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Toyota Corolla 2.4L Engine Repair Information

Here you can find information regarding the assembly of the Toyota 2.4L engine. In this guide we will start from the inside of the engine including the crankshaft, connecting rods, and piston ring installation and then move outwards all the way to the pulley belt system. Along the way correct procedures and torque specs will be given to aid in the assembly of the engine. Feel free to start from the beggining and work your way outwards or skip ahead to your current position in the engine for what you may need.

Crankshaft Main Caps Installation

The 2.4L engine block main bearing caps should be inspected for any defects or flaws before installation. Be sure to lubricate the bearing surfaces prior to installation. Once prepared you can place the caps onto the crankshaft and begin tightening the bolts down in a multi stage process. The first being 10 ft-lbs starting from the middle and going outwards. The second time around you can go to 29 ft-lbs and then for the third time a 90 degree turn for each bolt. This engine also consists of side bolts which should get tightened down to 14 ft-lbs from the outside edge of the engine. Once finished you should be good to continue with the rest of the engine.

Toyota Corolla 2.4L Main Cap Torque Specs : 29 ft-lbs + 90°

Toyota Corolla 2.4L Main Cap Side Bolts Torque Specs : 14 ft-lbs

 

Piston and Connecting Rod Installation

To install the pistons and connecting rods you must first install the piston rings into each piston. Be careful not to stretch the rings or break them during installation. Make sure to put the correct rings in the correct positions, this can be determined by looking at the instructions given with the new rings. Each ring manufacturer is different so be sure to check for your specific rings. Once the rings have been installed you can now fit the connecting rod bearings into the end caps and lube them up with oil or lithium grease. The piston can now be lowered into the cylinder but before that be sure that all of the cylinder oil nozzles are installed and tightened to 6 ft-lbs, make sure the cylinder dot or mark is facing the front of the engine and that you don't scratch the cylinder during installing. Once installed you can match the connecting rod caps with the correct rods and start to torque the connecting rod bolts to 18 ft-lbs and then an additional 90 degree turn for each bolt. After all are done rotate the crank to ensure all pistons move smoothly in and out of their cylinders and nothing binds.

Toyota Corolla 2.4L Connecting Rod Torque Specs : 18 ft-lbs + 90°

Toyota Corolla 2.4L Cylinder Oil Nozzle Torque Specs : 6 ft-lbs

 

Balance Shaft Installation

The Toyota 2.4L engine contains balancer shafts to keep the engine vibrations down and balance the crankshaft. These crankshaft balancers get installed onto the lower girdle of the crankcase. The balancers can be installed prior to installing the crankcase part onto the rest of the engine. Before placing the balance shafts into the crankcase be sure to inspect and replace the shaft bearings as needed. All bearing surfaces should be clean and scuff/scratch free. White lithium grease needs to be in place in order to ensure that the contact surfaces turn smoothly. The balance shafts contain timing marks within the gears, align both of the shafts timing marks together and then place them as a unit into the crankcase. Be sure that they stay in time as you place them in as it can be easy to misalign something. Once the shafts are in place you can install the shafts bearing cover and tighten the bolts to 16 ft-lbs and then a 90 degree turn going one bolt at a time and in a cross pattern. Once tightened you can then go to install the lower crankcase into the engine. The crankcase bolts need to be tightened down to 18 ft-lbs in a criss cross pattern as well. Before installing the case onto the engine be sure to clean both contact surfaces properly and use new gaskets and or silicon sealant.

Toyota Corolla 2.4L Balance Shaft Bearing Torque Specs : 16 ft-lbs + 90°

Toyota Corolla 2.4L Lower Balance Shaft Crankcase Torque Specs : 18 ft-lbs

 

Oil Pump Installation

When installing the oil pump be sure to use the proper sealant or new gasket around the pump base if neccessary to ensure that oil pressure doesn't drop due to leakage. After preparing the contact surfaces carefully install the oil pump onto the bottom of the engine block. Once installed you can then place the 3 bolts into the holes and tighten them down to 14 ft-lbs.

