full on head gasket change

[americanjebus]

I decided not to trust some mechanic w/ my precious car so i decided that my dad, his friend, and I are going to take appart the whole engine peice by peice and change the radiator, and head gasket. this way i save $1000 in labor. so far we've taken the thing apart and removed hte head gasket and are waiting for shipping. right now im just cleaning the parts i can and making sure i dont get any little grains in there that will wear down my parts. if anyone has done this type of thing before and has any tips please let me know of anysecond hand knowledge while i still have the whole thing opened up. i'll have pics soon as i get my camera working.

[americanjebus]

i dont have a way to get this hosted anywhere so i'll just have to attach the things

[americanjebus]

another let me know if u see something im not aware of

[88 LE]

7M-GTE. Been there done that. Damn things blow headgaskets all the time.

Check the head for flatness. You can do this with a straight edge (metal yard stick) and a feeler guage.

Look over all the hoses, belts, etc...

Theres a hose between the back of the block and firewall. I suggest that you replace it now while you have the head off cos its a bitch to get to.

[bgrieger]

Blow them all the time? Hell no. Blown once...shame on Toyota...blow it again, shame on the owner that screwed up.

As said, clean thoroughly, and check for flatness. My experience says the head should visit a machine shop to ensure it is true (overheating tends to warp them...but it is repairable). Torque to 72ft/lbs when reinstalling the head. This is why they blew in the first place. Toyota 56lbs is just not enough, and they back off easily. 2 weeks after it is running again, check the head bolt torque, and recheck every 12 months. It should not be needed after the 2 week check, but better safe than sorry kinda thing...

To keep crap out of the cylinders, stuff grease covered rags in there. I duct tape them to the inside of the bore to catch anything that may fall in when scraping with a putty knife and wiping with solvent (careful when scraping...one scratch and the chance of blowing another gasket increases dramatically). Makes a greasy little filter that crap gets trapped in, so removal later doesn't dump it back in where you just went to all the effort to keep it out. Wipe the tape residue from the walls with goof-off or acetone until clean. For the oil and coolant holes, I just stuffed pieces of rags, again with grease on them for the oil ones. Tweezers get them out alright afterward.

Have fun...

Bob

[americanjebus]

this is fun actualy sure my pride and joy is laying arround my garage and somwhere in NC. but im enjoying this work. makes u appreciate your ride more and makes u hate people who want a ride in it. thnx for the advice the hose is my next thing to replace and im collecting all i need for this saturday when she will come back to life if all goes well.