I just did this on my Lexus RX330 with the same 3.3L engine. The spark plug replacement was straightforward, but the rear valve cover pull and reinstall was difficult. That darned wiring harness just does not give enough clearance -- both to remove and reinstall. I found the right side most challenging. I pulled too hard on the harness right side and pulled out the camshaft position sensor wire. With the broken wire, I just had enough clearance to remove/reinstall the valve cover, but now have to deal with a check engine light and PO340 errors until I can replace. This was unnecessarily too difficult. The front bank valve cover was a piece of cake! Great job with these videos and tips -- I totally understand what you went through to do this.
@18:53, you can more easily unscrew the indicated "Red" Bolt by first removing the PCV valve on the rear valve cover and using a 10mm offset box wrench from the top of the vehicle; no need to go under the car (in fact, I don't know how you pulled that off :)); you can also torque those hard to reach bolts using an adjustable torque wrench adapter.
This video is great. Haven’t seen anything as detailed as this. I’ve shared in one of Facebook group Lexus ES300 owners. This will be super useful for them. Thank you so much. Awesome man!! Thanks heaps.
I try to perform this today. Same thing broke the evap hose. Can’t find the hose near me. How did u replaced it ? Toyota manual written as hose fuel Vapor feed no 1. 😂😂parts shops here no clue what that is 😅. U have the replacement parts number if u can share pls Tks
Regarding the 14mm bolt ( at 11:30 in video ) that took you 30 mins to reinstall. I too had a hard time on my Sienna . The trick is to loosen the other bolt/nut? at the other end of this bracket. I had to go under the van to do this. Lossening that bolt/nut allows that bracket to wiggle a bit and so made it easier to align and reconnect the upper end of the bracket to the manifold. Once the 14mm bolt is reinstalled then tighten the one that was loosened which allowed wiggling.Hope this helps.
I just did this as well.(loosening all three bracket bolts underneath the vehicle,two 12 mm and one 14mm)I would also add that tightening all the plenum hex bolts and nuts finger tight so the plenum doesn't move helped the most.
Excellent details. I followed this series of videos for my valve cover replacement. To get more space from the thick wiring harness on top of the rear cover, I disconnected the connectors from the rear camshaft position sensor and the power steering pressure sensor. That will give more room to move the rear value cover.
Looks fearful but other than creating room to remove the rear valve cover, it’s definitely so-able at home. Study the video and mentally plan out the sequence of removal including bolt sizes. And keep good track of parts and bolts/nuts removed, otherwise, it’ll get confusing later. Plan this work over a weekend to have plenty of time. Let me know how it goes. :-)
Just completed this job for the second time on a 2006 Highlander. The OEM gasket lasted 14 years. The blue gasket and plug seals lasted about 3 years. This time I went back with the OEM gasket and plug seals. The extra $40 to $50 bucks is well worth not having to do this job again in the near future. Looks like the guy did a lot more than just replace valve cover seals and spark plugs. I didn't have as much trouble with access in the Highlander except for the large wiring harness on the rear bank which I just used some zip ties to pull it out of the way and access to the rear valve cover bolts. I try not to disconnect too many wiring harness as the clips break and that does not give me peace of mind.
Great job. This is not a simple DIY. Yeah I usually also use OEM parts on cars that I plan to keep. As for plastic connectors breaking, just the connector plastic is replaceable and well the wiring and I have separate video on that.
Great vid, thanks very much. This was one of the most difficult repair jobs I've done in 40 years, mostly because of the limited access to the rear cylinder bank. If Toyota used better seal materials, these would never leak because the design and fabrication of the metal parts is excellent. I'm speculating these are nitrile/buna N which doesn't have good resistance to the temperatures and becomes hard as a rock. The spark plug tube seals were so brittle you'd think they were made from bakelite.
You are absolutely accurate in your observation. Other than the gasket becoming hard, which shrinks the thickness and leaks oil, this engine is supposed to extremely reliable. Too bad that they couldn’t put few inches of slack into that thick wiring harness that makes very difficult work on the backside valve cover and use better gasket material that can last longer.
