Crash-course on Toyota pickups

[The Warden]

Hello!

I'm new to this board, and while I'm well familiar with American-built diesel pickups, I'm completely new to Toyotas.

I may have an opportunity to get my hands on an '84 2WD pickup. It currently has a 22R engine and a 5 speed manual trans. The engine needs work; among other things, it needs a replacement harmonic balancer because the front main seal wore a groove in the old balancer, making the engine leak oil like a sieve. The pickup's actually been sitting for over a year because of this, and is why I may be getting it.

No offense meant to the die-hards out there but I don't particularly want to deal with this engine, as I'm trying to keep my fleet all-diesel. So, I'm looking at swapping in a Daimler-Benz OM616 4 cylinder diesel out of a Mercedes-Benz 240D. I know that Toyota built a diesel for their pickups, but I'm concerned about finding replacement parts for an engine that's apprently quite rare, and I'm also pretty familiar with the OM616 and OM617 5 cylinder (which powers my 300D).

My biggest questions are:
1) What are the gear ratios in the transmission? Especially the overdrive gear.
2) What differential gear ratios were available?
3) What size tires are original?

As far as I know, everything in this pickup is original, but it is not located where I am (so I can't simply go out and look; it's about a half-hour's drive away) and I'm trying to figure out if the truck's currently geared to run at freeway speeds that'll work with the 616's RPM range. With the above info and the calculators on ring-pinion.com, I can see what RPM's the engine's turning for a given vehicle speed.

Also, I heard somewhere that various year trucks used various transmissions, and some trannies have the bellhousing and case cast as a single unit, while others have the bellhousing as a separate unit. I was also told that '84 pickups used the setup with the separate bellhousing. Does that sound correct? Again, AFAIK, this is the original tranny. This may not even be an issue; it looks like there's a flywheel cover that bolts onto the M-B block that I could replace with one with a Toyota bolt pattern on the bellhousing side.

Lastly, what, roughly, is the payload rating on a 2WD? It's a long-bed if that matters, but I don't think it's a heavy-duty model (it's certainly a no-frills setup; no a/c and Armstrong steering ). I also don't know what the GVWR or the dry weight of one of these is (so I can't figure it out myself). If it can safely hold the weight, I'm thinking about getting a series of fuel tanks to fit in the bed space to turn this pickup into a base to collect, process, and store waste vegetable oil to use as fuel in all three diesels.

So, sorry if I made this too long...but any help that can be offered would be greatly appreciated. Assuming I go forward with this project, I imagine that I will wind up with numerous other questions...

Thanks in advance!

[KAUAI KANE]

thry make em here in japn of course but even thiose are rare and the v-6 one's from what i here have there share of head gasket problems as well

[toy283]

Originally posted by The Warden
Hello!

I'm new to this board, and while I'm well familiar with American-built diesel pickups, I'm completely new to Toyotas.

I may have an opportunity to get my hands on an '84 2WD pickup. It currently has a 22R engine and a 5 speed manual trans. The engine needs work; among other things, it needs a replacement harmonic balancer because the front main seal wore a groove in the old balancer, making the engine leak oil like a sieve. The pickup's actually been sitting for over a year because of this, and is why I may be getting it.

That's actually an cheap & easy fix if you were to want to keep the engine. You can buy a timing cover seal that comes with a sleeve for the balancer from Fel-Pro and some others. This is not an uncommon for Toyotas or most any other engine manufacturer for that matter.

No offense meant to the die-hards out there but I don't particularly want to deal with this engine, as I'm trying to keep my fleet all-diesel. So, I'm looking at swapping in a Daimler-Benz OM616 4 cylinder diesel out of a Mercedes-Benz 240D. I know that Toyota built a diesel for their pickups, but I'm concerned about finding replacement parts for an engine that's apprently quite rare, and I'm also pretty familiar with the OM616 and OM617 5 cylinder (which powers my 300D).

My biggest questions are:
1) What are the gear ratios in the transmission? Especially the overdrive gear.

1st gear will be right around 3.93/3.95:1, overdrive is right around 0.85:1

2) What differential gear ratios were available?

