2nd Gen Maintenance Questions/Concerns..

That serp belt is exactly what mine looked like and i said "Eh it will be fine" the very next morning a strip of it came off and wound up on the shaft to my fan so yah thats 35 bucks to save a lot of important stuff. My oil leak looked like that and it ended up being the crank seal. like said earlier, if you just soap it up and powerwash it down you would be able to determine crankshaft seal or Timer cover gasket leak. I went ahead and found the bolt for sale on ebay, got a new seal and pulley for around 110$, did it myself and my engines nice and clean now. Minus the mud

 

Awesome! Are the timing chain and head gasket a complicated job or not too bad? Will clean the engine up soon to determine where exactly the leak is coming from. What's the best way to easily degrease the block?

 

Very good point. I also try to fix everything myself but timing chain and head gaskets are where that gets a little iffy for me. I don't like taking the whole top of the engine off. I know I could do it but it scares me a bit.

 

Timing chain and head gasket are a big ole pain in the ass and you better know what you are doing because a lot of stuffs gotta come off for those. I used GP cleaner (or any degreasing soap) sprayed it down GOOD then i used a pressure washer to spray it all down good.

 

I've got a bunch of gunk engine brite degreaser laying around.. maybe spray that crap on thick and then wash it off? Did you cover anything to avoid electronic shortage?

 

I did quick bursts not one continuous stream, just dont stick the damn thing into any connectors or the alternator and you should be okay. You could use a regular hose i just wanted to blast it all away for good. But yah any degreaser and let it sit for a few to break down, then spray it down good. I also used a bunch of shop rags to try and chunk off most of the heaviest shit first before washing it since mine also came up like as far as the PS pump. Work with caution go easy on the electrical things and clean it up good.

 

Anyways i can bet ya 5 bucks that its the crank seal which isnt a hard fix. And if you do plan to do it yourself, loosen the crank bolt with the "bump start" method (search it) remove the crank pulley and bolt and theres your seal. CAREFULLY install the new seal after pulling the old seal out with needle nose plies (try to be semi gentle) and people will say yadda yadda you gotta get a pulley holder nah FUCK THAT SHIT. Get a big old manly flat head screw driver and someone with some muscle on them. Put the screwdriver through one of the openings in the crank pulley until it gets hung up somewhere or have them just push it against the engine because the crankshaft will spin. Torque the crank bolt to about 200ft lbs. Some say its torque to yield hence why you need a new crank bolt because it stretches but 190-205 should do it. Any questions just ask!

 

If it's the timing cover, some people have had success cleaning it really good, and then smearing some sealer over the seam with their finger. It's not under pressure.

And even though it won't make a difference for the timing chain cover, it wouldn't hurt to be using a high milaege oil like Maxlife. After a decade various seals inside the engine do start to dry out and shrink a bit.

 

Awesome man! Thanks for all the direction and advice! Appreciate it. Ill be screwin with it this weekend.

 

Ive been using full synthetic for the past 15000 miles or so. Use a little seafoam everynow and again (every other oil change) in the crankcase to clean out some build up and what not. Engine seems to like the synthetic a little more over conventional.

 

I just switched to mobile ones high mileage 5w-30 synthetic because it claims to regenerate seals and gaskets so.

 

I believe thats what I used this last change. Was using penzoil platinum 5w-30 before and that stuff worked pretty well also. Liking the mobil one though. What filters you use? Been hearing just the standard oem toyota filters are the best. $20 for 1/2 case (5 filters) on Amazon. Might just buy a half case and be good for 25K miles.

 

I have been just using regular filters and changing every 7-8k now

 

Sweet. I like changing every 5k just cause my oil gets pretty fuckin nasty.

 

Using mobil one 5w-30 extended life got me to 10k once, but since im at 100k now im cutting it down to just use regular high mileage oil. OCI's seem to be personal preference with these trucks honestly so to esch there own.

 

Yep, we all got our personal preferences for sure. You see that shit they got now that lets you run all year (or 30K miles) before changing oil? That honestly scares the shit outa me. Cant see how it would be good for your engine.. But thats just me haha

 

yah what a joke i would never run it that long, plus thats a lot of filter chanes with
No new oil ehhh it just feels weird.

 

That many miles, I'd replace the hoses, thermostat and coolant, if they have not been replaced. When replacing the belt, you will see it's a bit easier with the top hose off. Also, check each pulley bearing for play, especially the tensioner. Check your water pump for leaks. You have plenty of pad left, I wouldn't worry about the brakes just yet unless you have shimming/vibrations.

 

Yeah just a little sketchy for me

 

Which hoses should be replaced? All of them? Is new hose cheap? Coolant was replaced not too long ago, bought a new belt which should be here soon. To check them, just grab em and see if I can move them? I'll hold on on the brakes for now they're just annoying how much they squeak