Rented a pressure tester, found coolant leaking around two bolts for the front engine/timing cover,one of them a waterpump bolt, so I assume I need a new gasket for that? Looking at rave, looks like the hardest part is removing the crank pulley? I assume wouldn't be much more to replace the oil pump while in there?

BTW, my '04 has 84,xxx miles. Worth it while in there?

 

I just got done with this job myself. It's probably just me right now, but I thought that the headgasket job was less of a pain. Mostly because I don't like crawling around underneath the truck anymore; it involves dripping oil, plus the oil pan and timing cover were absolutely filthy on my truck and I have to clean every nut and bolt before I put it back. The crankshaft pulley was no problem. Some people use the "bump the starter" method to take it off, but you still have to tighten it back up again and I'm not sure how they all did that. I just put my serpentine belt around the pulley and looped it back around once or twice in the opposite direction I was turning the wrench (nice and tight) and attached the other end of the belt to something solid. This held the pulley just fine. The fan clutch was kind of a pain though.

I debated about replacing the oil pump gears but decided to just inspect them instead and they looked fine. I did replace the timing gears/chain (not sure that I should have bothered), water pump, serp belt, camshaft sensor seal, oil press sensor o-ring, oil pick-up o-ring, crank seal and trans coolant line orings.

 

crank pully is pretty easy. I did mine when the engine was out. Just take a impact gun, i used a electric one and it will come right off.

Chris

 

OK, so maybe it won't be too bad. I have a pneumatic impact, but I'm hoping it will fit between the pulley and radiator. Does the pully come right off, or will I need a gear/pulley puller(one of the few things I don't have)?

Luckily, the fan didn't give me too much a prob, my '98 did when I did the water pump. PITA.

BTW, do the trans cooler lines need to come off to drop the pan?

 

No, comes right off... I ripped my block down to ...well...just the block with no special tools...

chris

 

Cool, thanks

 

crank pully should pull right off, I had room to use an inpact with my radiator in place.

A couple things to what out for make sure you can remove the bolts on the cross member than runs under the transfer case. I could nopt and it made it hade to drop the pan.

Also if i remember correctly the RAVE say there a 16 bolt in the oil pan, acually there are 18. The tranny lines can just be unbolted and slide out of the way.

 

I mentioned this awhile back when I had to do this job...and funny that I actually have to pull my front cover again for an oil seal.

You're going to have to drop the oil pan. With the oil pan off, if you rotate the crank you'll notice 1/2" holes bored into the crank counter-weights in a few places. This is a pretty common thing on almost every crank I've seen. I don't know if they are drilled during balancing or what...BUT, you can slide a 1/2" extension into these holes and use the extension as a handle to rotate the crank from underneath. Additionally you can use these to STOP the crank from rotating. If we were dealing with a steel block, I'd say just ram an extension into the hole and rotate the crank until the extension is against the block and can no longer turn...HOWEVER; being that the block is aluminum, this is a sure way to scar and mar the block (particularly where the oil pan mounts).

I would recommend taking a block of wood to throw between the extension and the block, you can then rotate the crank to the point where the extension contacts the wood/block and then the crank will lock up and you can install / remove the pulley using a ratchet with a jack handle on the end of it or a breaker bar if you own one.

Long explanation but it's actually quite simple. I hope it helps. Please don't bump the starter, it just sounds like a really redneck retarded-*** way to do it.

 

I'm glad you think it's funny now, haha.

I wouldn't bother taking the cross member off. I put tall jack stands under the frame (right behind the cross member mounts to raise the frame up and let the front axle hang down. Then turn your front wheels all the way to the right or left (almost didn't thinK of this), this moves the tie-rod (or track rod - whatever the Brits call it) forward plenty far enough to let the pan slip by (I may not have had to raise the frame at that point).
edit: wait I have a 2" lift, that may have helped me some.

No way my impact wrench would fit in there for the crank pulley.

 

Thanks, that will be a neat short-cut if my impact won't fit.