Not certain, but most 2wd trucks of that time period came with ~3.54:1 diff gears. If the code plate (found top center of the firewall inside the engine bay) is still legible, you can go here to decode the axle ratio.

3) What size tires are original?

P215/75-R14

As far as I know, everything in this pickup is original, but it is not located where I am (so I can't simply go out and look; it's about a half-hour's drive away) and I'm trying to figure out if the truck's currently geared to run at freeway speeds that'll work with the 616's RPM range. With the above info and the calculators on ring-pinion.com, I can see what RPM's the engine's turning for a given vehicle speed.

You may find that the gearing is a little low for a diesel. 4-cylinder gas engines are not torque monsters like an equivalent sized diesel, they have to make up the difference with lower gearing and a higher rpm band.

Also, I heard somewhere that various year trucks used various transmissions, and some trannies have the bellhousing and case cast as a single unit, while others have the bellhousing as a separate unit. I was also told that '84 pickups used the setup with the separate bellhousing. Does that sound correct? Again, AFAIK, this is the original tranny. This may not even be an issue; it looks like there's a flywheel cover that bolts onto the M-B block that I could replace with one with a Toyota bolt pattern on the bellhousing side.

An '84 2wd will have either a W42 (4-speed) or W52 (5-speed) tranny. The W series trannies are quite good trannies and can handle reasonable amounts of torque. They have removable bellhousings. Only the L-series trannies ('79-'83) had integral bellhousings.

Lastly, what, roughly, is the payload rating on a 2WD? It's a long-bed if that matters, but I don't think it's a heavy-duty model (it's certainly a no-frills setup; no a/c and Armstrong steering ). I also don't know what the GVWR or the dry weight of one of these is (so I can't figure it out myself). If it can safely hold the weight, I'm thinking about getting a series of fuel tanks to fit in the bed space to turn this pickup into a base to collect, process, and store waste vegetable oil to use as fuel in all three diesels.

GVRW should be right around 4800 lbs. This puts the cargo capacity right around 1200 lbs. These are not heavy-duty trucks but they do just fine for what they were designed for.

So, sorry if I made this too long...but any help that can be offered would be greatly appreciated. Assuming I go forward with this project, I imagine that I will wind up with numerous other questions...

Thanks in advance!

You're welcome.

[alltrac165]

There are 1-Ton versions floating around out there, so you might be able to get one of them or at least get the hardware to beef yours up, like springs and brakes.

Dave, can the W series handle diesel torque? That's quite a bit more than the old 22R puts out. What do you run behind your small block?
BTW, I wish your site was up, I'd love to check out the blown 283.

[toy283]

Originally posted by alltrac165
There are 1-Ton versions floating around out there, so you might be able to get one of them or at least get the hardware to beef yours up, like springs and brakes.

Dave, can the W series handle diesel torque? That's quite a bit more than the old 22R puts out. What do you run behind your small block?
BTW, I wish your site was up, I'd love to check out the blown 283.

The diesel Toyotas in the U.S. used either a W52 (2wd) or W55/56(4wd). Not sure what's behind the larger turbo-diesels overseas, perhaps an R series.

I don't use a Toyota tranny, none would hold up to the 400ft-lbs I have at the crank. I use a SM420 from a '67 GMC 2½-ton truck.

https://home.comcast.net/~toy283 is a mirror site that is up and running.

[The Warden]

Thank you all for your replies!

toy283, you make a good point...I'd consider that, except I want to stick to oilburners in my fleet. Maybe I can make the repair and sell the engine as a running unit?

Actually, the OM616 is a fairly high-revving engine and is happiest between 2500 and 3000 RPM's, so it sounds like the transmission, rear end, and tires will work perfectly for this. I'm not sure on the torque numbers (less than 175, for sure), but the highest horsepower rating is a whopping 67 hp. Thanks for the link; I'll try to find that plate next time I'm down there and see if I can get it decoded.

On the weight, sounds like the dry weight is about 3600 lbs? That'll make this the second-lightest vehicle I've ever owned...and also should mean that the OM616 shouldn't have a problem with it at all; the M-B W-123 body cars weigh about 4000 lbs.

