New to board, questions on 22RE and other things

[milehigh22RE]

Hey there! Just picked up a nice little 94 Toyota 2WD "Pickup" as they call it....the little small one with the 22RE and 5 lug wheels.

Currently have an 87 Buick Grand National with many mods, and have owned and modded many other cars before. I just have a few questions about the motor in this puppy, as well as what options as have for wheels with the 5 lug setup.

Obviously I've read about the 22TE..........and because I'm pulling a small trailer with a shifter kart on it, im curious as to what it would take to run a low boost setup for my 22RE. Could i find the manifold and turbo from a junked TE motor and bolt-er up? 5psi the limit for the 9.4 compression? I purchased this little guy with 165k original owner miles, and the thing looks clean! I needed a reliable tow vehicle for my kart, and i knew just what i wanted.....a Toyota!

Also, since these wheels are only 5 lugs.......anyone have any suggestions for possibly a 16 inch tire/wheel combo? Thanks a ton!

[ToyoLoyal]

I had one of those turbo trucks, run pretty good. Factory I think they had 8.0:1 comp. You have to be real careful with them. If you don't let them cool down it will fry the bearings in the turbo. If you want more power from 22re I would go to LC Engineering, they are the 22re Gurus.

Just a little advice on these engines, on an original engine with those miles I would check the timing chain guide. Pull the valve cover and look down in to see the guide on the drivers side. It usually breaks somewhere around 150K. That's about the only problem these engines ever have. I am originally from Durango, CO and they are all over the place down there. I've owned several, great engines.

[crazycruzer]

Originally Posted by ToyoLoyal

If you don't let them cool down it will fry the bearings in the turbo.

Anyone who has a forced induction engine should have a turbo timer installed.

[SupramiR]

those turbo engines are very hard to find.

[milehigh22RE]

By stating that you can "fry the bearings"........i'm assuming that the turbo is an oil-cooled only unit? Anyone know if it's true? Also, i've found a water &oil cooled kit on eBAY with a manifold brand new for $500 bucks. Anyone else looked at this?

Turbo timers on many cars are just gimmicks. Take a WRX for example. It's turbo is watercooled........no need to let it "cool down"........it's already being cooled while you're driving it. Same with the Porsche 944 turbo. It actually lets water circulate through the turbo 30 secs after you shut it off. A Turbo timer is usually just a waste of money.

The car was checked out by a dealer and they couldn't find anything wrong, other than a cracked windshield and an oil change. I believe the timing guides were done, along with a new clutch

[ToyoLoyal]

yes the TE engines are oil cooled only. no other cooling, air or water

[bvenvert]

I have a 1986 Toyota SR5 Extra Cab 4 x 4 Turbo (22RTEC) with 111K original miles. I bought it off the original owner back in March of last year. The turbo models are pretty hard to find, I just happened to luck into one! I have been very happy with mine, it runs pretty well but the original owner replaced the turbo at about 105K. I have since installed a turbo timer on my unit and it does allow the vehicle to idle down for up to 10 minutes for cooling purposes. Seems to work pretty well. You also need to change the oil in the turbo models about every 2k miles. The oil gets pretty dark in a short period of time with the turbo models.

Anyway, good luck with your toyo. Mine is primarily used as a huntin rig and doubles as summer transportation for my son.