My 95 is leaking oil from a freeze plug in the back of the engine and the valve cover gaskets. It's also due for a new timing belt and I may as well do the heads and water pump while I'm in there. I wanted to ask you guys if you think it's worth pulling the engine out to replace the plug, then doing all the other work once it's back in. It has 184,000 on the engine and is in great shape despite all the work it needs. This would all be happening in my garage, and all I have ever really done myself is change the oil. Any suggestions, or am I way in over my head?

 

Freeze plugs protect the engine from freezing ... water. Why would oil be leaking from a freeze plug?

Gravity is not your friend. If you have a leaky valve cover gasket (you do, don't you?), that oil will get blown all over the place. Get some engine degreaser and a garden hose; get that part of the engine clean enough to eat off of. Start it, then look. I'm going to guess all that oil is coming from the valve cover.

The timing belt is replaced on the clock (Toyota recommends 60,000 miles under Severe service), and the water pump is changed because you're already in there when changing the belt. The heads, on the other hand, are a different animal. I wouldn't do them just "while I'm in there," particularly if you're not too experienced. (and if you were really experienced, you wouldn't be asking that question).

If it were me, I'd find that oil leak FIRST, even if it meant wasting a valve cover gasket. DO read the manual for the procedure; RTV goes in certain spots, and if you skip that step it WILL leak. Then worry about the timing belt.

Having said all that, don't get the idea that this is "way" over your head. Everyone starts somewhere (almost always their garage), and even a complete rebuild is not Rocket Surgery.

 

It can be done with the engine in, but that far in I'd pull the motor and put it on a stand. Much easier than doing all that work over in the engine bay.
1st timer? Invest in a digital camera, or good phone to take pictures of everything you disconnect. Trust me you won't remember every little hose and wire when it takes longer than expected trying to put everything back months later.
Do things in small steps, remove one system at a time. Don't get in a rush.
Think safety first!!

 

Whoops, coolant from the plug, not oil. Clearly I'm inexperienced. It's definitely leaking and I'm assuming I need to pull the whole thing out to get to it? The valve cover gaskets are puking oil.

I'll do it all by the book. I guess I'll skip the heads for now. They were done in 97 after the recall, no idea how many miles were on it though.

Thanks for the help!

 

Months?! I was planning on getting it done in a weekend. I'll take lots of pictures and color code some things too. Thanks!

 

weekend? Sure. Only 4 bolts hold the engine in.

Plan on doing all other work with the engine out, it will be easier, like the rest of the freeze plug. Good time to do the clutch too if it needs it.

 

That will be a very rough weekend if you've never don't any of that before. You have to plan ahead, anything could go wrong, break something, have to order a part that takes a while to come in, cash flow stops. If your planning on doing head gaskets, pull the motor. If your just doing the TB, WP, and valve cover gaskets leave it in.

 

I don't think you can get to the freeze plugs on the back of the engine, while the engine is in the truck. So you may be stuck pulling it.

I'm with JasonYota on the time. I've got about 50% of the tools you'd find in a "real" garage, and replacing head gaskets still takes me 4-5 days. And that was on an engine I knew a lot about. If you're really new at this, you probably have about 5% of the tools you'd find in a real garage.

Don't forget you're going to have to buy an engine stand (about $50 at Harbor Freight; sell it on CraigsList when you're done), and rent an engine hoist twice (about $45 each time).

 

Rattlewagon I will come visit you pick what 4 bolts you want to remove then I start winching the engine out.

Last I looked quite a bit more then 4 bolts to remove or disconnect any of my engines .

Things will go wrong if you had 2 people that know what they are doing it might be possible to do this all on a weekend if you didn`t kill each other.

 

Its a little joke we have round here when people ask these type of questions. 4 bolts for the motor mounts, thats what "holds" the motor in. Haha. People never know what truly involved until your in doing it.

 

If you manage to do it in a weekend I hope there's a Video LOL! I just replaced a v6 in my 1994 , with a friend it took us 5 long days of work.

 

Word.