Cam seals or half moons leaking?

Yup

 

The passenger side is easy to do

 

Let's be clear with our language here. Camshaft PLUGS go in the back of the motor, shown here...



Camshaft SEALS go in the front of the motor, shown here...



The camshaft PLUGS should be replaced while the valve cover is off. It is probably possible to remove/replace the plugs without removing the valve cover, but good fucking luck. The camshaft SEALS on the other hand are completely independent of the valve cover, but the front half of the motor (accessories, fan, timing belt, etc) has to be removed.

 

So you can get to those without removing anything? Or just a couple things? Cause it seemed tight when I looked at it.

 

A few weeks ago, I changed my VC gaskets, half moons, spark plug seals, and cam plugs (the ones on the back). Even with my nephew helping (slows me down), total time was <8 hrs. You should of course get some intake gaskets. I also removed and cleaned my IAC so I also bought that gasket and I cleaned my thottle body with carb cleaner.

I would just go that route. Those plugs are gonna be hard to change without removing the valve covers.

 

Do you have a write up on all that cause I'll have to do all that sometime.

 

It's pretty easy to do the valve cover gaskets (spark plug tubes, cam plugs, half moons etc). It's a bit time consuming, but still pretty easy with minimal tools. Just take your time and document/label everything. Mine were leaking at the half moons and no amount of half assed fixes would have worked. Take a weekend, do ALL the steps and be done with it for another 100k miles.

 

Watch this video...

 

There's a great sticky at the top of the page on it.

 

Here is a brief rundown from when I did mine...

Started the valve cover gasket replacement.






Taking a break for a bit.



Got one side wrapped, half lap/double wrapped FTW...


Other loom taped up and valve covers off...




Spark plug tube and PCV gaskets replaced...


Half moons and cam plugs removed/cleaned...


Got the half moons and cam plugs sealed. Valve covers installed. Coils cleaned. New plugs/wires. New PCV.



Everything is buttoned up...

 

Sorry no, but I bet if you search, someone has created a thread on these repairs. This is a pretty common maintenance routine for the 3.4s.

I have seen guys say they had a really hard time getting a half moon removed, but mine came out fairly easily with channel locks and straight up force. I did buy some Toyota sealer and a few other things.

FYI, these are for 1995 3.4L. Check fit for your vehicle.

Amazon buys:

VC set
https://tinyurl.com/y4v269ar
Intake gaskets
https://tinyurl.com/y5jtqg9h
Half Moons
https://tinyurl.com/y25yx8ho
Cam plugs(seals)
https://tinyurl.com/yxzlsh5x
Seal Maker
https://tinyurl.com/yyw359mh
PCV Valve
https://tinyurl.com/y6f3dh5u

 

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads...ping-out-valve-cover-gaskets-pictures.469596/

 

I'll definitely watch that. I've seen alot of videos so more isn't too much.

That's a really clean truck. I'll look at those for reference. Thanks.

When you bought these did you notice a difference in material from the OEM? I've just heard of people getting stuff from Amazon and Auto Stores and they seem it may not be as durable as the OEM and they go to the dealership to get gaskets. Is that different for you?

 

If I used foil tape to tape the looms could I just keep them taped up or is there a reason people don't keep them taped up if they are so brittle? Granted yours don't look dry rotted

 

I think wrapping the looms with silicone tape (or a special automotive wiring harness tape) helps keep them around for the long term. Sealing wiring harnesses and related looms from engine heat and elements help them last longer. We've got to remember that most of our trucks are old enough to vote or will soon be that age. Plastics require special handling and treatment on antique vehicles. @Gen1FTMFW did a nice job of protecting the one on his truck.

Hopefully, you won't find a wiring harness like the one on the truck that I bought. Since I didn't have a good wire loom to work with, I had to use a flex conduit and wrap it in F4 silicone tape.

 

This will be a great first project. When I started working on cars again with my teenage sons roughly 10 years ago, one of the first jobs was to replace valve cover gaskets. I'm not sure about the age or mileage of your vehicle, but this would be a good time to replace the spark plugs with wires. That is if they haven't recently been replaced. Use the recommended Denso or NGK plugs for your vehicle and OEM wires. I went with the stock Denso double tips and love them.

If you run into a vacuum hose that is breaking open from age, you can wrap it with silicone tape "as shown above" as a temporary fix. Then get a new hose. Once in a while, we see members pick up vacuum leaks after they replace valve covers from a hose issue. Don't try to reuse use a cracked hose. It will come back to bite in the end.

Since you are in MD (east coast), there is an online dealer in VA that sells parts at a nice discount. Delivery will be fast from Richmond to MD and shipping low. I like to email them with a laundry list of what I need, the look up the part numbers based on my VIN, and send back a parts list that I use to order.

https://toyotaparts.mcgeorgetoyota.com/

 

Very nice. I will send them an email when I'm looking to do all this. Y'all have been a great help, keep it coming!
My first project was to diagnose the SRS light and Soni got a spiral cable and took off my first steering wheel and did all that yesterday and don't think it fixed it unless you need to clear the code to check it.
The Cruise control turns on but doesn't set and the horn sounded wimpy, which is why I thought the clock spring may have been going out. The horn may sound better but nothing different with the CC. I have a used ECU for the airbag assembly so I may put that in and see if it fixed SRS and then troubleshoot the CC.
But even if it is more work I will enjoy doing the gaskets and breaking down all the stuff on top of it in the engine bay and cleaning it all down.
Oh and the windshield washer canister fell out yesterday cause the bolts weren't in, which may have been the mysterious bolts I found in the ash tray... So I'll have to take off the bottle neck of the canister because of the dry rot and then see what I can jerryrig as a spout neck or just use a funnel to fill it.

 

We are lucky to have @Timmah! provide a series of instructional videos for how to maintain our vehicles.

I've been members of clubs that didn't have videos like Tim's.

All we had was some dude trying to be a "smiling youtube star" that would demonstrate the wrong way to do something and send everybody off on a bolt cutting half-assed way to accomplish something. I see cars from that type of maintenance in the junkyard often.

 

Ok so Tim a part of TW? Cause I've seen his videos lol. They are good. I watched his spiral cable one.

 

Take your time and we are here to help. I've learned over the years to just use the best parts you can and don't try to cheap out when performing DIY maintenance. You are already saving hundreds of dollars by DIY.

When I first got my Taco, I had a "highly recommended" shop do some diagnostics for an engine knock. They removed the passenger side valve cover, they also removed the cam seal retainer and left it off. When the cam seal worked its way out, I started leaking about 1 quart of oil for every 10 miles. That is a big leak. Also, I found they cross-threaded the bolts that hold on the coils, two of the VC bolts, and a couple of bolts on the oil pan. I got all that for $500. Hell of a deal.

That's why I just don't want unknown shops to touch one of my vehicles that care about keeping.