Two things 1st. you don’t have to remove the fuel rail injectors to do this job. 2end The wiring harness has another nut close to the thermostat you loosen that nut, you’ll save you a lot of time and be able to move that wiring harness out of the way. Much easier.
Yeah it’s my first time doing this on this engine, so I disassembled as much as I can to make room and there could be optimal steps like you mentioned. If I had to do it again, now I can probably do it in 1/2 the time. :-)
@15:08, I think it would have been easier to have not only unscrewed the (3) nuts, but also unscrew and remove the E6 e-torx studs that they attach to. Label them in a zip loc bag for easy inventory. The less "stuff" in the way back there, the better.
Yes, I checked and some 2004 ES330 uses 3MZ-FE. This is part 1 of 3 videos. There are 2 more videos after this. Part 2: ua-cam.com/video/-SkOiiNGCB4/v-deo.html Part 3: ua-cam.com/video/Hs-NWLuZXYc/v-deo.html
Part of the problem with the bracket on the passenger side (13:30) is that it is U shaped for rigidity and the bolt head sits in the cavity of the U. So a wrench is hard to use there as opposed to the other brackets which are flat. A shallow 14mm socket is what I used and yes space is limited back there for all three brackets which does not make things easy!
Yeah, I ended up using skinny ratchet wrench, which gave me great access, but getting the darn bolt in was the trouble. I ended up looking back there with a mirror to locate the bolt. Small trivial things like this here and there made this job take a long time than what I initially estimated. LOL
@@DIYLifeSkills The next time I do this job I am going to find me a little longer bolt and use washers as spacers so that the head of the bolt sticks out beyond the recess of the U shaped bracket. I think that would be a good hack.
@@abyssalsoul6216 That should be many miles later. On Highlander forum. One guy showed a picture of how he unbolted the passenger side thick wiring housing, which allowed the entire thick wiring harness on the back to lift up good 6 inches and that will give plenty of space to easily remove and install the rear valve cover.
Just did the rear spark plugs and pcv valve today and found it quite challenging, im worried I wouldn’t be able to get the rear valve cover back on. How much harder is this than just doing the spark plugs and coils?
Take a look at part 2 and 3 videos. If you remove things out of the way as I mentioned, then it won’t to too challenging. Also be sure to use torque wrench for all bolts. I broke valve cover bolt and that was scary. This is all covered in other parts 2 and 3 videos.
You can remove all valve cover bolts from the top except for the back corner one on the passenger side, which is easier to do from bottom of car. I’ll publish part 3 video this weekend that shows the access to that bolt.
Thanks for asking. I've been super busy at work this year so I've not had much time, but I got back on the part 2 video, and I'm 70% done. So hopefully I can publish it this weekend. It literally take 60 hours of editing to assemble from over 50 videos.
Good news is, I got the part 2 video done and published. Bad news is it was getting too long with all the additional maintenances I've done during this project, so there will be part 3 video to complete the reinstallation, which I'll publish within 1 to 2 weeks.
Thanks for this excellent vid! How did you remove the broken valve cover bolt part from the engine block? I've got the same problem at a service. They've offered me to remove the whole engine. Is there any easiest way? It's located in hard location, as you marked in this video, please help me.
The broken bolt had a ever so tiny tip, perhaps about 1/8” that stuck out. It was like a tip of a nail almost. And I almost blacked out at the sight from thinking that engine has to be removed. But I was able to grab that tiny tip with a vice grip tip and ever so slowly got it to turn. Once I made couple of turns, I was then able to use a plier to rotate it more, and then eventually rotated with finger to get it out.
@@DIYLifeSkills Thanks for your reply. The servicemen even tried to weld this bolt, but it didn't work. Very limited space from this side of the valve cover. It was broken exactly where the bolt thread starts. I'll drive without the bolt for a while, but this problem must be solved, of course.
