2001 4runner Head Gasket Replacement

[TheAccountant]

Hi Y,all - first time posting but been reading these forums for years.

Background
I am currently on my second 3rd gen 4runner - after owning a '99 4 cylinder for less than 30 days, she was totaled in a bad car accident. I ended up getting 2001 2wd v6 3.4l (5VZ-FE) with 180k miles. She is now sitting at 240k miles, and while I am no massive mechanic, she was serviced on time, timing belt was redone at 180k, and I just dropped $1,500 to have the whole suspension redone.

Issue
For the last 9-12 months, I have noticed that the coolant has slowly been dropping. Nothing crazy, but it was sporadic which made me think it was a slow hose leak. Never saw white smoke, no chocolate milk in the oil, and no overheating or misfires. I got married a month ago, and now I figured it was time to dive into what is up with my car. Ran a pressure test, and after 45minutes I had lost 5psi, but no external leaks. I started her up, and there was a massive cloud.

I then did a compression test. C1,3,2 all sat at 192-195 psi (very warm engine), C4 and 6 were at 180-185psi, and C5 was at 160psi. This made me think the issue was C5. So I did a wet compression test on C5, and the PSI jumped to 210.

Went ahead and borescope to see how C5 looked, and it was clean. All the others were as well... until we got to C4. Cylinder 4 had a pool of coolant. Went ahead and pressure tested with the borescope, while it was TDC, and we could see a visible trickle of coolant.

So here we are, its time to do the headgasket.

Again, I am NO mechanic. I am very handy, and can do a lot myself when it comes to framing, electrical, mainly anything in the home, but I havent touched cars. But it doesnt seem worth it to pay the shop what they are asking ($3800-5800) when this car is already so old, and we had been planning to upgrade to a 4wd in about a year. So I am taking this job on, with the help of my mechanic buddy who said he can offer a few hours of help when it comes to the larger items like removing the pulleys.

Questions for this Forum :
1. I have found some amazing and detailed videos on the repair which I am watching beforehand, and plan to watch while I do this job. It will be a slow grind, but I gotta do what I gotta do. Does anyone already have a parts list and/or a needed tools list for this job? If I dont hear back, I am going item number by item number, tool by tool (via video) to figure out what I need but I would appreicate it any of you wizzes already knew the answer and could help me out.
2. I am working with a machine shop to resurface the heads, and if I am understanding it all correctly, give them the valves to install themsevles and pressure test once its all completed. Does this sound correct and the recommend way to do this ?
3. Any over arching advice ? I think the headgasket and bolts will run me about $200, but if ima do all this, might as well add more parts. I am researching EVERYTHING else I may need, because I never want to open this car up to this level again haha see below what I am planning to find and purchase ....

Parts I am going to install :
Valve Cover Gaskets
Spark Plug Tube Seals
CamShaft Seals (x2)
Thermostat
Thermostat Gasket
Water Pump
Timing Belt, Tensioner, Idlers
Front CrankShaft Seal
Drive Belts
Coolant Temp Sensor
PCV Valve + Gromment
Spark Plugs (Denso)
Knock Sensors
Knock Sensor Wiring Harness
Intake Manifold Gasket
Fuel Injector Seals (x6)
Heater/Radiator Hoses
Vacuum Lines/PCV Lines
Lastly --- I may go for the upper and lower main seals as well. Drips of oil here and there, might as well try to do it all, right ? This is probably overkill

I think I am going to end up getting two kits from YOTASHOP.COM.
Head Gasket Kit
Timing Belt Kit

I may still need... Exhaust Manifold Gaskets, Injector Seals

Appreciate any and all comments - this is the biggest job I have ever done, so could use any advice as I take this on next Friday ( 07/25)

Cheers

 

[phattyduck]

If you are prepared for a long grind, you will do just fine. Expect setbacks, etc. The #1 thing here - make sure you get the heads (yes, both) checked for cracks before putting them back on the engine. Use OEM parts as much as possible (I think Yotashop is reliable, but it still might be worth paying a bit more to get parts directly from a dealer).

Good luck!

-Charlie

 

[AuSeeker]

Hi Y,all - first time posting but been reading these forums for years.

