AW1090

I've been part of this forum and have always enjoyed reading all the info available here, but recently had my head gasket blow and am in need of a little guidance/help. I've searched and read all the posts available on these topics, but I have little mechanical skill so things can get confusing quick. I'm planning on trying to replace the head gasket and timing belt with a friend that is a little more useful with tools so hopefully things will work out ok. I'm a little nervous about doing all of this so I'm planning on asking quite a few questions and doing a write up with many pics. To start off the questions:

1. when removing the heads I understand that they need to be resurfaced, but what else needs to be done at the machine shop?

2. I like to stick with oem parts, but am not sure I could afford everything from the dealer plus I'm not completly sure what to order so guidance in this area is really needed.....

3. When replacing the timing belt what all should I go about replacing and are there any kits that would be comparable to the oem stuff?

Thanks in advance and again I've really enjoy this forum over the years..

92 TOY

well..welcome to the club. the no money gonna try to do a rebuild club.

we did my son's on a no-money kinda budget, just kept buying stuff over a while until we were ready.

as far as the heads...I'm not so technical with that, but I would think that besides making sure they are flat and not warped, you are also to check to make sure there is no cracking.

as far as parts buying.....I'm about as cheap as it gets. which means I searched the hell out of all these parts, ran comparison charts to make sure I was going to get the best price etc etc etc. ordered from quite a few different spots, so many I can't recall who all I ordered from. my advice....find your part numbers and the search all over the place for them.

my son's build thread (in my sig) is quite long and rambling......but....if you can find your way to about last January or earlier you may find what you need...hopefully.

I can confidently tell you that as you disassemble, you will arrive at that point in time when you say to yourself that you NEVER want to have to do this again....so you will consider replacing parts that don't necessarily NEED to be replaced but are such a PITA to get to, that you will want to do it now.....knock sensor wire / oil pump / water pump just to name 3.

mostly, you will need to take a zillion pics, bag and tag every nut and stray thing and try to make sense of it all. do not hurry (unless you have to) and you will get it done.

92 TOY

looks like at about page 15 we pulled the motor out.

AW1090

Thanks! I've read through a ton of threads and most were very helpful including yours, but there is a ton of info and it seems to be a little scattered.... I'll give it a shot. I guess that the worst that can happen is I end up with a truck that still doesn't run.... Thanks for the words of encouragement...

92 TOY

"a little scattered" is an understatement.....but, truthfully, it boils down to you NEED an FSM and a HAYNES....one can be as worthless as the other, but between the 2 books and searching and asking questions, you can find everything you need.

like I said, if you can take your time and walk away from it every now and then, it will be much less daunting and frustrating.

if you have a build thread, link it here and we can chime in and keep track of the progress too.

make sure you have the right tools too.....mostly a good socket set / torque wrenches / acetone / orange goop (really, it's called that from Harbor Freight....leaves no residue) and I'm sure some other stuff.....FIPG (black permatex RTV stuff from TOYOTA).

AW1090

Thanks so much... I was planning on using the fsm on here and I'll be picking up a haynes as soon as we get started.. We're getting started in a couple of weeks and once things get going I'll take a tons of pics and have everything up here.... Thanks again..

scope103

Take the heads to a machine shop, and ask to have the valves ground. Ask them what else they recommend; they will probably pressure test the head and check for flatness (they may just automatically kiss it with the grinder; it's almost easier than measuring for flatness). Of course, you might end up needing to replace some/all of the exhaust valves (likely), and if there is a crack in the head (unlikely) you're out of luck.

I'd get this set up before you start taking stuff off. There is a WIDE range of prices so shop around. The machine shop will need the valve seals to do the valve job, they're usually part of a set you'll need anyway, so they might just be able to get you the set for a good price.

Get an offset flex ratchet http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_1...1&blockType=G1 to remove the exhaust cross-over in back. (Trust me on this.)

Label, Label, Label. Pictures are good (we all want to see them), but nothing beats a clearly drawn diagram showing what sized fastener came out of every hole in the engine. I recommend eating yogurt; it may or may not be good for you, but the containers are excellent for storing parts (label with a sharpie). You don't want to be one of those people posting "can you identify this part?"

rustyf99

iTrader: (1)

Sandwich baggies work great too, keep the camera or cell phone handy to take lots of pictures as you take each piece off.

Re: your 6:41 comment - you mean the worst that could happen is you could end up with a truck that doesn't run that you just put $1,000 worth of parts into ... LOL!! :-)

Lots of good advice on here, read a lot and ask when you need to. There are good write-ups with parts lists. Are you doing a full rebuild or just a head gasket/top end build?

Lastly, there's a good chance that if you didn't abuse your engine too badly, the heads may be just fine and you can service them and reinstall. But if you are not a confident mechanic, it's probably best to farm that out to the machine shop.

