the truck or the dyno? we almost blew up the computer...

I'll post again when the October dyno day comes around. Maybe we'll just dyno ONLY old pickups and make everyone else with real performance cars really irritated. hahahaa

speaking of blowing up, my tube of permatex gasket maker completely exploded today when I went to use it (the plastic nozzle broke so the gasket maker sealant material came pouring out the hole (and not the nozzle). "The right stuff" made it all over my hands before I could locate the nearest trash can to toss it into, once again proving that I get the filthiest when using gasket maker (second place is doing brake jobs). I'm going to pick up a different style tube tomorrow and THEN try hard to push my way through the engine. Got a few things bolted up today but was mostly too disheartened after the incident.

 

The oil seal will not move around and I don't think it will need a shim to hold it in place. The outer portion of the seal is pretty stiff so it should be ok.

 

made some progress today. Probably could have gotten the timing all done too, but my brain got slow, as evident from the photos...

and I installed the cam and front crankshaft seals without any sleeves. Just hope they ended up not on the same grooves.


replaced the oil cooler hoses (and gaskets)



back in place! so purdy



the one hose I forgot to pick up because it wasn't in the same diagram.



some scale build-up in the inlet pipes. Ran water through and didn't discover any full clogs.



should have installed inlet BEFORE the heads (oops). This worked though.



today was gasket day! rear main cover



oil pump with sealant



dowel pins that stayed with the old oil pump that needed to be transferred over



even the oil cap got a new gasket



yeah, oops.



that's beetter! won't be seeing much of this valley (hopefully), so I had to take a picture. New knock sensor wire.



stared at the nuts for a while before deciding which ones went where. So much for engine dismantle organization...



my ported intake!



top end so shiny!



as of the end of the day.



not sure what the POs did to the radiator.

just need to pick up fuel rail crush washers and then finish up with the injectors, rails, timing, brackets, and accessories.
checked the valve clearance again. One of the exhaust valves was tight (0.008") so I get to try to sneak out that shim and put another one in again. sigh... I think I like hydraulic lifters.

 

what does the "delete" mean on that hose that I need to pick up ("heater hose water outlet E delete")??

 

I would not use that radiator man, looks way too far gone. You can get a decent replacement from OReilly's for $150.

 

really? How can you tell/what's the visual criteria?
I haven't had any overheating issues and there aren't leaks (only coolant leak was head gasket starting to go)... I'm guessing there's just some scale build up inside if anything. I'll know when I pick it up on Tuesday (dropped it off for service Saturday).

there aren't any O'reilly's out here either ... but there are other sources, of course!

 

It was just a recommendation Lolal, I was not trying to tell you otherwise, just trying to help you out.

 

If the openings on the radiator look like this:



You might want to replace the radiator!

 

I was just wondering how to tell a good radiator from a bad one (if not based on performance). I didn't know if there was something horrible I was missing because I haven't seen enough to really know. I appreciate all input- that's why I'm on the forum in the first place!

hahahaa, aw... the radiator guy didn't bat an eye. I was going to try straightening it out but decided he's seen a million radiators and knows how to fix things better than I can.

in other news, I parked next to this at the junkyard Saturday. They've gotta be yotatech members, right?

 

I meant the truck I might be about to sell my truck soon, so I may not be around for the October dyno session

 

wha?!! you're selling your truck?! why???

 

yup, it's Friday again. I was hoping to get further on the engine than I did, but such is life.


the mouths are round again!


Tried to use the SST to swap out three shims that were still giving an almost tight valve clearance, but the tool and the head got in the way, and I couldn't pull the shims out. I ended up pulling the camshafts off again, which mean cleaning and resealing the end caps with gasket maker all over again. one step forward.. two steps back...but I like the final 'cold' valve clearances much better.


before I realized the alternator bracket needed to go there too...I wonder if the unintentional color scheme is influenced by the fact that I lived in Pittsburgh for a few years...


wasn't sure what to do about the dust 'gasket.' I think I'm just going to not have one.


timing belt didn't come with marks (Aisin timing belt component kit), but one of my instructors came out and gave me tips and a hand. Turned the crank 2 revolutions after everything was in, and the timing marks were still spot on! See you in another 60-70k miles, right?


then I stared at this side of the block...


and stared at these brackets and wondered why I didn't take as many pictures as I thought I had during dismantling. The game is more one of where the right length bolts went...

still waiting on 3 fuel rail gaskets. Then the injectors and rail will go on, then the accessories... and exhaust! I'm sooooo ready to drive the truck again (and work on the sentra next, haha!)

 

Just so you know, I believe you have the tool upside down.


You use the "scissors" tool to push the lifter down, then you insert the thin metal "prop" between the edge of the lifter body (not the shim) and the cam to hold the lifter body down.

Use a tiny screwdriver to pop the shim loose, then pull the shim out with a magnet. Note the side where the prop goes; you can't see what you're doing, but if you try to put it on the more open side you won't be able to get the shim out around it.

 

thanks! I'll keep that in mind if I have to adjust the valves again. I didn't realize the other tool was used to keep the bucket wedged down. I feel kind of silly now....

 

How goes things with the radiator? Was it able to be saved?

 

I believe so! They cleaned the outside, flushed the inside, straightened out the necks (see picture in previous post), pressure tested. I should be good to go for a while, hopefully!

I had a little bit of time after class before all the instructors skedaddled, so I did a few things.


my one instructor gave me a hard time about having a newly painted engine and "ugly" pulleys, so he made me paint these too (even though you barely see either of them once everything's in, so here they are painted (they went on today too).


I picked up a "rebuild" kit for my injectors that included all the pintle caps (not on the parts diagram) and seals (except for the seat cup ones), but if you want the toyota numbers, here they are...photo was taken when the engine was filthy and coming apart


used the brass hammer to lightly tap the new filters in; used a rubber mallet and some silicone spray to tap the pintle caps on (rested the injector against a block of wood on the other side while tapping).


here they go!


and hopefully won't be seeing them anytime soon either!

 

Its coming along well from the looks of it.

 

"found" some more filthy pulleys in a box today. Felt guilty for neglecting them, so they got cleaned and painted.


and then played this game (I'm not winning yet)...to be continued tomorrow.

 

couple of hours in the shop this morning...


spent part of it chasing threads on exhaust studs and nuts


all but the AC pulley are looking new with fresh paint


even the distributor made it on (with new cap and rotor and wires)!


and the workbench is looking almost empty!

And as you might be able to see, the crossover pipe made it back on and linked up to the driver side exhaust manifold. "WHY!?" you might ask? I was talking with my instructor some more about heat, head gasket failures, then eventually back pressure, poor flow, and engine performance. In his heyday at the Toyota dealerships, they saw equal parts cylinder 1 and cylinder 6 head gasket failures due to gasket material and integrity rather than from heat contribution. Part of me obviously still wants to change it, but if I'm not going to improve flow while I'm at it.... mmmm. I think what actually won out was getting everything back together and ready to go in the truck this coming week.

so maybe I'll save up for headers and run an X crossover under the truck.
in reality, I'll probably just keep it mostly stock and keep an eye on the coolant level in my oil when I send it in for oil analyses; we all know if I want a performance truck, it's not going to be the 3VZE.

 

The biggest concerns with running the stock crossover is maintaining the cooling system and adjusting the valves every 60k like Toyota recommends. If you can stay on top of these two things you should not have any problems.