When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
Yeah doing that again right now would be a bummer, but the tensioner was fine before I took it apart and it was fine when I put the chain back on. Everything was put back together properly. You think its because the head was decked too much? Oh the other thing is the compression on all 4 cylinders was over 205 +/-5, its definitely tight in there. Thoughts?
Here is a video of the slack.
Thanks for your help!
Holy Burrito's Batman.........
I've never seen a timing chain that loose, and it still runs???? toyota's are completely amazing. There should be no slack in your timing chain after you install the new one. None at all, you should have to compress the tensioner to get the valve cam sprocket on and it will keep the chain tight when the engine is stopped. If your head has been shaved(like mine, see pix to the left (- that much then you may have to take a link out of the chain or order a custom chain. There should be no, and I'm mean "none" "zero" slack in that chain.
Be sure to check the bolt that fishguy is talking about, he is right about over tightening it. One thing I notice is that it looks like you have a 22RE motor with fuel injection, but the cam for the mechanical fuel pump is still there. Huh???? I know that they started switching over to the FI system in 85, I have a 854x4 carb model and a 93 22re, both trucks. There is no fuel pump cam on the 93 that I'm seeing on your vid. I'm wondering if the head that you have is the wrong head? perhaps for a 85 carb model, because of the fuel pump cam?
sounds like you have plastic guides. Metal ones are all metal, with no plastic on them at all.
Like I said before, valve cam keyway at 12 O'clock,(little dimple about 11:50) timing mark on harmonic balancer at 0 degrees with no slack in the timing chain. 6 and 10 cold for the valves will eliminate any valve noise.
I'm really amazed that it will even run with the timing chain that loose, wow!
OK. So I pulled the valve cover the other day to check the timing chain guide, lo and behold...it was almost completely broken off, hanging on by a tiny piece on the bottom bolt. I had the day off work today, and my local mechanic happened to have a timing kit (with metal backed guides!), so I said why not and just dove right into it.
This is the first time I've been inside this engine since buying it 2 months ago. I noticed some things that the previous owner did not mention at the time of selling. When the engine was rebuilt, the head was shaved down quite a bit, probably too much. This would explain why the compression is so good though! I bought the thing thinking this was the best sounding 22re i've ever heard, it purred real nice. Bad thing is the cam timing is probably off by quite a bit, since it doesn't have an adjustable cam gear. I didn't really know what to do about it other than just leave it. It sounded so good before that I figured it must be fine like that. I'm kinda kicking myself now because I didn't take any pics and now I think it might have been off by too much. I started it up just about an hour ago and drove it around. The thing sounds like a tractor! I mean the valves are so loud its kind of scary.
Here's the thing, I didn't adjust the valve lash, since I figured it must have been fine since it sounded so smooth before. I did feel the valves on cyl 1 and 3 while at TDC and the exhaust felt a little tight. I'm probably an idiot for not adjusting it but I thought that maybe it needed to be tight in order to somehow compensate for something else that was happening.
Anyway, here is a new video of the valve clatter. Is it OK for them to be like this? I mean I know the 22re is famous for its noisy valve train but I've never heard one this loud. (sry its so dark, I've been workin on it all day and got done just as the sun went down)
Hey guys, OK did a lot of work since my last post.
Lonfu, after looking back at that video just now I am amazed it ran myself! Yep, that's why I bought an old Toyota, so I could majorly mess something up and still not completely destroy it, haha. Love this truck, its already taught me so much in just the few months of owning it. It and you guys on this forum!
What you're saying about it being the wrong head makes SO much sense, I never even thought of that. Whatever it was...its gone now. I thought about trying to modify the chain or get an adjustable cam gear, but after seeing the prices at enginebuilder.com ($348 for new completely built head, $68 for new cam), I figured might as well just go for it.
I know a lot of you will probably say I should have just done a complete rebuild at this point. It basically boils down to cash, or lack thereof. I bought this truck pretty cheap and I got it to learn about how to work on it, so this seemed like a good project to do.
However, I didn't really have a lot of trust in myself after the timing chain disaster, so I knew I would need some help on this one. A small mechanic near my apartment drives a late 80's yota...after I talked to him it turns out he loves toyotas and working on the 22re motor! He actually offered to let me hang out while he did it and teach me a few things along the way. I was stoked!
Anyways, we did the job a couple days ago, and she is running SO much better!
PICS:
Timing chain is nice and tight now! All that noise is gone and she runs like a champ! Actually feels like more power than when I first bought it a few moths ago, when it was running well (pre-timing chain event).
Will get some more pics up in my build thread.
Last edited by cartercoulombe; Apr 3, 2015 at 10:53 AM.
Reason: Spelling
That is the greatest timing chain pix that I've seen so far on the net, WOW what a great pix.
Glad to hear that you figured it out. I think it is very difficult to find some one elses screw up and fix it after the fact. great job!!!!! Your work looks very professional to me! fantastic job!!!!
Apr 1, 2015 | 05:39 PM
I can't believe it will run like that!!!!!
that much then you may have to take a link out of the chain or order a custom chain. There should be no, and I'm mean "none" "zero" slack in that chain. 
I know that they started switching over to the FI system in 85, I have a 854x4 carb model and a 93 22re, both trucks. There is no fuel pump cam on the 93 that I'm seeing on your vid. I'm wondering if the head that you have is the wrong head? perhaps for a 85 carb model, because of the fuel pump cam?
