3s-GE Head gasket

[SilverSt162]

I would like to know if anyone has changed a head gasket on a 3S-GE, ST162 (Gen1) before? Do you have any useful tips/tricks/hints?
Whilst I have the factory manual that describes the process step-by-step, there is nothing like practical experience and hints from someone who's actually done it before.

I'm doing this to try and overcome the car from blowing smoke/steam when it gets hot.

[Enchanter]

A tip that the manual may not point out is make sure all the bolt holes dont have any oil in them when you reassemble it. The oil may hydrolicly (sp?) split the head or block when you torque it down.

I assume you have access to all the tools, I would recomend you have someone looking over your shoulder so to speak if you haven't done it before.

As far as 3sge specific stuff, I haven't done one so I cant help any more than that.

[SilverGhost]

How many K's has the motor done?

If its around the 200kkm mark It could probably do with a full re-co. i.e. reseat the valves, replace the springs if necessary instead of just acid dipping and doin the deck. and if your budget allows, you could investigate doing some head work like port and polish. no better time when you already have the head off anyway.

Other thing I might suggest would be a metal head gasket. Im talking as a 3SGTE owner, but I think the principle is that same...if you put a MHG in, you can pretty much forget about it failing again for the life of the motor. N/A gurus can confirm or deny this though.

With a 3sgte I found it easier to remove the head long with the intake and exhaust manifolds bolted on....you take them out in one piece, then when you get your VRS kit, you can bolt the manifolds back on and torque them correctly while still out of the car ( much easier to access, atleast in a ST18x

also dont be tempted to use the old timing belt...for the cost of the replacment you know its good for another 100kkm.

[SilverSt162]

Thanks for the tip. She's done 195Ks. How much would a full reco of the head cost?
The VRS Kit (gaskets & bolts) is going to set me back approx $350. Is this reasonable?

[SilverSt162]

Also - apart from the gaskets and timing belt - all I require is a good torque wrench and socket set / spanners right?

[TRAV-KE55]

Silverst162,
If it has done 195k i wouldnt be doing headwork, if you reseat all the valves shave etc etc, it will put extra strees on a old bottom end, i would almost bet my left nut that if you do that the bottom end will be using oil and nackered within 20,000k
Trav

[SilverGhost]

it really depends on what you want done to the head, but it would be anywhere from 50-100 bucks to hone the deck, then up to 4-5 hundred bucks for a full recondition of the head, price obviously increases more with the more new parts you throw at it.

porting and polishing would be more still I think.

But If I was taking a head out i would atleast get the stem seals done, pressure check, re-seat valves and if they are re-assembling the head for you get them to do your valve clearances.

As far as tools go you are pretty much right...the only things that come to mind are

1. small allen key to lock the tensioner in place (youll know what i mean when you remove it)
2. Timing light to check timing funnily enough when everythings back together
3. get the right loctite for your exhaust bolts

Procedure wise:
1. Make sure you mark things like timing belt position, distributor position against the block
2. I personally like to get everything to TDC on Cylinder 1 before removing the head, dont think its strictly necessary but makes sense to me
3. make sure you put thread grease on your head bolts. Its good your using new ones, throw the old ones away.
4. I recommend getting your intake manifold and plenum acid dipped as well. The head re-co place will probably just throw it in the vat with the head. It will remove all the carbon and shit accumulated in the intake and when its back together your motor looks 10 times neater.
5. If the head is off for any period of time keep the top of the block covered to stop shit falling into the galleries/cylinders. If its off for an extended period make sure the bores stay oiled.

thats about all I can think of. Im not local unfortuantely, but feel free to pm me if you have any questions.

[SilverGhost]

Silverst162,
If it has done 195k i wouldnt be doing headwork, if you reseat all the valves shave etc etc, it will put extra strees on a old bottom end, i would almost bet my left nut that if you do that the bottom end will be using oil and nackered within 20,000k
Trav

I had my head fully rebuilt on my 2nd gen 3SGTE around the 200000km mark when the stock HG blew, and i replaced it with a MHG. I personally havent had any problems since infact the car uses less coolant and oil than it did before.

Though the static compression is lower in a GTE the internal stresses generated by the turbo make it a safe bet that he wont encounter any problems, infact a new head that seals right and most likely flows better (due to clean/new valves and intake path) can breathe new life into a motor.

Has this happened to you before? was it the same motor?

[HAVABEER]

The VRS Kit (gaskets & bolts) is going to set me back approx $350. Is this reasonable?

i've just done the head on my 3s-ge....350 for gasket kit and bolts is pretty gosh darn expensive.

all up to do my head gasket myself it cost about 600ish i think.

$415: head work....had to get it straightened and shaved and vavle grind, once you get your head off take it to an engine machineist and make sure its all straight and they'll skim the base for you aswell.