@@andrewgreen9366 Did you have a look yourself? I’m editing the second video and you’ll see I only had a tiny bit sticking out but that was good enough to make it turn.
great video although i really dont like how you just leave the valve cover off while removing everything. you risk getting debris and stuff in the engine. the valve cover should be the last thing you remove and the first thing you put back on.
Of course it is but taking out engine is big work on its own. This is doable, but just have to do some work to create room, which I covered in part 1 and 3 videos. I’m just causal weekend DIY handyman and I was able to do it so I’m sure most can do it too.
Part 2 video is here:
ua-cam.com/video/-SkOiiNGCB4/v-deo.html
Part 3 Video is here:
ua-cam.com/video/Hs-NWLuZXYc/v-deo.html
outstanding video
this will help me to do my daughters Highlander…..
thanks
Great. Let me know it goes.
I took this EXACT journey in December. I ran into so many of the same issues... BIG TIME flashbacks! Really enjoyed the details.
You too! Hahaha…it was a memorable experience that I didn’t expect when I started. LOL
I just did this on my Lexus RX330 with the same 3.3L engine. The spark plug replacement was straightforward, but the rear valve cover pull and reinstall was difficult. That darned wiring harness just does not give enough clearance -- both to remove and reinstall. I found the right side most challenging. I pulled too hard on the harness right side and pulled out the camshaft position sensor wire. With the broken wire, I just had enough clearance to remove/reinstall the valve cover, but now have to deal with a check engine light and PO340 errors until I can replace.
This was unnecessarily too difficult. The front bank valve cover was a piece of cake!
Great job with these videos and tips -- I totally understand what you went through to do this.
For amateurs, this sure requires a warrior heart to finish. Hope P0340 fix doesn't give too much headache.
@18:53, you can more easily unscrew the indicated "Red" Bolt by first removing the PCV valve on the rear valve cover and using a 10mm offset box wrench from the top of the vehicle; no need to go under the car (in fact, I don't know how you pulled that off :)); you can also torque those hard to reach bolts using an adjustable torque wrench adapter.
Awesome video. Excellent detail. Saved me some headaches!
Glad they helped. Thanks for the feedback.
@10:21 the broken hose on a 2004 Lexus RX330 is part #23829-0A130. It costs approximately $30.
Thanks for the info for others.
This video is great. Haven’t seen anything as detailed as this. I’ve shared in one of Facebook group Lexus ES300 owners. This will be super useful for them.
Thank you so much. Awesome man!! Thanks heaps.
Wow thanks for sharing. I’m working on part 2 reinstallation video to complete the story. It’s just that my work is busy so it’s taking some time.
@@DIYLifeSkills ya was looking for part two🙈. Thanks 🙏🏽
@@TheRavin87 I’ll try to finish it this weekend. ：-）
I try to perform this today. Same thing broke the evap hose. Can’t find the hose near me. How did u replaced it ? Toyota manual written as hose fuel Vapor feed no 1. 😂😂parts shops here no clue what that is 😅. U have the replacement parts number if u can share pls Tks
I agree, this is a great video and super information has been edited in. Super video!
Great video! Props to you lifting up the get to those rear bolts! 💯✅ lifting up a v6 Avalon to get to those rear bolts
Regarding the 14mm bolt ( at 11:30 in video ) that took you 30 mins to reinstall. I too had a hard time on my Sienna . The trick is to loosen the other bolt/nut? at the other end of this bracket. I had to go under the van to do this. Lossening that bolt/nut allows that bracket to wiggle a bit and so made it easier to align and reconnect the upper end of the bracket to the manifold. Once the 14mm bolt is reinstalled then tighten the one that was loosened which allowed wiggling.Hope this helps.
This comment helped me a lot for my install. Thanks!
@@billm6294 Glad it helped!!
I just did this as well.(loosening all three bracket bolts underneath the vehicle,two 12 mm and one 14mm)I would also add that tightening all the plenum hex bolts and nuts finger tight so the plenum doesn't move helped the most.
@mikaelphigaro3274 What year and how many miles?