Background
I am currently on my second 3rd gen 4runner - after owning a '99 4 cylinder for less than 30 days, she was totaled in a bad car accident. I ended up getting 2001 2wd v6 3.4l (5VZ-FE) with 180k miles. She is now sitting at 240k miles, and while I am no massive mechanic, she was serviced on time, timing belt was redone at 180k, and I just dropped $1,500 to have the whole suspension redone.

Issue
For the last 9-12 months, I have noticed that the coolant has slowly been dropping. Nothing crazy, but it was sporadic which made me think it was a slow hose leak. Never saw white smoke, no chocolate milk in the oil, and no overheating or misfires. I got married a month ago, and now I figured it was time to dive into what is up with my car. Ran a pressure test, and after 45minutes I had lost 5psi, but no external leaks. I started her up, and there was a massive cloud.

I then did a compression test. C1,3,2 all sat at 192-195 psi (very warm engine), C4 and 6 were at 180-185psi, and C5 was at 160psi. This made me think the issue was C5. So I did a wet compression test on C5, and the PSI jumped to 210.

Went ahead and borescope to see how C5 looked, and it was clean. All the others were as well... until we got to C4. Cylinder 4 had a pool of coolant. Went ahead and pressure tested with the borescope, while it was TDC, and we could see a visible trickle of coolant.

So here we are, its time to do the headgasket.

Again, I am NO mechanic. I am very handy, and can do a lot myself when it comes to framing, electrical, mainly anything in the home, but I havent touched cars. But it doesnt seem worth it to pay the shop what they are asking ($3800-5800) when this car is already so old, and we had been planning to upgrade to a 4wd in about a year. So I am taking this job on, with the help of my mechanic buddy who said he can offer a few hours of help when it comes to the larger items like removing the pulleys.

Questions for this Forum :
1. I have found some amazing and detailed videos on the repair which I am watching beforehand, and plan to watch while I do this job. It will be a slow grind, but I gotta do what I gotta do. Does anyone already have a parts list and/or a needed tools list for this job? If I dont hear back, I am going item number by item number, tool by tool (via video) to figure out what I need but I would appreicate it any of you wizzes already knew the answer and could help me out.
2. I am working with a machine shop to resurface the heads, and if I am understanding it all correctly, give them the valves to install themsevles and pressure test once its all completed. Does this sound correct and the recommend way to do this ?
3. Any over arching advice ? I think the headgasket and bolts will run me about $200, but if ima do all this, might as well add more parts. I am researching EVERYTHING else I may need, because I never want to open this car up to this level again haha see below what I am planning to find and purchase ....

Parts I am going to install :
Valve Cover Gaskets
Spark Plug Tube Seals
CamShaft Seals (x2)
Thermostat
Thermostat Gasket
Water Pump
Timing Belt, Tensioner, Idlers
Front CrankShaft Seal
Drive Belts
Coolant Temp Sensor
PCV Valve + Gromment
Spark Plugs (Denso)
Knock Sensors
Knock Sensor Wiring Harness
Intake Manifold Gasket
Fuel Injector Seals (x6)
Heater/Radiator Hoses
Vacuum Lines/PCV Lines
Lastly --- I may go for the upper and lower main seals as well. Drips of oil here and there, might as well try to do it all, right ? This is probably overkill

I think I am going to end up getting two kits from YOTASHOP.COM.
Head Gasket Kit
Timing Belt Kit

I may still need... Exhaust Manifold Gaskets, Injector Seals

Appreciate any and all comments - this is the biggest job I have ever done, so could use any advice as I take this on next Friday ( 07/25)

Cheers

I would advise you to take a lot of photos and or videos before you remove anything, step by step, so you can refer to them upon reassembly, also use zip locks to put bolts, nuts and small parts in for each assembly/part removed and label it with a sharpie, use painter's tape and a sharpie to label wires, vacuum lines, etc.

The best restorations shops out there follows this methold religiously to make sure they get everything correct.

Edit:Also when installing the heads use painter's tape to seal off the intake and exhaust ports so nothing can fall into then prior to installing the intake manifold, a small nut, bolt or washer can destroy engine upon trying to start it if accidently dropped into one of the ports unnoticed.

