going in for the headgasket replacement !

[timsrv]

Are you trying to install a head with the intake and exhaust manifolds already installed on it? It never occurred to me to do it that way so it's hard to comment on how that would work. Personally I like to assemble one piece at a time (put a bare head on the block, then install manifolds, etc). The head would be rather heavy and hard to align with manifolds on it. Perhaps if you had a helper or maybe you could hang the head from a rafter using a pulley or something, then drop into place after everything is aligned??? Good luck. Tim

[Mfry]

I'm dealing with the head connected to the lower half of the clamshell, the exhaust manifold. Came off just fine, but it's difficult to align with the three exhaust holes during reassembly. Yes, very heavy! My plan is to remove the exhaust downpipe, carefully place and secure the head, and then link the exhaust back up. Hope it works!

[originalkwyjibo]

You should get enough movement on the exhaust pipe just by removing the bracket at the bellhousing. It's the only rigid mount for the exhaust so once it's loose or removed the entire exhaust will move around quite a bit on the rubber hangers.

[Mfry]

Excellent, thanks. I just removed that whole section, because it was easy and I wanted as much clearance as possible. Just waiting on my Toyota HG (have a Wix, but I'm taking Tim's advice and sticking to OEM). Truly a back breaking job, so I'm taking my time. I will no doubt require more advice. Stay tuned and thanks again.

[MyToy]

Yep, best datching bracket. I have done this 4 times. The only real hard part for me was getting the manifold lower bolts back in and torqued.

Good luck, will be watching for you.

MT

[Mfry]

Happy to report that I successfully completed the head gasket job, and I also fixed a number of other things during the project. The van is running cool and like a Swiss watch!! Here are some of my takeaways. Take care everyone!

1. I really took my time on this project, because I needed to go easy on my body, and I knew that being methodical would improve my chances of success. I worked over the course of a month and took days off after rigorous parts of the process. It’s a really big job, and you will want to make room for other repairs you encounter. If possible, take it slow.
2. The 1989 Toyota repair manual was very helpful, as it includes the broad strokes of the project. I used color-coded stickers for all my hoses and numbered stickers (matched to the steps in the manual) for other connections, which was very helpful during reassembly. I also kept track of the head bolts and pushrods by drawing a diagram on a piece of cardboard and inserting the parts into their numbered holes. Make sure you connect your spark plug wires in the right order.
3. I damaged the power steering pulley while trying to remove it. Fortunately, I was able to find a whole new power steering pump from a same year van in a California junkyard. Be very careful with the pulley.
4. I did not cut a hole in the firewall, rather I used telescoping mirrors and thin profile flex-head ratchets to disconnect/connect the bolts and hoses at the back of the engine. My hose of death was in great shape, but I replaced it anyway with Toyota HVAC heater hose 99556-10300, cut to size and fastened with small worm gear clamps. Taking/keeping the valve cover off gives you a bit more room to access those hard-to-reach bolts on the back of the head, the intake manifold, and the exhaust manifold.
5. I did not detach the exhaust manifold (lower clamshell) from the head, which means I lifted the joined piece out of the van and installed that same piece once the new head gasket was in place. This is a hard way to do this, because it’s really heavy and alignment is difficult. If you go this route, you want to make sure you don’t ruin your new head gasket while trying to line things up. In order to make this possible, I removed the side exhaust manifold bracket and the exhaust from the downpipe to the catalytic converter. Once the head was on and tightened down, I reattached the bracket and the downpipe. Also be careful not to bend/break the fuel line that runs along the firewall. During installation/alignment, I straddled the engine and lowered the head/exhaust manifold into place.
6. Here are some tools and parts that came in handy:
   
   1. Tungsten carbide gasket scraper
   2. Hose remover tool
   3. 24mm six point flare nut crowfoot wrench (for hard to reach EGR pipe bottom nut)
   4. Wix gasket set (for everything but the head gasket)
   5. Genuine Toyota head gasket (11115-73030)
   6. Toyota HVAC heater hose, cut to size, for the hose of death (99556-10300)
   7. Beck Arnley throttle position sensor (158-0503)
   8. Toyota Landcruiser EGR modulator (25870-66010). The diaphragm on my modulator was compromised, and any of the Landcruiser modulators from the period works well.
   9. CLR Pro Radiator Flush & Cleaner (item #56DY61 at Grainger). It’s expensive, but works really well. I flushed four times (CLR + distilled water, drove w. heater on, let cool down, drain, then run just distilled water until completely free of debris).
   10. Genuine Toyota red coolant (002721LLAC01) mixed 50/50 with distilled water. Good stuff.
   11. Nippon Denso type fuel injector connector kit(s) with special low keyways from Ballenger Motorsports (CONN-75745).

[timsrv]

Great job! These kind of projects can be tough, but I find them very rewarding when finished.

[Mfry]

Really rewarding. Thanks Tim. This site and the nice people on it were my biggest resource, by the way. Such great technical information that I've been storing up for a while now. Take care.