JPL

Thanks, I'm not sure about the bolts or rocker arm assembly.. I'm sure an expert could clarify that for us, I plan on asking Zack about that. UPS just showed up but didn't have a pressure plate for me. I sure hope it arrives befor monday.

snobdds

The drilled out oil passages on the rocker arm shaft is something Jim at Putneys does on all the engines. Just seeing if this Jason guy did the same thing.

It looks like they just put in head bolts and not studs. Just curious to their thinking on this due to the higher compression pistions.

Here is my build for reference...
https://www.yotatech.com/forums/f116...nstall-223908/

JPL

Nice build thread, I was about to go with that engine but didn't have the time.. I do remember Zack mentioning something about re-torquing the head bolts after X amount of miles (he said it's more of a precaution but knowing they're not ARP head bolts I plan on definitely re-torquing them).

sc87yota

Update???

JPL

Got the one last part that was preventing progress on the engine swap... The Pressure plate! Came in Friday and I'll drop it off at the shop first thing monday morning. This pressure plate prevented my truck from being finished before Thanksgiving holiday.. I had to take an extra day off work because of this delay (that one day would have paid for the pro clutch kit). Anyway, I expect to pick up my truck some time Tuesday. I'll post more pics and progress reports as they come.


Guess I can't complain too much about missing one day of work, I went to the local casino last night with my brother-in-law, sat down at the Poker table to play a 4/8 Texas hold em limit cash game. After sitting down for 5 minutes two of the 8 guys at the table hit the 'bad beat' jackpot (Jacks full of Aces beat by Queens full of Aces) and I got a little over $800.00 for being at the table. So $800.00 in 5 minutes isn't bad, this will go toward the engine swap labor.

sc87yota

Thats awesome! Casinos always get the best of me I would have a better chance of winning money by flushing it down the toilet! Want to hear how your swap comes out

JPL

My baby is coming along.. the Performance shop says she'll be ready in the morning (fingers crossed). Here is how it sits now:

JPL

Picked up my 4Runner today from the Performance shop!!!

The shop put 10 miles on the engine before letting me take it. I drove to Page after running around town, 280 miles on the new engine at this time. I made sure not to go over 4,500 RPM and varied the RPM's (not to stay at one RPM too long). My trip consist of many hill steep hill climbs and elevation change.

Before: Engine was worn out with 263K miles with low compression (90 on cyl #4). Had a few leaks, engine burned oil and was loud. Average 14 MPG and had a tough time climbing hills in third (hard time holding speed, usually drop speeds after 1 mile).

After: New engine is quite compared to the old engine. No leaks, more power (not as much as I expected, maybe as much as 120hp). Climbing hills are more easy and I can increase speeds in 3rd on steep hills. The engine seems to have peak power between 3,500RPM to 4,500RPM. I really think opening up the exhaust will make a noticable difference. I averaged 19MPG (7,000 + feet to 4,000 feet), first part of the trip had the least hill climbs and I was getting about 21 MPG.

I have the EGR delete and my engine temp stays in the middle, The engine runs surprisingly quiet. After 150 miles my ck engine light came on. I pulled over and called the shop, the mechanic said it's probably from removing the connector from the EGR vlave and to pull the codes when I get in town. I didn't notice any change in running, no noise, no leaks, temps and oil pressure were also good. I'm very happy with this truck so far and plan on posting better pictures when I get the time, since returning to work things have been hectic.

I plan on changing the oil soon (non-synthetic) and re-torquing the cyl head bolts.

JPL

I decided to re-torque the cyl head over the weekend (65 ft. lbs) and all the bolts were good (didn't need to be re-torqued). But I'm glad I did because I found a coolant leak from the upper radiator house from the thermostat housing. Took me a while to trace it because it was running down the side of the block, down the motor mount, and onto the transfer case. I just needed to re-position the hose and tighten the clamp. Ran it for about 30 minutes to make sure it was leak free.

Everything is looking good still and I plan on changing the oil and filter this weekend.

JPL

950 miles on the new engine and it's still running strong. Just got back from a trip down to Phoenix (about 650 miles round trip from Page, 4k feet to 7k feet to 0k feet then back). I had to let the runner warm up for 20 minutes with the heat on before leaving Page in the morning because everything was iced over, when I got to Phoenix I had to turn on the A/C. Flagstaff had as much as 2 feet of snow but the roads were clear and traffic was light. The 4runner did pretty good with no issues except when I got back I noticed a noise coming from the front wheels (the shop mentioned I had some play in the wheels and need wheel bearings before I made the trip, guess I'm going to get that taken care of before driving back down to Phoenix next weekend.)

I'm still having to drop to 3rd on the long mountain climbs to maintain 60+ mph at the high altitude (4K + feet).

I realized that the 4runner runs much better at sea level, seriously feels like a 20 hp gain! I was able to increase speed up hills in 4th when the same hill at 5K + altitude would stay or possibly lose speed in 4th.

