I just bought a 1996 Tacoma 3.4 5 Speed, 71k miles with a cracked cam and I had a few questions. The previous owner replaced the timing belt, took it for a drive around the block, it died, and he realized the driver side cam was cracked in half. I am planning on replacing the head with a rebuilt one and heres my questions:

Why do you think it cracked?
What is the best head gasket to use?
Can I replace the driver side head without replacing the passenger side?

Thanks in advance and I am glad to join the Tacoma Community after driving old school 4Runners.

 

Why ??? best head gasket OEM... you can replace one head with out doing the other but would be highly suggested to check the clearance to the cams from the valve seats those little shims may need to be adjusted to match...