 

[espance]

General advice that comes to mind:

Watch the Timmy the Toolman video series. It is incredibly detailed, and it’s what I used to do it successfully myself. My previous experience with automotive work was oil changes, for context.

The exhaust nuts are locking, their ends are deformed so they are single use only. They are part number 90179-10133.

Soak them in penetrant oil multiple times and let it sit for a day. I live in the desert, my 4Runner is completely rust free, and I still rounded one off.

Buy a cam sprocket and harmonic balancer holder. This will make your life easier. I used a 2x4 with two bolts in it as my holder and they just bent. The proper holder worked. Prepare to slam your knuckles when you break loose the harmonic balancer.

If you don’t have one already, get a large torque wrench for the harmonic balancer bolt. I believe this is a one time use bolt too… but it has a pretty high torque value. I still haven’t used the torque wrench I bought for that purpose otherwise.

I echo the sentiment about the importance of labeling. I used three small parts organizers to collect my nuts and bolts and everything, labeling them all. This also helped with reassembling, because I used them in the reverse order with which I put them in the organizer.

Have fun!!

 

[ninethings]

I feel like that quote is extortionate, good lord.

 

[TheAccountant]

If you are prepared for a long grind, you will do just fine. Expect setbacks, etc. The #1 thing here - make sure you get the heads (yes, both) checked for cracks before putting them back on the engine. Use OEM parts as much as possible (I think Yotashop is reliable, but it still might be worth paying a bit more to get parts directly from a dealer).

Good luck!

-Charlie

Appreciate it ! We ended up getting the kits from Yotashop and then are going over to our local toyota dealership to get the rest as they come up. I am starting Tuesday night (going to go nice and slow, documenting and labeling everything).

 

[TheAccountant]

General advice that comes to mind:

Watch the Timmy the Toolman video series. It is incredibly detailed, and it’s what I used to do it successfully myself. My previous experience with automotive work was oil changes, for context.

The exhaust nuts are locking, their ends are deformed so they are single use only. They are part number 90179-10133.

Soak them in penetrant oil multiple times and let it sit for a day. I live in the desert, my 4Runner is completely rust free, and I still rounded one off.

Buy a cam sprocket and harmonic balancer holder. This will make your life easier. I used a 2x4 with two bolts in it as my holder and they just bent. The proper holder worked. Prepare to slam your knuckles when you break loose the harmonic balancer.

If you don’t have one already, get a large torque wrench for the harmonic balancer bolt. I believe this is a one time use bolt too… but it has a pretty high torque value. I still haven’t used the torque wrench I bought for that purpose otherwise.

I echo the sentiment about the importance of labeling. I used three small parts organizers to collect my nuts and bolts and everything, labeling them all. This also helped with reassembling, because I used them in the reverse order with which I put them in the organizer.

Have fun!!

Thank you ! I have watched his videos two times through already haha his level of detail is what gave me the confidence to take this on. Going to go niceeee and slow. Fingers crossed we are done by Sunday night... we got a shop about 1.5 hours away who will resurface and then test the heads for us. Its $150 total, but since we asked him to get it done same day, itll be $300 total. Appreciate all the pointers on the bolts - that is what we are most nervous for; rounding something off and not being able to remove it.

Luckily this car was originally in CA, so its all rust free. I am now in Tennessee, so hopefully its still going to go off without any issues

 

[espance]

Thank you ! I have watched his videos two times through already haha his level of detail is what gave me the confidence to take this on. Going to go niceeee and slow. Fingers crossed we are done by Sunday night... we got a shop about 1.5 hours away who will resurface and then test the heads for us. Its $150 total, but since we asked him to get it done same day, itll be $300 total. Appreciate all the pointers on the bolts - that is what we are most nervous for; rounding something off and not being able to remove it.

Luckily this car was originally in CA, so its all rust free. I am now in Tennessee, so hopefully its still going to go off without any issues

For my exhaust nut that I rounded off, I had to use a nut extractor. I used this kind: Duralast Extractor Set with Rail 5 Piece

If you encounter a stripped nut or bolt, there's plenty of ways to extract that you can find information about online about removal. It just grinds things to a halt for a while which is the most annoying part. But do your future self a favor and soak any and all exhaust hardware!