Climbing the steepest grade going from 4K feet to 7K feet required 3rd gear and a consistant speed of 60mph (sometimes a little increase in speed and RPM).

My question: It seems like the EFI isn't really adapting to the O2 levels like it should (I can only guess it's running to rich because it's not getting enough O2).. What would help this?
I was thinking maybe the AMF or O2 sensor...?

I plan on running headers on a 2 1/4" system, a cold air intake, and re-gearing for higher torque.

xxxtreme22r

I bet it's runnin rich because those KB pistons suck. I've seen it before with an OER engine and another guy on here. I'd have to search for that thread and what his pistons eventually looked like. And of course OER blamed it on the owner of the truck for running the truck rich if I remember right.

snobdds

He is running the keith black pistons, but OER did not build the engine. I am watching this thread to see how those hold up, since someone a little more qualified built the engine.

As far as needing to down shift on steep inclines in the high country, that is normal. I run mine at high altitude and it is by no means a speed deamon. It is still a 4 cylindar with more torque than horsepower. We have a place on our interstate here called the "summit" where it's a 8% grade and big trucks literally go 15MPH up it. I can only do about 55 in third gear. I just get into the middle lane, keep the rpms at 3500 and take my time.

xxxtreme22r

Yeah I know OER didn't build the engine. I have yet to see someone running these pistons have decent luck with them. At least not ones not running stand alone fuel injection with a precision tuned ECUs.

snobdds

That is why I am watching this too. My understanding is the rings on the KB are too hard and need a special honing process to get the rings to seal. I heard if a torque plate is used when honing the cylinders, the deflection in the block is honed out and they have a better chance to seal up. But we will see, I am skeptical too and want to see if it's just OER that can't seem to build an engine right or if those pistons are doomed for a 22re.

JPL

I plan on pulling the plugs sometime this month since they were replaced when the rebuilt engine was installed. I had the oil changed before the trip (300 miles) and plan on changing the oil once again after my next Phoenix trip (I should be around 1,600 miles). I'm wondering if I should Re-re-check the head bolt torque after that trip (they were all good after 300 miles). I'm starting to wonder if I have the stock cam instead of the 727 cam they said it was going to be built with, I'm not seeing a major difference in power or idle. I plan on calling the builder tomorrow to see how the core is going and ask him what the exact engine specs are. I really care more about reliability and didn't realize the KB pistons have a history, I hope to prove that it's not the pistons but the builder and install.

JPL

My friend had to borrow the 4runner to make a day trip to flagstaff (280 miles round trip) and she had no issues. The noise in the front turned out to be the inner wheel bearings, I had both replaced and plan on driving back down to Phoenix tomorrow morning (about 650 miles round trip). I was driving back from Show Low yesterday in my work truck and saw a few accidents. Be careful out there, remember; take your time, don't pass, don't depend on your brakes (on icy roads), and don't text!

Video from yesterday, one of many accidents I passed while pulling a 2 ton generator with my Nissan Frontier.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i5OgD...1&feature=plcp

JPL

Back from another Phoenix trip (about 700 miles), I took the scenic route and went through Jerome and Sedona. The 4runner did great, as usual there were no issues. It seems like I have a little more power now that the engine is more broken in.. or I'm just getting use to the lack of excessive power.

The trip back I watched exactly how many miles I used compared to the fuel I consumed, I got 21 mpg the first leg of the trip (mostly sea level, small hill climbs, and interstate driving average 75mph). The second leg of the trip was mountain climbing at high altitude, I got an average of 16 mpg (average speed was 55mph).

Thought I'd mention that after the first 300 miles on the new engine I have been driving it like normal. I plan on getting the oil changed for the 2nd time after 2K miles then starting on a regular 3K to 4K mile oil service (using OEM oil filter only and regular oil).

I got a few pictures of the 4runner on the way to the vally with some nice canyon and mountain pics.

JPL

As she sits today:

JPL

Been a while since my last update, I even forgot my password.. Anyway, I'm just over 4K miles and she's doing great still. I just had the oil changed again and valves adjusted. I guess the valves really needed it because I can now hear a slight valve tap when before I had no valve tap. Next oil change will be synthetic.

I'm going to have a full exhaust system installed this spring as planned, the shop owner drove my 4runner and said you really need to upgrade your exhaust with headers. It's almost like the engine can't breathe, when taking off it seems to have a slow response and I can tell it's no fuel related.

Still getting around 20 mpg with my 31's and I hope doing the exhaust helps a little.

I've been having front end noise and will make a new thread on that here... https://www.yotatech.com/forums/f120.../#post51880003

JPL

UPDATE: Got her back from the shop! I had new spindle bushings installed on the front axles, front manuel locking hubs, full fluid service, and LCE header with full system. I've only put about 10 miles on her since picking up the rig today but I can already notice a difference driving around town. The exhaust sound is deeper but more importantly there's a noticable power increase. I really want to do the cold air intake now but need to get the Mass Air Flow Sensor from the Celica so I can use the round K&N intake filter.