Team420

hi all, started tearing down tonight, took upper plenum off, and the gasket broke, i was surprised because my local stealership told me they are reusable and wouldnt need a new one(how's that work...usually they try to sell me stuff i dont need), my question is now that this is all apart, can i used some rtv silicone to seal it up instead of heading all the way back to the stealer, would really like to get this back together tomorrow, also i have ac, when i went to remove the belt the tensioner stuck, the bolt threaded out, but the pulley didnt move, any ideas how to fix that? I cut the belt out as i will not need ac for a while and wanted to keep moving, my goal is to get to the knock sensor,(code 52). any tips for getting the pass side fuel rail out would help too.

thook

Well, you have to loosen the large nut on the front of the A/C tensioner pulley to get that to move.

And, the upper intake gasket is not reusable. I don't know why they told you that. Do you not have an O'Reilly near you? They have gasket kits and they work just fine. I, myself, prefer to use the gaskets with a thin bead of RTV, as opposed to RTV alone......feels more solid to me. But, I suppose if you're in that much of a hurry, just run a bead about 1/4" and let it set until it's firmer on the outer surface....that way it doesn't have a tendency to goo all over. Set the plenum down on it, tighten to bolts down until the RTV starts to smoosh and let it sit for a little while. (Another reason I don't like RTV alone....takes too long). Then, torque it.

For the fuel rail, you have to take the delivery pipes off at either end....believe you'll need a couple of 17mm wrenches for that. They're stiff, so you have to flex them a bit to get them off. Don't lose or drop the brass...copper...whatever they are... washers in the motor where you can't reach them.

prodigy2k7

thook is correct about the pulley. You have to loosen the nut on the face of the pulley.

Team420

ok cool, last time i didnt have to do that...or at least i dont remember it, i have no parts stores near me(that are open today), but i think ill risk gettin a ticket in my other car(no inspection sticker) to get the correct gaskett

Thanx all

Team420

ok gettin the gaskett...this can b used without rtv? right?

Green93

If you're just trying to get to the knock sensor then you don't have to remove the fuel rail from the intake. Just remove the coolant by-pass bolted to the intake near the firewall. It's that thing with all the sensors on it. Then you can get to 2 more nuts that hold down the intake. Also you will have to remove the fuel feed (rear pass. side fuel rail) and the rear feed that goes from the pass. side to the drivers side rail. Once those are off you will be able to unbolt the intake and remove it with the fuel rail and injectors still attached.

Also, when I assembled mine the FSM didn't say anything about RTV on any of the intake gaskets.

Jason

Team420

awesome... thanks so much.. that is very helpfull, do u by chance happen to know what the sensor/valve thingy is on the front pass side of the bypass outlet, the top nipple broke off when i was removing the vac line... thnx

thook

It doesn't and it's not necessary.....really. I just like doing it that way. Keeps gaskets from moving around as much when you're putting two things together particularly when there's the chance to knock the gasket out of position. And, I also think it makes for a very durable seal. It's however anyone wants to do it, when it comes down to it.

Team420

i agree but dosent that also make it harder to take apart next time?, and any thoughts on what to do about my broken sensor/valve thingy as mentioned above?

thook

Lol....yeah, a little bit. But, one would hope you won't be taking it apart for a good while, eh?

That part is a bi-metal valve....I believe for the EGR modulator. Don't quote me on that, though. That sucker breaking is very common. There's even a thread/write-up on how to repair it. The way I did it was to take the narrow, plastic, tubular piece off of/out of the writing end of a ballpoint pen. Then, I carefully drilled the hole where the tube broke to fit the pen piece into it and glued it with super glue. It's been holding for a good while now.

Team420

wow... thats a neat idea!! never would have thought of that!! just for poops and giggle.. any idea how much a new 1 costs ? also i have the intake off now.. how do i get the knock sensor wire thru the head.. it has a harness on either side which will not fit.. i just cut the old 1 out as it was garbage... that y i am doing this to begin with

Team420

also... my intake gasket looks ok..it did not break like the upper plenum gasket did, could i reuse it.. and return the $120 gasket kit and exchange for the $5 upper plenum gasket? or should i just replace both to be safe? I know these r stupid questions, but i know almost nothing about these yota engines.. they run so well i have never really had to get to indepth with them... i know w/ a chev or ford i would just use rtv and forget about the gasket.. its also easier to get to them..so what do ya think?

Green93

That little annoying valve with the 2 plastic nipples that always break is called the TVV valve or the TTV valve. I can never remember, but if you do a search it will come up with pictures of how to fix it. Basically as described above. I replaced mine since they were both broken, and I didn't learn about the fix until after I had purchased it. I think I paid $70 for it at the dealership.

As for the knock sensor wire, mine wasn't routed through the head. There is a little channel notched in there. Just use a little flat screwdriver and gently pry that black piece out of there. It is a little rubber piece that holds the sensor wire into the groove. Just lay the wire in there and replace the little rubber piece. I am not 100% sure that yours is the same as mine so don't go prying on it unless it looks like I have described. I don't want to tell you to do something that is going to damage your head.

Jason

Team420

ok..so upon closer inspection(yes im dumb today) it is because the gasket is still in there.. guess that mean i can reuse the old gasket eh?

thook

If they're the metal type, you could get away with it just fine. Chances are, the thin rubber seals around the intake ports peeled away when you pull the manifold off. If so, just use some RTV.....remembering to let it tack up a bit and so on.

thook

Well, I went to the MacGyver School of Mechanical Engineering. I could kill you with a piece of bubble gum and still use it to weld my bumper on.

Team420

lol...yeah its metal...its stuck to the head tho... think i can pry it up without bustin it?

thook

I have. It's not like a paper/composite gasket, so it won't tear or anything.

Team420

and u used rtv to keep it stay to the head when u reused it? no vac leaks reusing the old 1...

thook

Yes. And, if you run a fairly even, continuous bead and don't mush it all out when you tighten it, it will not leak. Think about it, for a minute, Team.