Red_Chili

Yeah, always. Make sure the threads are clean and the holes clear. Make no assumptions.

83

Engine came out pretty easy last night. Haven't had any luck getting the flywheel off yet, though..

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Ok, how do I get the rods & pistons out? I got everything else, crank and all that, but the rods don't look like they will come out still..
Everything else is starting to come together. The engine came out pretty nicely and I've got a good shop lined up.

Red_Chili

???
You have the rods disconnected from the crank, right?
Remove the crank, and push the pistons out the top.

83

HA! Of course. Push em out the top. That should have made sense when then wouldn't pull out the bottom. You know I had someone helping me for the first time on this when I pulled the engine, and it's amazing the problem solving power of two people over one. Any of these little things I'd get hung up on, someone else has the answer for right away. Yup, everthing else is out.

That sure sounds simple but darned if I could have thought of it last night. Thanks! Off to the machine shop it goes this afternoon.

Does the block heater come out? I took the bolt in the middle out, which was apparantly a bad idea because it won't go back in and didn't help get the heater out. I notice that that bolt goes right into the engine, too, since coolant came out the hole when we flipped the engine over. Is it pressed in? Anyway, thanks a lot. I'm clearly a bit slow sometimes.

Red_Chili

Yep, BTDT.
Block heater... hmmm... ???
You have a block heater in one of your freeze plug holes, perhaps? I know not what means this thing, "block heater"...



If it is an aftermarket block heater installed in a freeze plug hole, yeah, a good idea to remove it. Most likely it is sealed with rubber in the hole and that will not do well when they dip the block.

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Yes, that must be what it is. They've got it now, they'll be able to get it out and that's fine with me.

Now...freeze plug? Heard of them, know where they are on the engine...what's the point? Exactly what mine's being used for, or are there other uses?

Red_Chili

You know those funny round depressions in the side of the block? Those are freeze plugs. The block has holes, and the freeze plugs, which look like bottle caps only with smooth edges, are pressed into the holes.

The theory is, if the block partially freezes, the ice will push out through the freeze plug rather than cracking the block. The reality is, this sometimes works.

It is probably a good idea on an older truck to replace them. Most engine kits come with them. They can begin to leak a bit, which is only an annoyance, but if you lose coolant pressure the coolant can boil here and there in the head causing hot spots. That is a big deal over time.

83

Ah, I see. I thought they were just depressions built into the engine, but they're actually holes with plugs, eh? Interesting. I'll ask the shop if the kit they ordered comes with them. When I finally tried to order from engnbldr.com he didn't have a lot of what I wanted in stock, and this shop has assured me that they use only high quality parts, so like you I let them order the kit. I do remember someone mentioning I didn't have to go so far as to take them out for them to do their part of the work, but I didn't really know what he meant until now. I'll ask.

Well, a couple weeks at most on the engine, a month or so on the transmission...I may drive my truck before fall!!

Thanks for all your help so far.

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Got the engine back today! A clean engine is sooo nice. They gave me a shim for the head to go with the gasket. Does this metal shim go on the block side of the gasket, or the head side? Top or bottom, I guess? Now is when an engine stand would really come in handy...I guess I'll be on the lookout.

Red_Chili

Huh. How much total did they take off the head and block? Usually the engine kits come with destroked pistons, to the tune of .020", so no shim needed unless they took off >.030 or so.

AFAIK, the shim goes toward the block. I've not used one. If wrong, someone will certainly chime in. Or give your machine shop a call.

83

Alright, thanks. I'm not sure how much they took off, but the front desk person said "he said to give you this, too, since they took some off the block' or something. I kind of wish I wasn't leaving town this weekend, it would be nice to get started!

Red_Chili

Hmmm... they should be able to tell you how much they took off. I would be unhappy if they didn't. Chances are, you do need the shim, but...
Well, you can always stuff the block with pistons/crank, and see where the piston tops are at TDC. How thick is the shim? Do you have a micrometer?