@@DIYLifeSkills 2005 Limited 2WD 301000
Excellent details. I followed this series of videos for my valve cover replacement. To get more space from the thick wiring harness on top of the rear cover, I disconnected the connectors from the rear camshaft position sensor and the power steering pressure sensor. That will give more room to move the rear value cover.
Yeah afterwards I realize that that thick wiring harness can be loosened further by disconnecting it. Great job.
Hi, great editing and video with great details. Same engine in my 06 Sienna. Thank you for taking the time to do this.
Looks fearful but other than creating room to remove the rear valve cover, it’s definitely so-able at home. Study the video and mentally plan out the sequence of removal including bolt sizes. And keep good track of parts and bolts/nuts removed, otherwise, it’ll get confusing later. Plan this work over a weekend to have plenty of time. Let me know how it goes. :-)
Just completed this job for the second time on a 2006 Highlander. The OEM gasket lasted 14 years. The blue gasket and plug seals lasted about 3 years. This time I went back with the OEM gasket and plug seals. The extra $40 to $50 bucks is well worth not having to do this job again in the near future. Looks like the guy did a lot more than just replace valve cover seals and spark plugs. I didn't have as much trouble with access in the Highlander except for the large wiring harness on the rear bank which I just used some zip ties to pull it out of the way and access to the rear valve cover bolts. I try not to disconnect too many wiring harness as the clips break and that does not give me peace of mind.
Great job. This is not a simple DIY. Yeah I usually also use OEM parts on cars that I plan to keep. As for plastic connectors breaking, just the connector plastic is replaceable and well the wiring and I have separate video on that.
Great vid, thanks very much. This was one of the most difficult repair jobs I've done in 40 years, mostly because of the limited access to the rear cylinder bank. If Toyota used better seal materials, these would never leak because the design and fabrication of the metal parts is excellent. I'm speculating these are nitrile/buna N which doesn't have good resistance to the temperatures and becomes hard as a rock. The spark plug tube seals were so brittle you'd think they were made from bakelite.
You are absolutely accurate in your observation. Other than the gasket becoming hard, which shrinks the thickness and leaks oil, this engine is supposed to extremely reliable. Too bad that they couldn’t put few inches of slack into that thick wiring harness that makes very difficult work on the backside valve cover and use better gasket material that can last longer.
@9:20 the part that you were trying to find its name is called an "intake air connector assembly".
Two things 1st. you don’t have to remove the fuel rail injectors to do this job. 2end The wiring harness has another nut close to the thermostat you loosen that nut, you’ll save you a lot of time and be able to move that wiring harness out of the way. Much easier.
Yeah it’s my first time doing this on this engine, so I disassembled as much as I can to make room and there could be optimal steps like you mentioned. If I had to do it again, now I can probably do it in 1/2 the time. :-)
Extremely helpful! Thanks for doing this.
I'm working on part 2 of this video. Hopefully I'll get it done over this weekend. Thanks!
@15:08, I think it would have been easier to have not only unscrewed the (3) nuts, but also unscrew and remove the E6 e-torx studs that they attach to. Label them in a zip loc bag for easy inventory. The less "stuff" in the way back there, the better.
Wouldn't this include 2004 Lexus ES330? I'm pretty sure my car is a 3MZ-FE
Yes, I checked and some 2004 ES330 uses 3MZ-FE.
This is part 1 of 3 videos. There are 2 more videos after this.
Part 2: ua-cam.com/video/-SkOiiNGCB4/v-deo.html
Part 3: ua-cam.com/video/Hs-NWLuZXYc/v-deo.html
To be sure, if you open the hood, under the hood towards the top, there is a sticker with engine name, so please confirm that.
@@DIYLifeSkills ok I will check there, thank you!
Part of the problem with the bracket on the passenger side (13:30) is that it is U shaped for rigidity and the bolt head sits in the cavity of the U. So a wrench is hard to use there as opposed to the other brackets which are flat. A shallow 14mm socket is what I used and yes space is limited back there for all three brackets which does not make things easy!
