I'm looking over the procedure in a Haynes manual to replace a head gasket on a '96 Camry V6. Oil is leaking from the rear bank (not the valve cover, it's definitely the head gasket). I'm trying to get all the parts/tools I'll need before hand. The manual talks of "12-point" bolts on the head itself. Do these take a special type of socket? I currently have a full set of metric 6-point hex sockets. Anyone happen to have done one of these recently enough to remember what size those head bolts were, if they do require some special socket?
I think that those guys are 12mm 12point bolts, for which you will need that socket. It's a common type of socket. Sears or pep buys or whoever should carry one. Other very important tools you'll need are a good torque wrench for re-installing the head bolts, and a big mother breaker bar or a long pipe you can fit over a wrench for breaking the old ones free. Good luck, and post if you need help.
So with further searching on google, broading my search from just "camry" to head bolts in general, it seems this type of head bolt is pretty common (12-point, that is). I'll just have to get a few socket sizes to have on hand (10mm or 12mm).
But in my further reading, I'm seeing several posts from "MDT_Tech" that essentially say "we have never replaced a head gasket on a 1MZFE in our shop...ever." So I'm wondering if I should just leave the head alone. I'm positive it's leaking oil from the passenger corner of the rear bank, but it's only a drip or two per day (drips on the spinning driveshaft so the whole area gets oily). I see no evidence of oil-water cross contamination, and it doesn't seem to be burning much oil or water, so I assume the leak at this point is simply from an oil channel to the outside. The engine may very likely go several more years before the gasket actually "blows," if ever! But I just wanted to get in there before any real damage (that would require head re-surfacing, filling, etc.) occurs. On the other hand, I may cause more damage by getting in there and disturbing things! Any comments?
Well, doing headgaskets on the 1MZ is a pain in the ass. But then so are most front wheel drive sixers. However, doing it now may mean not having to deal with a lot of headaches once the leak gets bad. As for cross contamination between coolant and oil, the only real way to tell is by using a headgasket leak tester. It's a chemical from a parts store that tests the coolant for traces of oil. As for doing more damage by repairing it, realise this is a big job. But, if you go slow, get a good manual (pref. Chiltons vs. Haynes), and have the right tools, and are mechanically inclined, you should be alright. But do something before the engine gets ruined.
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