Debating Engine Rebuild... Options

[caribou17]

Well my engine is leaking from alot of places right now, Not huge leaks but i do have to replace alot of seals, also there is oil inside my timing cover and the timing belt needs to be changed....So who here has rebuilt the 5S? I see the price to replace everything in my engine will be the cheapest way for me doing it myself, i just cant afford a mechanic right now...BUT the only thing holding me back is my lack of knowledge at this point. I am pretty determined and would love to do this task, but how difficult will this be? Thanks..

[enderswift]

What kind of rebuild?

Just gasket replacement?

Replacing all bearings and rings?

Everything?

I went down the 'everything' path, and let me tell you, its a ton of work. Simple things that you would think should be a piece of cake end up taking forever. An example is trying to remove old rtv compound from the oil pan. Sounds easy, just peel it off. Nope few hours and a special brush later its finally done. Then again I take the overkill approach to these things so maybe I'm not the final word on the matter. I know there's a lot of people on here that have done a good job that can chime in

This post has been edited by enderswift: Jul 31, 2012 - 5:00 PM

[caribou17]

What kind of rebuild?

Just gasket replacement?

Replacing all bearings and rings?

Everything?

I went down the 'everything' path, and let me tell you, its a ton of work. Simple things that you would think should be a piece of cake end up taking forever. An example is trying to remove old rtv compound from the oil pan. Sounds easy, just peel it off. Nope few hours and a special brush later its finally done. Then again I take the overkill approach to these things so maybe I'm not the final word on the matter. I know there's a lot of people on here that have done a good job that can chime in

Im wanting to do everything because my engine is at 260k now, I figured if i take the engine out i want to make it worth it. Ahh i am the same as you with little things like that,,,How long did it take you to do yours? What were some of the more problematic parts to the rebuild that would be good to get some info on? And did you use OEM pistons or did you put in some others? Any help is appreciated thanks for the reply!

[rave2n]

An example is trying to remove old rtv compound from the oil pan. Sounds easy, just peel it off. Nope few hours and a special brush later its finally done.

Literally doing that right now...

it sucks.

[enderswift]

Im wanting to do everything because my engine is at 260k now, I figured if i take the engine out i want to make it worth it. Ahh i am the same as you with little things like that,,,How long did it take you to do yours? What were some of the more problematic parts to the rebuild that would be good to get some info on? And did you use OEM pistons or did you put in some others? Any help is appreciated thanks for the reply!

It took so long that I'm not done yet haha. Granted school and work got in the way for a good part of the year. As far as problematic parts go, I was stressing over measuring parts to see if they were in spec. Its a total pita but absolutely necessary. I stuck with oem pistons because they were in good shape and because the 3s bottom end can hand a ton of power stock.

Literally doing that right now...

it sucks.

just buy the 3m roloc bristle brush like I did and call it a day. Strips the stuff right off and leaves behind a nice surface

[ILoveMySilly97]

How much would it generally cost for a full rebuilt kit for our 5sfe anyways?

[enderswift]

No such thing as a full rebuild kit. You can buy a gasket kit that comes with the majority of the seals and such, but bearings and rings and hardware are separate.

my gasket set was $223

[Special_Edy]

Its about $700-$900 to rebuild with new pistons, rings, bearings, valve job and gasket set. This includes machine shop work but its assuming you are doing all the assembly/disassembly yourself

[celica74]

An example is trying to remove old rtv compound from the oil pan. Sounds easy, just peel it off. Nope few hours and a special brush later its finally done.

Literally doing that right now...

it sucks.

a wire brush works wonders.

[Jaytwou2]

All in all you will end up spending 1000-1500$ depending on if you are going to be removing and installing the engine yourself and what exact parts your are going to be replacing! I am currently in the proccess of rebuilding my 5s and so far ive spent about 600$ just on a Head Gasket Set/Valve job/decking the head since it was kind of warped/some light porting and having the head tested on a flow bench! Next week i will be dropping off the block... No price for that yet

[Smaay]

^^^^ you have spent way too much.

gasket set is about 240 at most. ring set is about 100. bearings for rods and crank are about 150. get a good cylinder hone tool either the balls or stones. follow my guide on rebuilding the 7A. the 5S is similar. a few little difference here and there.

get a good straight edge from harbor freight and check to make sure everything is straight. Lap the valves, dont pay for a full valve job.

i have rebuilt 3 5S-FEs and numerous others.

