Hi all,

I've decided to change my head gaskets myself.

If anyone has done this, any advise would be appreciated!!

Has anyone used the online subscriptions for service manuals? Are they any good/legible?

I found a Haynes manual but the pictures were dark and descriptions a bit vague in places.

If there is a thread for this I'd love to see it.

Thanks very much.

btt

please any advise would be greatly appreciated!

From the stickys at the top of the 4th gen page: The Engine Is A Goner, Warped Head And Long Block!!

I haven't done the head gaskets on the 4runner. And hopefully never will have to.

I suggest you get a Toyota Shop manual. It'll be far more detailed. Problem I've had with the Haynes manual is many procedures it's very generic.

Not sure of the specifics so bear with me. I'm just going to give you a general idea of what needs to be done. Just a few tid-bits you need to consider when doing the job.

This is an over-head cam...so that means you'll have to remove the timing chain. And to remove the timing chain ...on many vehicles you'll have to drop the oil pan.

Start with removing the radiator....It'll make the job easier when you have a good view an room to the front of the engine.

Since the chain has to be removed..I'd seriously considering that replacing it. Not sure of the exact setup..but I suspect there's more then one chain. This can be a little difficult to get everything aligned.

Mark the cam's and crank positions BEFORE you remove the chain(s). This is an interference engine...so you want to be careful here.

After you remove the heads...you might want to send them out to be machined flat. Also check the block for flatness. There's a slim chance there could be a problem with the block since it's aluminum.

Do NOT reuse the head bolts. Get new ones.

Felpro makes excellent gaskets. I'll be that the Toyota head gasket is made by Felpro.

If you don't know already..then familiarize yourself with proper torque sequence. Torquing head to proper torque is very important....proper torque sequence is just as important.

I've always coated the chain with oil BEFORE I put the cover back on. This will help during a dry startup.

Make sure you change the oil BEFORE you start it up. There could be gasket material or just some junk that dropped into the pan. You'll probably have to drop the pan anyways...so this may be moot.

Good Luck.

Thank you both!

I bought the Haynes online manual, and I've been reading through it.

It is excellent BTW. Color photos, very detailed instructions, a highly searchable database, I'm impressed and will proceed with full confidence in the manual.

I wonder, can the lower manifold be removed with the upper together, without removing the upper manifold?

He did an engine change, and did not R&R the heads, but thank you.

I'm going to R&R the heads. I'll document and post when I start the first week of Nov.

Do you think you have a failure or are you just doing this preventatively? Just curious - I don't think I've seen a failure reported on an '05 yet.

My bad...

Either head gasket failure, warped head, or cracked head.

Took it to a Toyota dealer, and after discounting coils, injectors, and plugs for the random misfire codes, they borescoped the cylinders and found evidence of coolant.

Initial symptoms are: Cold start yields a lumpy idle, check eng/vsc lights illuminate. After a minute or two of running, the engine smooths out.

Current symptoms: Even after several minutes of warm-up, the engine is a bit rough and "maint" lights blinks. I need to get started on this right away.

I've been reading through the service manual, and this is a very big job. The timing chain and camshaft removal has me a bit spooked.

It seems like an engine swap would be faster and easier!!

Don't be too daunted by the timing chain replacement. It is one of the more complicated parts of this job, but it's not that difficult. Just have to be careful. Have you ever replaced a timing chain before. I don't think you have to remove the camshaft. Not sure why you would unless you're having the heads rebuilt. And even then the machine shop could do that for you.

MIke,

I've never done anything like this before.

I do, however, have a good set of tools. I used to be an aircraft mechanic, mostly on turbine engines. (broke ass airline pilot now, ha-you guys thought we were all rich I bet!)

The manual says to remove the front axles too?? Very strange.....

Might be the only way to drop the oil pan.

If you've never done a head gasket before or timing chain before...then this job may be too complicated. But if you have patience and a little bit of common sense..then it could be a very good learning experience. I don't have the time to tackle jobs like this anymore. Between 50+ hour work weeks and one kid still living at home...I just don't have the time.

I would suggest that you use ARP head studs and cometic gaskets.
Pro Head Stud Set - 1GR(4.0L V6)
Dezod Motorsports. Cometic Mult-Layer Steel Head Gasket-1GR Engine
I'm going to use these when I tear down and build my 1GR.

The service manual says to remove the front 4 oil pan bolts, because they go into the bottom of the timing chain cover.

It does not say to remove the oil pan. My wife has the 4Runner at work but she will be back soon so I can look at it.

If anyone has removed the heads on a 4th gen 4Runner V6, can you confirm if the axles have to come out or not?

Does that mean you're going to reuse the oil-pan gasket??? I wouldn't!!

One last thing I forgot about.

The Exhaust manifold.

Those bolts can be a royal pain. After several years of extremely hot temps...those bolts tend to be almost welded to the head. You can get away with reusing the bolts...but make sure you clean them up good.