Toyota Corolla 2.4L Oil Pump Torque Specs : 14 ft-lbs

 

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Cylinder Head Installation

The first thing you must do when installing cylinder heads is to ensure both the block and head surfaces are completely clean from dust, oil, and any debris. The next thing you must to is to set the camshafts to their correct positions to prevent any valves from hitting pistons during installation and torquing of the head bolts. Much the same you have to set the pistons to their correct locations, typically this means putting the #1 piston to TDC or Top Dead Center. Once everything is ready you can install the head gasket onto the engine block by aligning the alignment dowels. Something I usually do is spray down the head gasket with some engine copper spray from permatex which you can find here, this ensures that any gaps that could be present between the 2 surfaces gets filled with the spray. It also helps to transfer heat between the 2 metals. With the gasket in place you can set the cylinder head onto the gasket and block, if needed have someone assist with this process as the head can be heavy and you don't want to scratch anything or drop it! Once the head has been placed you will want to start installing the head bolts to make sure it doesn't move. Be sure to buy new head bolts as many manufacturers use TTY or Torque to Yield head bolts meaning they stretch during torqueing and cannot be used twice. Also make sure to lubricate the bolts in clean engine oil before installing them into the head. Once all the head bolts have been installed and finger tightened you can start the torqueing process, almost all head bolts have a multi-step process for torqueing. The 2.4L starts off with 25 ft-lbs and then requires you to back them off a full turn. Then you must torque them to 58 ft-lbs and then a 90 degree turn by going through each bolt with each step. After torquing the heads are completely installed and you can now move to intalling the timing.

Toyota Corolla 2.4L Cylinder Head Torque Specs : 58 ft-lbs + 90°

 

Timing Chain and Tensioner Installation

On the Toyota 2.4 engine the timing system is ran by the use of a timing chain. This chain system consists of a sprocket on each camshaft, a tensioner, timing guides, and a crankshaft gear. Before the chain can be put into place you need to make sure that all of the gears are in their proper positions. Make sure the timing sprockets on the camshafts are tightened down to 40 ft-lbs. Also ensure that both camshafts are installed correctly and the bearing caps are tightened to 8 ft-lbs. The larger camshaft bearing cap bolts get tightened to 22 ft-lbs. These bolts are located closer towards the front of the engine or on the timing chain side. Once everything is in place you can start by placing the chain onto the upper camshaft sprockets by aligning the painted marks on the chain with the dots on the sprockets. On the crankshaft gear simply align the painted chain mark with the crankshaft dot located on the engine block. Once all marks are aligned you can place the timing guides in place and tighten them down to 8 ft-lbs. At this point the timing cover can be placed onto the engine block. Be sure to check that section for information regarding this procedure. Before the cover should be placed on be sure to install the crank position sensor plate with the F mark facing forward. Once the cover is on the timing tensioner can be placed into the cover and torqued down to 8 ft-lbs.

Toyota Corolla Camshaft Sprockets Torque Spec: 40 ft-lbs

Toyota Corolla Crankshaft Position Sensor Torque Spec: 8 ft-lbs

Toyota Corolla Camshaft Bearing Caps Torque Spec : 8 ft-lbs

Toyota Corolla Camshaft Bearing Cap No1 Torque Spec : 22 ft-lbs

Toyota Corolla Timing Guides Torque Spec : 8 ft-lbs

Toyota Corolla Timing Tensioner Torque Spec : 8 ft-lbs

 

Timing Cover Installation

The timing cover on the 2.4L is used to cover up the timing chain and retain engine oil inside of the engine. For this reason I recommend using a new timing cover gasket and some silicon sealant to ensure that the cover does not end up leaking. Once both contact surfaces have been cleaned and the new gasket and silicon is in place and ready you can place the cover onto the engine and tighten down the cover bolts to about 15 ft-lbs. This covers all of the fasteners that have 10mm heads. The single 12mm head bolt can be tightened down to 32 ft-lbs.

Toyota Corolla Timing Cover Torque Specs : 15 ft-lbs

 

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Oil Pan Installation

Much like the timing cover on the 2.4L the oil pan plays an important role in keeping the engine oil inside the engine. For this reason I recommend using a new gasket as well as some silicone sealant during installation. Using the same technique as before with the cover you clean the surfaces of both the oil pan and the engine block and then install the new gasket onto the block and then follow it up with some silicone sealant. Be sure to follow your sealants instructions to ensure you get the best seal from your application. The oil pan bolts torque to 9 ft-lbs in a cross pattern design. Along with the pan is the oil pan drain plug, this gets removed and reinstalled quite frequently and can be torqued down to 30 ft-lbs.

Toyota Corolla Oil Pan Torque Specs : 9 ft-lbs

Toyota Corolla Oil Drain Plug Torque Specs : 30 ft-lbs

 

Valve Covers Installation

The valve cover installation is rather simple, there are rubber seals for each bolt hole and a silicone gasket that prevents oil from leaking out of the engine. It is recommended to replace both the seals and the gaskets although if they are in good condition you can reuse them. If you do choose to reuse them I would use some silicone sealant along with the silicon gasket to ensure it does not leak. The valve cover bolts torque down to 106 in-lbs or about 9 ft-lbs in a criss cross order. Be sure not to miss any bolts to avoid having oil leak out onto the exhaust pipes and cause a lot of smoking.

