Blown HG, or am I paranoid?

wnelax04sr5 said:
slight bump, i did a combustion leak test with this
Amazon.com: UVIEW 560000 Combustion Leak Tester: Automotive

it confirmed my fears, and confirmed that i need a head gasket. After some consideration i think I'm going to attempt the fix myself. I have good support from a friend who is a mechanic and confidence i can handle the task. Im going to limp it along for a month or so more, get my tax return, and compile the parts needed all while studying the FSM to make absolute sure I know what I'm doing.
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Thinking Im gonna replace the gasket in mine myself too rather than buy a new motor. You gonna pull the motor to do it? or just the heads? Im still undecided as to which route would be easier
 
Troymclure said:
Thinking Im gonna replace the gasket in mine myself too rather than buy a new motor. You gonna pull the motor to do it? or just the heads? Im still undecided as to which route would be easier
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i dont see that doing it in the truck would be all that hard. Ive done all the work on my V8 with it still in. Including manifolds and valve cover gaskets. I think once you get the exhaust manifolds off it should be a lot easier to get the head out than you would think.
 
CruzadoBlanco said:
i dont see that doing it in the truck would be all that hard. Ive done all the work on my V8 with it still in. Including manifolds and valve cover gaskets. I think once you get the exhaust manifolds off it should be a lot easier to get the head out than you would think.
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I thought so too, but looking into it further, you have to pull the oil pan and sump off to disconnect the timing chain. With a front diff, it seems like it might be easier to pull the motor and put it on a stand to do all the work
 
Troymclure said:
I thought so too, but looking into it further, you have to pull the oil pan and sump off to disconnect the timing chain. With a front diff, it seems like it might be easier to pull the motor and put it on a stand to do all the work
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Oh gross, then yeah it might actually be easier to just pull the motor, but leave the transmission. I didn't have much trouble unbolting the trans in a buddies v8 runner and it would make pulling the motor a good amount easier.
 
CruzadoBlanco said:
Oh gross, then yeah it might actually be easier to just pull the motor, but leave the transmission. I didn't have much trouble unbolting the trans in a buddies v8 runner and it would make pulling the motor a good amount easier.
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Yeah exactly haha. I would leave the tranny in too, doesnt seem too hard to get to all the bellhousing bolts, and I think its even easier on a v6 vs a v8.
 
Troymclure said:
Thinking Im gonna replace the gasket in mine myself too rather than buy a new motor. You gonna pull the motor to do it? or just the heads? Im still undecided as to which route would be easier
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I'm going to leave the motor in, 99% sure. i was worried about the diff getting in the way but if it does ill drop it down. my biggest concern isn't taking it apart or putting it back, its the exhaust manifold bolts. i know I'm going to end up breaking some and ive heard its a nightmare

CruzadoBlanco said:
i dont see that doing it in the truck would be all that hard. Ive done all the work on my V8 with it still in. Including manifolds and valve cover gaskets. I think once you get the exhaust manifolds off it should be a lot easier to get the head out than you would think.
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as i said above, manifolds are my biggest worry. those are gonna be a pain to take off
 
For whatever it's worth to you, the dealership left the engine in mine when they did my head gaskets. If it were easier to take them out, they probably would have and still charged me the full, quoted amount but they didn't.
 
wnelax04sr5 said:
I'm going to leave the motor in, 99% sure. i was worried about the diff getting in the way but if it does ill drop it down. my biggest concern isn't taking it apart or putting it back, its the exhaust manifold bolts. i know I'm going to end up breaking some and ive heard its a nightmare



as i said above, manifolds are my biggest worry. those are gonna be a pain to take off
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my manifolds came off with a little pb blaster and a 3/8s ratchet with 3ft of extensions. but im down in Texas so i might be different for people on the coast of salt areas.
 
No head gasket issues on my 08 v6 but Christ almighty I hope I never need to remove the manifolds because the nut just looks like a growth on the stud. So much rust. It's laughable to even think I would start with sockets or pb blaster. I have an exhaust leak somewhere up front so it's basically a matter of time before it gets bad enough that I feel like dealing with it.

