Water Pump, Radiator, Thermostat, Head Gasket Replacement for 2007 5.7L

Thanks for the video! Great minds think alike. Found this same video earlier, it's what convinced me to move ahead.

 

Heading up to Harbor Freight tomorrow for a puller, stand, and other goodies. Next tough hurdle is getting the exhaust manifolds off. Once I rip the heart from the beast it's all a/c comfort from there.

 

That's ingenuity! I used my bike to jump start my truck one time.

 

Have you looked around to see if you can get a used engine out of a junk yard? The problem is if the heads warped is that the cams will bind up on a typical engine with over head cams. With Toyota's design I don't know if the cam tower will warp or if the head warps if the mounting location for the cam tower will warp. If I remember correctly the way to check is once the head is unbolted and removed try to turn the cam shafts. They should turn freely. I don't know if you will need to remove the variable timing components before trying to see if the cams are binding up. If you are not in a hurry you can pull it apart and decide after. I would guess a used engine will cost you about the same as two new heads.

 

I had read about the cam towers being a possible issue. I'm thinking, and maybe incorrectly, that any damage to the towers will be proportional to the amount of head warpage.

My intent is to check the heads and block first then go from there. I believe you are right about the cost of a used engine compared to heads alone. Once the engine is pulled and disassembled I'll have a better idea of where to go from there. At the moment I'm anxiously waiting on the hoist and stand to arrive.

 

For the first time in 30 years I feel like a kid waiting for Christmas Day! Hoist, stand, and other goodies should be here tomorrow. I lack headers, transmission, and engine mounts.

I am thoroughly convinced the engineers at Toyota are sadist. I have never...in my life...had to remove something to get to something to get something like I have on this motor. Fear not brothers and sisters, it has been removed.

At this point I almost hope the block is warped

I have one week left before going back offshore to get this thing running, assuming best case scenario.

If I had this to do over I would completely remove the front clip first. The extra effort would pay off just to reach (and clean) everything. Fortunately it's all aluminum so I will take my vengeance with the pressure washer and dawn!

 

The good news is you can make sure to seal the cam tower well before putting it back together.

 

So much truth here! Ask me how I know lol

 

Well...there is a lot of "depends on what we find" out there. Fair enough.

I'm going to tear down the heads myself, take them to a pro shop for inspection and possible work. As for dissasembly, I hate the idea of paying someone else labor for what I can do myself.

 

Yota find a donor motor. The heat killed it. You may get it to run but will find in short order that aluminum doesnt like being cooked. The $ you save on getting a decent donor motor vs decking heads et all then finding out it doesnt have much life left buys more shiner from heb...
Good luck!

 

Gotta put things on hold until after July 4th. Duty calls and Harbor Freight is still delivering equipment. Once I return home I'll have the time and tools to finish the job. Until then, I'll have plenty of opportunity to do more research and look for a donor.

 

My saga has come to an end. Someone made me a cash offer today, as is, that was too good to refuse. The truck has moved on to greener pastures. Thanks to everyone who contributed to the conversation. Your wisdom and experience did me a world of good.

 

Reviving this old thread as I may have a potentially blown head gasket.

I pulled back into my driveway after a 20 minute drive through the country where I was "racing and high-revving" my truck quite a few times. Anyway, the truck smelled coolant and you could hear the overflow reservoir boiling after the truck was shut off.

Fast forward a few weeks, I had a coolant flush completed as well as the thermostat replaced, and radiator cap. The truck still overheats after a little while.

Exact symptoms:

After driving the truck around for 5-8 Miles, you will see the Temperature gauge slowly rise to in between the 'H' and the "Normal operating temperature hash mark". The temperature will drop after idling at a stop sign for about 15 seconds. Thena after take-off, it will start to heat up again. The truck does not overheat from sitting at idle.

The shop has block tested it three times and it has passed all of them. They did say on the last test there was a slow decrease in pressure but was still in spec. The motor oil is clean and not milky, the exhaust does not smell like coolant, and there are no obvious coolant leaks anywhere, including the water pump and the block.

At this point I am thinking there are only a few options:

1. Blown head gasket
2. Failing water pump or some time of idler pulley causing friction on the serpentine belt
3. Semi-clogged radiator or collapsing hose

What do you all think?