Engine bay refresh project

[19963.4lsr5]

Good suggestion, thanks! Fortunately I did all the water and heater hose related stuff earlier last year:

I did the same when I did my new engine. Found everything but the spring clamps for the heater core. I think they were not available.


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[Spiker Engineering]

Clean! Anything special you used, or just normal degreaser?

Thanks! I tried a number of cleaners and chemicals (Simple Green, Brakleen, lacquer thinner) but found that the most effective cleaner for the varnish build up was paint thinner (mineral spirits). I just kept brushing it on with a couple of brushes, and the varnish just dissolved.

 

[Spiker Engineering]

While I'm waiting for parts to arrive, is there any (good) reason to try to remove the intake manifold (not the plenum) and replace the gaskets?

I'm not losing any coolant, and I'm terrified of ending up with a nightmare like this if I attempt the project - Toyota Intake Manifold removal nightmare ! - YouTube

 

[brillo_76]

If it's not broke don't fix it. Is anyways my motto. As the chances of breaking things increases..

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[19963.4lsr5]

If you pull the manifold replace the knock sensor cable.


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[Spiker Engineering]

Thanks guys - I'll skip yanking the manifold, no sense creating unneeded problems.

 

[19963.4lsr5]

Engine bay project - what to do while I'm at it?

Thanks guys - I'll skip yanking the manifold, no sense creating unneeded problems.

Yea, cause you are only head bolts away from head gaskets which is the only real fault of and engine with a cast iron block and aluminum heads with more than 180,000 miles on it.


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[Spiker Engineering]

Yea, cause you are only head bolts away from head gaskets which is the only real fault of and engine with a cast iron block and aluminum heads with more than 180,000 miles on it.

So thinking out loud, does it make sense to just go ahead and do the head gaskets now, even though there is zero sign of any issues? Since I'm in for a penny already? Or is that a big can of worms that does not need to be opened?

 

[19963.4lsr5]

So thinking out loud, does it make sense to just go ahead and do the head gaskets now, even though there is zero sign of any issues? Since I'm in for a penny already? Or is that a big can of worms that does not need to be opened?

If you need to do a timing belt…….since the belt needs to come off to remove the heads. It’s an extra can of worms. I pulled the exhaust studs out of the heads so I didn’t need to take the exhaust apart. If you have the time and extra ambition I recommend the YotaShop head replacement kit. It comes with everything required to replace a set of heads. I’ve used them three times now.


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[brillo_76]

So thinking out loud, does it make sense to just go ahead and do the head gaskets now, even though there is zero sign of any issues? Since I'm in for a penny already? Or is that a big can of worms that does not need to be opened?

I never pull heads unless I have to. That's just me. Could you. Sure... but why. These engines are known mostly to go a very long life.

What's causing the most of the head gaskets' failures is the engines being taken to H. Or extremely high mileage / neglect. They kinda perfected the head gaskets in the 2nd gen v6 engines.

Being almost all the 3rd gens had multiple owners of the rigs now. It's hard to know their history..







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[Spiker Engineering]

Good points... I didn't think about the timing belt side of things, I don't feel like doing that again just for the fun of it (I did the whole timing belt/idlers/water pump project just 40K miles ago). So the heads will stay on, especially with good compression and no sign of coolant loss.

Off to the plating shop tomorrow to get these cleaned up:

 

[19963.4lsr5]

I had also done a timing belt recently when I had to do the head gaskets and I just compressed the belt tensioner with a prybar and put the retract pin back into it. But it is a lot of extra front end work.


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[connorms]

Good points... I didn't think about the timing belt side of things, I don't feel like doing that again just for the fun of it (I did the whole timing belt/idlers/water pump project just 40K miles ago). So the heads will stay on, especially with good compression and no sign of coolant loss.

Off to the plating shop tomorrow to get these cleaned up:

If you don't mind sharing, do you have a rough price range on how much it'll cost to replate all of those? I've been wanting to do the same to my engine bay for a while and am wondering how much to budget out for something similar. Currently living vicariously through your thread until I get around to doing it myself lol

 

[Spiker Engineering]

If you don't mind sharing, do you have a rough price range on how much it'll cost to replate all of those? I've been wanting to do the same to my engine bay for a while and am wondering how much to budget out for something similar. Currently living vicariously through your thread until I get around to doing it myself lol

Sure thing - they quoted a minimum charge of $100 for each batch (I'm doing the brackets in clear zinc, and fasteners in yellow zinc).

 

[Spiker Engineering]

So I took the easy way out and got the valve covers and the intake plenums powder coated in satin black. The guy made me a deal I couldn't refuse:

 

[cblock406]

:thumb: Those look awesome, and nice work!

 

[Spiker Engineering]

:thumb: Those look awesome, and nice work!

Thanks! It really helps to start seeing results, so this is all very exciting.

 

[Spiker Engineering]

Today's project is clean up a couple of parts with bare aluminum castings that have badly oxidized - the cruise control module and the windshield wiper motor assembly.

I cleaned off most of the oxidation, so they look pretty good. I don't want to leave them uncoated because they'll just corrode again, and I don't think that clear alone will look good. So I'll either paint them with some aluminum color engine enamel, or stick with the satin black motif.

Before cleaning, and after:

 

[ToyotaBrah]

Great work, sir. I share your enthusiasm to clean up the engine bay. My northwest truck has developed some oxidizing of the aluminum bits from midwest salt.
I have been buying an array of zinc plated bolts when I go to the salvage yards to replace my oxidized ones. Have found them in other older makes too (Honda, Acura). Those valve covers look terrific. I will follow suit and powder coat mine as well.

 

[WeakSauz]

Nice work, and it'll pay off.

Ask your Powdercoater how the VCs were prepped. Unfortunatley, if they were sand blasted, I would proceed with extreme caution. The sand really likes to hide in the nooks and crannies *underneath* the baffles, making it nearly impossible to clean out. Then when the engine heat cycles and the metal expands + oil hits it, the sand breaks loose and eats bearings.

Have seen it time and time again.

Just wanted to provide the heads up! A solution is to drill off the baffles, re-clean, and either tack weld back in place or tap in tiny button-head screws with red loc tite and/or JB weld.