bizzness

I am going to attempt to change my gaskets this weekend is there anything i need besides the gasket for the valve covers and a tube of sealer? what other things should i change while im doing it like spark plugs?

nine3es

iTrader: (3)

im not sure what the difference is in your engine and mine physically. mine is a 3vz-fe though and i think yours is a 1fz or some crap but anyway, to get to my rear (left) valve cover, i have to remove the intake so i would need an intake gasket as well.

decypher

Bizz - How'd you make out with the rear plugs?

bizzness

pain in the *** bro took me 2 days to finish the valve cover gaskets ,cam seals,plugs and wires. but in all fairness i was doing it after work and it was like 7 hours total but my friend helped me out on the second day .

decypher

When you say wires do you mean coil packs?

Hayk

iTrader: (1)

Hey Bizzness (or anyone familiar with this), how do you remove the front valve cover? The service manual is very vague about this step - it just reads, "remove two bolts".

I'm stuck on the spark plug harness that's attached to the top of the front valve cover. Here are the pics for reference.





They look like bolt studs with some rounded nuts that hold them down. I don't even know what tool I'm supposed to use.

KLF

You need an external Torx socket, I think that is an E6. Sears sells them, among other places.

Hayk

iTrader: (1)

Thank you, I had a feeling it was a Torx kind.

Hayk

iTrader: (1)

Now I'm stuck on another Torx stud, but this one is much smaller. It holds down the piping that's more towards the intake plenum (right by the Allen bolts). Anyone know what size that is?

EDIT: Never mind that. Thankfully, those Torx studs had 10mm Hex nuts that I was able to remove.

leftytsouk

After being quoted for a $1000 on a valve gasket replament I decided to do it myself. Took me two days to finish it. Screwed up the fuel injectors and had to pull everythin off again. Took me less than 30 min this time to pull everything. Book says when you pull lower intake manifold off, your going to want to replace a hose that is hidden regardless if its OK. The hose is hidden so it makes very much sense to replace. Hope this helps anybody who needs to do this job. Its easy just keep your marbles from spilling out of your head, there is a lot to pull off before you get to your gasket covers. Good luck!

Hayk

iTrader: (1)

Honestly, I think I'll pay the $1000 to have someone else do it for me, next time around - which is hopefully never again.

I got the rear cover off, which was ridiculous to say the least. For one, the power steering line covers the rear support bracket's bolt, so that had to be unbolted in two places and moved out of the way. Then the EGR tube was a huge pain when it came time to slide the cover out - that wiring harness is a ***** to maneuver. Also, the rear of the engine is actually lower than the front so that's probably why it's 10x harder than the other FWD V6 I've done it on.

Hayk

iTrader: (1)

Hey leftytsouk, when you talked about a hidden hose, did you mean the coolant hose that connects the inlet with the outlet? It's right under the main intake that connects with both heads and it houses the fuel injectors. Or do you mean the little vacuum hose under the intake plenum?

Solo2

I'm having a heck of a time removing those three torx ones. Two broke at the top of the "threads". Basically snapped off the head.

The two holding the electrical harness came off without drama. The other three won't budge, stripped out and now two are broken. I tried to use vicegrips to hold what's left and turn it, and no dice. Surely, I'm not the first to face this.

Hayk

iTrader: (1)

Which three are you talking about? I only needed the torx E6 for the front wiring harness. The ones closer to the Intake Plenum are actually 10mm and do NOT need a Torx socket. Try to soak them with WD40 or PB Blaster, whatever is on hand.

Solo2

I'm talking about the three on the very front, towards the radiator. For two of them, the threaded outer portion is what the decorative cover screws down on. And the third is over towards the airbox. You can see two of them on the first picture in this post.