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Front engine question

Discussion in '1st Gen. Tacomas (1995-2004)' started by jp1985, Jul 14, 2017.

  1. Jul 14, 2017 at 5:43 PM
    #1
    jp1985

    jp1985 [OP] Active Member

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    I have been having issue after issues with my 98 Tacoma 2.7 4x4 5spd. I ended up taking it several mechanic who either miss diagnosed it or fixed it wrong.

    So i recently picked it back up from said shop and parked it on my driveway thinking nothing of it. So i opened the hood up to disconnect battery to replace ecu. And i noticed a magnet trays with all the head bolts in it!!! they put the engine all back together but the head manifold bolts!!! So I was putting back together today and noticed there was a big piece of the front of the engine missing. I am wondering when it happen and which of the mechanics did it.

    So now i have to replace yet another thing on my truck engine. I have put so much work into this thing and am getting fed up with it. Anyone know what the name of this part is and if i can order it or if it can even be replaced.
    Any chance it dropped down into the engine?

    Its the half moon looking thing on the front of the block.
    I took the best picture i could i hope you guys can see it.

    thanks guys.

    IMG_0693.jpg
    IMG_0694.jpg
    IMG_0695.jpg
     
  2. Jul 14, 2017 at 7:56 PM
    #2
    Currygoat

    Currygoat Well-Known Member

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    Called a semi circular plug. Should be able to find a part number online. Here is some info from another site:

    The semicircular plugs (aka half moon) are solid aluminum and never need to be replaced, however they do need to be re-sealed now and then. I reseal them when i do the valve cover gaskets. they are located on the driver side end of the cylinder head and will pop right out with a little prying from a flat screwdriver. clean off all the old gasket material on both the head and the plug, and just before you reassemble, put a bead of new silicone/rtv/fipg (i use permatex ultra black) on the half moon and drop it into the slot. level it with your fingers and smear a little of the excess rtv over the seam made by the half moon and the head. drop the valve cover on with new gasket in the channel and tighten it all up. same process for the circular plug that fills the hole where the distributor used to be.

    Screen Shot 2017-07-14 at 7.56.05 PM.jpg
     
    jp1985[OP] and Dalandser like this.
  3. Jul 14, 2017 at 7:57 PM
    #3
    Sicyota04

    Sicyota04 Slowly but surely.

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    You shouldn't have to do anything but get it towed back to whoever didn't put the engine back together correctly. They're liable! Although I don't know if I'd want them working on it anymore. GL!
     
  4. Jul 14, 2017 at 8:01 PM
    #4
    jbrandt

    jbrandt Made you look

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    Jesus christ dude, find a new mechanic.
     
  5. Jul 14, 2017 at 8:01 PM
    #5
    tcjacado

    tcjacado Well-Known Member

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    Where are you located OP?
     
  6. Jul 14, 2017 at 8:06 PM
    #6
    Hobbs

    Hobbs Anti-Lander from way back…

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    Yep…
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    Rock Bangen', Desert Tamin', Gold Findin' Machine!
    Are you saying you picked up your truck, drove it home, with the head bolts not installed??!

    Something smells fishy.....
     
  7. Jul 14, 2017 at 8:08 PM
    #7
    FirstTimeFirstGen

    FirstTimeFirstGen Less active than most

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    Not enough to have a build thread.
    Look at the pics, he means the valve cover bolts.
     
    Dalandser likes this.
  8. Jul 14, 2017 at 9:11 PM
    #8
    jbrandt

    jbrandt Made you look

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    Before you change mechanics, however, go back and throw them the riot act and demand your money back for the "work" they did on your truck.

    That is COMPLETELY unacceptable.
     
    FirstTimeFirstGen likes this.
  9. Jul 14, 2017 at 10:02 PM
    #9
    Dalandser

    Dalandser ¡Me Gustan Las Tacos-mas!

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    Just duct tape the head to the block. Works for me :D

    That guy must have forgot about it. I'd at least let him know what happened and have him fix it / put it back together the right way. Were you driving the truck like that? What was the problem that you wanted him to fix in the first place?
     
    Last edited: Jul 14, 2017
  10. Jul 14, 2017 at 10:07 PM
    #10
    nDub

    nDub Kan kun være malet af en gal mand

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    :popcorn:

    Something doesn't add up here.

    Good luck OP
     
  11. Jul 15, 2017 at 1:16 AM
    #11
    jp1985

    jp1985 [OP] Active Member

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    I did not drive it. I had it towed it home as i did not have anymore money for them to work on it.

    It originally had a rough idle so I hired a mechanic from Craig's list(big mistake). The craigslist mechanic diagnosed it as a head gasket. So he took it all apart and i went and had the heads shaved and bought all the parts to finish the job.

    He got most of it put back together and when it wouldn't start claimed it was a fuel pump issue.... and that was the last I heard from him.

    So it wouldn't run at all after he was done with it.

    I then had it towed to the second shop.

    They said it was out of timing and still had a rough idle. They put it back into timing. Then claimed it to be a ecu and wanted big bucks to buy one from Toyota and have them program it, and they wouldn't use a used one.

    So I ended up buying a used one and just got done putting it in myself today.

    That's when I noticed this. They also left an electrical testing cord and a magnetic bolt holder with half of the head bolts in it on top of the engine.

    I am so sick of lazy/idiotic mechanics. They are the second shop to work on it. The first was that craigslist mechanic (big mistake). So I thought I would take it to an actual shop.

    I will probably have to open the top up again to see if the half moon fell out into the engine. If not it looks like i am ordering a new half moon and have to replace that myself.

    As for chewing them out I am planing on doing that tomorrow, but i doubt i will be able to have them fix this issue. The truck has been sitting in my driveway for about a month or so since I had it towed back.
    I just noticed these issues today.
     
