Here goes!!!! Head gasket...

[chicago]

Hey all,
Im Keith. Usually hang out in the cruiser forums. Our daughters 4 runner blew a HG 2 days ago....Had it in a shop cuz I didnt really wanna deal with it, then they called and said the "recommend" a rebuild for 3800.00. They explained that they wouldnt really warranty the work otherwise.
The whole thing seems to hinge on the condition of the heads...The HG was done in 2K on the recall from Toyota. I found this out hoping that I could sneak it in like that, but...NOPE. They did it and wouldnt touch it again. So the shop had concerns with this ( I under stand that actually) as to getting in there, finding that the heads CAN NOT be repaired of re surfaced or worst case...cracked.
So I had the bitch towed back to my house and will be tackling the project myself.
Never been into the 3.0 V6, so any advice to make this a little less painful would be GREAT!
I found a distributor of re maned heads for about 250 per head. If they are screwed...Ill probably go this route.
This truck just has to RUN. Again...its our daughters, she's in school (just started) and it has to be ON THE MOVE ASAP! So the biggest and best is N/A for this.


Keith

 

[2ndGenToyotaFan]

To get the cam sprockets off I use a 10 mm socket on a long extension and poke it through the spokes of the sprocket onto one of the smaller bolts behind the sprocket, then get a 17 mm with a breaker bar on the big bolt.

Putting the heads back on is easier with the exhaust studs out of the heads, you can install them after the heads are on with a socket that fits onto the torx ends of the studs. Clean up the studs real good before you try to put them back in.

Dont' take the battery out till you have used the starter to loosen the crank shaft bolt.

Unless you know how old the water pump is, put a new one in...

Label all of the hoses going into the intake.... all of them!!!! string out 2 runs of masking tape and label them like this:

1..1|2..2|3..3
1..1|2..2|3..3

then use a utility knife and cut them where the "|" are and you have 2 of each label, one for the hose and one for where it came from.

Check the valve clearances before you pull the cams out, and take notes so you know if you need to swap out any of the shims. (I have a full set of shims in my parts truck, but won't be back from the long weekend till probably Wednesday, if you need some, and can't find them locally) Loose valve clearances are better than tight clearances...


This job is a lot more tolerable once you accept the fact that you have to take everything off! It's all in the way, so just accept it...

Start by pulling the radiator, you don't want to leave it there and then punch a hole in it when something goes flying...

Good luck!

 

[chicago]

To get the cam sprockets off I use a 10 mm socket on a long extension and poke it through the spokes of the sprocket onto one of the smaller bolts behind the sprocket, then get a 17 mm with a breaker bar on the big bolt.

Putting the heads back on is easier with the exhaust studs out of the heads, you can install them after the heads are on with a socket that fits onto the torx ends of the studs. Clean up the studs real good before you try to put them back in.

Dont' take the battery out till you have used the starter to loosen the crank shaft bolt.

Unless you know how old the water pump is, put a new one in...

Label all of the hoses going into the intake.... all of them!!!! string out 2 runs of masking tape and label them like this:

1..1|2..2|3..3
1..1|2..2|3..3

then use a utility knife and cut them where the "|" are and you have 2 of each label, one for the hose and one for where it came from.

Check the valve clearances before you pull the cams out, and take notes so you know if you need to swap out any of the shims. (I have a full set of shims in my parts truck, but won't be back from the long weekend till probably Wednesday, if you need some, and can't find them locally) Loose valve clearances are better than tight clearances...


This job is a lot more tolerable once you accept the fact that you have to take everything off! It's all in the way, so just accept it...

Start by pulling the radiator, you don't want to leave it there and then punch a hole in it when something goes flying...

Good luck!

Thanks for the tip!
Im a little worried about this to be honest! Its a whole lot different when it HAS to be running soon. All of my projects have been on my wheelers, so it didnt matter if they were done fast or not.
Im sure Ill be posting pics and questions!
Do you pull the front clip as well? Would that make life easier too? Just wanna do it right the first time!

 

[2ndGenToyotaFan]

No, leave the front clip, but pull the hood off (mark around the hinges first so it goes back where it was....) That'll bad things easier.

Keep all the bolts you take off with the thing they were holding on, take pictures if you think you may get confused as to what goes where. Line everything up in the order you took it off in so you know how to put it back.

 

[2ndGenToyotaFan]

There's a couple nuts that go on at the fire wall that you can't even see to reinstall, so I take a peace of paper towel and wrap it around the nut so it sticks in the socket then you dont' have to worry about it falling out when you tip it up.

 

[chicago]

No, leave the front clip, but pull the hood off (mark around the hinges first so it goes back where it was....) That'll bad things easier.

Keep all the bolts you take off with the thing they were holding on, take pictures if you think you may get confused as to what goes where. Line everything up in the order you took it off in so you know how to put it back.

Thanks for the tips!
I make a habit of stopping and taking pics if I think something will confuse me (happens all the time).
Ive gotta get the rear end of my 40 back together this weekend, set back on rollers so I can push it off to the side, then clean my shop area so I can get organized. Got a s***ty hanes manual...that is what Ill be using for guidance away from Mud.
Are there any specific tools that I should get before I start?
Ive got a couple different 2 and 3 jaw pulleys as I assume Ill need to pull some off....
Will it be obvious if the heads are warped, or will I definately need to take them to a shop?
Any experience with the re manufactured heads? Do they typically come with valves and rockers and such?
As I said...Never been into this before except my Vortec motor which was dirt simple.

Thanks for all the help!
I really appreciate it!

Keith

 

[2ndGenToyotaFan]

You might need a puller for the crank pulley, but I've always been able to pry them off with a couple pry bars.

