Cylinder Head Kit, Basic - 2L, 2LT, 2LTE, 3L (late models). Includes: Cylinder Head, VRS gasket kit, Head Gasket, Head Bolts, Combustion Chambers (installed), Fitting Specs sheet. **Specify Required Head Gasket**

2L, 2LT-II, 2LTE, 3L Basic Cylinder Head Kit - (late models only)

Currently this is a special order item. Please contact us regarding availability.

Specify which engine displacement the cylinder head is for to get the correct head gasket and other parts.

The 2LT-II and 2LTE are 2.4L and the 3L is 2.8L. These engines differ in bore diameter and hence the head gaskets are different.

Kit Contents:
Cylinder Head VRS gasket kit (top end gasket set)
Head Gasket, MLS type - specify engine (the bore sizes vary by displacement) and thickness
Head Bolts (18 pcs)
Cam Bearings
Fitting Specs sheet

The cylinder head comes with pre-combustion chambers, valve guides, intake and exhaust bolts installed.

This is the ‘updated’ head that is used to replace cylinder heads for the late model engines using bucket & shim adjusted valves. Fits late model 2L, 2LT-II, 2LT-E, 3L

Toyota cylinder head part numbers:
11101-54120 -> 11101-54121
11101-54130 -> 11101-54131

Some notes about this cylinder head replacement kit:

The 11101-54120 (2LTE) and 11101-54130 (3L) heads from Toyota have not been in production for a long time and were updated to address premature failures of these heads.

The primary type failure can be identified by combustion gases getting into the cooling system which forces the coolant out - symptoms are the engine running hot, no hot air coming out of the heater in the vehicle, and low engine coolant levels with coolant being pushed out the coolant expansion bottle.

In some cases the coolant also gets into the cylinders and will produce copious white smoke from the exhaust pipe that sometimes has a sweet smell (from the coolant). Usually the coolant being forced out of the cooling system is a slow process to develop, and other times it can be much more dramatic. Coolant getting into the cylinders can also cause steam erosion of the cylinder bores as well as the sealing surfaces at the top of the cylinder - in some cases these engines can not be brought back to life as the damage is too extreme, even with cylinder liners being installed. The point here is that don't let these situations go un-checked once you notice lots of white smoke coming from the tail pipe that is combined with coolant loss.

The "updated head" for the 2LT-E is often referred to as the 11101-54121 head, and is the current part number for the 2LTE if you look it up at Toyota. Similarly the 3L head of the same era was 11101-54130 and was updated to 11101-54131 at the same production date as the 2LTE head in 06/1992 - the 2LT-E and 3L heads are in fact the same item - and the part number differences are due to vehicle product line specific part numbers (which occurs with many Toyota parts).

In the high quality aftermarket (these heads are checked by certified engineers and verified by cutting them apart, testing the metallurgy, quality of the casting and machining, and they come with a guarantee) - which is what I am dealing with in this case - these items are the same updated part and the Toyota cylinder head part numbers above all refer to one item.

These heads are available as "bare head" (this particular product listing) which in this application means there are pre-combustion chambers, valve guides and seats, and some studs installed but nothing else. They are also available at additional expense as "fully built" with a new 3L camshaft (the 3L cam works well with the 2LTE and some consider it an upgrade) and a complete new valve train all machined and fitted into place with the valve clearances set.

The advantage to the "fully built" head is you are getting all brand new high quality parts and you do not have to pay for a machine shop to install all of your used parts in your "bare head" and then set the valves etc. This makes the job of replacing your cylinder head more of a bolt on - as long as you have done all of the other work to ensure your 2LTE or 3L is ready to go.

Ensuring your head replacement is done properly includes, but is not limited to: 1) repairing or replacing your cooling system components and also 2) having your injectors rebuilt with new nozzles and the crack pressure reset to factory specifications - both of which are very important to prevent future problems and to make sure your cylinder head warranty is going to hold up if there's another failure - among all the other checks that need to be performed (block deck checked for flatness, surfaces cleaned and checked etc.).

Good workshop practice also means that you are going to be replacing your thermostat with a slightly lower temperature unit, testing or replacing your thermostatic fan clutch with a new high quality unit (Aisin or NPW are very good), replacing all of the timing components, checking the harmonic balancer for separation, replacing the upper and lower radiator hose and checking the heater hoses and so on.



updated 2024 01 26