Good luck!

rworegon

^x2 and I number them 1, 2, 3, etc and with what the parts relate too. Then arrange the baggies in reverse order for the reinstall which helps to get parts back on in the right sequence.

AW1090

Thanks for all the advice.. I'll get on the machine shop research and hopefully I'll find a good one here that'll lead me in the direction I need to go with the heads. I'm guessing it's just a top end rebuild?.... HG and timing belt with everything that needs to be done while I'm in there..... Thanks again and I'll keep this updated as I'm sure I'll have questions along the way....

TNRabbit

MAKE SURE you or the machine shop don't swap the valve shims around!! GIANT PITA to get them back in place....

benmlee

Definitely use OEM for head gasket. Felpro gave out after about 2 years, and running slightly hot for one trip. engnbldr metal backed timing chain is good. Had OEM and engnbldr laying side by side. engnbldr was pretty good.

I used all OEM for metal backed timing chain: Had to modify one guide. Probably an overkill.
http://benmlee.com/4Runner/Engine2_timing.htm

Exhaust manifold, I like to do stage-8 nuts so they don't come loose. The seem to loosen over time for me unless you get new locking nuts.

AW1090

In regards to the FIPG, I read in another thread that permatex right stuff is better to use due to its compatibility with all fluids. Is this correct or should I stick with the FIPG?

I plan on the overkill method with labeling everything and I think the baggies in reverse order will work perfect for that.. I'm a little OCD so I think it'll calm my nerves and keep me sane.. lol..... I've put the flex wrench on my list as well.. Thanks for the ideas!

I thought I want the machine shop to do a valve job that includes a valve adjustment. Is this right or am I confused about what I'm suppose to be asking them to do?

benmlee... I like the write-up, but I think I've got a different motor with a timing belt and not a chain.. I'm not sure I've got those same guides.. I could be completely wrong so correct me if that's the case. This is going to be a long learning experience for me..

AW1090

This is very true, but if this happens after all the work, time, and money there is a good chance I'll lose it..... I'm pretty good with my hands, but worry the my perfectionist/OCD mindset is going to screw it up... I've gotta learn to take a breath and relax during stuff like this.. .. Anyways, I appreciate all the wise advice and look forward to asking tons of questions over the next couple of months.

bobbybouche

He's rebuilding a v-6 not the 4 banger! But nice write-up on the 22re timing chain/guide!

scope103

Yes, you want the SHOP to do the valve adjustment. You can't keep the old shims in the same place; once they regrind the valves it all moves around a little. Then, if you adjust the valves yourself, you'll be moving the shims but you'll never end up with all the right ones. So you'll have to buy them onsey-twosey. The shop has a set of all the shims they'll need to adjust the valves (if the don't, I suggest to keep looking). They'll reuse what they can, and keep the ones they replace with "new" ones.

Let me adjust my flame-suit ... there! Personally, I think the advantage of FIPG (or Permatex Right Stuff) is that it sets VERY quickly. Important if you're charging by the hour like a dealer. But if you're an amateur like me, you're not in that much of a hurry (you can wait overnight for the RTV to set up), and you're not fast enough to get everything correctly in place before the FIPG loses its tack. So I always use RTV (it comes in various flavors depending on whether you're exposing it to water, oil, gasoline, or all three). Mostly the "Blue" flavor. I've never had any trouble (with the exception of trying to use it to set a valve cover gasket without adequately cleaning first). So if you'll accept my sample size of "one" ....

AW1090

ok... I've been checking around and it looks like I can get the heads cleaned, presure tested, and resurfaced plus a valve job with adjustment for $100 ea.... I'm assuming the valve job is seals replaced, but is there anything else that'll be done when they do the valve job?... He said something about stems or stem seals?..... Is there anything else I should have him do or include?.... I've been looking at gasket kits, but not sure of which one I should get. 92toy - I think the one in your thread isn't available anymore or I couldn't find it.... Any suggestions?

AW1090

One of the shops I talked to said he uses the same shims, but grinds or cuts the valve stem... I think that's what he was saying.... I would think I wouldn't want him to do this.... correct?.. I wanted to check so if this other shop I'm going to wants to grind or cut them I'll know to say no....

On the subject of instant gasket material, I'm probably going to go with the permatex right stuff as I won't be very fast, but am more concerned with the compatibility of the product with various fluids.... I'm afraid I'd use on in the wrong area and screw myself into doing this again in six months.....

Thanks for the info though.... I always love the knowledge gain

92 TOY

let me search the thread.
it was the TOYOTA one ////I believe there are 2 kinds...something like "valve grind" and something else. I believe I got the "something else"

92 TOY

post #482, 521,524, 530, 535, 542, 543,

looks like all in that area I was searching parts....move forward from there.

mind you, his is an 88