question about swapping head on '99 2.7

Ok so i have two bad valves on my 99 taco. had a leak down test done to confirm it. I was quoted $500 to have the valve job done by a local machine shop, and i found a reman head for $600. So i figured i would go spend an extra $100 for the reman head. my question is regarding the head swap. Is the head on the 2.7L a major pain? the mechanic quoted me a price for the whole job and he said removal/install on the head is listed as a 1.5 day job. has anyone done this job before? my experience with pulling a head on a little 4 banger is that it takes a few hours maybe, definitely not a day and a half. why does it take so long? I would rather do it myself if it's not a major PITA, as the labor to do it is $1300. I also don't have a lot of time (i'm out of town but i have a garage i can use to do the job), but i don't want to get stuck here any longer than i need to be.

 

Have you actually pulled a head before?

Its a lot of work. The head bolts need to be replaced, along with exhaust and intake gaskets. The front cover and chain need to be removed. Know the torque specs. Do your homework before starting. Google is your friend.

 

Yea I've done engine work before. I ended up paying to have it done. Huge mistake, it went from a 2-3 day job to a 17 day nightmare. Hindsight I should have done it myself, but I hadn't done all the research and I was out of town (i had a garage I could have used), so I figured I'd avoid the trouble so I could get home. But the valve lash on the reman'd head was off, the shop didnt catch it until after it was on the truck. They warrantied the first one, the second head that came in was worse. Had another mechanic adjust the valve lash on the second head and had it installed. Got the truck back finally, the head was leaking from a freeze plug. Got that fixed, now there's noise coming from the valve cover once it's warmed up. I think its the lifters, so now I have that to look into. I'm hoping an oil change will fix that issue, if it's the lifters leaking down, anyway. Fml

 

Good luck!!!! That's what I hate about engine work. They're so fussy and have to be so accurate and you have no idea if its going to work until its all back together

How about a v8 swap?

 

I guess the good news out of all this is that I learned my lesson letting someone else do a job I should've done.