2.7 3rz engine R&R

here it is iv been bitching about this engine for a while so now its time
i am putting in a new engine in my 99 ex cab pre runner. there isn't a lot of information about pulling engines on here so im going to make a post about it while im doing it. this wont me a DIY post since i dont have the time to make a well written post and i am horrible about remembering to take pictures along the way.

so far today was set up and begin to remove the stuff in the engine bay
good ol harbor freight.....also i borrowed it.


forgot to start taking pictures until i was already pulling the radiator out

its not a bad set up. im at the in laws property since my driveway is on a hill.



here you can see some of the minor front end damage from when my wife rear ended a Cadillac Escalade. bent the vertical support bar for the hood latch and the bottom of the core support

the crush cans on the front of the frame took most of the damage

glad someone thought of these things, they saved the frame

the rust and garbage in the cooling system. it has had water in it for over a year with almost zero coolant.

got the radiator out

got the exhaust out






i guess the coolant was getting into the intake system for some reason

possibly getting in through the evap system? the egr cooler leaking in it?

 

Looking forward to reading up on this.

 

great thread

 

Please go on.

 

day 2
i started by getting the lower half intake manifold off. man i forget how much of a bitch it is getting intake manifolds off and this is the easiest one I've done. i also got the fuel rail off. the alternator off, the power steering pump off and to the side as well as the A/C compressor. and all of this before i remembered to take pictures lol

iv pretty much got it ready to pull out with the trans attached but im concerned the oil pan may not clear. all that is left to unbolt is the driveshaft a bracket or 2 and the motor/trans mounts.
all i need to do now is figure out how im hooking up the hoist. how is the hook in the front used?. do i just hook one chain to front hook and than attach the other end in the back with a bolt and washer?





i got all the wire harness plugs off. man what a pain those are when there brittle and stuck on there good but i didnt break a single one!

and the trophy pile grows


ill probably take off the crank pulley tomorrow to give myself any extra room i might need to get the transmission to clear.


here is the A/C compressor off to the side

ill probably leave the starter on when i pull it

 

Why remove the trans with it? I'd rather the extra work than the risk involved. Especially being an auto makes it easier to remove the motor nice and level.

I hate crazy angles, even with a great amount of care something can go wrong.

Looks like you've kicked the crap out of the tedious items though!

 

I've done more than 5 pulls on RZ motors, you get a little better each time. Pulling the transfer case is the easiest way to leave the tranny attached when pulling, you can unbolt the clutch slave, power steering pump, AC compressor, and exhaust, leave both manifolds completely attached, pull the engine harness though the firewall and just unplug the evap equipment, and unhook the starter/alternator wiring at the battery and fusebox.

That's the absolute quickest and easiest way to pull the whole engine and tranny.

You will snap the coolant temp sensor on the back of the head off if you leave it in, every single time.

Note of caution.

Absolutely everything is way easier to assemble/disassemble outside of the truck so I learned what all absolutely had to come off before. Really wish our trucks came with a removable core support, the engines would slide right out if they did.

 

thanks for that tip you just saved me a trip to vatozone.

 

anyone know the size of the threaded studs on the intake side of the head and also the ones for the oil filter adapter and the thermostat housing.

 

got the engine out on Friday. took the day off Saturday. than pressure washed the engine bay Sunday. and the engine was delivered today. spent the day changing over parts from the old block to the new one. anyone know the size of the threaded studs commonly found around the block? there is about 3 different sizes i beleive.

 

What are the details on the new motor?

 

^^^^I would like to know this as well^^^^

 

sorry for the late reply

the engine is a 2.7 3rz with balance shaft delete, .040 bored over, stage 1 camshafts, ARP head studs and a MLS head gasket with all Japanese internals.

unfortunately during first start i didn't have the block completely full of coolant and the heat tabs melted on the head indicating an overheat yet the temp gauge stayed in the normal zone.

so i let her cool over night and it took almost another gallon of coolant

she runs and drives now but weeps oil out of the head gasket near cylinder 1 on the passenger side, and has quite a bit of blow by or excess crank case pressure.

i suspect glazed cylinder walls and possibly a warped head or hopefully just the ARP studs need a re-torque after a heat cycle.



Fast forward past winter, and im back messing with the engine.

iv'e driven it here and there a few times and the engine seems to run decent. it has quite an idle but that could be the balance shaft delete.

i ran a compression test last weekend and saw 180 on all cylinders, with the first crank making 120psi or so and building to 180PSI

so game plan is to re-torque the head studs and Finnish the break in mileage.



so NICK at YOTA1 is an stand up guy for sure! i contacted him with my issue and he has been there at a moments notice to answer any questions and has even offered to repair the engine for me even though i voided my warranty by overheating the engine.

his offer is that if i get the engine back to him on my dime he will do the work for free and ill just pay for what ever parts are needed.

Incredible customer service, with the best prices. even with what happened i am still pleased with my decision to go with YOTA1





ill post an update soon after the re-torque tomorrow.

 

guys how do i pull my cams without my timing chain slacking and skipping a gear tooth on the crank shaft? i was told its not an issue but want to fully understand why before i get into it.

i imagine if i leave the tensioner in it will take up the slack and keep the chain tight on the crank gear but than ill need to pull the tensioner and reset it.

i was told to pull the tensioner first though.

 

Subd to get this answer ^

I've never been able to do it, so I'd like to know ...

 

What I did once was zip tie the cam gear onto the chain and left the tensioner in. You could also try to just put some sort of upward tension (like a bungee cord to the top of the hood) on the chain to prevent it from slacking down and changing teeth, but as far as I know it's not an issue if it does move from its original position on the crankshaft gear.

 

This is correct. You're lining up timing marks on the harmonic balancer and the intake cam gear. Chain has really nothing to do with timing alignment.

 

damn... thats old skool customer service. would not think twice bout doing business with this feller. good contact and best of luck OP!

 

Reviving an old thread but @Stout890 when you first started your brand new motor did you run through a break in procedure? The guy who did my machine work told me not to worry about it on a motor this new.. that it really only applies to flat tappet cams and he told me not to worry about retorquing head bolts cause they're TTY but he did mention checking valve adjustment at 5000miles

What have you done and how is it running?

 

finally got around to pulling the motor again back in October and just got it back last week. what cost the most was shipping. but all he charged me for was new head gaskets, valve guide seals and rings

he had to re-surface the head, said it was twisted pretty bad.

gonna put her in tomorrow. spent the day today getting everything set up and ready. had to get some parts from the Toyota dealer today too.

i'm really impressed with yota1 customer service..