Thanks. This is a useful guide, more so with the pics.

 

Great guide! Just did this job successfully but it took me quite a while to finish. Had a small leak in the rear valve after I turned it on but I may have just forgotten to torque one of the bolts. Luckily I could reach the engine cover bolt with everything reassembled.

After I finished I had 2 codes pop up which were not there previously: P1135 and P1155. I am assuming I damaged or did not clip in an electrical connector properly. Can anyone point out where to start looking? Should I try the electrical clip close to the firewall coming off the A/F sensor below? I tried to reach back there and see if it was properly engaged. Thanks in advance!

 

Hi speedcar9 et al,

Please let me begin by saying I will try not to create confusion here. I tried to get a Moderator to PM me but no one replied. I wanted to run the following by the Moderator privately, but looks like that isn't going to happen. So I'll present my observation as follows:

In your 09-12-13 8:16am post, you say, "Install eight valve cover bolts <aka "cylinder head cover" bolts>. Torque spec is 59 in – lb." (ie. fifty-nine) . I have a 2000 RX300 that also has the same 1MZ-FE 3.0L V6 engine. It says so on the sticker under the hood and is also confirmed here:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toyota_MZ_engine .

That said, the Lexus shop manual for the RX300 says to torque them to 69 inch lbs (ie. sixty-nine). "69" is seen on page EM-66 (ie. Engine Mechanical)


"69" is also seen on page SS-7 (ie. Service Specifications):


All this begs the question, does the 1MZ-FE 3.0L V6 engine use 59 or 69 inch lbs on the valve cover bolts? What do your ES3xx manuals say? It's got to be either one or the other. I can't imagine Toyoto saying 59 on one vehicle, and 69 on the other. That doesn't make sense. "Something is rotten in the state of denmark."

Let me add this, I had an oil leak on the driveway from the left cover (ie. front-most cover) on my RX300 and found they were all very loose. I used a reliable inch-pound wrench on them (done in a couple passes). To my hands, 69 seemed like way too much torque. I thought I was going to strip one of them, but eventually got the "click" (maybe oil under the bolt head).

I look forward to your thoughts/comments/etc on the 59 vs 69 dilemma.

Regards . . .

 

INCH POUNDS not foot!!!!!

 

Typo, sorry. I just made correction. So what does your shop manual say?

 

Off the top of my head 69, somewhere around there. That is very low torque for that reason I tighten them by feel using a 1/4" drive ratchet. This may be heresy to some but for the firewall side bank I RTV the entire surface not just the sharp bend areas. I've had seeping oil after a few years (more like 6-7) on some jobs I've done coating the entire surface eliminates this. Sucks for the next person though.

 

Just fyi: I talked to the Service Manager at our local Lexus dealership. He said the cylinder head cover torque spec for both the 2000 ES300 and 2000 RX300 with the 1MZ-FE 3.0L V6 engine is 69 in-lb. He said, "I've done plenty of these. In fact, if you order the special bolts for either vehicle, it's the same part number."
Hope that helps someone.
Regards . . .

 

Hi fellows, just replaced my valve cover gaskets on my 2002 ES300, and I’m looking for the tightening sequence for the valve cover bolts. Any help will be greatly appreciated. Thanks. Carlos.

 

Start with the middle bolts and work your way out tightening in stages, then as a final step torque to spec.

 

For what it's worth, "9c" in my 12/22/20 post above say's "uniformly tighten..." (see above).. That said, if it was me and no specific pattern was given, I too would "uniformly tighten", beginning in the middle (to allow gasket to "roll out" if it need to). That means lightly tightening beginning in the middle. There my 2 cents.
Regards . . .