spare nothing to get this running right again and not have to take it apart again.

Reminds me of a story from "With the Old Breed", written by Eugene Sledge. He was a marine in the Pacific theater during WW II, on Peleliu and Okinawa. At a staging island, in preparation for the landing on Peleliu, he and some of his buddies were tasked with cleaning out some of those 50 gallon oil drums. They weren't told why they were doing it, but thinking it couldn't be all that important, they didn't bring much attention to the task.
After the landing and invasion, having gone two full days of non-stop fighting, supplies were finally able to be brought up from the rear.
Guess what their drinking water was stored in? They had to drink that stank water.

You are right in bringing that level of attention to the task. It is the exemplary thing to do, especially if you will be drinking the water afterwards...

 

[Infinity00]

Talked to my friend/mechanic who worked on the cruiser - he said egr cooler tube just vibrated off and the threads were too galled to reuse but at least for the tube, I should be able to replace it. Is the stainless tube you refer to aftrrmarket? Toyota doesn't have it. Yep, ordering all new stud and nuts. I think it's important not only for ease of putting on, less problems etc., but when I talked to mechanic friend he couldn't figure out why they re-loosened; he had re tightened once already after I drove it for a few days and when I took the manifolds off they were loose. I think with new studs and nuts, and resurfaced manifold I shouldn't have any problem to queuing them and having them hold. I am aware they'll have to be re torqued once after I drive it. The two machine shops I have found that will do manifolds want to do them separately but I know that'll just cause alignment issues when I put it back together so I'm insisting they do them together after I spot weld the ends in place, saw that here somewhere, seems like a good idea, then cut spot weld off when it returns. Just waiting for everything from cruiser Dan so I can put it together before machining. Regarding your question about gasket used for the diubking, found out he used one Toyota oem and one beck arnley. They beck arnley didn't have the gray foil stuff on the head side.

Manifolds are discontinued at Toyota, I might check a junk yard in Denver this weekend. Toyota jims.