Head gasket or timing cover?
#1
Head gasket or timing cover?
Ok, so I know this has been brought up lots...but.
I searched and used a few of Gnarly's posts and a few others to get me this far.
A few days ago, I started getting a louder valve noise (or so I thought) It crossed my mind that it was the last of the timing chain guide getting eatin up but it was the middle of the week and I figured I'll get to it soon. The next day I was cruising down a highway near my office and the needle pegged. Right away, I knew what it was. I didn't think it was the head gasket because there was no smoke. So I limped the mile or two back to the office, tere was a Late where the oil should be....I had her flat bedded home from the office.
I called ENGBLDR and had him ship me the timing chain kit. I tore into the front end today and got most of the it apart. The cover is still attached but I did take the water pump off to make it easier to handle. This is when I noticed that the anti-freeze in the water pump was still green and I could not see anywhere that the chain ate threw. The drivers side chain guide is in fact gone and there is a slight groove in the head wall and a deeper one down in the cover but I can't seem to see if it ate throught the wall.
I have not taken off the timing cover yet but I wanted to get a few opinions on a few questions.
-Should the antifreeze have been mixed if thats where it failed?
-Does it sound more like a head gasket?
-Is there a spot deeper in the cover that would have failed that you can only see once you take it off?
Dang,..wasn't ready for this. I need my truck for next week. I don't want to have to rent a car.
Thanks!
I searched and used a few of Gnarly's posts and a few others to get me this far.
A few days ago, I started getting a louder valve noise (or so I thought) It crossed my mind that it was the last of the timing chain guide getting eatin up but it was the middle of the week and I figured I'll get to it soon. The next day I was cruising down a highway near my office and the needle pegged. Right away, I knew what it was. I didn't think it was the head gasket because there was no smoke. So I limped the mile or two back to the office, tere was a Late where the oil should be....I had her flat bedded home from the office.
I called ENGBLDR and had him ship me the timing chain kit. I tore into the front end today and got most of the it apart. The cover is still attached but I did take the water pump off to make it easier to handle. This is when I noticed that the anti-freeze in the water pump was still green and I could not see anywhere that the chain ate threw. The drivers side chain guide is in fact gone and there is a slight groove in the head wall and a deeper one down in the cover but I can't seem to see if it ate throught the wall.
I have not taken off the timing cover yet but I wanted to get a few opinions on a few questions.
-Should the antifreeze have been mixed if thats where it failed?
-Does it sound more like a head gasket?
-Is there a spot deeper in the cover that would have failed that you can only see once you take it off?
Dang,..wasn't ready for this. I need my truck for next week. I don't want to have to rent a car.
Thanks!
#2
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well it doesnt have to be that big of a hole in your timing cover to pump all your coolant into your oil. so you may need to still take it off to find it. have to figure that the water is usally at a min 13psi so a small hole over couple hours would empty it. but just my 2cents i would take it off to make sure. use a flash light in the dark and shine over the crewed up spot of the cover
#3
Yeppers, It was a hair line crack under one of the grooves that the chain dug into the cover. Whew....Really can't afford a week of car rental right know. I have 198,000 on the dial and I figure I should be good for at least another 20 or 30 before head gasket failure. I can deal with that during the summer when things are slow at work and I can take some time off. For now, I'm just going to slpa her back together and pray to toyota gods she holds till then.
I'm also not droppin the pan because the driver side was still mostly attached and the piece that broke off was jammed between the block and the pan, so I justpulled it out. I am feeling pretty releaved. The head gasket on top of the cover looks good too, no scaring or dents.
Any suggestions on sealant to use for putting her back together? Should I put some around the cover gasket or should the one that ENGBLDR sent do the trick without sealer?
Oh yeah and one other thing how do I make sure the crank key and the cam key is ligned up. When I took her apart, I made the mistake of taking off the top cam gear before removing the crank pulley and I turned it about a half rotation when removing the crank bolt. Should I take the plugs out and use a wood dowel to make sure that the correct cylinder is TDC? Whcih one should be TDC when the crank key is ligned up? Or is it, automatically at correct TDC when the crank key(two lines on crank) is ligned up?
I'm also not droppin the pan because the driver side was still mostly attached and the piece that broke off was jammed between the block and the pan, so I justpulled it out. I am feeling pretty releaved. The head gasket on top of the cover looks good too, no scaring or dents.
