Head gasket failure..or loose bolt?

Hmm..interesting on the OEM vs Fel-Pro. I have used Fel-Pro on higher boost engines and had no issues. Infact I have had better luck with Fel-Pro vs OEM on most of my GM products...no experience with Toyota.
We'll..the drivers side head is going back together. I managed to get some.time to start working on it again. I ended up returning the gasket kit and getting the one for the proper year. What I can say is the actual head gaskets are the same between the years up to 2004 and the 2005+.
I got the head all cleaned up. It's been striped down, cleaned as best I could, new valve seals since they were in the kit and reassembled. Just torquing them down now. Holy crap that's tight...gotta love the TTY bolts. I'm always nervous of this part...doesn't matter how many engines I do, I'm always scared these TTY bolts are going to snap.

 

Ok..next question...
Which direction do I tension this exhaust camshaft gear. If I am looking at it from the front of the engine, which direction to I twist it to line it up. I'm going to clamp it in a video, and rotate it into position then add the service bolt. Then I can reassemble it properly.

 

Here is the torque sequence for any one following. Pretty standard. Torque to 24 ft-lb, the go back and turn 90 degrees, then go back and do another 90 degrees. Should end up 180 degrees rotated from when it was torques to 24 ft-lb.

 

Really interesting seems like a heck of a job.

 

Picture of the head cleaned up. More pics to follow.

 

We'll..I got the drivers side head back on, cam gear all installed. To tension the exhaust camshaft gear was pretty easy. I put a rag around the cam lobe closest to the gear and wraped it a few times. I then clamped it in my plastic workmate bench. I used a bolt and started to thread it into the threaded side. I then put a drill bit that fit tight into the hole next to it. I could then get a screwdriver between both to get leverage to wind the gear. Once it was lined up I threaded the bolt into the hole. I forgot to shoot a photo while I was doing it.
Cams went back together easy enough. yep, I aligned up the dots, double checked all the bearing caps for right order, direction and proper torque
Put the new cam seal in and new seals for the spark plug tubes in the valve cover along with the moulded cover to head gasket.

Now on to the passenger side head. I hit a road block and couldn't get the cam gear off. I need a cam pulley holder. I got lucky with the drivers side as my impact for it off. I'll have to pick one up tomorrow. I will need it to torque both of them tight properly. I to did manage to get the exhaust flange to manifold undone without breaking any nuts. Not sure how that happened. Word of warning, that passenger side O2 sensor plug has got to be in the worst place. I fought with that one for a while. If there is an easy way...I couldn't find it. It's right between the head and firewall. Far enough down its hard to get at from the top, and far enough up almost no room to get it from underneath.managed to use a pair of 11" hose pliers from underneath the vehicle to pull on the plug and remove it.
This passenger side head should go pretty quick I think. Once that head is done it will be time to start putting the water pump and timing kit on. I can tell inside the passenger side head is in much better shape in terms of what the oil and any build up looks like. Pretty sure no issues with the passenger side head, but going to go over it anyways.

 

Gear tensioned.

 

Buttoned down

 

This is my favorite thread (besides @Sunnier build thread).
Thanks for keeping us up to date. If I ever have to do this job this thread well be a great resource!

 

Ok. For those doing replacement valve seals. Here is a tip for a cheap tool that works amazing. I had a tough time using needle nose pliers to grip the seal and pull them off. Pliers always seemed to slip, and if your holding the pliers in the wrong spot you end up pinching that nice soft flesh in your palm in the pliers. Not fun. So..I had an idea. I took a cheap $11CAD (So that's about 25 cents US lol) pair of hose pliers, heated the tips red with a propane torch and bent them from about 60 degrees all the way to about 90. Work quickly and be ready with a water bucket to cool it down before the grips melt. a This allowed me to get them into the bore and grip the seals perfectly. A little pulling and wiggle and they pop right off.
For install, a 10mm socket works good.

 

I own a set of those pliers in 3 different sizes , mine are made by Mac tools . Very handy! I really like that you made yours that’s pretty old school .

 

When your frugal...you find ways lol.
I have a few cheap sockets welded to bent extensions for specific uses lol. We have a store called Princess Auto up here. I would say it's similar to Harbour Freight in the US. Comes in handy often.

