Rebuild

[maxpower_hd]

I may be getting a 1984 Toyota Pick-up from someone I know. I believe it is going to need a motor rebuild. It starts and runs fine but I already know that the compression is low. I haven't actually tested it yet but it has low power and easily chugs down hills when parked no matter what gear it's in or how small the hill is.

I have seen rebuild kits on the internet for fairly cheap money. I was just wondering if anyone else has used one of these kits and if there are any issues that are common to the 22R motors that I should be aware of before I decide to take this project on.

I was also wondering if I might be able to get away without shaving the head or resurfacing the block since the rebuild is not the result of overheating or anything. I would just like to get the compression back up to where it should be. In an ideal world, I could get away with just honing the cylinders and re-ringing the pistons but for the $200 or so I'll just do the whole top end.

This will be a work truck for me for side jobs. I would be getting it in exchange for some money that is owed to me and don't want to spend too much on it. The good thing is that the frame and cab were restored only a few years ago and it also has a professionally built flat bed with ladder racks. With todays gas prices it could be the perfect truck for me.

It looks like a simple enough rebuild so I am confident that I can do it. I just am not very familiar with these motors.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

[99mustang232]

a leak down test can narrow you compression problem down to the issue, are you blowing smoke out your exhaust at all? i would sugguest browsing the parts from engnbldr.com, ps he also lists them a little cheaper on ebay.com

other known issues would be timing chain problems, but that should be part of the rebuild kit.

[maxpower_hd]

Thanks for the response. I don't actually own the truck yet but it is at my garage. I just went through it last night and I think I'm going to take it. I did a dry compression test and got 160 psi in all four holes. I didn't see much coming out of the exhaust except when I stomped on it. It was black so I think it was too much fuel.

It's badly in need of a tune up and the exhaust leaks pretty good plus it's missing the CAT. I don't think the CAT would have much to do with the performance but a tune up and exhaust may help. I may also look at the carb.

160 psi didn't seem too bad to me. However, the book for a Celica with a 20R says it should be about 190 psi and the minimum is 140. Is this the same with the 22R? Also, the difference between 140 and 190 seems a bit much. I'm thinking 160 may be a bit on the low side if good compression should be 190.

I would change the timing chain just because I'm already there so I'm not too worried about that. The last one I bought for a Corvette was only $28.00 for a stock replacement. I can't imagine that one for this would break the bank. I'll probably put in a new oil pump too just for insurance. It does have over 200K miles on it.

Any other advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks again.

[ac3nigthmare]

black smoke out the tail pipe genraly would mean your burning oil, if oil is getting past your rings that might explain the compresion as well

[maxpower_hd]

I hate to disagree but I was always of the school of thought that black smoke meant unburned fuel from say a sticking choke or bad carb and blue smoke was burned oil from oil seeping past the rings or valve seals.

Does anyone happen to have a book for a 22R that has the compression specs?

Thanks.

[DCM]

160 across sounds pretty good; I'd do a good tuneup first, and use platinum plugs. A rebuild probably won't get you much more power than a tuneup, providing the engine is tight.

[maxpower_hd]

I will give it a tune up regardless. I might be able to start on the truck this weekend. I'm waiting until I actually get the title in hand because I don't want to put any money into it until I "own" it. I's bad enough that I am getting the truck for money owed to me in the first place. I would have perfered the money. The truck does seem pretty tight though and only needs simple maintenance type repairs. In the end it will turn out OK. This will allow me to sell my gas hog Chevy K2500 and finish an addition on my house and still have a truck to work out of.

Thanks again for the responses.

[Jesster1]

Well from what it sounds like you have an interesting project ahead of yourself. Here are a few pointers. You have the early 22r engine in that truck. A lot of the inexpensive engine building kits are the late 22r wich is 85-95. Im sure yours is gonna be around 10 bucks more. Since you are going to rebuild your own you are going to have many options on what kind of parts to buy. If you plan on keeping this truck for a while then spend the extra 50 bucks and get a quality rebuild kit. Try to find someone who sells kits that come with Aisin components which happen to be the maker of the original Toyota parts. As far as getting the compression back to where you want it then I recomend tearing your engine down and try to find the source of your compression loss. It may be rings or a bent valve or it might just be old and tired. If it is you will have to go oversize on your pistons. Do not buy your engine kit until you know what size pistons you are going to need. As far as having the surfaces decked it is not really necesary unless you have warpage. Try to get your hands on a factory repair manual wich will guide you through the whole thing including all the specifications that you have to be within. I have recently developed an interest in these engines and believe me they are worth every penny once you have a nice clean rebuild. Try to stick with parts that are equivalent to O.E. thats why these things run for so long . Any questions email me n2fasthondas@msn.com

[maxpower_hd]

Thanks for the tips Jesster1. I was hoping to get away with stock pistons/rings and just honing the cylinders but it sounds like this may not be an option. I will know more after I tear it down as you said. I think I may do the tune up for now and do the rebuild over the winter. I also have a Celica I've been driving until my daughter gets her license in February or March so It's not imperitive I start this project immediately. Do you have any suggestions as to where I can order kits that contain the Aisin parts? I definately don't want to do it twice.

I did notice yesterday that it has a slight knock when you first start it up in the cold and then it clears up once the oil reaches the top of the motor so some work is definately in it's future. My only other option would be to buy a lower mileage used motor. That would definately be easier but I haven't found one locally that doesn't already have a lot of miles on it. If I can find one reasonably priced I can rebuild one and take my time without loosing the truck.

A friend of mine says he knows where there is a rotted 4-runner I might be able to get for parts for around $100. I'm still waitning to hear on that.

Thanks again.

[Jesster1]

After reading the other posts I kinda feel like a dumbass. 160 is actually pretty good. The 20R engine has a thinner head and flat pistons. The 83-84 22R has Domed pistons and a taller head so I believe your in good shape with what you have. Do take off the valve cover and check for any timing guide wear and do a good tune up. Use NGK or Denso spark plugs wich happen to be what Toyota uses. I think you have a pretty healthy engine. As far as the people that carry Aisin parts it depends on what part of the country you live in. There is this guy on eBay that I bought my rebuild kit his user name is guit-guit and he sold me my kit for 200 bucks + shipping you can even see where the oil pump says Toyota. Good luck and let us know if we can be of any help.

JM

[maxpower_hd]

Thanks again Jesster1. Liek I said, I don't have the manual for this one yet so I was sort of using the 20R specs as a guide. That's why I was looking for the actual compression specs.

I may just do an oil pump, pan gasket, and check the bearing while I'm there for now along with the tune up. I'll see what happens down the road. I may still get the parts truck for tires, steering box, seats and a few other odds and ends. Then I'll yank the motor, tranny and transfer case and junk the rest. I can always swap them later and then rebuild.

Thanks again for the tips.