Sent from my SM-G920V using Tapatalk
 
wnelax04sr5 said:
I'm going to leave the motor in, 99% sure. i was worried about the diff getting in the way but if it does ill drop it down. my biggest concern isn't taking it apart or putting it back, its the exhaust manifold bolts. i know I'm going to end up breaking some and ive heard its a nightmare



as i said above, manifolds are my biggest worry. those are gonna be a pain to take off
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Yeah I guess if the dealer leaves it in, maybe it is easier. The exhaust studs are my biggest concern too. Gonna give them a few days to soak in PB before I even touch them. Hopefully no broken ones.
 
has anyone ever heard of/used DNJ gaskets? I've found good reviews and they're the only place that offers a complete set with o-rings for the v6.

[MENTION=66389]BlackWorksInc[/MENTION] [MENTION=84120]nevada[/MENTION] ?
 
wnelax04sr5 said:
has anyone ever heard of/used DNJ gaskets? I've found good reviews and they're the only place that offers a complete set with o-rings for the v6.

[MENTION=66389]BlackWorksInc[/MENTION] [MENTION=84120]nevada[/MENTION] ?
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I havent heard of DNJ, but I was planning on going with this Felpro kit. Has all the gaskets including valve stem seals.

http://www.fmmotorparts.com/fmstorefront/federalmogul/en/USD/Gaskets-%26-Sealing-Systems/Gaskets-%26-Sealing/HEAGS-EngineCylinderHeadGasketSet/Fel-Pro-Head-Gasket-Set/p/RHS26330PT?years=2004&make=Toyota&models=4Runner#.Vw7A2CMrKhc
 
wnelax04sr5 said:
thats what i was originally going to use, but found this one
Amazon.com: DNJ FULL GASKET SETS FGS9069 for 03-09 Toyota V6 4.0L DOHC 24V 1Grfe: Automotive

it has all the o-rings included and thats what turned me on to it
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Well damn, thought the felpro included everything but now I see it doesnt haha. Might have to go with the DNJ then too. I like that the felpro has a "new improved" design though, thinking it might hold up better but Im not sure if thats just a marketing gimmick or fact.
 
wnelax04sr5 said:
has anyone ever heard of/used DNJ gaskets? I've found good reviews and they're the only place that offers a complete set with o-rings for the v6.

@BlackWorksInc @nevada ?
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i have not.

I usually try to stick with fel-pro. but its been many years, so im not sure who is making quality kits now.

I think for an HG job, quality needs to be the #1 priority for the gaskets.

even if that means buying separate kits to get everything you need, or paying a bit more. you don't want to have to do this job again anytime soon.
 
Troymclure said:
Well damn, thought the felpro included everything but now I see it doesnt haha. Might have to go with the DNJ then too. I like that the felpro has a "new improved" design though, thinking it might hold up better but Im not sure if thats just a marketing gimmick or fact.
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nevada said:
i have not.

I usually try to stick with fel-pro. but its been many years, so im not sure who is making quality kits now.

I think for an HG job, quality needs to be the #1 priority for the gaskets.

even if that means buying separate kits to get everything you need, or paying a bit more. you don't want to have to do this job again anytime soon.
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originally i was going to go with fel-pro, only reason I'm reconsidering is because of the completeness of the DNJ kit. i might just buy an o-ring set and replace as needed
 
nevada said:
i have not.

I usually try to stick with fel-pro. but its been many years, so im not sure who is making quality kits now.

I think for an HG job, quality needs to be the #1 priority for the gaskets.

even if that means buying separate kits to get everything you need, or paying a bit more. you don't want to have to do this job again anytime soon.
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Good point. Sounds like Felpro is the way to go. I guess it makes sense that the felpro a higher quality gasket considering the its like $80 more and doesn't include as many seals as the DNJ
 
When I did mine, I used the Toyota engine overhaul kit. It came with every gasket under the hood and I believe it had the newer head gasket design as well. I figured that I might as well replace the exhaust and intake gaskets, water pump and gasket, etc. as long as it was apart. It wasn't much more expensive than just the regular head gasket kit.

I got it only pretty cheap but I can't remember where.
 
Are most of y'all doing the head-gasket repair yourselves? Or are y'all just taking it to a trusted shop?
 
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