FEL-PRO HS 9227 PT-1 Engine Cylinder Head Gasket Set for Toyota Tacoma

Check this off my bucket list!! My 2001 Toyota Tacoma TRD Double Cab 4x4 V6 started blowing smoke after the thermostat failed, which led to a blown head gasket. Number one lesson, change your thermostat! That $15 part will save you a lot of grief. On Tacomas, its on the LOWER radiator hose between the hose and water pump. Drain the radiator, remove lower hose, remove three nuts from waterpump curved pipe that lower hose was clamped to. The clogged thermostat will fall out into your hand. Slip the new one in, bolt on the curved pipe, clamp on hose and refill radiator (followed by topping off as spillover into engine occurs). Tacomas were engineered to burp air pockets out the radiator overflow, but you can also do it manually by freeing the UPPER hose at radiator and topping off fluid directly through UPPER hose to engine. A lot of forums will argue that thermostats are always on the upper hose of vehicles; they are wrong. I did it, saw it, replaced it, twice.So back to my blown engine. Mechanics want $4,000 to repair it. A new crate engine is about $3,000. That's a lot of money! With this Fel-Pro kit, and about 20 hours of my time over two weekends, I did it myself. I have never tried anything like this, but I watched six 30-minute youtube videos of a guy doing the same Tacoma 5VZ FE V6 (yes, it was 3 hours of video, pausing, and going back and forth from computer to garage). As I disassembled my intake, valve covers, four cams, heads, etc., I was worried. But I photographed everything as I went, used multi-colored paint and tags to mark what hose reconnects where, and bought a few extra tools (long 12mm and new torque wrench), I managed to replace the head gaskets using this kit. I used almost all the gaskets (head, manifold, intake, valve cover,etc) since you'll remove all these on the way to the head gaskets anyway. It's not easy, but you can do it. I'm an old man with no real engine experience beyond plugs and oil. There were a fewer smaller parts in the kit I didn't use, like the circular valve cover/plug tube gaskets. The inside of the engine was so clean and these are so difficult to change, that I'll come back some other time if necessary since they are just at the easy valve cover removal stage of this project. All the Fel-Pro gaskets fit perfectly (obviously clean the block and head surfaces and check for cracks before placing new gaskets). When I finished after two weekends and refilled all the fluids (oil, radiator), I was in disbelief when the truck started right up with no smoke, no leaks, no fumes. It drive like new again with no hesitation and about 3 mpg better gas mileage.I highly recommend this kit for your 2001 Tacoma. And my 230,000 mile engine rebuild is checked off my once in a lifetime bucket-list. Total cost with kit, new tools, fluids, and a few new parts (thermostat, plugs, filters, hoses, etc.), $440.

Worked great on the 5VZ-FE engine on my '04 Tacoma, but I wish it came with the semi-circular plugs. Other than that, very high quality gaskets, especially the head gaskets.

I used this kit about 4 months ago when I replaced the cylinder head on my wife's 4Runner. Everything fit perfectly and worked great.I haven't had any trouble since.

rebuilt my top end this summer. So far so good.

Excellent quality very fast shipping an unbelievable price.

I think this gasket set will work out well.... but I am in the middle of putting the heads back on and the kit is missing the intake cam oil seals. Why???? I looks like everything else is there so that’s good. But it sucks to wasted an evening that I could have been working....