Toyota Corolla Valve Cover Torque Specs : 9 ft-lbs

 

Intake Manifold and Fuel Rail Installation

When installing the intake manifold you want to make sure you have all the surfaces as well as intake holes cleaned out before placing the manifold into position. Once cleaned you can then place the intake manifold gaskets onto the alignment pins. If you want you can also use a little bit of sealant on the gaskets to help ensure there are no leaks. With the gaskets in place you can now put the manifold down onto the gaskets and begin to install the bolts. The intake manifold bolts torque to 22 ft-lbs and can be tightened starting from the inside and going outwards. The COPs or the coils for the spark plugs get torqued down to 60 in-lbs or about 5 ft-lbs and the spark plugs themselves can be torqued down to 13 ft-lbs, be careful not to overtorque these as they can snap and cause big problems. When installing the fuel rail make sure that all the fuel injectors are in good condition and that all the o-rings are in place and are in good condition. If everything is good you can place the fuel rail into position and push the injectors into their holes and start to torque the rail bolts to 90 in-lbs or about 8 ft-lbs.

Toyota Corolla Intake Manifold Torque Specs : 22 ft-lbs

Toyota Corolla Ignition Coil Torque Specs : 5 ft-lbs

Toyota Corolla Spark Plug Torque Specs : 13 ft-lbs

Toyota Corolla Fuel Rail Torque Specs : 8 ft-lbs

 

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Exhaust Manifold Installation

The exhaust manifold can be installed by cleaning the surface areas on both the head an the manifold itself and then by using the exhaust manifold gasket and putting it in place. Once the gasket is in its location you can put the manifold onto the heads and begin to torque the fasteners down to 27 ft-lbs. I always use some copper spray from permatex on the exhaust manifold gaskets to ensure I do not end up with any exhaust leaks once done. When you go to install the engine into the vehicle or if it is already in the vehicle the torque specs for the exhaust manifold to the exhaust pipes or catalytic converter is 32 ft-lbs. The EGR system consists of a series of pipes that range from the manifold to the head. All of the EGR pipes can be tightened down to 14 ft-lbs.

Toyota Corolla Exhaust Manifold Torque Spec : 27 ft-lbs

Toyota Corolla Exhaust Pipe Torque Specs : 32 ft-lbs

Toyota Corolla EGR Pipe Torque Specs : 14 ft-lbs

 

Water Pump and Thermostat Installation

The water pump on the Toyota 2.4L engine should be installed by using a new gasket and if desired some silicon sealant to help prevent leaks. Be sure to clean both metal surfaces prior to installing the pump. Once prepared the pump can be moved into placed and the bolts should be torqued to 8 ft-lbs. The water pump pulley gets tightened down to the water pump at 19 ft-lbs.

Toyota Corolla Water Pump Bolts Torque Specs : 8 ft-lbs

Toyota Corolla Water Pump Pulley Bolts Torque Specs : 19 ft-lbs

 

Front Dress and Pulley belt Installation

Most of what is left on the engine is just place and tighten objects such as the belt pulleys, belt tensioner, throttle body, oil filter neck, crankshaft pulley, and motor mounts. If the items have a gasket and hold either oil or coolant inside the engine then feel free to add some sealant along with the gasket. Always be sure to inspect your gaskets and replace them if there is any deteriation or flaws with them. For the belt system the crankshaft pulley gets torqued to 125 ft-lbs. The belt tensioner assembly can be tightened to 44 ft-lbs. When installing be sure it turns smoothly and if it does not then replace it with a new one as the bearing can go bad. The engine motor mount can be installed onto the engine block if it hasn't been already, the torques for the mount to the block is 59 ft-lbs and then when installing the mount to the vehicle or frame it can be torqued to 35 ft-lbs. Finally the throttle body can be installed on top of the intake manifold with a good gasket and some added sealant using 7 ft-lbs in a criss cross pattern. For installing the belt you can use a tool to move the tensioner into its springed state and install the belt as shown in the picture. The power steering pump should be tightened down to 16 ft-lbs. The A/C compressor can be tightened down to 18 ft-lbs.

Toyota Corolla Crankshaft Pulley Torque Specs : 125 ft-lbs

Toyota Corolla Belt Tensioner Assembly Torque Specs : 44 ft-lbs

Toyota Corolla Motor Mount to Engine Torque Specs : 59 ft-lbs

Toyota Corolla Motor Mount to Frame Torque Specs : 35 ft-lbs

Toyota Corolla Power Steering to Engine Torque Specs : 16 ft-lbs

Toyota Corolla A/C Compressor Torque Specs : 18 ft-lbs

Toyota Corolla Alternator Torque Specs : 18 ft-lbs