Side Cover Gasket (1 Viewer)

[g-man]

I guess the alternator bracket is in the way too. So has to come off.

 

[g-man]

is there a good way to mark the placement of the dizzy for reinstall? I mean I know the way the rotor points has to end up being back the same but the base of the dizzy has to get back to the same spot too.

 

[1911]

is there a good way to mark the placement of the dizzy for reinstall? I mean I know the way the rotor points has to end up being back the same but the base of the dizzy has to get back to the same spot too.

Mark the base of the distributor and the crankcase boss with a sharpie or a scribe. Note (take a photo?) of the position of the rotor. Don't rotate the crankshaft while the dizzy is off. Reinstall using the marks and the same rotor position and you will be damned close, but you'll still probably want to set the timing again after.

 

[4runner2FJ60]

DId mine dry like I said, the mini 1/4" inch lb torque wrench is where it is at. I developed a small leak from one of the top bolts in the first two weeks....went back and re-torqued all the bolts and it hasn't leaked since, been over a year. That alternator mount is in a terrible spot to get to the top right bolt in the cover.

 

[g-man]

Knee deep in this. I am a victim of "while I'm in there". Replaced the heater hoses and piping for the oil cooler circuit. Cleaned and polished the heater pipe that mounts to the side cover plate. The lower oil cooler circuit pipe that is below the a/c compressor is a major pain to get at with the AC compressor and mount still in place. I pulled the large but short radiator hose to get at the upper hose clamp. You can barely see the pipe in the last pic between the ac belt and radiator hose.

I also am cleaning up the dizzy and checking it while it's out. One of the dizzy cap screws was broke in the dizzy so grabbed the bottom threads with vice grips and got it to turn free.

Oil cooler o rings and copper gaskets will be replaced next...because I really don't know where the leak is coming from. Also I'll replace the oil filter mount gasket. That's far enough for now but more heater hoses/piping needs refurb near the firewall/heater valve. AND...the front seal, timing cover thing is gonna need attention. But you know...gotta stop at some point and save this stuff for another day.

Dropped a spacer bushing (that goes on the stud on the side plate) in the high grass, and a 10mm nut that holds the lower oil cooler pipe on. I'll be running to the store. that's why one side of the heater piping is NOT attached to the side plate. Just put a #4 screw in there for now to help the spray on copper rtv adhere the gasket to the plate and the block

I had lots of sludge behind the plate, to the point that I think the oil was backing up in there a bit...guessing that is why it was leaking. Scraped out what I could w/out dropping it down in the holes.

before:

After:

 

[rfj62]

Knee deep in this. I am a victim of "while I'm in there".

It definitely looks cleaner. It is hard to tell where the oil is coming from at times. The amount of time it takes to clean up the parts is ridiculous! But it's worth it in the end. I followed SteveH's article and just bought some extra studs (they were only about $1 apiece) and it held the side gasket nicely.

Mine got uglier the deeper I got, so I kept on going. Ended up doing the whole front. and side. Still coming back together but it's looking cleaner.

 

[rfj62]

 

[tmxmotorsports]

Every landcruiser I work on ends up needing or while im in there stuff. My own are the same damn way I thought it was just customers......nope worse on my own lol

 

[g-man]

It definitely looks cleaner. It is hard to tell where the oil is coming from at times. The amount of time it takes to clean up the parts is ridiculous! But it's worth it in the end. I followed SteveH's article and just bought some extra studs (they were only about $1 apiece) and it held the side gasket nicely.

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Mine got uglier the deeper I got, so I kept on going. Ended up doing the whole front. and side. Still coming back together but it's looking cleaner.

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that's a good idea to use extra studs to hang the side plate. I think the same studs will work to hang the felt and wipers on the back of the knuckles too. You know, just till you have everything in place and can start putting the small #4 bolts back in.

 

[g-man]

I removed the oil cooler and oil mount today. Cleaned up the lower block. Cleaned and painted the oil cooler, oil mount and alternator bracket. Everything will go back together tomorrow. My dizzy vacuum advancer seems hopelessly stuck. The screw on the side plate is seized. I've been spraying PB blaster. I tried twisting it loose with vice grips and pliers but no luck. I put an impact screwdriver on it but I thought if I hit it too hard I would end up braking the dizzy mounting.

 

[g-man]

Worked on this more today. I tried to clean up the diff housing that is catching all the oil and dirt. I think I'll need about 5 more cans of parts cleaner. oil mount back on, oil filter and oil sender back on. Oil cooler back on. Dizzy progress. Got the side screw loose and the advancer out. Tore it down and used a 1/4 copper line as a new stop pin bushing. Greased the breaker plate and bearings. tomorrow the alt bracket and alt go back in. Stab the dizzy and put coolant back in. Be nice to be back together again AND not dripping oil.

