joe redd

PLEASE HELP ....How hard is it to do timing chain on a 1994 toyota pickup.I just bought what I thought was a really good 1994 toyota pickup from a little old man that kept it garaged and only drove it to the dump.The trucks body and under carriage are mint zero rust.I put a clutch in it when I bought it which I new it needed when I bought it.so I did the clutch and got it all back together and started to here that marble in a tin can sound I pulled the valve cover and my timing chain is real loose and it looks to be wearing on the inner wall and I think the guides are gone.I talked to a few really good mechanics and they told me not even to bother doing the timing chain because its not worth it and that I would be better off putting in a new engine does this sound right????The truck only has 122.000 miles on it and really is a good looking truck clean as they get really.does any one have any suggestions?could I do the chain and be fine or should I not invest anymore time or money into this truck ...please help i'm very confused about it all and I definetly can't afford a new engine

xxxtreme22r

LMAO a mechanic told you to not worry about replacing a timing chain on a nearly bullet proof Toyota 22r engine? Find a new mechanic for this one as he does not know the 22r all that well if he said a $50 job (if done without taking head off) isn't worth it on these engines.

Plenty of threads about doing timing chains and there are several ways to go about it, with and without doing the head gasket. We don't know your mechanical aptitude to say it would be easy or hard for you, but if you search around for those threads you can probably decide for yourself.

But if you put a clutch in it yourself, you should have no problems doing the timing chain yourself either without taking the head off. Only risky part with doing it that way is pinching the headgasket that extends beyond the head on top of the timing chain cover.

joe redd

thanks for the reply ,I searched around but I could not find anything about that year 22re timing related.I do all my own work but hereing all the horror stories about pinching head gaskets and what not.plus I worry about metal shavings from the timing chain cover and the tentioners that are missing.they must be in the engine somewhere?So it can or can not be done without taking off the head?And can I use a after market chain or should I get the chain from toyota .Is it a hard job? I called toyota and they told me it would cost 1800.$ and it would take 12 hours does this sound right.And why do people say if you take off the head is it a option or can it be done without doing that.I am obviously new to using this or any other forum so excuse any stupid mistakes I make thank you joe redd...

xxxtreme22r

the timing guide parts are most likely in the oil pan as usual, removing that and cleaning it out is highly recommended.

It can be done without taking off the head. Just got to be careful about that small section of the headgasket. Worst case you end up with a rather large oil leak and somewhat of a vacuum leak if you pinch it.

engnbldr.com will be your best bet for timing chain parts as well as the headgasket set if you decide to pull the head. Although, if doing the head gasket it is very wise to have the head checked and resurfaced by a machine shop.

12 hours seems about right if pulling the head for someone inexperienced at doing it. $1800 for a timing chain/headgasket repair is outrageous though. You could buy a rebuilt engine for that much.

joe redd

What should be my deciding factor in taking off the head or not?can it be done without taking off the head successfuly and why do some say to take the head off and some say you dont have to .Its all a little confusing.All I know is I love this truck and want to keep it around as long as possible but I can't find any hard facts on this forum that address a timing chain job on a 1994 22re engine

xxxtreme22r

all 22re and 22r's are the same when it comes to this job. It can be done successfully if your careful. two of the best threads when it comes to doing the job are irab88 and 92_Toy. Both however I believe did it with the head off. Not sure if there are any with not doing the headgasket along with it. Unfortunately when I did my engine rebuild I didn't have a camera so I didn't document the fiasco with mine (timing chain job unrelated to my issues), but I've done it both ways.

irab88

iTrader: (4)

word of advice: if i had to do it again, i would invest in an engine hoist. it would have been much easier to un-bolt it from the tranny and lift it out to work on. much more room and easy access to everything. although, if you don't take the head off, you might not have to raise the engine too much to get the oil pan off (pita)

good luck. just remember, both 92 toy and i did it for the first time without screwing up. if you have basic wrenching skills, you can do it!

(and deciding factor on taking the head off is personal preference. i didn't want to pinch the head gasket, so i took it off. others might not want to take the engine apart more than needed, so they leave it on. up to you.)

cman1

iTrader: (1)

well,i wasnt so successfull,i attempted to do this with the oil pan on and the head on.now i have a oil leak,and so far because its blowing all over,i dont know exactly where.its VERY difficult to get the timing cover squeezed in between the head gasket,which overhangs to seal the top of the timing cover,and the oil pan.i highly recommend as do others,to remove the oil pan and/or head and just do it all at once.ENGNBLDR.com is the way to go!!!he has a complete kit with timing chain ,metal guides and cover,oil pump and water pump with all the gaskets ,all the things that are a pain in the a@# to get to. it looks as if im going to have to take it all apart including the head and oil pan to fix it right.