 

[AuSeeker]

Thank you ! I have watched his videos two times through already haha his level of detail is what gave me the confidence to take this on. Going to go niceeee and slow. Fingers crossed we are done by Sunday night... we got a shop about 1.5 hours away who will resurface and then test the heads for us. Its $150 total, but since we asked him to get it done same day, itll be $300 total. Appreciate all the pointers on the bolts - that is what we are most nervous for; rounding something off and not being able to remove it.

Luckily this car was originally in CA, so its all rust free. I am now in Tennessee, so hopefully its still going to go off without any issues

Report back and let us know how everything goes!

 

[alia176]

Hi Y,all - first time posting but been reading these forums for years.

Background
I am currently on my second 3rd gen 4runner - after owning a '99 4 cylinder for less than 30 days, she was totaled in a bad car accident. I ended up getting 2001 2wd v6 3.4l (5VZ-FE) with 180k miles. She is now sitting at 240k miles, and while I am no massive mechanic, she was serviced on time, timing belt was redone at 180k, and I just dropped $1,500 to have the whole suspension redone.

Issue
For the last 9-12 months, I have noticed that the coolant has slowly been dropping. Nothing crazy, but it was sporadic which made me think it was a slow hose leak. Never saw white smoke, no chocolate milk in the oil, and no overheating or misfires. I got married a month ago, and now I figured it was time to dive into what is up with my car. Ran a pressure test, and after 45minutes I had lost 5psi, but no external leaks. I started her up, and there was a massive cloud.

I then did a compression test. C1,3,2 all sat at 192-195 psi (very warm engine), C4 and 6 were at 180-185psi, and C5 was at 160psi. This made me think the issue was C5. So I did a wet compression test on C5, and the PSI jumped to 210.

Went ahead and borescope to see how C5 looked, and it was clean. All the others were as well... until we got to C4. Cylinder 4 had a pool of coolant. Went ahead and pressure tested with the borescope, while it was TDC, and we could see a visible trickle of coolant.

So here we are, its time to do the headgasket.

Again, I am NO mechanic. I am very handy, and can do a lot myself when it comes to framing, electrical, mainly anything in the home, but I havent touched cars. But it doesnt seem worth it to pay the shop what they are asking ($3800-5800) when this car is already so old, and we had been planning to upgrade to a 4wd in about a year. So I am taking this job on, with the help of my mechanic buddy who said he can offer a few hours of help when it comes to the larger items like removing the pulleys.

Questions for this Forum :
1. I have found some amazing and detailed videos on the repair which I am watching beforehand, and plan to watch while I do this job. It will be a slow grind, but I gotta do what I gotta do. Does anyone already have a parts list and/or a needed tools list for this job? If I dont hear back, I am going item number by item number, tool by tool (via video) to figure out what I need but I would appreicate it any of you wizzes already knew the answer and could help me out.
2. I am working with a machine shop to resurface the heads, and if I am understanding it all correctly, give them the valves to install themsevles and pressure test once its all completed. Does this sound correct and the recommend way to do this ?
3. Any over arching advice ? I think the headgasket and bolts will run me about $200, but if ima do all this, might as well add more parts. I am researching EVERYTHING else I may need, because I never want to open this car up to this level again haha see below what I am planning to find and purchase ....

Parts I am going to install :
Valve Cover Gaskets
Spark Plug Tube Seals
CamShaft Seals (x2)
Thermostat
Thermostat Gasket
Water Pump
Timing Belt, Tensioner, Idlers
Front CrankShaft Seal
Drive Belts
Coolant Temp Sensor
PCV Valve + Gromment
Spark Plugs (Denso)
Knock Sensors
Knock Sensor Wiring Harness
Intake Manifold Gasket
Fuel Injector Seals (x6)
Heater/Radiator Hoses
Vacuum Lines/PCV Lines
Lastly --- I may go for the upper and lower main seals as well. Drips of oil here and there, might as well try to do it all, right ? This is probably overkill

I think I am going to end up getting two kits from YOTASHOP.COM.
Head Gasket Kit
Timing Belt Kit

I may still need... Exhaust Manifold Gaskets, Injector Seals

Appreciate any and all comments - this is the biggest job I have ever done, so could use any advice as I take this on next Friday ( 07/25)

Cheers

My 19yo daughter and did her HG project few months back, and she did bulk of the work. I have a spreadsheet that I'll upload here if it helps. I was bragging to her how my 4.7L on my own 4runner is at 435xxx miles on the original HG then I overheated it and now I have to do the same project!