 

[ToyotaMatt]

My personal philosophy of always using new OEM toyota japan Assembly Hardware may not be for everyone, however it’s saves time and helps prevent issues like

cross threading and well I can’t deny the bling factor of new zinc wows me …

Top Secret Skunk Works side cover japan bolts are under 85 cents each

How can u go wrong ?

 

[rfj62]

Worked on this more today. I tried to clean up the diff housing that is catching all the oil and dirt. I think I'll need about 5 more cans of parts cleaner. oil mount back on, oil filter and oil sender back on. Oil cooler back on. Dizzy progress. Got the side screw loose and the advancer out. Tore it down and used a 1/4 copper line as a new stop pin bushing. Greased the breaker plate and bearings. tomorrow the alt bracket and alt go back in. Stab the dizzy and put coolant back in. Be nice to be back together again AND not dripping oil.

Glad you got the screw loose and the advancer out. Definitely a ton of labor to clean everything. Looking good!

 

[rfj62]

I know it's been covered a bunch before but here is my experience. I used a tap from McMaster-Carr, 8296A28 for hard steel (M8 X 1.25). I read other threads about breaking a tap and wasn't sure my Craftsman would do it. I got a set screw from Fastenal, 39870, M8 1.25 X 12 and some red Loctite. I use my Red Helix 3/8 bit and my Dewalt 90* drill attachment. I drilled a hole through he plug, screwed in an eye screw and popped it right out. Much easier then I thought. I did remove the head bolt right behind the plug and stuff the hole with a grease covered rag to collect any shavings from tapping as I read on another thread. I also covered the tap with grease to collect any shavings. It probably took me about an hour. I was replacing a bunch of hoses and gaskets so I had a lot of stuff removed at the time, which I'm sure, made it a lot easier to access.

 

[rfj62]

One of the reasons why my engine was such a mess was that my power steering pump was leaking. I got a Toyota gasket kit 04446-30030 and resealed it. The only issue I had was with the spring and extra compression fitting. The spring seemed to be out of specs from the manual, so I got another one from Toyota and it is nearly identical. The Toyota gasket kit seems to be for a few different pumps so I think the extra compression fitting is for a different high pressure hose.

Old Spring is short of specs so I ordered a new one.

New Spring

Side by side comparison.

 

[Sacto60]

A word of warning from someone who’s gone down a similar path:

I sheared off a little manifold egr pipe flange bolt by over tightening it (with a torque wrench) and a few weeks later my entire engine was taken apart and lying in parts on the garage floor.

There’s no end to the “While You’re In There” syndrome with these extremely high mileage 30 year old vehicles. Everything warrants a disassembly/rebuild/reseal/replacement and it’s very difficult to just fix one little thing while letting it’s nearby neighbor rot away.

Everything is in need of attention. It’s up to your fortitude to prevent everything from ending up as separated parts scattered everywhere as “While I’m In There” syndrome takes over your life.

Bottom Line: Fix and refurbish anything you want. It’s not wasted time or money- but don’t say I didn’t warn you…

I've heard this phenomenon referred to as "job creep" and it happens in many different DIY jobs...

 

[Sacto60]

Probably too late, but you might go to a high pressure car wash and seriously clean that area of your engine before starting teardown. See attached - my article from Toyota Trails in PDF form.

Anyone know if the contortion act of getting the cover free from the obstacles is as bad/easier on a FJ60 layout? I've heard it's not the AC but the alternator bracket that needs removing to get to some of the corner bolts. And the jury seems out on needing to take the dizzy completely out (on a 60).

 

[OSS]

I can’t imagine trying to remove the side lifter cover on a 2F without the distributor being removed first

 

[Michael Hanson]

That power steering leak really effects the ac and most do leak by now.

 

[4runner2FJ60]

Anyone know if the contortion act of getting the cover free from the obstacles is as bad/easier on a FJ60 layout? I've heard it's not the AC but the alternator bracket that needs removing to get to some of the corner bolts. And the jury seems out on needing to take the dizzy completely out (on a 60).

The dizzy is easy to remove but can be hard to reinstall the first time. I did mine with both the dizzy out and the alternator bracket removed. And much to everyone's disagreement I went back with cork only and use a small 1/4" inch lbs torque wrench. I painted it a gold color to see leaks easier. Had only one leaky bolt after two weeks, re-torqued them all and it has never leaked since.