Engine pull and rebuild, final thoughts… (1 Viewer)

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Azca

If there is a harder way - I will find it...
Joined
Oct 25, 2007
Threads
132
Messages
1,711
Location
Surprise AZ.
Well after 5 weeks, not all of it working on the engine, it is back in the rig and runs great. To say this did not go smooth is an understatement; a number of things went wrong, were missing or just plain would not work. Had everything fallen into place I would not have rebuilt the bottom end and been done much sooner than I was. I cannot tell you how many times I had to take things back apart again after it was together. Slow down, it is faster!

In many ways I wished I would have documented this better and with more information but time was not my friend for this project and I can't begin to tell you how much I lost and wasted due to missing parts, broken parts, doing things two, three and even four times and rushing to get it done. If you feel yourself rushing this STOP, step back and look at the big picture.


So final thoughts and observations to help those who begin to embark on this journey…


1. Go through Concretejungles excellent thread on rebuilding the engine and focus (unlike me) on the parts he documents that are MISSING from the gasket overhaul kit.

2. I found one gasket for the oil cooler assembly missing as well, the Toyota kit only had one in it. Apparently this is a problem you need to account for Toy Part No: 15785-66010

3. Crank Sensor thread for the unobtainable and missing o ring: crank sensor?

4. Get a laptop, take pictures, load them onto the laptop. Far easier than running into the house every 10-15 minutes to look at photos or look something up. You will pay for the laptop in time savings. Oh, did I say to take pictures? Too many is not enough, if you have less than 250 you are way short and not covering everything you will need. TRUST ME.

5. Get an electronic copy of the FSM, load it on the laptop and mark your pages.

6. Print the FSM. Well over 1300 pages, you will need two LARGE three ring binders. :eek:

7. DO NOT GET CHEAP ON THIS! I can’t stress this enough. Trying to pinch pennies on this for cheap parts or trying to make do is just stupid at this point. I have about $6k or so into the rebuild and when I try to save a dollar, literally, it costs hours of work. Just get with Onur, Dan or Murf for parts. They are huge assets that are essentially free, USE THEM! ;)

8. Get a battery operated impact wrench and use it for disassembly. :D

9. Hide the battery operated impact wrench when you put the stuff back together. Yes it is faster, yes it is tempting, BUT DON’T USE IT. Ok, use it on 14mm or larger sockets only. These wrenches have a lot more torque than you think and you WILL snap something off. Guaranteed. Ask me how I know, and I know better and have used them for years.:bang:

10. Tighten the crank pulley nut from UNDER the truck. Your deep socket and torque wrench should just clear the steering stabilizer. You can now easily use your legs against the tires or frame to brace yourself. Trust me, MUCH easier.

11. TAKE YOUR TIME! If you rush this, you will make mistakes. If you don’t rush it, you will make mistakes too, they just won’t be as bad… Remember the old saying: There is never enough time to do it right but there is always enough time to do it again. :bang:

12. Do not install the compressor or lower radiator hoses until after the engine is in. You will fight them and still wind up taking them off anyway. :bang:

13. Take off the exhaust hanger from the engine and exhaust pipes, see above

14. Take off the y exhaust pipe and push it to the side, see above

15. Line up the torque converter and flex plate before you finish tightening the bolts from the transmission to the engine :oops:

16. Make sure your engine hoist works. :mad:

17. If you buy a new engine hoist because the engine hoist you are currently using stops working with the engine 3 feet in the air, don’t throw out the receipt. :mad:

18. If the new engine hoist you buy stops working, see the above. :bang:

19. Don’t fight it, get a ¾” breaker bar and socket set. They are cheap at harbor freight. Remember the old saying, never force anything, use a bigger hammer. It will save you busted knuckles and parts.

20. Get, borrow or steal a ¾” impact gun.

21. Make sure your air compressor is working well, it will break down when you need it most. Again, ask me how I know… :(

22. Two engine hoists, that work, make putting the engine and trans back together a breeze.

23. Buy two cases of brake cleaner

24. Buy a case of paper towels

25. Buy three bags of shop towels

26. You don’t have enough cardboard for the floors. Get more.

27. The guys are right about bagging and tagging everything you take off the engine, do it and use as many bags as you can. I used at least 100 and could have used more.

28. Take pictures of the parts in the bags and point to where they go on the engine. Saved me time.

29. I also segregated the parts in different boxes. It saved a ton of time in the end. I used one box for each side of the engine, for the top, for the intake, for the trans and for the engine compartment as well as the front of the engine. Also have one or two for the interior.

