The truck wants some attention again. 180k miles. 1994 extended cab pickup. Running crappy, overheating. One massive event with a 'Hollywood' amount of white exhaust out the tailpipe.

I am reading about the ARP studs.

Planning on buying the OEM Valve Grind Gasket kit, Toyota part #04112-65018. Guessing that these head gaskets are not MLS.

My question is about installing these with the engine in the truck. Chasing the holes in the block with a tap is a no brainer, getting the studs so they thread in smoothly should be no problem. The brake vacuum booster looks like it may get in the way with head installation if the studs are installed.

How is installing the ARP studs with the engine in the truck?

Hopefully someone who has done this can share their experience.

I got this truck with 35k miles. #6 has been on the low side (compression) since way back. It has been reliable, so I have just driven it. Have not tested since the overheating and crappy running. Just going with a blown head gasket at minimum.

Timing belt, etc, is also due right now. I did that at 95k.

Also, does anyone know the Toyota part number for the valve adjusting tool/s? Looks like it is time to learn about adjusting valves using shims. Any tips / warnings on valve adjustments? I have adjusted tons of valve adjustment studs with feeler gauges.

Not looking forward to this, but I am looking forward to my truck running well again.

Thanks in advance.

 

This is the valve adjusting tool. I don't know if there is a Toyota-branded version, but I doubt it makes any difference. It will take you about 5-10 minutes to remove the first shim, but then less than 1 min each for the rest.

But ... the shims are not easy to find (and you need to find someone with a wide range of values). They are still available from dealerships (e.g., https://parts.lakelandtoyota.com/p/T...375365660.html), but there's no guarantee that any particular dealer has a full set.

In general, you'll never need to get 12 shims, because you can shuffle them around and reduce the # you need. In a real pinch, if you're down to one or two where you need a smaller value, you might find a general machine shop which can surface-grind the old ones (the shims are flat, not domed, so this ought to work).

This isn't a job to do in your driveway in an afternoon. The first step is to check the clearances on all the valves so you can decide how big a job it will be.

 

Thanks for the link, you saved my day.


 

Okay I have done this exact job, ARP studs and all in the truck. There's a really good reason people say not to. It is the worst.

If you absolutely can not afford to pull the motor it is possible. It is going to be a couple of weekends long though. I think I spent 5 days on it the first time. All exhaust manifolds have to be loosened/unbolted while in the truck which is difficult for the crossover. It has to be done with a box end wrench for most of the nuts. Once theyre all loose you take out one piece at a time. IIRC you remove passenger head and manifold together, crossover can shift towards that side but wont have enough space to come all the way out, remove drivers side head and manifold together, then crossover is freed up. Goes back together same way but dont install studs then drop them on, you have to install them with all components in place. IE: thread them in to the block with the heads fully seated.

Hoping for the best though, I highly recommend removing the motor and trans together if you have the facilities.

 

Thanks for that!! I have all the parts for the job, but have not yet done it.

How about pulling just the motor? Is that possible?

The job would certainly be easier if this was all out of the vehicle and on a stand. I do have the hoist, and a stand. I was hoping to avoid pulling the engine on this one, but......

I appreciate your comment. Thank you.

 

[QUOTE=Chris_H;52503804]Thanks for that!! I have all the parts for the job, but have not yet done it.

How about pulling just the motor? Is that possible?/QUOTE]


so I am currently in this exact situation. Mine is an auto, a little different but same principle really. The difficult part is getting the motor back in. It’s really difficult to line up the transmission splines with the output of the motor. Whether that’s a torque converter or a clutch.

You’ve gotta be pretty much perfectly lined up and unfortunately in these rigs there is not a lot of play in the amount of space you have to move the motor around inside the bay. The diff under the motor is real close to the oil pan so you can’t really gain much movement forward and back to retry alignment on the trans. It’s possible, im sure some have succeeded, I have not and I plan on pulling the trans and motor, bolting them together, then dropping back in this weekend or next.

 

Mine is an auto, also.

Sounds like it is best to remove them together.... yuck.

 

You could always remove them separate and put them back together outside the truck. Not sure how pulling the trans out the top goes but it comes out underneath like no problem.

Only trouble I ran into was what to do with the cooler lines to the passenger side of the transfer case; not sure the fittings will go back together as clean as they came apart. Other than that there’s not a ton in its way. I think it could be done.

 

Ohhh. That is interesting. I need to start looking at this again. I have an indoor space right now, but pulling engine and trans together would be more difficult in there. Accessing the trans from underneath might be a good idea. I wonder how difficult it is to replace the trans with the engine installed?

 

If you have one of those rolling trans jacks with the ratchet strap type thing I’m sure it’s manageable. A flat floor is key.

I will say the most frustrating part of the whole motor removal was the top few bolts on the bell housing. The only way to get at them with both in car is about 3-4 feet of extensions and swivels and a shallow socket. If you can angle the motor down better than I did then maybe not so many extensions.