Big oops, need advice...

That or his torque wrench had high internal friction, and doesn't click if he turned it too slowly.

 

Wet vs dry doesn't matter, torque wrench settings don't matter. Its about feel. You need to learn when to stop. He learned the hard way

 

If it were my problem, and I am glad that it is not, I would try to dig out the area where the crack is with a Dremel (create a V shaped groove), clean it with brake cleaner, and then try filling the groove with Aluminum brazing rods;
https://youtu.be/y0RnAXVVWG4?si=RihKWYjs9gmZAPAa

Then drill and tap the hole.

It might not work, but then again, it might.

 

I'd give the RTV a try. Wouldn't trust it long term. Might last just enough to get you to the Toyota dealer and into that 4th gen.

 

If you remove the head to repair by brazing or welding (which is your best option IMHO), you better take somewhere that can bolt it to a jig such that heating the aluminum does not warp or damage the shape & flatness of the deck. Otherwise, you may fix the leak only to have created a problem with sealing of the head gasket later.

 

It’s all in the hips

Find a good mechanic you like man. Some things are better to farm out.

 

'Bout to open a medium-sized can of worms here.

46 FT-lbs sounds unreasonably high for this fastener in this location, going into an aluminum casting.

Looking carefully at 2 pages of the 1GR-FE engine diagrams with lots of torque specs on them -- I suspect there may be a typo? Start on page EM-194 (you have to scroll way way down in this post: https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/the-torque-spec-guide.318116/#post-8281783)

All sorts of other bolts of approx. the same size seem to range from 6 to 24 foot pounds, max. For example, the #1 and #2 engine hanger brackets call for 24 ft-lbs. Timing chain cover bolts, ~17 ft lbs.

This just a filter-screen holder, with a gasket no less, does it really need to be cranked to 46 ft-lbs or is this published figure just.. wrong?

 

I’m Definitely replacing the head before I’d spend 40k on a new truck.

 

I agree with you 100%. When I cleaned my VVT-i filters, I didn’t come anywhere near torquing that plug to 46 ft-lb. If I had to guess, I gave it no more than 15 ft-lb. It could be a typo, but if that spec really has the potential to crack the head like the OP experienced, that's one serious mistake. EM-194 clearly states 46 ft-lb though... who knows?

 

Didn't reached 30 before the tension just went limp. Made a few more clicks and didn't feel any additional tightening so I stopped and hoped for the best, which unfortunately, didn't happen. I'm sure I wasn't at 46, I just finished adding the belt tensionner and ac compressor and it wasn't much more than that level of torque, if even that.

 

Got a first quote, 7K to 10K CAD to change the head. Running Tacos with similar yrs and mileage are 9K to 18k CAD here. Tough choice, not sure when the bleeding will stop. Can't say mine is in the best of shape, cosmetically, got some rust and started perforating on the rockers and welded lots of cracks on the radiator support. Frame is in good condition though, and I dropped near 8k of parts in the last 3-4 years (redid suspension including BP-51 rears, refreshed drivetrain, new LCA's, alternator, idlers, brakes front and rear including calipers, front wheel bearing etc, all OEM except suspension). Anybody looking for a project in the Ottawa area, I might have one with good potential. Still weighing my options.

 

I was going to suggest the same thing. I'm thinking it'll probably need map gas instead of typical propane to get the area hot enough.

 

That is a I don't want to do the work quote. Keep looking.

 

Man, sorry to hear about your troubles. I'm surprised to hear that a crack actually formed just from that. Regardless of the cause, it sounds like people already posted good recommendations for you.
If this did happen to me, I'd pull the head and either tig it myself or just replace it, but we're probably in different situations. Whether you end up with a 4th gen or not, it's still worth fixing and either keeping or selling. It sounds like you were trying to follow the proper steps and, sometimes, shit happens. I can relate.
IF you're digging this deep into the engine, consider installing the URD exhaust cam gear.
Good luck and keep the thread posted.

 

$7-10K is a ridiculous price to repair or replace the head!

Glad i don't live in Canaduh...

 

Wish I could say the same

p.s. anyone looking to sponsor an rse mechanic with a wife and kid dm me

 

Pretty standard price here in the states. The shop is taking on a lot of risk with a head job on a newer, more complicated engine like the 3.5 Tacoma.

 

Perhaps I'm wrong on my assessment for what all is involved. Anyone know the book hours for this job?

 

This high cost is the penalty for having OHC engines and heads, having to deal with all the valve train timing hardware. Replacing a head on OHV is much much simpler and cheaper.

 

Some here must think replacing a head amounts to Rocket Science. This design is very typical for a V6 engine, almost all are OHC these days and VVT isn't anything new. Nothing special about changing out a tacoma head compared to almost every other V6 made in the last 20 years, yes there's 4 pesky cams and allot of marks to line up, if that is intimidating then it's a decent price. IMO the price is high by about ($2~3K can). 8-12 hrs for a experienced mechanic to R&R both heads and replace gaskets. That's about 95% of the work the op needs and quite a few on here manage to do it with just the manual and zero experience with the inside of their motors.

To the OP, good luck and I hope it works out.