$120 for gasket kit i think
$45 for new head bolts
then there's just misc cost's for oils and coolants etc

i have a write up someone wrote up, its a little helpful for some of those tricky situation's that the manual doesnt explain.


as for advice. set aside a few days to do this in. i didnt know what i was doing just like you and i think it ended up taking me 3 or 4 days to do everything......the manual says to take the intake manifold off before taking the head off. you dont actually need to do this (and i personally dont see how/why you'd strain yourself to get to those bolts anyways)

when you take things off.....bolts hose's and stuff try and label stuff as much as you can. i wraped bolts and nuts that where ment to go together in masking tape and wrote on it so i know what came from where and so things didnt get mixed up.

in the general car talk section of these forums there's a dedicated "ST_162" thread come talk to all the boys on there and they'll give you step by step do's and don'ts of replacing heads and what not

just pm me your email address and i'll send you this write up.

havabeer

[SilverSt162]

Thanks all - this info will be invaluable!!! I will PM you for that info.
Thanks again:
Tony

[Fish]

A tip that the manual may not point out is make sure all the bolt holes dont have any oil in them when you reassemble it. The oil may hydrolicly (sp?) split the head or block when you torque it down.

I assume you have access to all the tools, I would recomend you have someone looking over your shoulder so to speak if you haven't done it before.

As far as 3sge specific stuff, I haven't done one so I cant help any more than that.

Does that even mean on the thread of the head bolts?

You do not want any grit or sand in tem but oil?

[piggy]

also i reccomend only using the head bolts onlyonce just something id only use once but thats just me

[XR Pilot]

I did a complete swap a while back, however I ended up swapping the new engine as just a block, then put the head on seperately. Long story, but thats how I did it, so how I did the gasket would be the same as what your going to do. On top of everything that has been said, I want to add that on the back of the manifold there are 2 stabilizer bars, one goes to the exhaust to the intake plenum, the other goes from the block to the plenum. They are a pain in the arse. Also watch your TVIS plumbing on the back of the head, if you don't know its there when you lift the head off you might knock it around. Might be easier to put the car up on jack stands, unbolt the crossmember that runs from one suspension arm to the other, remove that, and then you can work around the exhaust and unbolt the stabilizer bars, and attend to the TVIS at the same time. Take note of the hoses and where they go, take photos etc. You will need an allen-key that will go on a socket, 10mm for a series 1 head bolts, 8mm for a series 2 head bolts. Depends on what year your ST162 is. If you need to buy them, get both because I don't know what size you will get for new bolts. Take photos of all plumbing, remove exhaust heat shild, disconnect all wiring around head, I suggest marking the wires so you know where they go, and taking photos, pull the entire loom out and away from the head, take note of how it is weaved through the head. Disconnect any plumbing that you will think will snag on the head. One pipe in particular goes from the block to the head, I think it is a water by pass but I can't remember. It might be hard to remove and re-install later on. Remove the radiator, unbolt the exhaust manifold. Remove cam covers, put a jack under the remaining crossmember, lower the car, apply a little pressure with the jack to the sump with a block of wood to protect the sump a little, remove the engine mount near the timing belt cover (have fun with this), and take the timing belt cover off the top of the engine. You need a thin 10mm socket here, I think there is 5 or 6 bolts, but one is hidden fairly well. Re-fit engine mount, can tighten it loosely if you want, its got to come out again, and jack the car up via the crossmember again, re-insert stands. Set engine to TDC as suggested above using a 3/4 or 19mm socket to turn the crank pulley bolt. Will be easier to set TDC with the plugs out. Might want to mark the cams with whiteout to give an extra set of marks to re-time it, and check the accuracy of the factory marks while your at it so you know how they work. Remove head bolts. Remove head, watch out for snagging wires or hoses. This will be easier with 2 people. Clean all the old gasket off the block, put on a new gasket, I was recommended by a friend who really knows engines, to use a genuine toyota head gasket as they have graphite in them and seal better, cost me about $110 from local toyota dealer. And now reverse the whole procedure pretty much

But yeah that is in a rough summary, not in exact order, but it should give you something to go off. Any more questions PM me as I did this work probably only a month or month and a half ago at most, so its still pretty fresh in my mind at the moment. That was the first time I've ever had a go at removing a head or doing an engine swap, and I was happy with my results for a first go

Oh one last thing: Get a few snap lock bags, and keep them handy with a permanent marker. Put bolts in them as you undo them and mark them, makes reassembly 100x easier

[XR Pilot]

Also - apart from the gaskets and timing belt - all I require is a good torque wrench and socket set / spanners right?

I missed this post Add to this the allen-key sockets I mentioned in my post above for the head bolts, a thin 10mm socket (probably a 1/4 inch drive one), good set of screw drivers, floor jack, jack stands, some pliers and a tube of high-temp gasket goo stuff you can use on exhausts, mine was Lock-tite brand I think and marked as O2 (exhaust sensor) safe. I used it when refitting the exhaust manifolds. I'd remove the exhaust manifold from the head before you remove the head in my opinion, its heavy and would make the head awkward to remove with it attached. Your going to have fun doing the timing belt with the engine in the car The crank pulley is hard to undo, you will need a good long breaker bar to do it (long metal bar that can take sockets).

[Enchanter]

Does that even mean on the thread of the head bolts?

You do not want any grit or sand in tem but oil?

Its important to have some oil on the threads just not a heap in the holes.