30. Take a ton of pictures, or did I say that already?

31. Make a list of all the parts you need, along with the part numbers, and put it on a spreadsheet. If you don’t you will miss parts and double order parts, ask me again how I know… :deadhorse:

32. Don’t be cheap. Buy all your hoses, belts, gaskets from Onur, Dan, or Murf. Don’t shop around, see above. :crybaby:

33. Get a head lamp

34. Clean your work area and keep it clean! When you drop something, and can’t find it because of all the s..tuff in the way, you will understand.

35. When you buy stuff from Onur, Dan or Murf, check to see it is what you ordered check it off your spread sheet, AND PUT IT AWAY! Don’t play with it and don’t put parts in more than one location. You will spend HOURS looking for this stuff later if you don’t heed my advise… :confused:

36. Do not tear your engine out of the truck in Phoenix in monsoon season. That has to be the dumbest thing I have done in years, well except for using the electric impact wrench on assembly… :bang:

37. Get a metric tap set. Even when I was being careful (yes it happened at least once) I still snapped bolts, studs and had to clean out threads and in one case, drill and tap to a larger bolt. You are going to need it, save time and be prepared.

38. If you don’t have an account on ToyoDIY.com get one.

39. If you are using ARP studs, this thread has some good info for the Opel kit. ARP Head bolt question, real time - How Long?

40. Read the ARP instructions before starting.

41. Go through these great threads:

a. 1FZ-FE Rebuild full overhaul - picture heavy

b. Black Project 80 Engine Build Thread

c. TWIN HEADS, the new series from fox

42. Pulling the engine to do the head gasket was, and in my opinion, far easier than working with the engine in the truck. Especially if you have any physical limitations such as a bad back. You have better access to EVERYTHING and you don’t have to rig stuff up to get it apart or back together. Fixing all oil leaks are now a "breeze". In the end I had to have the deck milled on the block anyway due to pitting of the block, if I had tried this in the truck I would have had to pull it anyway. It is not necessary, but it is necessary if you know what I mean…

43. Buy torque wrenches, breaker bars, extensions and wobble extensions. Too many are not enough. They are cheap at HF, just do it.

44. Get a magnetic socket tray, at least one, two is better. HUGE time saver

45. Get a mechanics stool. Your but and back will thank you for this!

46. If you can get a small and short table with wheels to set tools and parts on.

47. Two tables in the garage to hold parts is big plus

48. Clean your parts AS YOU TAKE THEM OFF THE ENGINE. Not before assembly and do not throw them into the parts cleaner and think you will remember what they are and where they went. You wont. Besides once you start putting things together again it sure is nice to only work with clean parts!

49. You can clean the bejesus out of the engine bay without that big $%@#% in the way.

50. You will be amazed at how dirty your engine is, even if you thought it was clean.

51. Get three boxes of disposable gloves.

52. Get electrical tape, high temp tie wraps, heat shrink, wire loom, and heat insulating wrap before you start, you will need all of it.


I am missing a bunch of information but this along with the treads I shared above will be a huge help.


In this process I also need to give a bit shout out to Onur, Murf and Tools R Us for their help with the project, I can’t say enough about how much these guys know and their willingness to help and share information. My hats off to you guys, you are the greatest! :bounce::bounce2:


Also another shout out to Photoman, great guy, great product, EXCELLENT customer service. You can’t go wrong with him. :clap:


Finally I have one last big thank you to go out, to all of you on this forum. I am not exaggerating in saying that I could not have done this without you folks. :flipoff2:


Now, before and after photos…

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every story i read on a full rebuild of the engine makes me happy i went with a used engine for 500 bucks lol. 6K, thats twice what i paid for my truck.
 
Everything you said was spot on, at least as far as what I found in my build. I had the luxury of time, so I could work a few hours and walk away from the job when it got frustrating. That made it much more enjoyable. Also, I used a soda blaster while cleaning parts. Does a great job. For those who are wondering, pulling the whole motor and tranny is not a daunting task if you have a level spot and plenty of room and a good hoist. I was able to do it by myself. Congrats on the build.
 
Congrats on your rebuild, I'm jealous. I don't have the space or engine hoist if I had to face that issue.
 
Wow, your rebuild makes mine seem like a walk in the park. I spent about as much time as you did 6 weeks, but didn't really have much for issues. I would just go out and work on it a little each day. I agree with a lot of what you said. Though I didn't use nearly as many bags for parts I did have a big fold out table that I layed things like manifolds and other large bits to get them out of the way. FSM sat on a rolling cart right next to me the whole time so I could just roll it over to the engine stand for the install. Had a HF 2 ton shop crane to do the heavy lifting. Its really not that difficult of a job, as long as you have plenty of time and go at a nice steady pace.
 
Very nice results. What color (and paint/powder) is the valve cover?
 
every story i read on a full rebuild of the engine makes me happy i went with a used engine for 500 bucks lol. 6K, thats twice what i paid for my truck.

