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A QUALITY click-type torque wrench is good for achieving torque. In other words, "assembly". Shiity bottom-feeder Asian junk is to be avoided. Decent torque wrenches are readily available from USA manufacturers under several brand names sold by a multitude of retailers including Amazon. CDI and Precision Instruments are two I'd recommend, but there are others. Torque wrenches EXCEPT for deflecting-beam type need to be sent out for verification/calibration periodically; the two companies I've personally dealt with are www.anglerepair.com www.teamtorque.com Both companies charge more for electronic torque tools than simple "clickers". That's one reason I don't own electronic torque wrenches. A deflecting-beam torque wrench is best for TESTING torque--not assembling, but verifying afterwards. Deflecting-beam torque wrenches are inherently accurate in their mechanism, but chock-full of user error. (They're difficult to use correctly. Generally, they have no ratchet which is a pain in the ass. Hand position on the handle affects the reading, not looking at the pointer/scale "square" affects the reading, arm-shake from trying to hold high torque for a long time affects the reading...you get the idea.)

well couldn't stand it, I ordered a 3.4 pulley. Film in a few weeks..lol

At 260,000 miles personally I wouldn't do anything to tighten up the top end without giving the bottom end a careful consideration as to what condition the bearing clearances are, the condition of the bearings themselves (given the era the bearing will be tri-metal), expect to see the outer coating worn away & the copper inner layer exposed, & what condition both the main & rod journals are in, one doesn't want to see grooves ground into the journals nor them being out-of-round. One should plasti-gage everything to inspect all the clearances. Replacing the oil pump is a decent route to take but the pump can't overcome loosened up clearances. The intermediate shaft bearing clearances are a little more involved. Then there's looking at the condition of the cylinder walls.........

A clicker-type torque wrench is going to be way better than a beam. I've had apart a couple high-mileage LQ1s and as Schurkey has said, you'll probably find the valves need work. I would also second replacing the oil pump drive gasket whether it needs it or not since it's only accessible with the head off. You mentioned you know it needs valve stem seals. I bet if you look closely at the heads when they're off, you will find some valve guides have sunk into the ports, particularly the exhaust ones, which get much hotter than the intake. It's a big problem on the LQ1. It gets diagnosed as bad valve stem seals, but in reality the problem is the seals are just riding up and down with the valve since they aren't affixed (or aren't affixed well) to the guide. Any sunken guides will need replaced. When apart, I have always put snap rings all my guides, whether they're new or reused ones, before assembling so that they will never sink down into the head. You'll need a special tool to cut the groove in the guides for the snap ring, but a cylinder head machine shop should be able to do that for you. The bottom end of an LQ1 is stout they they last a long time with maintenance. My DD 96 Z34 is up 230k and runs great.

Oh, yeah. (With the engine in the vehicle) When the rear cylinder head and cam-carrier are removed, it's E-A-S-Y to install a fresh alternator and a block heater. Maybe even consider a fresh crank sensor. Be sure you have the CORRECT block heater, if you're inclined to install one. The KATS / Five Star block heater listed for 3.4 DOHC does NOT fit. Buy the Zerostart / Temro heater instead. http://hbassociates.us/Lumina_Block_Heater_01.jpg http://hbassociates.us/Lumina_Block_Heater_03.jpg

Yep, if the solenoid clicks you probably have a bad starter. Really be a good idea to inspect the engine grounds and battery cables before condemning the starter though.

Yeah, pulling the light sensor might fix it. I had to do that on a '97 Cadillac I used to have. The sensor went wonky and it would go into DRL mode, regardless of how dark it was outside, which meant I didn't have dash lights. Once I pulled the sensor, it worked just fine as a manual system.

Close to a month now and haven't had a single issue with the starter. Still fires right up and zero problems. Thanks guys for all your input. Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk

Drove the car for awhile. Got it up to temp. Went to Autozone to return the old starter. Car sat for about 15 minutes and fired right up without any problems. Then went to the grocery store. Car sat awhile and started right up. So far no issues at all. This starter seems to be a much better unit. Spins over super strong and no lag. Maybe that was the problem all along. I dunno but as of right now it's working like a new car. Bump the key and fires right up. Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk

The wire that used to go to a bulb turns on a relay for the HID ballasts. I pulled the sensor and it hasn't done it since, but the drl still works.