[celica74]

^^^^ you have spent way too much.

gasket set is about 240 at most. ring set is about 100. bearings for rods and crank are about 150. get a good cylinder hone tool either the balls or stones. follow my guide on rebuilding the 7A. the 5S is similar. a few little difference here and there.

get a good straight edge from harbor freight and check to make sure everything is straight. Lap the valves, dont pay for a full valve job.

i have rebuilt 3 5S-FEs and numerous others.

this guy knows his celicas. listen to him

[mkernz22]

Just replace the seals and a few gaskets if it's leaking (that's what I did). Why go through a whole rebuild if the engine is still running strong?

[Special_Edy]

Why waste money on a 260k engine. Either do a full rebuild or dont spend a dime on it.

You can rering it, but you will probably need it overbored with oversize pistons and rings. Align boring and bearings for sure. Water pump, oil pump. Have the cylinderhead checked by a shop, rebuild it as necessary. You need to replace the clutch, either motormount if they are worn. New timing belt of course. Replace all the vacuum lines while you have it apart.

[czwalga]

Do the rod bearings for sure...

[mkernz22]

Why waste money on a 260k engine. Either do a full rebuild or dont spend a dime on it.

You can rering it, but you will probably need it overbored with oversize pistons and rings. Align boring and bearings for sure. Water pump, oil pump. Have the cylinderhead checked by a shop, rebuild it as necessary. You need to replace the clutch, either motormount if they are worn. New timing belt of course. Replace all the vacuum lines while you have it apart.

If it's still in good running condition other than the leaks, then just replace what you need to for the time being.
My car is at 238,000 miles now. Still has some leaks that I need to fix after what I have already fixed. It's been out of my car once for the transmission swap, the head gasket is still fine on it too (not sure if original or not, but most likely).
No sense in me rebuilding my whole engine because it still runs fine. It's a Toyota, it can handle the high mileage. I ran it on a strip a few times, beat it up off roading sometimes, and get on it a lot just driving around because I like to have fun with it.

The OP can do what he wants, but being that he doesn't have much experience with engines, I would say that doing the gaskets / seals are a good first project. Once the car is leak free, he could just buy another 5s to rebuild so that he doesn't have to worry about the car not being on the road. Also, he would have plenty of time to build that engine right and learn a lot in the process rather than just rushing through it to get it back in the car.

[Jaytwou2]

^^^^ you have spent way too much.

gasket set is about 240 at most. ring set is about 100. bearings for rods and crank are about 150. get a good cylinder hone tool either the balls or stones. follow my guide on rebuilding the 7A. the 5S is similar. a few little difference here and there.

get a good straight edge from harbor freight and check to make sure everything is straight. Lap the valves, dont pay for a full valve job.

i have rebuilt 3 5S-FEs and numerous others.

Well so far i have spent 540$... 250$ on the valve job 35$ on a pressure test 50$ for surfacing the head and 50$ to set the valves and 140$ on the head gasket set! After paying that much i just realized i am putting way to much money into this 5s.. I want to attempt to do the block myself! I have decent mechanical skills but never did an engine build before

[Ghost1]

No such thing as a full rebuild kit. You can buy a gasket kit that comes with the majority of the seals and such, but bearings and rings and hardware are separate.

my gasket set was $223

http://www.ebay.com/itm/97-01-2-2L-Toyota-...#ht_4243wt_1164

a Few people have use this kit to rebuild their 5sfe, they got over 20k so far no issues. would recommend for DD and budget rebuild.

[Jaytwou2]

No such thing as a full rebuild kit. You can buy a gasket kit that comes with the majority of the seals and such, but bearings and rings and hardware are separate.

my gasket set was $223

http://www.ebay.com/itm/97-01-2-2L-Toyota-...#ht_4243wt_1164

a Few people have use this kit to rebuild their 5sfe, they got over 20k so far no issues. would recommend for DD and budget rebuild.

The only things i question on these kits are... How good are the oil and water pumps? Also will the 97-01 kit fit the 94 5s?

[Ghost1]

i have a timing belt kit in my 5sfe, i have drove a total of 200kms no leaks, and runs just as it did before. yes it will fit.



This post has been edited by Ghost1: Aug 10, 2012 - 4:54 PM