Okay, I have my first 1989 4Runner project truck. Even though it only has 88,000 miles, the engine is completely covered in oil and grime. I took off the valve cover. The cover bolts were almost finger tight, so that may explain some of the mess.

Under the valve cover, the engine looks like new inside. I am doing a complete body-off restoration/build-up of this thing, so I am planning on replacing all the gaskets except the head gasket. It runs great, so I really don't want to mess with the internals.

So, besides the gaskets, seals and the timing chain set, what else should I replace while I have the motor out? I see possible:

Timing cover
Oil pump
Water pump

Should I replace the above items? Anything else?

Thanks
Roy

 

Timing cover, oil pump and water pump isn't that hard. If you've got that off, I'd go ahead and replace the chain and guides, possibly with a dual chain. Also, if your gonna go that far, why not for the added peace of mind go ahead and do the head gasket? It would suck something sour if you did all the work to have the head gasket go out on your a few 1000 miles down the road and do it all over again.