  12. Jul 15, 2017 at 1:31 AM
    #12
    Dalandser

    Dalandser ¡Me Gustan Las Tacos-mas!

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    Dude. Tough lesson you got out of this, but now you know and won't forget. Here's a video of installing the plug on a V6, but it still works the same way I imagine:



    I'd check out that guy's channel, he's on here as @Timmah!

    Also

    https://www.youtube.com/user/EricTheCarGuy

    https://www.youtube.com/user/PaintballOO7

    https://www.youtube.com/user/Jafromobile

    and Engine Masters by Motor Trend on YouTube

    This book is good at teaching the basics of engine operation and assembly. I've read about half of it and I feel way more confident in understanding how an engine works.

    https://www.amazon.com/Reher-Morris...qid=1500107364&sr=8-1&keywords=reher+morrison

    You sound like a smart guy and learn from your mistakes. If you're interested in getting info on how to wrench on your own truck even more, these sources have taught me a ton about car maintenance and engine stuff. The thing is, you're smarter than a lot of techs out there and care more about your truck than any of them. If you learn this stuff, you'll never need to put your trust in another guy to fix your truck unless you feel like the money is worth it to save you time / hassle / money for tools you might not need often enough to make it worth to buy them.
     
    callmeammo, Currygoat and nDub like this.
  13. Jul 15, 2017 at 2:10 AM
    #13
    Wyoming09

    Wyoming09 Well-Known Member

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    I think I see what happened and can understand from the last shop owners position.

    Having had this happen to me from the shop owners side .

    Customer has a limited budget has paid all he can afford item goes back as is.

    Although in this case it seems like no codes were pulled and none of the shops had a clue what they may have been doing .



    Craig`s list is very Good in this area just like Tacoma prices different areas of the country are different.
     
  14. Jul 15, 2017 at 2:38 AM
    #14
    jp1985

    jp1985 [OP] Active Member

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    But don't they usually put it back together?
    I did not want them to do the ecu for like the few grand so i paid what i owed. I figured they would've put things back together or charged me a little bit more to do so.
    But they should not broken more off and damaged the semi circle plug.
     
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  15. Jul 15, 2017 at 2:44 AM
    #15
    Dalandser

    Dalandser ¡Me Gustan Las Tacos-mas!

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    Nah any shop worth your money would have put all of your parts in a bag of some sort if they felt like you didn't pay enough to put everything back together. They f*cked up the job and you ran out of money because they can't diagnose your problem properly. Jumping from blown head gasket to replacing the ecu without providing any evidence why doesn't sound like he knows what the hell he's doing and not keeping your truck parts organized to give back to you shows how much he can't keep the basics of a project straight. There's a reason this guy is advertising on CL instead of getting his work through word of mouth or more reputable means of advertising - not that the shops that do are always good either, but come on CL is what it is - at least where I live. At least ask around in the regional sections of this forum for reputable mechanics in your area.
     
  16. Jul 15, 2017 at 3:22 AM
    #16
    Wyoming09

    Wyoming09 Well-Known Member

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    Who can say not being involved at the scene we are all guessing .

    I can only go by my personal experiences .

    I would bet the Op`s job got put on hold then forgotten.

    Then maybe seeing there Cash Cow refusing to drop a few grand of pure profit just threw the left overs into the engine and called it good

    although card board boxes are cheaper.

    I am really sorry for the frustration your going through .

    I am curious how a idle problem escalated into a head gasket .

    Through two alleged mechanics original issue never found who knows what problems these two have added to the mess.

    gotta love the whole programing of a ECM I am glad you declined that work.
     
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  17. Jul 15, 2017 at 9:17 AM
    #17
    Currygoat

    Currygoat Well-Known Member

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    Yeah im curious too how it escalated... there many things that would cause a rough idle (MAF, TB, ICV, Misfiring, ETC) that should of been diagnosed prior to moving to a head gasket. When your head gasket is blown there are usually clear signs usually of contamination (oil in the water), overheating and compression.
     
  18. Jul 28, 2017 at 2:44 PM
    #18
    jp1985

    jp1985 [OP] Active Member

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    It gets worse and worse. I put in the half moon thing on today and started to put the top of the manifold back on, and found out there are 2 head bolts missing! FFS I am so sick of fixing thing that people screwed me over on.

    Anyone know if i can buy single head bolts? everywhere I called around and everyone wanted to sell me a set for 80$ I thought of a wrecking yard but dont they usually pull the engine and sell it by its self?

    As for the head gasket issue I don't know I guess I got coned into it (My own fault ). I just hope he actually did the head gasket and did not F**& it up.
    I really really don't want to have to try and fix it myself or pay more money.

    I would bet the Op`s job got put on hold then forgotten.----- I bet your right and they did not even bother to put anything back together and even left 2 of there tools in it. If they had notified me i would have paid to put it back together at least.

    Then maybe seeing there Cash Cow refusing to drop a few grand of pure profit just threw the left overs into the engine and called it good-- I bet your right.
     
  19. Jul 28, 2017 at 2:53 PM
    #19
    nDub

    nDub Kan kun være malet af en gal mand

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    Maybe I'm missing something.

    The half moon thing is part of the valve cover gasket set. Do you mean your missing valve cover bolts?

    Might try a Fastenal. They seem to carry everything. Just take one with you so you can match threads and length etc.
     
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  20. Jul 28, 2017 at 3:09 PM
    #20
    RysiuM

    RysiuM Well-Known Member

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    Do you mean "valve cover bolts" or "head bolts"?

    At this point I would be afraid to just put all together - who knows what is missing, how everything looks under the head the head (if gasket was replaced) - the worse case scenario you might find your head bolts and semicircular plug in one of cylinders.:facepalm:
     

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