Any suggestions on sealant to use for putting her back together? Should I put some around the cover gasket or should the one that ENGBLDR sent do the trick without sealer?
Oh yeah and one other thing how do I make sure the crank key and the cam key is ligned up. When I took her apart, I made the mistake of taking off the top cam gear before removing the crank pulley and I turned it about a half rotation when removing the crank bolt. Should I take the plugs out and use a wood dowel to make sure that the correct cylinder is TDC? Whcih one should be TDC when the crank key is ligned up? Or is it, automatically at correct TDC when the crank key(two lines on crank) is ligned up?
#4
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you dont have to get a new one. if you can find a welder if you can and see if they can do it for you for a good price. or if you have a tech or college that offers welding stop in and talk to the instructor alot of times they will do it for free. we always got lucky and had a friend that worked at a welding shop so we sent it with him to weld up. just an idea..
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#8
rock water pump studs
Thanks Pismo! ok so now I am discovering the Rock Water pump studs are a little short. I got a couple threads in the t-cover with some lock-tite but I'm wondering if anyone else has had the same experieince. There were no bolts included either so I am guessing I have to re-use my old ones, but I am concerned with them being a littel corroded.
#9
Registered User
It depends how corroded they are. You might be able to chase and clean the threads out. You can buy just the size you need for these bolts at your local hardware store. Here's a link to Home Depot's Metric complete tap and die set.
http://www.homedepot.com/h_d1/N-5yc1...atalogId=10053
I have a similar kit, and it really comes in handy. Worth the money, you can use this on anything when putting used bolts back in without any problems.
http://www.homedepot.com/h_d1/N-5yc1...atalogId=10053
I have a similar kit, and it really comes in handy. Worth the money, you can use this on anything when putting used bolts back in without any problems.
#11
Oops on the RED locktite....cross that bridge when I get there.
Thanks for all the good info. I buttoned her all up last night and started her up. She didn't start.....freaked out, then checked everything and found my a coil electrical plug unplugged. Plugged her in. Started her up , ran 15 minutes, drained oil, refilled, test drove and sshe is running great. I was under the truck from Friday morning unitl Sunday night. Gonna drain the oil and change the filter one more time tonight .
I love this place and all the inof you all give. Makes me feel much better about the process. Thanks All!!!
Thanks for all the good info. I buttoned her all up last night and started her up. She didn't start.....freaked out, then checked everything and found my a coil electrical plug unplugged. Plugged her in. Started her up , ran 15 minutes, drained oil, refilled, test drove and sshe is running great. I was under the truck from Friday morning unitl Sunday night. Gonna drain the oil and change the filter one more time tonight .
I love this place and all the inof you all give. Makes me feel much better about the process. Thanks All!!!
#12
Registered User
Thanks Pismo! ok so now I am discovering the Rock Water pump studs are a little short. I got a couple threads in the t-cover with some lock-tite but I'm wondering if anyone else has had the same experieince. There were no bolts included either so I am guessing I have to re-use my old ones, but I am concerned with them being a littel corroded.
The 3 studs that go into the timing cover aren't included and are a different size. I reused my old ones because they were still in good condition. If the bolts won't clean up ok using a wire wheel or brush, I'd replace them.
I didn't use any Loctite on the timing cover or water pump bolts. It's not necessary. Use some kind of thread sealant on the top oil pump bolt that goes all the way through.
#13
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Oops on the RED locktite....cross that bridge when I get there.
Thanks for all the good info. I buttoned her all up last night and started her up. She didn't start.....freaked out, then checked everything and found my a coil electrical plug unplugged. Plugged her in. Started her up , ran 15 minutes, drained oil, refilled, test drove and sshe is running great. I was under the truck from Friday morning unitl Sunday night. Gonna drain the oil and change the filter one more time tonight .
I love this place and all the inof you all give. Makes me feel much better about the process. Thanks All!!!
Thanks for all the good info. I buttoned her all up last night and started her up. She didn't start.....freaked out, then checked everything and found my a coil electrical plug unplugged. Plugged her in. Started her up , ran 15 minutes, drained oil, refilled, test drove and sshe is running great. I was under the truck from Friday morning unitl Sunday night. Gonna drain the oil and change the filter one more time tonight .
I love this place and all the inof you all give. Makes me feel much better about the process. Thanks All!!!
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