dromomaniac

Hello all,

my little beast is in need of some serious attention. It's burning quarts of oil when it's really pushed (high temperatures and lots of altitude gain and loss at lowish speeds), an inboard cv joint may be contaminated after popping its brace, the timing belt should be changed, and its seeping oil via the bell housing and the valve cover. There are plenty of other problems, but those don't involve dismantling running equipment. It still runs great, and in the most demanding circumstances it has never given me the slightest reason to doubt it, but I know that those days are short.

So, I can't pay to have a mechanic handle all of these issues, just cannot afford it. In fact, it will take a month or two for me to even save up for the parts. I have more or less zero mechanical experience, but I do have t-i-m-e (thanks economy!). Needless to say, I would like to minimize the money I need to cough up, and so I've thought it over and come up with the following possible plan:

Install new head (with its gaskets...) and timing belt - $400-$500 bucks (I have access to the necessary tools). The same money would possibly get the timing belt changed, and maybe the vc gasket, by a shop.

Replace CV boot, $20 compared to several hundred for a SAS. I'm not sure what a shop would charge, but probably something substantial since you have to dismantle the whole area to do it.

Transmission - no idea. I reckon it may just be some kind of gasket issue since shifting is fine and no noise is apparent, but I'd have to do some research.

Excluding the transmission, I'm estimating that a week of devoted work (8-10 hour days) can get this done. Is that reasonable?

I've been stung by a couple of reputable shops, and I'm frustrated (that's where the transmission got its leak ). I'm happy spending 5x my own labor to avoid shelling out for theirs, but I'm not sure where to draw the line. Not much elbow room in there, and thus far I haven't done anything beyond oil/filter, fluid, grease work, and the radiator! Anyone done this kind of work as a newb and avoided institutionalization? Crazy idea? Stupid idea? Advise?

Thanks! Oh, and it's a 94 4x4 pickup with the 3.oh, no.

mattaway

replacing just the cv boot may be the cheapest way, but it's more of a pain in the... you get what i mean. and then if you go through the trouble of replacing the boot and the axel ends up being bad you gotta do it all over again.... spend the extra money and save the time

does the oil in the bell housing area look like tranny fluid or engine oil? sounds like it coule be the rear main seal, unless the fluids got a reddish color to it

if you got the time, patience and the money i say do as much as you can yourself.... there's plenty of books out there, not to mention the knowledge and information on this website. if you get stumped just ask on this board

the only way to learn is to do it

abecedarian

Doing the heads (there are two) also involves setting valve clearances, etc. Even if the original cams are good, you will have to do valve adjustments. The valves are set with shims and if you don't have the proper shims in your tool box, you have to go to the dealer (for the most part) to order them. This requires micrometers and such to be able to measure the clearance and measure the shim to calculate which shim(s) you will need.If one could do a SAS for several hundred, everyone would do it. It's more like several thousand if you don't have the equipment and knowledge to cut and weld your whole front end.
Instead of just doing a CV boot, I'd recommend replacing the entire half-shaft. It's more expensive but once a boot goes, it doesn't take long for dust to enter the joint and accelerate wear. Also, some places have lifetime warranties for complete shafts so if it breaks you can get a new one for nothing out of pocket and a bit of your time.Can't give you help there unless you can isolate whether any leaking fluid(s) are coming from the transmission, engine, etc. You didn't specify auto or stick so....IF you are aware of all the work required, have all the parts on hand and don't have to wait for anything to be ordered... then a week is a reasonable estimate. Since you're not sure of the fluid leak from the bell housing... add a bit to figure that out.Honestly, if you've never before done this sort of work, it is a daunting, overwhelming task. Lots of things to remember which what goes where. Experience builds memory, knowledge and confidence... as well as speed. Considering you've never before done the work you're contemplating doing, giving yourself one week to complete it is an optimistic estimate, in my opinion. Sometimes even having experience doesn't make things go faster because you occasionally encounter something worn that you weren't expecting to replace and that adds time while you wait for a part to come in or have to save money to buy it.

TNRabbit

Multiple oil leaks could also be caused by a bad PCV valve, so replace that first for some cheap insurance...

Lumpy

This will help you out a bit. But it seems that you have more issues than just getting the timing.

https://www.yotatech.com/forums/f116...s-pics-183911/

dromomaniac

Thanks everyone for the advice. It's much appreciated. I've done some more looking and thinking and agree with abecedarian's thought that a week is optimistic. I also lucked into some solid work hours, so I'm going to spend my time socking away money before I commit to anything big regarding the engine. I will follow the sage words above and look to replace larger components of the front axle rather than muck around with the cv (it looks like hell under there since previous owner(s) didn't seem to do the slightest bit of maintenance).

Some additional info: based on the reply's I've received, and some in-person advice, I'm convinced that the oil on the bell housing is ultimately coming from the engine. I don't yet know if this is from the rear main, the valve cover, or what, but there's that.

Right now, I'm leaning toward saving up and putting in a professional rebuild with a warranty. That way I avoid an equivalent expense to have a pro patch up the current, tired workhorse, and through exchange give it another shot at life. The accumulating problems don't yet even touch on the potential issues of scored cylinders, a time-bomb head gasket, etc. (I don't know for certain, but I'm pretty sure teh head gasket was not replaced under the recall). In the meantime I'm just going to do what I can to keep it running as best it can. It's my first Toyota, and I'm sold on it/them. I do wish I could get my hands on a diesel...

thanks again everybody!

dromomaniac

OK, it looks like I'll be going ahead with a timing belt change and the VC gasket job, tapping a mechanic friend for assistance.

Assuming that I can get my hands on the needed tools, what do I need beyond the following:

VC cover job: Valve cover gaskets, PCV valve, RTV/sealant for gasket

Timing belt: Idler pulleys, belt, water pump, t-stat

Suggestions?

Regarding valve adjustments, the aforementioned mechanic has rebuilt and otherwise handled plenty of 3vze's, and can help. But I will have to get the shims. My truck has 206k miles on it, but it sounds and runs fine (it ticks like a mutha in the first two gears, but not beyond the ticking I normally here out of toyota). I don't really notice any problems with acceleration or power, but was told that the valves should be adjusted during the VC gasket change. Should it be done?

Thanks again!