BTW, even coming from a Ford guy your truck looks impressive...

alltrac, that's something to consider, although I don't think I'll need the extra weight capacity. I don't know what the per-gallon weight of WVO is...may be worth finding out, eh?

Again, thanks for the speedy replies It looks like this swap isn't going to take very much...

Actually, one more question, relating to the front crossmember. Best I could tell, the front crossmember consists of two beams coming from each frame rail forward at a 45° angle to meet under the radiator support. There's a plate bolted between the two beams. Is this plate part of the structural integrity of the front end, or is it simply a rock/splash guard? The OM616 is a front-sump engine, so to get the engine to fit, I would either need to remove or creatively-engineer (good ol' BFH ) that plate.

Thanks again

[toy283]

Originally posted by The Warden
Maybe I can make the repair and sell the engine as a running unit?

Perhaps. Do a compression test first and see if it would be worthwhile. I wouldn't waste the time & money if compression sux.

On the weight, sounds like the dry weight is about 3600 lbs?

Closer to 3000-3200 lbs empty weight. Figure the GVWR also includes fuel & driver weight.

BTW, even coming from a Ford guy your truck looks impressive...

Thanks.

Actually, one more question, relating to the front crossmember. Best I could tell, the front crossmember consists of two beams coming from each frame rail forward at a 45° angle to meet under the radiator support. There's a plate bolted between the two beams. Is this plate part of the structural integrity of the front end, or is it simply a rock/splash guard? The OM616 is a front-sump engine, so to get the engine to fit, I would either need to remove or creatively-engineer (good ol' BFH ) that plate.

It's just a splash plate. Lose it if you need to. I did.

[Rycam]

The Warden, you do not need a a new balancer for for your leaking 22r. I would suggest a steel Belknap "speedy sleeve" from NAPA to cover the groove worn in original dampener. The choice of crank seal is up to you.

Once, I bought a Fel-Pro "Crankshaft Seal Set". The problem was that it had an ALUMINUM SLEEVE , as well as a new crankshaft seal. I ended up using only the crankseal, and it worked great for a number of years. I think the only reason it worked is that the new seal rode on a new surface.

The NAPA/Belknap "speedy sleeve" for the 22r is a seamless, thin, STEEL(!) foil sleeve that is installed with a hammer, and a piece of wood. No Permatex necessary. It worked great with a new Fel-Pro crankseal.

The most important issues with this engine are timing chain/valvetrain parts. They are workable, but most people want "more horsepower", and these long lived engines are from another era. It's kinda like wanting 1964 horsepower from a 1944 horsepower truck.

[alltrac165]

Dave,
Saw your site. Your truck rules.

[obex26]

How do the smog laws of california affect you running a diesel and a chrysler one at that in a toyota... I can't say I am a fan of Kommunist country and close enough to if for my dislike... I can not even get away with doing that here so enlighten me how it will pass there.. Also I was under the impression that toyota did not offer a diesel 4 cyle in the US..

Oh dave it says your account has been suspended

[toy283]

Yeah, I know. Unemployment sux, it was an unecessary expense. That's why I uploaded it to my free Comcast space as well (link is above in a previous post).

Toyota did offer diesels in U.S. trucks from 1982-86. They didn't sell very well and are thus quite rare. I don't know the legalities of swapping another one though, especially in California. In Colorado, as long as it's newer than the truck and still passes emissions (if required), it is usually OK.

[alltrac165]

To my knowledge, you can swap across manufacurers without problem. Many run legal 4.3 chevy engines in their Toyotas. That's gas to gas, not sure on diesel. You also can't go across classifications that result in lower standards, like a truck engine in a car or a Fed. engine in a CA vehicle.
see here for a quick CA engine swap guide
http://www.smogcheck.ca.gov/stdPAge....s-Jan_1994.htm

[redfox435cat]

Diesels before 94 are smog exempt!!
I still got my 90 diesel jetta and converted it to straight vegetable oil. Talk about a cheap commuter, fill up at the local mcdonalds, fillter and treat it and go. start and stop on deisel. Also I get the smell of french fries everywere I go
Hell yea
As far as frekensein mobils you register it as a 84? deseil truck and say nothing more