Anyway, I'm going to purchase a "valve grind" kit from Toyota and an Aisin timing belt kit from Amazon to get things started. Of course there'll be myriad of hoses and junk I'll need to buy but I wonder if you can buy a valve grind kit for your 3.4 engine? This kit has everything needed for a head gasket job.

This is the p/n for my 4.7 v8 engine: 04112-50180

Uploaded two files: engine rebuild parts cost, engine shop cost

I also purcahsed this injector cleaning machine from eBay and cleaned up all six injectors, then flow tested them. It pays for itself after the first time, and I have few other vehicles!

 

[TheAccountant]

Report back and let us know how everything goes!

So started last night - I am working about 2 hours each evening on this until Friday. My brother is getting in to town to help me get the majority of this done with me.

I have a large whiteboard in the garage that I have been labeling each step of what I have done, and then any bolts/parts that came off during that step, i go ahead and tag it and put in a ziploc bag. With all hoses and lines, I am flagging each one with painters tape, so that I can connect the 'A' hose with the 'A' line upon reinstalling.

Radiator is off now, fan, timing belt and pulleys up next. Been soaking all bolts with penetrating oil and its been a life saver so far. Only bolt that I have semi stripped was my skid plate, thanks to the mechanic who torqued it on there last week.

We have to get this done by Saturday morning - we have a machinist 1.5 hours away who will resurface and test the heads for us, having it all done some day for $200 per head. So if all goes well, Saturday evening we will be reinstalling it all....

More to come ! Thanks yall.

 

[phattyduck]

We have to get this done by Saturday morning - we have a machinist 1.5 hours away who will resurface and test the heads for us, having it all done some day for $200 per head. So if all goes well, Saturday evening we will be reinstalling it all....

More to come ! Thanks yall.

Have a backup plan for when something goes wrong... Good luck!

-Charlie

 

[TheAccountant]

Have a backup plan for when something goes wrong... Good luck!

-Charlie

"when something comes up" ... Machinist has to reschedule, electricity issues at their shop so all jobs are pushed back a week. Scrambling now to find another machinist who can get the heads resurfaced this weekend. Not the end of the world, but my brother is flying in to help with the job. we were hoping he would primarily get everything reinstalled and checked out, but that might not work at this point... oh well !

 

[mtbtim]

Ok, here's my two cents.

Charlie already hit upon this, but I would guess your issue with the #4 cylinder is most likely a crack between the intake and exhaust valves that has migrated to a coolant jacket. From my experience, it seems to rarely be a head gasket issue, so get ready for the expense to get yourself a refurbished OEM head or an aftermarket option.

This has also already been hit upon, but since it's so important, I'll mention it again. You really should take the time to bag and label your fasteners. Organizer boxes can work, but I've found by putting the fasteners in quart size freezer ziplock bags and labeling them with a sharpie is a really good way to stay organized. I lay them down in a cart or on a table in the order I took them off the engine. When I'm ready to put the engine back together, I grab the bags in reverse order and I now have my logical progression to getting the engine put back together.

The pre-treating of exhaust nuts with penetrant is a very good idea. Heat is also your friend, especially for the exhaust pipe nuts. For the heads, you'll most likely be pulling out some of the studs and that's fine. I recommend not trying to salvage the studs. Just replace them with a new set along with a new set of exhaust nuts. Yota1 Performance in Riverbank, California sells a set of exhaust studs and exhaust nuts.

While you're doing this job, take full advantage of the space you created tearing the engine apart. Remove the starter and renew the contacts and plunger. Remove the oil cooler and replace the oil cooler and bolt gaskets. Replace all your coolant hoses, especially the hard to get ones at the back of the engine. I know Yota1 Performance sells a complete coolant hose kit for the 5VZ-FE engine as well. If you don't use your rear heater, this would be the time to simplify your heater hoses and delete the rear heater. This would also be a good time to replace the brushes in your alternator. I have a video for that as well. I would also consider replacing your engine mounts, because with the engine torn down, it will never be easier.

