Waterproofing 1GR-FE?

Good Day,

I am curious, whether any of you have suggestions on waterproofing a Tacoma 4.0 V6.
At this point, I am just having to replace the idler pulleys, as mine are starting to make noise, and reading some info online (I know, always dangerous), brought me across a mentioning or 2 about finding bearings that can handle being dunked.

Is it true the OEM Koyo bearings are prone to failure if the front end gets wet in a river crossing? Is there another brand that is more durable (I'm looking at the Gates pulleys, which are actually about $30-40 more for the set)? Granted, the lower Gates' lower pulley does come with the front washer and bolt (mine are rusted beyond reuse).

And are there other things I should consider, when trying to make my rig more off-road (possibly river-crossing) hearty?

All suggestions are welcome.
Thanks for your time!
Dre

 

You're probably in some pretty deep water if your idler pulley is being submerged. And your stock truck is probably drinking water at that point, too.

That said, I've never really heard of "water proof" bearings. They should be able to take getting wet, otherwise you should never wash your engine.

Just one of those things that if you take your truck swimming a lot, stuff is gunna wear out faster.

Your first concern should be diff breathers.

 

Good points. I haven’t taken the truck swimming just yet, but am wanting to be ready for anything, as a buddy and I consider doing some more serious overlanding. The diff breathers have already been moved, and now that the idler bearings are making noise, I figured I’d address them. I decided to go with the oem koyo pulleys + new bolts and washers from the Toyota dealer.

A snorkel is also in consideration, just in case and because my last truck (a Dodge Dakota) died in a puddle in Colorado.

 

Keep in mind a snorkel is NOT what makes you able to drive through door handle deep water. Their primary purpose is actually dust mitigation (see the dudes is Australia).

The stock "snorkel" which is in the fenderwell is actually relatively well protected, and unless you get into water that's above your bumper (which is seriously deep!), you likely won't be sucking up too much water.