I did the same thing on my last truck. I bought a used mote almost a year before, and took my time (and $) to really do everything just the way I wanted including SS hardware etc. we yanked the old motor and dropped in my new one the same weekend. It was so much easier that way, but I didn't have the luxury of detailing the bay etc. but it was cleaner than most before I started. I sold my old motor for what I paid for the new one, so it was a wash! If I ever do it again, I'll do it the same way. Great thread! Thx
 
You did the whole job in 5 weeks? Very impressive! Mine took 4 months. The machine work alone took 6 weeks to get done after I delivered the parts to the machine shop. A great list of tips! I'd also add:

53. Be prepared to replace parts you didn't think necessary (when the head is too warped to fix, or cylinder walls are scored)
54. Double check all the work that your machine shop does to the best of your ability per FSM procedures
55. If you don't have a Micrometer 0-1" get one, a caliper is not accurate enough for many procedures
56. Feeler gauges, you'll need them
57. A brand new 1FZ-FE with a professionally balanced rotating assembly runs great!
 
Might be a good place to ask this question; considering the cost of rebuilding a used block and head, would it be more or less cost effective to start with a new short block and head then pull the pieces off the old engine as you build up the new? Any pros and cons to either approach??
 
Did you have any scored pistons?

Or was it just your HG bad at first?


No, significant oil consumption, about a quart every 750 miles or less. That plus oil leaks including the rear oil pan arch seal.

Pistons looked good as did the crank and cams. The engine was very clean internally. The head gasket did not let go but with the pitted block I think it was only a matter of time so I am glad to have it done.

I am glad I pulled the trans and transfer case. There was so much crud on it I was surprised.
 
Mark....

Great work.

Also, check your mail. You have a small present coming for the engine.

:)

:cheers:


Bet I know what that is!!

Fantastic job!
 
every story i read on a full rebuild of the engine makes me happy i went with a used engine for 500 bucks lol. 6K, thats twice what i paid for my truck.

I understand. I intend to keep this truck forever so a rebuild was in the future. Additionally I do not want to be caught in the middle of nowhere with a breakdown. Knowing the condition of the engine is a huge piece of mind for me and worth the money. Also the 6k includes other niceties like a brand new cooling system, well except for the hard lines. New 2kw starter, Tundra alt mod, new oil catch can, ceramic coat of headers, heat shield and EGR pipe, new plugs, wires, cap, rotor (existing wire harness was inspected), new accelerator cable, hand throttle, new LED light bar, a bunch of electrical goodies, hood vents etc. Most of which I could not get too yet
 
Everything you said was spot on, at least as far as what I found in my build. I had the luxury of time, so I could work a few hours and walk away from the job when it got frustrating. That made it much more enjoyable. Also, I used a soda blaster while cleaning parts. Does a great job. For those who are wondering, pulling the whole motor and tranny is not a daunting task if you have a level spot and plenty of room and a good hoist. I was able to do it by myself. Congrats on the build.

Walking away would have been nice several times. There were at least two times it was all I could do to stop myself from embedding a wrench on one of the walls! Most of the frustration was caused by the lack of time and trying to push this for an upcoming hunt in Nov and Dec. I really wish I could have taken my time and "do it right". I did not take many shortcuts but would have like to do everything on my list at once to save time and make it easier on me.
 
Very nice results. What color (and paint/powder) is the valve cover?
I used duplicolor DE 1653 for the red and VHT SP997 New Iron for the spark plug covers and block. Very happy with these colors.
 
I understand. I intend to keep this truck forever so a rebuild was in the future. Additionally I do not want to be caught in the middle of nowhere with a breakdown.

i learned years ago playing with cars that they are only new once. i replaced all the normal things while the engine was out but only spent around 500 bucks.

on something this old it will always be a play toy to me, if i want something i can trust to make it across the country i will go with something a little newer.

next time i need an engine i am going the with a new 5.3 or 5.7 swapped in to get some extra power and to make parts easier to find.
 
Wow, your rebuild makes mine seem like a walk in the park. I spent about as much time as you did 6 weeks, but didn't really have much for issues. I would just go out and work on it a little each day. I agree with a lot of what you said. Though I didn't use nearly as many bags for parts I did have a big fold out table that I layed things like manifolds and other large bits to get them out of the way. FSM sat on a rolling cart right next to me the whole time so I could just roll it over to the engine stand for the install. Had a HF 2 ton shop crane to do the heavy lifting. Its really not that difficult of a job, as long as you have plenty of time and go at a nice steady pace.


I guess I'm a dick in saying I tossed all my bolts in a box and can remember where they all go.

On a sidenote. I have a blast booth and have been cleaning all my parts before it gets assembled.
 

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