If the truck is a 92/3 or later it will have a hydrolic plunger that tensions the timing belt instead of a spring like early models. You will need to pry the plunger back in, or remove it and use a press to to push it in and pin it with a small allen wrench or nail or something.

 

[KLF]

Get a roll of 2" blue painters tape and cover holes as you remove stuff, so you can't accidently drop something down into the engine.

Muffin trays and old egg cartons are great for keeping hardware organized.

 

[mikej]

x2
Lliberal dose of penetrating lubricant (your choice) the day
before on nuts and bolts.
M

 

[Bogo]

Consider getting a rebuilt 3.0, or a used one. I see used ones on car-parts.com.

In the FAQ there is link to an online FSM for a '93 and other years. I know the '93 one has 3.slow engine pages. The pages are PDF files and you can save to disk or print them out.

 

[chicago]

You might need a puller for the crank pulley, but I've always been able to pry them off with a couple pry bars.

If the truck is a 92/3 or later it will have a hydrolic plunger that tensions the timing belt instead of a spring like early models. You will need to pry the plunger back in, or remove it and use a press to to push it in and pin it with a small allen wrench or nail or something.

Jerod,
Its a 95, so Im guessing then that it will have this hydraulic plunger deal?
Are there any pics of this detail you are mentioning? sounds like there is something there that I can LOSE!
I have a shop press...
As far as the crank pulley, I can use a pry bar to get that off? Sounds like something could get marred up doing that method? However, what ever is easiest at this point.

Heading out to the shop right now to get my 40 out of the way. Ill probably spend most of the day cleaning after its back on rollers and getting things organized.
So....Ill post starting pics and such as I go. Im sure this has been documented on here somewhere even though I couldnt find it doing a search...but....another thread on this couldnt hurt! Seems like a common enough problem.

BTW...will head damage be apparent?

K

 

[chicago]

Get a roll of 2" blue painters tape and cover holes as you remove stuff, so you can't accidently drop something down into the engine.

Muffin trays and old egg cartons are great for keeping hardware organized.

Good tip there!!!

 

[chicago]

Consider getting a rebuilt 3.0, or a used one. I see used ones on car-parts.com.

In the FAQ there is link to an online FSM for a '93 and other years. I know the '93 one has 3.slow engine pages. The pages are PDF files and you can save to disk or print them out.

I hear ya...however, this exercise is to get the rig up an running as SOON as POSSIBLE and as economically as possible. I LOVE to work on my rig and help other people with their rigs, but THIS type of thing....THIS is WORK for me. I like working at a much more casual pace. Beyond next week (where my Da. doesnt have a borrowed car) may get logistically complicated to where we may need to RENT her a car. Im hoping to avoid that for any length of time.


Ill ckeck the FAQ for the FSM! Thanks for the recommendation for that. The manual I have leaves a LOT to be desired.

 

[chicago]

Consider getting a rebuilt 3.0, or a used one. I see used ones on car-parts.com.

In the FAQ there is link to an online FSM for a '93 and other years. I know the '93 one has 3.slow engine pages. The pages are PDF files and you can save to disk or print them out.

OH YEAH!
That will make life MUCH easier having the FSM printed out!

Thanks a BUNCH for that recommendation!

 

[KLF]

Head damage won't be apparent to the eye, unless there was some sort of catastophic failure. You'll need to check it for flatness, which you need a good machinist's straightedge and a feeler gauge. You can't use that old beat up 4' level, or a framing square, they aren't straight enough.

The other thing you could have is a crack somewhere, they can be impossible to see.

I would call around to a local machine shop, ask if they can check the heads for both problems.

 

[chicago]

Head damage won't be apparent to the eye, unless there was some sort of catastophic failure. You'll need to check it for flatness, which you need a good machinist's straightedge and a feeler gauge. You can't use that old beat up 4' level, or a framing square, they aren't straight enough.

The other thing you could have is a crack somewhere, they can be impossible to see.

I would call around to a local machine shop, ask if they can check the heads for both problems.

Ill do that! Thanks for the info.
The main shop in town is booked for 8 days till they can receive. Might check out a couple other places.
Got all the stuff I wanted to do DONE today, so Ill start tearing into this thing tomorrow.

Ill keep you all posted!

Again! Thanks for the help!

 

[chicago]

Well...10 hrs later, I got the tear down to the cylinder heads with the help of a friend. He was working on some crap, while I was working on other stuff.
So I tried VERY HARD to stick to the sequence in the FSM pages that I copied off. Once you get to disconnecting the intake stuff...FORGET IT! You could spend 3 whole days going back and forth with that trying to keep in line with the FSM.
Ive gotta say...I dont quite know what the **** toyota was thinking with this motor design. Its a B*TCH! Now that I have it all apart, Im not so sure HOW it'll go back together.
BTW...2ndgentoyfan....that tip you gave regarding the cam sprockets was MONEY!!!!! I was stumped on that for about an hour. Then I came in a re read your post and my buddy picked it up with the extension through the sprocket legs. Off in 5 min. once that was figured.
Here are some pics of the progress.
BTW, I did not un bolt the exh. manifolds from the heads. We got em off the BACK of the manifolds them selves. It will be interesting trying to get the studs back in there.

If you see anything bad, pipe up.
I labeled the best I could with everything coming off...well see how it all makes sense when it goes back together...there is a TON of s*** off that motor. I think the BIGGEST PITS is that EGR assembly. Im NOT a fan of that. The rig is not smogged....is there any way to by pass that?

 

[chicago]

Its probably good that this happened in a way. The timing belt was pretty poor condition as were the rest of the belts. Ill be replacing all of those.
The intake looks pretty gummed up too...
Anything to do about that?

 

[chicago]

Some more of the progress.

 

[chicago]

aaaaand a few more!
We had to stop for the night because there was some weird bolt pattern for the head bolts....Hoping I can pick up a socket for that?