So my head gaskets blown

[red-dead15]

so i was completely wrong, they are TTY head bolts. I kept reading about this online and lots of people are saying that they are, i said whatever and went to go put my heads on. While on the second 90 degrees on a bolt i stopped because after about 45 degrees i could feel it was getting easier to tighten, that is a sign that the bolt is about to break. Im sorry for misleading you and i dont know how well i can trust my manuel anymore because it said the the head bolts dont need to be replaced after one use.

 

[jmt2404]

so i was completely wrong, they are TTY head bolts. I kept reading about this online and lots of people are saying that they are, i said whatever and went to go put my heads on. While on the second 90 degrees on a bolt i stopped because after about 45 degrees i could feel it was getting easier to tighten, that is a sign that the bolt is about to break. Im sorry for misleading you and i dont know how well i can trust my manuel anymore because it said the the head bolts dont need to be replaced after one use.

I am still on the fence about them being TTY. I have read that they are online in a number of places but, my very good friend ,who is ASE certified on Toyotas, said they aren't. The guy at the toyota parts deparment didn't say they were or weren't but he didn't even recomend that I change them. For now I am trusting my friend. Honda head bolts are TTY he says but not toyotas. So I re-used mine and they were fine. I did pick up a few extra just incase something like what you had happened, happened to me. So we may never know the truth.

 

[red-dead15]

yeah, after trying to torque that bolt and almost having it break i didn't try any others just to be safe, i am replacing all the head bolts as well.

 

[scottyb]

Yeesh, that's rough that you have to replace them all. It's definitely the right thing to do if they are starting to fail though. FWIW I didn't replace any of my head bolts because I was fixing mine HG's on a tight budget, and I haven't had any problems. My motor runs great now. Good luck!

 

[yota-rust]

yah i agree with dc runner. if the antifreeze had just leaked in from removal of the head the walls of the cylinder and the piston wouldn't have been washed so clean.

 

[red-dead15]

Yeesh, that's rough that you have to replace them all. It's definitely the right thing to do if they are starting to fail though. FWIW I didn't replace any of my head bolts because I was fixing mine HG's on a tight budget, and I haven't had any problems. My motor runs great now. Good luck!

i actually found a full set of head bolts online tonight for $30 so it was not nearly as bad as i thought, and congrats on fixing your 4runner.

 

[jmt2404]

Thats a killer deal considering that toyota charges 6.95 per bolt. Nice find. you should post the site up here incase others have to buy some in the future.

 

[red-dead15]

Thats a killer deal considering that toyota charges 6.95 per bolt. Nice find. you should post the site up here incase others have to buy some in the future.

here it is,
Canada Parts Online - 1997 Toyota 4Runner Limited 6 Cyl 3.4L Cylinder Head Bolt1997 Toyota 4Runner 6 Cyl 3.4L

Its a Canadian website since i live in Canada but they may ship to the USA. They have several brands on there, i bought the Victor ones not because they were the cheapest but i did some research and apparently they are very good, better then fel-pro and the Beck Arnley on there. Shipping is pricy but if you spend over $75 its free so i am also getting a PCV valve and some front mud flaps

 

[red-dead15]

I am very glad to say that this my last update on this thread, i have not really been keeping this thread up recently but heres what i have been up to since the last update.

I ended up not buying the head bolts from that website, found them in town. After that i obviously started assembly. but was once again halted because i had to wait for the knock sensor and replacement bolts to come, they came today after a 10 day wait, in that time i attached everything i could, and tonight i powered through it and got it all back together and started it up....runs BEAUTIFULLY. i took it out for a quick spin and it was overheating. I took it back and read some of the manuel which told me to bleed it, not fully sure what it is i just let it cool down a bit and then took the rad cap off, it is 1 am now so i called it a day and will check again tomorrow, i don't think for a second that there is anything wrong with the engine, just that there is air in the cooling system or something along those lines. Manuel said that this is normal after tearing an engine completely apart.

So ill do another quick update tomorrow after i take here out for a few spins.