I just looked at your pic again and it looks just like mine. Pull the rail off. If it seems to be stuck, the rail will bind and you need to pull it off the studs evenly. That hose is not what's keeping it from coming off.

I'm about to do this with my truck (Head Gaskets). Interested in how it goes. Are you doing the timing belt/H2O pump/pullies as well? How about the heads. Are you taking them to get machined flat?

I'm thinking about sending in my injectors to get them cleaned as well.......

Thanks.....

well im back again with some more questions. i know i have to take the back timing cover off, but do i have to take the cam assembly apart first? is this just one big piece?


by the way here is a picture of my poor truck. again, thanks for the help this is the first time ive done this.

Leave the cams on. Becareful when removing the head bolts not to strip them. Hard part here is getting the cam sprockets off. Those bolts are tight! Hope you have a breaker bar, if not get one. Don't use 12point sockets either, get six point if you don't already. I was a rookie when I did mine and did not want to get the special wrench that locks onto the cam sprocket which is the right way. I just put a deep socket on one of the bolts that holds on the timing cover behind the sprocket and used it as a sort of wedge. I have heard of guys snapping the bolt head off and putting themselves in even deeper so the choice is yours. It worked for me but obviously is not the proper way, i guess it depends on what you have on hand or access to. Once the sprockets come off take the head bolts off in the proper sequence. Look at the fsm at the top of the thread if you have not already. You are getting close, good work, and the post that 1fastss placed all is necessary to say the least. Are you already savvy to what needs to be replaced along the way as far as tensioner pulley etc...? And using the right brand of gaskets etc...? lemme know, I luckily found this sight after my motor was at the machine shop and rauchoffroad's thread was going strong so I eves dropped and learned alot. The machinist I had do the work went against my suggestion and used felpro head gaskets because thats what came with his rebuild kit and guess where I was 2000 miles later? In front of his shop ripping down my fresh new motor, doing what your doing because of his WRONG decision. BTW, look up rauchoffroads thread on the 3.0 rebuild, I'm sure most of your questions and a wealth of info is there waiting for you.

edit... You will have to remove the cams at some point because a couple of head bolts wont come out past the cam, and you MUST use new head bolts. You can loosen the ones enough to pull the head off without completely removing them, but the cams do have to come off to get them out and the new ones in. Mark all of you bearing caps and put them back in exactly the same place they came, they are all ground to fit right where they are. <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/zombie.gif" alt="" />

Did you drain the coolant from the block? If not the heads are still full of it and will spew down your driveway... It would be a good idea to do so now. <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/kewl.gif" alt="" />

yaeh i drained everything. so i dont have to take off the cam timing pulleys, they go off with the cams? if so that would make my life so much easier. and withe the replacement parts, im gonna go with the Toyota gasket set. if the heads arent cracked, im gonna have a shop my friend recommended work on them.

Pulleys have to come off. The only way you can get the timing cover off that's behind the cam sprockets is to take the sprockets off. This is the next PITA you have for now.

is there some secret to this cause those things are on pretty tight and i dont want to break anything.

[quote] Hard part here is getting the cam sprockets off. Those bolts are tight! Hope you have a breaker bar, if not get one. Don't use 12point sockets either, get six point if you don't already. I was a rookie when I did mine and did not want to get the special wrench that locks onto the cam sprocket which is the right way. I just put a deep socket on one of the bolts that holds on the timing cover behind the sprocket and used it as a sort of wedge. I have heard of guys snapping the bolt head off and putting themselves in even deeper so the choice is yours. It worked for me but obviously is not the proper way, i guess it depends on what you have on hand or access to. Once the sprockets come off take the head bolts off in the proper sequence. Look at the fsm at the top of the thread if you have not already.