(hint... Harbor Freight sells a decent one. Pick up a digital vernier caliper while you are there. They sell a nice dial gauge too, with magnetic mount. And... and... )

Red_Chili

Oh, and in case you did not already know this, here are a few things to observe while you are assembling:
1) Slather all the bearings with a decent 30W oil while assembling. Clean is important.
2) when you install the rings, take care not to over-flex them. They are a bit brittle.
3) When the rings are installed, be sure to observe the FSM 'clocking' of the rings. In other words put the gaps where the FSM says to. You don't want to have them aligned; you will have beaucoup blow-by.
4) Get a ring compressor. Almost any car parts store has one. No need to spend a fortune on one. Mine has a crinkled band rather than a smooth one and was pretty cheap.
5) Oil the cylinders with that 30W. Put rubber hose (or use crank stud condoms bought from the auto parts store) on the crank studs so you don't mar your pretty newly polished crank. Slide the piston into the bore up to the oil control ring, more or less. Put the ring compressor on the piston and gently compress the rings. Now this is important, make SURE all the rings are compressed; this should be easy to determine if you look carefully. Now tap the piston into the bore with a wooden hammer handle or something; when it is in the bore, the ring compressor will fall off the piston and you are happy.

If you break a ring because it was not fully compressed, you are sad. You get to buy a whole new ring set.

Now assemble the bearings into the rod bearing caps, oil, and assemble. It is very important to torque to the FSM values.

Hope that helps.

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That does help, thank you. I'm going to look into engine stands today. It's either put the block back in the truck and work on the timing chain & head gasket there, or get a stand and put it all back together when I can reach and see everything a lot better..That sounds nice. I'll call the machine shop today, also.

Where does the engine hoist hook to once the head is back on? Should I also put the intake back on before I put the engine back in, or does it get in the way of the hoist? And I remember a while back you mentioned cleaning the intake. What exactly am I cleaning? It looks pretty clean...should I take the carb off and look there, or should it be obvious if it's dirty? It possible the PO did some carb work. Thank you. It's actually starting to seem like I'll drive my truck again.

Ok, with an engine stand, do I just need the stand, or are there bolts I have to buy also?

Red_Chili

By all means use a stand. Harbor Freight sells an inexpensive one. It will be infinitely easier to work on out of the truck.

There are hoist points that should be bolted on to the head, one forward/passenger, one rearward/driver. A chain goes between, and the hoist hooks to the chain.

Look inside the intake plenum; if it is black and nasty, take it to a NAPA or auto parts place and have it dipped. If it is clean, no worries.

The engine stand uses the bolts that bolt on the bellhousing. You may need to stack a bunch of washers to make up the bolt length difference.

I did my short block on the bench, then put it on the stand (I had sons to help lift). If you are doing it by yourself, just put the block on the stand and start there. It's really nice to be able to rotate the motor around as you install the bits.

Red_Chili

And just a note for when you get there: after you reassemble the motor and drive about 100 miles, you should retorque the head bolts. Things seat.

If it were me, I would change the oil and filter at that time. YMMV.

83

Great, thanks. I'm guessing the questions will REALLY start again once I start reassembly..

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Ok.....I finally opened up the rebuild kit yesterday. I'm a little concerned. USA made stuff, plastic timing guides. Now I know Toyota uses the plastic guides now, so it isn't necessarily crap, but it does have me worried. Are there brands that are known to be good, and ones that are known to be bad? I'm not so worried about the gaskets (or should I be?) or other stuff, I'm mostly worried about the chain, camshaft, and stuff like that.

Is an assembly lube fine for engine parts assembly?

Now I'm getting out of engine stuff, but last night I worked on getting the rear driveshaft off. I took the four bolts off the transmission end of it, but couldn't get it off. Does it just take some hammering, or am I missing something?

Red_Chili

I used Engnbldr's kit, he has a hybrid timing chain guide that is metal backed on the driver's side. Passenger is plastic. Worth looking into - though a guide won't prevent a worn chain from 'stretching', which is the primary problem. The chain tensioner is something to pay VERY close attention to. They bind easily, and sometimes have very small pieces of metal from the machining that cause them to bind. If it does, your new chain will go south in a big hurry.

FWIW, Ted tells me this is as true of Toyota or the OEM as it is of other brands.

For the HG, Rock or Toyota are good. IMHO. Felpro gets mixed reviews. Not used one personally.

So you are getting a new cam? Make sure your rockers are either fresh and completely smooth, or buy new rocker$ from Toyota - sorry to drain your wallet, they are not cheap. DO NOT USE AFTERMARKET on these items. They don't get the aluminum alloy quite right, so there is an expansion coefficient difference between the rocker and the steel pad, with the result that the pad will separate.

Ted told me some horror stories, and it cost him plenty to learn that lesson.
30W oil. Use Moly Di grease on the cam. You do not want it sliding against the rockers dry or minimally oiled.
I use a rubber mallet so I don't mar anything. A big one.