for the past several months, my rig has been leaking oil from the driver side valve cover. it started out as a drip here and there but is now to the point Is leaking enough to cause smoke from it leaking onto the exhaust manifold.
the rig is pushing close to 405k miles on original valve covers and is time to do it.
my question is, Im going to be using oem valve covers for it. what other things should I have it replace since I be doing it.
PCV valve and grommet, clean the throttle body and IAC. I did mine a few weeks ago. Did the whole schabang. Gaskets, plugs, and halfmoons. I also went ahead and did spark plugs at the same time.
OP, don't discount that thing called a search engine. If you would have done a Google Search on this subject, you would have been inundated with a ton of information including finding the video below that
@infamousRNR
and I made 4 years ago. I'm really not trying to be a dick here. These rigs have been on the road for a long time and there's tons of helpful information out there that you can find all on your own with a little time investment. Good luck with the job.
__________________ "My old man is a television repairman, he's got this ultimate set of tools. I can fix it!"
Don't neglect the FIPG (form in place gasket), I highly recommend the Toyota stuff since it sets up quickly and can be driven in a few hours, instead of the part store stuff that you have to wait 24 hours to cure. Great time saver to ensure it doesn't get washed away by hot oil. You put it in the corners of the head and on all the seams of the half moons so that the valve cover gasket seals completely.
Not a bad job to do, like stated above use the Toyota FIPG. Much better than the permatex. Make sure and seal up the half moons and the cam plugs real well. Good time to do a whole tuneup.
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Toyota Parts Guy Looking for a 99-02 Limited AWD to purchase - ideally white or green
2001 Sport Edition - Daily Driver
2009 Sport Edition V6 4WD - Sold
2010 SR5 V6 4WD - Sold
Not a bad job to do, like stated above use the Toyota FIPG. Much better than the permatex. Make sure and seal up the half moons and the cam plugs real well. Good time to do a whole tuneup.
In regards to the cam plugs, there is no need to smear FIPG on the plugs themselves but you do have to apply FIPG on the area where the collar mates with the head. Smearing FIPG on the cam plugs themselves is something somebody started somewhere at some time and it's been passed around as a necessary thing. The Toyota FSM does not specify to do this and the reason why is the outside of the cam plug is rubberized and will make a seal with the cam collar and the head. The other main reason why I didn't follow this urban legend is I figured if I ever had to repeat this job, just think of how much of a pain of the ass it would be digging old sealant out of the area of the head the collar sits in. It wouldn't be easy in the least bit because they're at the back of the heads at the firewall with very little room to work.
__________________ "My old man is a television repairman, he's got this ultimate set of tools. I can fix it!"
@mtbtim
is right, less is more with regards to using FIPG to connect the cam plug housing to the head. If you look closely of the cam seal plug housing of the attached thread, you can see the two little grey dots of old sealant against the green carpet they used from the factory. Clean off and apply new sealant. I think the torque # is more critical here to make a good seal. Mine have been good for a decade.
In regards to the cam plugs, there is no need to smear FIPG on the plugs themselves but you do have to apply FIPG on the area where the collar mates with the head. Smearing FIPG on the cam plugs themselves is something somebody started somewhere at some time and it's been passed around as a necessary thing. The Toyota FSM does not specify to do this and the reason why is the outside of the cam plug is rubberized and will make a seal with the cam collar and the head. The other main reason why I didn't follow this urban legend is I figured if I ever had to repeat this job, just think of how much of a pain of the ass it would be digging old sealant out of the area of the head the collar sits in. It wouldn't be easy in the least bit because they're at the back of the heads at the firewall with very little room to work.
That makes sense, I only ever put a thin layer around just the edge of the cam plug. Unless I replace it with a new one, my understanding was if they were re-used they needed to be sealed up with FIPG.
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Toyota Parts Guy Looking for a 99-02 Limited AWD to purchase - ideally white or green
2001 Sport Edition - Daily Driver
2009 Sport Edition V6 4WD - Sold
2010 SR5 V6 4WD - Sold
That makes sense, I only ever put a thin layer around just the edge of the cam plug. Unless I replace it with a new one, my understanding was if they were re-used they needed to be sealed up with FIPG.
Yeah, I guess if you wanted to reuse them it would be extra insurance to apply some FIPG to the circumference of the plug, but I believe the smartest move would be to just replace them. They aren't expensive and it would be silly to risk a leak after all that work just so save a small amount of money.
__________________ "My old man is a television repairman, he's got this ultimate set of tools. I can fix it!"
Location: north east of Fairbank out there in the frontiers Alaska
Posts: 3,156
Real Name: 3 Bears
its been a while and a few jobs since I did mine, but I think the driver side wire loom housing is a brittle plastic so I would have some rescue tape handy to wrap the wire loom. Passenger side may be brittle too but for me it was the driver side that was the worst...just crumbled in my hand. I was doing knock sensors at the time too so everything was unpluged and easy to wrap the loom.
Another item I would have is the oil fill cap gasket. they get old and hard with the miles and dont seal great. My valve covers always looked dirty near the cap, since doing my gaskets and the oil cap gasket, my valve covers look clean as the day i did the job...20k ago.
I too used the Toyota FPIG. It is more money but does its job right and dries faster as mentioned above in another post.
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2000 SR-5 Highlander version 4:30's, factory locker , green, bought 6/21
2001 SR-5... bought 11/20..sold 6/21....
2000 SR-5 moded, lifted, e locker, other cool stuff, totaled 10/20
The cam plugs people are mentioning. PCV and grommet. Also the bolt washer/seals. When doing the spark plug wires, I suggest replacing the boot covers on the coil packs. They can dry rot and spark can arch through onto the tube. Don't need the half moons. Just clean up the old ones and reseal with FIPG. Lastly, I highly suggest replacing the upper and lower plenum gaskets. Some people reuse them but it's a metal gasket that crushes a little when used. Oh and watch out for those plastic wire covers over the injectors. With 405K I guarantee they will be like glass and shatter when moved. The pieces can get in the valvetrain and down in the oil galleys.
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SILVER 2000 4runner Limited TOTALED
WHITE/SILVER 1999 4runner Limited l Rear Locker l Tundra/890 coils | 5100 Bilsteins all around | Sonoran Steel Bumpstops l 199 mm Tundra brake upgrade | SCS Matte Gray Ray10 Rims | 275 70 17 BFG KO2 tires | LR UCAs | EIMKEITH panhard brackets | LED interior upgrade l Rear LED tailights l Pioneer AVH-X5700BHS Alpine Type "R" speakers NVX JAD800.4 Class D Amp Kenwood Under seat Subwoofer l Front window tint 20% l Weathertech window visors and floormats l OutGear Solutions Full Length roofrack l Morimoto 40" LED lightbar