RTFM. You are crazy if you don't. It tells you exactly what to do. What happens when you get to the head bolts, do you know which order to remove them? do you know which order to install them? Do you know how to install them? Do you know all the torque values? Do you know where to put RTV on the valley gasket? etc. etc. etc.

 

I agree, read the manual and follow the steps to disassemble and assemble, all the info is right there. I print pages from RAVE as I need them and follow that. I'm an accountant/programmer and I can do it, so then anyone else that follows the steps in RAVE can get it right. You need a complete gasket set and a set of head bolts if you have not ordered that yet, AB www.roverparts.com is my goto place since I'm too lazy to search elsewhere.

 

I just finished the tear down last week. I used a 5/8 impact socket and a breaker bar with 36 inch iron pipe as a cheater, this made breaking the head bolts loose VERY EASY.

 

Ok i admit i have the RAVE manual handy (dont tell my wife please). I started to print the whole thing to put into a binder to keep in the rover until i realize it is 1500+ pages long. Today I stopped after I got the IM removed. I am at the limit of my mechanical abilities and I ran out of beer. My mechanically inclined friend is coming over this weekend to assist me with the portions that require an IQ of more than 33 to do. I know my limits.

I knew when I started this today that I was going to mess up and I knew that I would learn some POOP too. I have done both. I also never planned to get into the complicated portions of the teardown w/o competent help .

I took POOP tons of pictures and have about 15 ziplock baggies with sharpie labels on them to organize me when I go to put stuff back; great idea BTW, props to whomever suggested that one.

I appreciate all the assistance and remember; that there were several beers killed in the making of these posts.

more to come;

brian

 

Off topic.

I see your going to rhino line your interior.

I hurculined my floors in my 97 4runner. It came out GREAT. I loved just pulling the plugs and washing it out with a hose.

 

yes that is the idea. I would also like to do the outside bottom of the doors, fenders and rocker panels up to about the trim line. it is getting very scratched up in those areas. but alas, that and the other repairs/upgrades I have the parts for will wait to see if she gets reserected from the blown head gasket. She has had a badly blown headgasket and has sat idle for over a year (stupid army, deploying me again) so I have a yard long To DO list for her, just as soon as I hear her start again. <crosses fingers>

 

Quick question; any reason I can not or should not soak the intake manifold in carb cleaner to ungunk it while I have it off the vehicle? Seems I could get it a lot cleaner now.
Quick question 2; I have heard about puting dielectric grease in the various and sundry plugs and connections on the vehicle in order to water resistant them, I have almost all the plugs in the engine compartment unhooked now and thought this would be an ideal time to waterproof them. All I do is spray the connection with compressed or canned air to dry it then spray (? I assume it is a spray grease) the dielectric grease into it before reconnecting it?

Quick question 2.5; no harm in degreasing and hosing off everything under the hood if I keep the fuse box dry correct - she a VERY dirty girl under there.

 

I cleaned all my parts before putting them back on. Figure why put dirty parts back on. Gasoline and brake cleaner ended up being the best cleaning solvents in my garage.

 

Whatever you do make sure your MAF is safe, remove it and put it in the trunk if it is not off already. Your engine and electrical stuff is waterproofed, but just to be safe don't pressure wash your electrical components. Go for it on the engine and transmission with degreaser and a pressure washer - make sure any open holes are plugged watertight.

 

So I wont harm anything if I degrease and hose it off if I follow simple instructions. too easy.

MAF is already taken out.

Now about that dielectric grease thing...

great advise and tips so far guys - keep them coming!