 

I learn that from my father , if you don’t have the tool “make one “.

 

Good old PA!

 

Little update today. This evening I had some time to return to the garage to work on it for a couple hours. I managed to get the head all cleaned up, the block face cleaned up, the header installed to the head, and it all buttoned down to the block again. Cams are cleaned up and reinstalled. Ran out of steam for tonight. Just need to torque down the cam bearing caps and close up the valve cover. Then start on putting the new water pump and timing belt kit together. Looking forward to that part!

 

Gasket ready for head...

 

Are you going to put new contacts in the starter solenoid while you’re in there?

 

I guess now would be a good time to do it...although hadn't planned on it. I knew nothing about it until I just looked it up now. Seems like an easy fix.

 

I would also make sure you use some assembly lube on all the cams and such you done want a dry start up ! Just a thought .

 

I don't have assembly line, but I did coat everything in fresh oil before I placed the cam in the bearings and on the caps. Before I start it I will crank it over for a while with the fuel pump relay pulled. That way I can get oil flowing before it starts up.

 

We'll, I got the. Motor mostly back together. I just need to Install the rad and rad shroud, bolt up the headers to the exhaust pipes, and then deal with my broken fuel line issue.
Does anyone know how much pressure these fuel lines run?

 

Motor pic before belt and fan were put on.

 

Surprised but happy to read this!!

 

Appears to be a little late for my comment but given it resides in Canadur, I would be considering swapping out the 1.4 for a 2.0KW starter while I'm in there....helps in cold climates among a few other reasons ! With the great work that's now been done, that truck is on it's way to the million mile club !

 

My next issues....

 

Very interesting thread, thanks for updating & taking us through the whole process! Nice work, adapt & overcome

 

Fuel Line Fun:
..few days past..was busy with work and kids. Got a few hours to tinker. So...That threaded flare fitting for the fuel line is as common as hens teeth. There was no shop around that had any. I tried every place that sells auto parts and every place that sells hydraulic lines to no luck. The only one I found that was similar was a M14x1.5mm nut and 5/16 repair tube for a gm. The nut is a bit different and is intended for use with a bulge type flare on the tube with an o-ring that goes up against the bulge. I should have grabbed a photo but I didn't. The nut has a square face instead of the 45 degree bevel that's needed for the tube flare. What I ended up doing was sharpening a drill bit to 90 degree included angle instead of the angle it was at. I then clamped the fitting in a vise and drilled the bevel into the face. Taaa-Da!! I had the fitting I needed. So, managed to recreate the end that was broken with a flare and that custom tube nut on one end, and use a 5/16 compression fitting union to join it to the remaining line on the truck. I turned the ignition on and off a few times to let the system pressure up and so far no leaks. Oh...I should mention that while I was messing around with the lines I changed the fuel filter. It gave me some slack to work as well as change it just because. That seems to have worked fine.

 

Ok, so I also changed the oil. My plan is to run it for only about 1000km and then change it again. I'm not sure if there is an additive I should put into the oil to try and remove any antifreeze in the engine, but if not, I'll just drain it soon and change the oil and filter soon. Funny enough, I was looking for the cheapest 5W30 oil I could find since I would be dumping it soon. Turns out some sort of no name brand synthetic oil was 19.00 CAD for 5L. Cheaper then the no name brand conventional oil. At $25. Go figure.

 

Now I am ready to fill with antifreeze/ water and give it a try. I really want to flush out the system. I didn't drain the block. Apparently there is some block drain screws that look very hard to get at. What I was thinking of doing is just putting in straight water and running it while letting it drain from the rad and just keep adding more water until it was clear. Then I could dump the rad water and add the coolant to the proper mix.
Thoughts on that? I think the water pump bearing is sealed and doesn't need coolant lubricity so for the short period it would have straight water...it would be ok?

 

Straight water is OK for a short time, a day or two. Those block drains really aren’t that hard, much easier than what you’ve already done. So I’d fill it with water, run it to temp, and drain the rad and both sides of the block. If the system is clean then it the perfect time for filling with coolant.