Yeah, I ended up using skinny ratchet wrench, which gave me great access, but getting the darn bolt in was the trouble. I ended up looking back there with a mirror to locate the bolt. Small trivial things like this here and there made this job take a long time than what I initially estimated. LOL
@@DIYLifeSkills The next time I do this job I am going to find me a little longer bolt and use washers as spacers so that the head of the bolt sticks out beyond the recess of the U shaped bracket. I think that would be a good hack.
@@abyssalsoul6216 That should be many miles later. On Highlander forum. One guy showed a picture of how he unbolted the passenger side thick wiring housing, which allowed the entire thick wiring harness on the back to lift up good 6 inches and that will give plenty of space to easily remove and install the rear valve cover.
Just did the rear spark plugs and pcv valve today and found it quite challenging, im worried I wouldn’t be able to get the rear valve cover back on. How much harder is this than just doing the spark plugs and coils?
Take a look at part 2 and 3 videos. If you remove things out of the way as I mentioned, then it won’t to too challenging. Also be sure to use torque wrench for all bolts. I broke valve cover bolt and that was scary. This is all covered in other parts 2 and 3 videos.
So you took out the three rear valve cover gasket bolts going under the car? Or did you do it from the the front
You can remove all valve cover bolts from the top except for the back corner one on the passenger side, which is easier to do from bottom of car. I’ll publish part 3 video this weekend that shows the access to that bolt.
I'm guessing this also applies to the Toyota solara 2nd generation V6, it has a 3mz-fe 3.3 and I'm about to the valve cover replacement
Some hoses and wire routing could be slightly different but anything attached to the engine should be same.
Where is the link to Part 2, Re-installation?
Thanks for asking. I've been super busy at work this year so I've not had much time, but I got back on the part 2 video, and I'm 70% done. So hopefully I can publish it this weekend. It literally take 60 hours of editing to assemble from over 50 videos.
@@DIYLifeSkills I believe that, I've done a little editing myself. I'm really looking forward to Part Two, then I can put my engine back together.
Good news is, I got the part 2 video done and published. Bad news is it was getting too long with all the additional maintenances I've done during this project, so there will be part 3 video to complete the reinstallation, which I'll publish within 1 to 2 weeks.
Might be too late for you but now part 3 video is also published.
@@DIYLifeSkills Not too late at all, thanks.
Thanks for this excellent vid! How did you remove the broken valve cover bolt part from the engine block? I've got the same problem at a service. They've offered me to remove the whole engine. Is there any easiest way? It's located in hard location, as you marked in this video, please help me.
The broken bolt had a ever so tiny tip, perhaps about 1/8” that stuck out. It was like a tip of a nail almost. And I almost blacked out at the sight from thinking that engine has to be removed. But I was able to grab that tiny tip with a vice grip tip and ever so slowly got it to turn. Once I made couple of turns, I was then able to use a plier to rotate it more, and then eventually rotated with finger to get it out.
Good thing is that bolt is pretty loose, so if you use some creativity, you can get it out. It doesn’t take much force to get it to rotate.
Can you describe the shape of the bolt where it broke off? I’m sure it’s not 100%.
@@DIYLifeSkills Thanks for your reply. The servicemen even tried to weld this bolt, but it didn't work. Very limited space from this side of the valve cover. It was broken exactly where the bolt thread starts. I'll drive without the bolt for a while, but this problem must be solved, of course.
@@andrewgreen9366 Did you have a look yourself? I’m editing the second video and you’ll see I only had a tiny bit sticking out but that was good enough to make it turn.
great video although i really dont like how you just leave the valve cover off while removing everything. you risk getting debris and stuff in the engine. the valve cover should be the last thing you remove and the first thing you put back on.
Probably easier to do the job with the engine out of the car
Of course it is but taking out engine is big work on its own. This is doable, but just have to do some work to create room, which I covered in part 1 and 3 videos. I’m just causal weekend DIY handyman and I was able to do it so I’m sure most can do it too.