Replacing Timing Cover, what else?

Hey all,

I'm looking for some advice regarding some upcoming maintenance I have to do on the truck. For background, I have an 06 Tacoma, v6, with a 100k miles.

About 10k miles ago the serpentine belt broke a hole in the timing cover, and since then it’s been plugged with nitrile rubber and JB weld…. Needless to say I need to replace the cover. Since I’m going to replace the cover, I was curious about a couple of things:

1. Is OEM quality necessary? Hoping to keep the truck a long time
2. If I buy OEM used, should I also buy a new oil pump to replace whatever is on the cover
3. What else should I do while the cover is off? Obvious things come to mind like the timing cover gasket, maybe valve cover… anything else?


Appreciate the sage wisdom. Thanks.

 

If you have a pick-a-part junkyard nearby, you might find a good, used OEM for peanuts.

Oil pumps about never fail, but if they do, your engine goes belly up fast. I'll leave that call up to you

Check the timing chain or belt, whatever it has in there. I've only owned my Taco since Monday, so not familiar with the V6.

Be sure and get a good gasket. Maybe someone has a service manual and can tell you what gasket sealer (if any) to use. Avoid silicone/RTV. If you get chunks of silicone floating around in the oil, it will block the oil passages. That's why we call it silly cone (sorry, I entertain easily)

While some people have very bad practices, watching some youtubes on the replacement might show you what needs to be removed and what order to remove stuff.

Take photos for reassembly (maybe post them here and get some more eyes on what's going on inside). Take note of where the bolts go if they are different lengths. Some bolts may require a sealant on the threads. Use the recommended sealant if needed and do a moderate coat on the bolt threads. Keep it clean. You can't be too clean inside an engine. Good luck! I hope it runs a long long time for you.

 

100k is not super high mileage for the 1GR-FE if it has been maintained well.

For reference, at 270k I recently took care of a timing cover and valve cover leak (both had been seeping for years, no big deal, but I found the tiniest kiss of oil on my last spark plug change and decided to jump on it). I decided to go ahead and do a full timing rebuild. Even at 270k I found the factory parts to be worn, but serviceable.

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/1gr-fe-timing-rebuild-wear-analysis.835938/

If everything looks fine, don't worry about it. Maybe have replacement chain guides on hand, because they are known to crack in place without causing a problem until they are disturbed or until they wear enough to throw chunks into the timing system. They are not particularly expensive, so not a big hit if yours are fine. You should also get a new harmonic balancer bolt - they are not supposed to be re-used.

 

The important part is getting all the O-rings and RTV in all the correct places.
I would not mind going aftermarket if it was a good bit cheaper.
I hate cleaning parts, so used parts would be my last resort.

Might as well do a water pump and thermostat while you are there.
Don't forget the crank seal.

Oil pump.....It's your call.
I've never seen one fail. If you do replace it, get a GOOD known manufacturer.
Milling or OEM.

The last thing you want to do, is do the job over.
Or trash the whole engine with low oil pressure.