Hungrynomad

Hello All;

Stumped on what to do at this point with my '93 4runner 4x4 22re, remanufactured engine 60k miles, 280k on vehicle.

This was my dad's truck, and it was given to my brother in law as a fixer upper and he passed it on to me without fixing it.

Part 1: Radiator change, timing cover gasket, water pump, rear main seal, oil pan gasket (all to stop excessive leaking approx 3-4 qt per week) didn't get completely filled with coolant, or properly timed, sounded horrible. At this point it was given to me and having just arrived back from overseas and no tools I was off to go home in my new rig...

That evening over heated on the highway, added coolant, made it to the family farm. Next day unable to time it properly, blowing white smoke drinking coolant.
Compression test: D 130 130 70 120 W 155 150 125 145

Pulled her apart found the insulator had fallen off of #4 and chewed up the top of the piston and the head, I polished them flat again with 1000grit only on the top on the piston (top dead center, and the divits only on the head)
I have the dealer shop manual, followed EVERY direction, color coded everything, took photos, talked to a mechanic and watched youtubes, took my time the work seemed to be done properly.
*I cleaned the parts with Acetone, and was unable to reach the tops of pistons 2 and 3 to clear the carbon off of them, I shop vac'ed all the coolant out of #3 (where the HG had failed) and air compressed all debris.
New: Head Gasket kit, fuel filter, spark plugs, rotor and cap, pcv valve, fluids
Timed her properly and she ran great, Did a couple short test drives and left the next morning.

Part 2

Left driving on the freeway, No oil or Coolant loss for first 500 miles. Was driving into a headwind and got poor milage 17mpg on premium with lucus fuel treatment.
I made a stop and had a complete cool down. Second leg 500 miles, excellent fuel economy 22-23 mpg on regular no fuel treatment.
This second leg I began burning oil, first 200 miles 1/2 qt. second 200 miles 1qt. I noticed a small puff of smoke at cold start up and not much at idling or with a little gas
A single drip mark of 4 or 5 drips worth under the car at stops, unable to locate where they are coming from.
Not loosing any Coolant, no oil/coolant mixing.
The entire 3rd leg of the drive/1800 miles: great fuel economy 23-25mpg, great power up hills, no unusual sounds, still 1qt/200 miles burn.
I added 2 qt lucus oil stabalizer, no effect.

Compression test at home/post head gasket/post road trip
D 70 70 50 70
W 145 155 140 150

I pushed 100 psi into each cylinder and there was no audible leakage from exhaust, crank case or intake or coolant, also visualy inspected air leakage with balloons.
Spark plugs were intact and blackened on one side, white on the other, washed white again again when burning oil from wet compression test.


Conclusions/Questions:

I am wanting to take this rig down to Costa Rica for transporting my self around while I get a bamboo construction buisness started, and determining if this will be a valuable time and money sink before I go or if it will be worth it, vehicles and very expensive down there and the roads are very bad.

It appears to me bad piston rings.
Any insight on how or why? Possibly all from overheating, or preexisting from excessive oil leak.
Why the lower compression across the board now?
Did I damage components with the Acetone?
At one point I attempted to start the vehicle with the breaker bar on the crank pully during timing. It hit the frame and I had to retorque the crank pulley bolt. Would this have contributed?
There does not seem to be a head problem but I did not check it with a strait edge.
Is it possible when polishing off the divots I caused an oil leak of this magnitude?
**After my compression test I stripped out 1 1/2 treads from the head screwing in a spark plug; do I try the OEM tap kit from O'riely's?


Thanks