AKennedy87

My 87 4Runner 22RE engine died today. It was a tap tap tap noise that led to a major craking noise and on the off ramp of the highway it stalled. We parked and tried to start it back up but it shook and cranked a ton. I havent had it fully diagnosed yet but some guy at the shop when trying to start it said it coulda been the crankshaft. He said it would be 1000 bucks atleast to replace the whole engine but i may as well try to rebuild because the engine wont be used anyway. Engnbldr.com said it could be timing chain. My truck has 118000 mi on it but the engine was replaced 40k before i purchased it at 115.

How hard is a 22RE rebuild?
Should I look for anything else when I tear it down?

I believe I will tear it down and find out if it is even worth rebuilding(cylinder wall damage, etc..).
Has anyone used the Enginebldr.com master rebuild kit? How good is it and what does it consist of?
Thanks,
Alex

AKennedy87

P.S. - Please reply, my last few posts have had 0 Replys

gumbo

I'm no expert but it sounds like the timing chain broke pull your valve cover and look down and see if the chain is intact . That is atleast a starting point and cheap and easy 1st diagnosis.

ayoung101

i agree- i'd look into the timing chain first. especially if it only has 118k on the engine. the 22re is one of the best engines ever, and unless it was abused to the extreme, i can't imagine it would die at such a young age. i believe they recommend changing timing chains every 60,000 miles, and if it wasn't done, then it might break around that many miles. however, if the timing chain broke, there will also be problems. it is an interference engine, so you'd probably have to get an entire valve job done at the very least. hopefully it didn't damage the pistons. yeah, like gumbo said, pop the valve cover off and check the edge of the camshaft and see if the chain is broke. will take about 5 minutes, 1 wrench, and no money to check it. good luck!

AKennedy87

I took off the valve cover and I dont believe the entire chain is broke, but im not sure. One side is relatively tight, but the other is relatively loose, it has some slack on it. Is there any way to spin it so you can see it from other parts of the chain? Should i start by just replacing the chain if it is broke or is it pretty much a guarantee that other stuff broke by now?
Thanks for the advise,
Alex

gumbo

Pull your spark plugs and have someone turn the crank by hand watch the chain and also the guides see if they are broken.

needayota

i think you threw a rod, is it leaking any fluids?

AKennedy87

No fluids are leaking. My buddy and I are going to check for a thrown rod by taking out the plugs, putting a wire down the hole, turning the crank, and see if the wire moves. Hopefully it does.

Also my chain is tight on the passangers side, and i have read online that it should be tight on the drivers side so it deffinetly has to do with timing how it broke.

I think after checking for a thrown rod I am goign to take off the cylinder head and look for valve and piston damage unless ofcourse someone could tell me that doing a timing chain job at this point could fix all my problems, I doubt it though. If there is piston/valve damage I am deffinelty goign to do the engnbldr rebuild kit with valves.
Thanks for the help guys,
Alex

SoCal4Running

Going thru the same thing on my 86.

Oil was blowing out the dipstick, pvc gromet because of a broken piston ring on the #3 cylinder.

One thing I suggest is to drain the oil and strain it thru a screen and see if there are any engine parts in it, might also want to cut open the oil filter and look in there.

evilcow

Check for a spark. If there is no spark then either your ignition or timing chain is done.

My99

Don't try to fire the engine. You have bad noises going on. I'd be timing chain also, although I'm surprised at only 118k miles. My dad's 1st Gen had over 250k on original chain. Just start tearing it down.

AKennedy87

Some dude that checked it out real quick said low end damage like crankshaft to piston etc. and said it would be very hard to rebuild and if it was his truck he'd just drop a new engine in. For some reason I dont think it was that bad that I cant rebuild so I may drop another in (want truck back asap) and rebuild the one i have and sell one off so I get my money back. But Im convinced I will need to do valve work, timing chain and piston rod/ crankshaft work etc. Any suggestions are welcome, Thanks - Alex

gumbo

Get a reliable diagnosis and then call Ted at engnbldr.com he has everything you need to do the rebuild. sorry I don't have the # ,but from what I have seen EB'S parts are top notch.

FAB 4

Sounds like a thrown rod to me too! Were you running without oil? That can do wonders to any engine. Check dipstick (the one in the engine). The 22RE is usually bulletproof unsless not maintained properly. I doubt that the chain has let go. It would be loose on the cam sprocket or down at the bottom of the timing cover. Stripped teeth on the sprockets also not likely as you would see lots of metal filings everywhere. Like stated in other posts, turn engine over by hand and check that everything is turning...cam, chain etc. Also check to see that the whole camshaft is turning. I have worked on many Chrysler 2.5's that have had snapped camshafts. Pretty unlikely with a stock Toyota cam. If that is the case, the least you will be doing is a valve job. Rebuilding that engine pretty costly...if rod thrown...as a new crank would be pretty pricey. Used one from wrecker possible? Go to it, mate.

Good luck