95.5-2004 Tacomas & 96-2002 4Runners 4th gen pickups and 3rd gen 4Runners

How bad is a HG job? What to look for inside a 3.4?

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Old Feb 13, 2015 | 12:58 PM
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fierohink's Avatar
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From: Frederick, MD
Unhappy How bad is a HG job? What to look for inside a 3.4?

I had a CEL for #3 misfire. pulled the plug and it had oil and the smell of coolant. Plus I have steam from my tailpipe now.

I've done a lot of work on 22REs but nothing really on a 5VZ.

What should I look for? Are the heads usually faulty like the 3.0s? Any tips would be great.

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Old Feb 13, 2015 | 01:24 PM
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From: Columbia River Gorge, Oregon...east side
I did my 3.4 HG a few years ago. Horrible job, no....labor intensive, yes. Get your hands on a copy of the FSM.

Likely the heads will be ok if you did not let it get way hot and boil over. Once the heads are off take them into a machine for pressure testing. If they pass testing and additional inspection by machine shop, then have new valve stem seals put in and the heads resurfaced.

I used the Toyota Engine Valve Guide Gasket kit and a new timing belt kit including water pump from ebay seller AirCabinMan.

Take a look here for the process:
http://www.ultimateyota.com/showthre...ght=overheated

Last edited by rworegon; Feb 13, 2015 at 01:35 PM.
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Old Feb 13, 2015 | 03:10 PM
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From: Auburn/Sacramento, CA
I've only taken the heads off, but it wasn't too difficult. You'll need to pull the intake, upper and lower plennums, intake manifold, valve covers, cams (making sure to use a 6x1.0x20mm service bolt in each of the exhaust cams); that's just to get to the head bolts. You'll also basically need to do a full timing belt job, since you need to remove the belt from the cam pulleys in order to remove the cams.

A heads up on the head bolts, FOLLOW THE FSM, they're tight, really tight. I ended up sliding a 3' jack handle over a 15" breaker bar to get the bolts loose. Go slow, follow the pattern in the FSM, and turn each bolt a little bit at a time; mine all let out a loud "POP" as they began loosening, so I would turn each one POP at a time (the idea is that you want to keep as unform a pressure on the head as you can, so by loosening them all a little you keep them all about the same torque loading).

Once they're out, take them to a machine shop for hot tanking, inspection and a valve job. Be on the lookout for cracks in the head between the valves. Here are some examples of such cracks (and also why I didn't finish the HG job, but bought a new motor, was for a 3.4 swap and didn't want to risk it):
https://www.yotatech.com/forums/f160.../#post51943873

Good luck with it.
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Old Feb 14, 2015 | 11:51 AM
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From: I live in New Tripoli Pa out in the woods
Red face

When you decide to do this and want some extra help if it is over the weekend your only a few hours away.

Any extra tools you might need

Let me know.
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