Another thing to consider is replacing your fuel injectors or having them cleaned. I'm a fan of Motorwest Performance in SoCal. At the very least, make sure you replace the fuel injector o-rings and any fuel rail banjo bolt washers you disconnected. If you try to reuse them, you have a good chance of having a fuel leak.

Finally, I'll link my video here since it was mentioned so anyone finding this thread in the future will have it at their disposal. If you have any questions just for me, I recommend asking your question on my channel rather than here, because I'm not that active on this forum anymore. You can also email me: [email protected]

Good luck!

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[phattyduck]

"when something comes up" ... Machinist has to reschedule, electricity issues at their shop so all jobs are pushed back a week. Scrambling now to find another machinist who can get the heads resurfaced this weekend. Not the end of the world, but my brother is flying in to help with the job. we were hoping he would primarily get everything reinstalled and checked out, but that might not work at this point... oh well !

Yeah, less than a week for the project was never going to happen. A full dedicated shop would likely take longer than that... This is a 2-week minimum job for a home-gamer - if everything is lined up. Ordering parts (don't skimp on quality here), unexpected hiccups (broken studs, etc.) and all that will be happening. I'd expect a 6-8 week journey if you push at a reasonable pace.

All of what Timmay said above is great advice.

-Charlie

 

[TheAccountant]

Thank you for everyone’s insight, especially Timmy when it comes to your videos. We’ve been watching religiously through the process.

Where we sit - took about 12 hours to get everything out. We had one issue with the exhaust nut pulling the stud. However we found that wire brushing the stud before removing the bit removed most rust, and kept it from binding. We had an issue removing the exhaust manifold behind the body - it’s just so tight back there, it’s hard to clear the studs so you can remove the lower exhaust manifolds.

We have a local guy who is opening his shop for us today to resurface the heads (we removed the springs ourselves). $100 for the pair … not bad I think and it will be done today.

We replaced the front main seal, knock sensors, cam sensor, oil cooler gasket, and I think that’s it … I have so many parts I need to put in today, my mind is going blank.

May be bold - but we may reassemble 100% tomorrow

 

[2JZ Kaden]

Ok, here's my two cents.

Charlie already hit upon this, but I would guess your issue with the #4 cylinder is most likely a crack between the intake and exhaust valves that has migrated to a coolant jacket. From my experience, it seems to rarely be a head gasket issue, so get ready for the expense to get yourself a refurbished OEM head or an aftermarket option.

This has also already been hit upon, but since it's so important, I'll mention it again. You really should take the time to bag and label your fasteners. Organizer boxes can work, but I've found by putting the fasteners in quart size freezer ziplock bags and labeling them with a sharpie is a really good way to stay organized. I lay them down in a cart or on a table in the order I took them off the engine. When I'm ready to put the engine back together, I grab the bags in reverse order and I now have my logical progression to getting the engine put back together.

The pre-treating of exhaust nuts with penetrant is a very good idea. Heat is also your friend, especially for the exhaust pipe nuts. For the heads, you'll most likely be pulling out some of the studs and that's fine. I recommend not trying to salvage the studs. Just replace them with a new set along with a new set of exhaust nuts. Yota1 Performance in Riverbank, California sells a set of exhaust studs and exhaust nuts.

While you're doing this job, take full advantage of the space you created tearing the engine apart. Remove the starter and renew the contacts and plunger. Remove the oil cooler and replace the oil cooler and bolt gaskets. Replace all your coolant hoses, especially the hard to get ones at the back of the engine. I know Yota1 Performance sells a complete coolant hose kit for the 5VZ-FE engine as well. If you don't use your rear heater, this would be the time to simplify your heater hoses and delete the rear heater. This would also be a good time to replace the brushes in your alternator. I have a video for that as well. I would also consider replacing your engine mounts, because with the engine torn down, it will never be easier.

