Secondary Air Injection Pump Replacement 2006 Sequoia/Tundra Chapter 1: Removing the Intake Manifold

Replacing the Secondary Air Injection (Smog) Pump in a 2006 Toyota Sequoia or Tundra. This Chapter also applies to replacing the starter, the intake manifold gasket, or trouble-shooting a coolant leak under the intake manifold. Click on the link to see the accompanying text to this video including a complete list of parts and part numbers. http://theleftseat.net/SAIpt1a.html. Click on Show More for Important Afterthoughts.

There are two things I have learned since making this repair and these videos:
1. I have now come to realize that you can remove the check valves WITHOUT removing that rear water bypass joint. It is difficult but it can be done. I have seen a YouTube video    • How To Replace The Secondary Air Inje...   made more recently and well after my repair that showed the professional auto mechanic removing the check valves with the rear water bypass joint still attached to the engine. I am an aircraft mechanic and accustomed to working in very tight places in aircraft engines and I just could not seem to be able to access those 4 bolts that attach the two check valves to the rear of the manifold. However, Brian Eslick in the video I mentioned above showed that can be done. This is definitely a time and money saver since you won’t have to remove the rear water bypass manifold nor will you have to replace those compound gaskets. You will still have to remove the 4 bolts that attach the two check valves to their respective connections to the exhaust manifolds no matter which method you use. And those are a little bit difficult to access. If you can use the proper socket extension and an electric socket wrench, it will be much easier.
2. The other thing Brian Eslick did different from my repair was to leave the fuel injector nozzles and fuel delivery pipes still attached to the intake manifold. This is also a big time saver. There is a decision to be made here, however. In his video he simply clicked on the fuel injector electrical connectors like they were brand new and off they all came. In my 11 year old Sequoia, the first three electric connectors I tried to disconnect, they broke. That is to say the snap retainer mechanism just crumbled in my hand. I am not ham-fisted and am used to working on 45 yr old airplanes and I was being as gentle as possible, but it quickly became apparent that I was going to be replacing a number of these connectors at no small expense. I think the after-market fuel injector electrical connector I broke cost about $18 apiece. Therefore, I had to make a decision: either risk replacing a number of these connectors (and having to solder or crimp in new splices), OR just leave them connected to the electrical harness and remove the fuel delivery pipes and fuel injectors with the wiring still attached. I opted for the latter. I will leave it up to you as to which way to go. You may get lucky, as one of my viewers did and was able to disconnect all his electrical connectors and thereby leave the fuel injectors and fuel pipes still attached to the intake manifold- another big time saver.

BTW, I applaud Brian Eslick on his video. It is very helpful in this repair. I wish that he had made it BEFORE I made mine and I could have learned from it. Unfortunately, when I replaced my SAI pump and related valves, there was precious little of any value I could find on YouTube about this repair. We have to proceed in life with the best information available at the time. Everything is 20/20 in the rearview mirror…

Dave Clark