Another thing to consider is replacing your fuel injectors or having them cleaned. I'm a fan of Motorwest Performance in SoCal. At the very least, make sure you replace the fuel injector o-rings and any fuel rail banjo bolt washers you disconnected. If you try to reuse them, you have a good chance of having a fuel leak.

Finally, I'll link my video here since it was mentioned so anyone finding this thread in the future will have it at their disposal. If you have any questions just for me, I recommend asking your question on my channel rather than here, because I'm not that active on this forum anymore. You can also email me: [email protected]

Good luck!

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/iSFpwnCuBDk?si=gbKz46T_nHPbaLYB" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Hey Timmy, OP’s lil brother here, I didn’t notice any cracks on the drivers side head but I’ll take a second look right now before we take it to the machinist. Thank you for the awesome video by the way, it has helped us get this far. OP’s head gasket symptoms were probably the most mild I have heard of, no over heating, no noticeable white smoke on start up or while driving and no coolant in oil, he just notice he was very slowly losing coolant. So fingers crossed the head is not cracked! Thank you all for helping him out, this is his first deep dive into working on an engine

 

[2JZ Kaden]

Hey Timmy, OP’s lil brother here, I didn’t notice any cracks on the drivers side head but I’ll take a second look right now before we take it to the machinist. Thank you for the awesome video by the way, it has helped us get this far. OP’s head gasket symptoms were probably the most mild I have heard of, no over heating, no noticeable white smoke on start up or while driving and no coolant in oil, he just notice he was very slowly losing coolant. So fingers crossed the head is not cracked! Thank you all for helping him out, this is his first deep dive into working on an engine

Well we jinxed ourselves. Cylinder 4 is cracked between the intake and exhaust valves, I don’t see a crack between the the valve and the water jacket, however there is a small gouge or indentation on the edge of the coolant port in the photos attached.

 

[TheAccountant]

Whelp. Took about 40 hours, drove 600 miles on Saturday, stayed up almost all night. But she’s done.

For anyone who may read - Saturday morning we went to a Machinist 1.5hrs west of Nashville to surface the heads. He immediate found the crack in cylinder 4, so we were scrambling. We found someone who has 8 5vz-fe engines but he was 3.5 hours south, down in Chattanooga, but we had to try.

Drove to Chattanooga, hated the first head that was pulled so we pulled another head. This engine had been fully rebuilt - and 5000 miles post rebuilt, water hose broke and blew the head gasket again. So we took this head, inspected it, and it was amazing. Then drove 3.5 hours back to the machinist, who stayed up to surface our heads. Then drove 1.5 hours home. We then stayed up all night lapping the valves, cleaning the head surfaces, etc.

We started this whole job Friday at 5:30pm. I ran the car at Tuesday at 9pm. I don’t believe we cut any corners - wish we had done a bit more replacing of other parts, but did what we had to do. My wife and I got married a month ago, both starting work up, and didn’t have the cash to get it done any other way - great learning experience. I never want to do this again.

 

[alia176]

Whelp. Took about 40 hours, drove 600 miles on Saturday, stayed up almost all night. But she’s done.

For anyone who may read - Saturday morning we went to a Machinist 1.5hrs west of Nashville to surface the heads. He immediate found the crack in cylinder 4, so we were scrambling. We found someone who has 8 5vz-fe engines but he was 3.5 hours south, down in Chattanooga, but we had to try.

Drove to Chattanooga, hated the first head that was pulled so we pulled another head. This engine had been fully rebuilt - and 5000 miles post rebuilt, water hose broke and blew the head gasket again. So we took this head, inspected it, and it was amazing. Then drove 3.5 hours back to the machinist, who stayed up to surface our heads. Then drove 1.5 hours home. We then stayed up all night lapping the valves, cleaning the head surfaces, etc.

We started this whole job Friday at 5:30pm. I ran the car at Tuesday at 9pm. I don’t believe we cut any corners - wish we had done a bit more replacing of other parts, but did what we had to do. My wife and I got married a month ago, both starting work up, and didn’t have the cash to get it done any other way - great learning experience. I never want to do this again.

wow, what an awesome job! Yeah, this project is a lot of work, and I'm going to pull my 4.7 to do it. My daughter's 3.4 was a lot of work for her with me helpin with the hard stuff but even she's over it!