I'll be cracking the head off the Runner tomorrow morning. I have been doing a ton of reading on here about the process, the problems, and tricks.

For starters, I have two questions that caught my attention after reading the writeups on here.

Has anyone or does anyone on here go the "do it yourself" route of lapping the vaves?

Is it wise to clean the top of the pistons? Or will the carbon that falls on the rings lead to vertical scratches on the cyl walls. Or is there a trick to cleaning out the cyl's after cleaning?

Mike

 

Couldn't tell you on the valve lapping, but cleaning the pistons won't hurt anything. Just shop vac all the crap out while you're doing it.......if you have one. Little traces won't hurt anything. It'll just get burned up in combustion.

 

break that whole thing apart, hot tank the block. Have the head glass beaded, build up with a quality rebuild kit. New valves are cool, only 60 bucks or so. Most head shops will handle your head and valves for around 100. 22re.com has those kits

 

No time or space to do a total rebuild this winter. If the head is warped I will have it decked and I'll do a proper head rebuild. For now though, it is the shortest method possible for getting this back on the road reliably and on the cheap. I may be able to squeeze a full rebuild in this summer or next winter if I can find a good used NA 22re to swap in the 22rte's place. That would be the time to do the dual cases etc I have sitting on the shelf.

It's not suppose to be my daily driver, but It is my "winter vehicle" and I'll need it running until mid July. After that, I can tear into it properly.

I think I've got everything I'll need for the Job. Even the giant tub of Vaseline.

 

If you run the piston up to the top it'll be a little easier to clean the top. Also, use a brass wire wheel to get the crud off the piston. Then blow it out with compressed air or use a vacuum cleaner and toothbrush to pull any whatnot that gets between the piston and the cylinder wall.
If you're not tearing the head apart, lapping the valves is probably not necessary. As long as you don't take too much off the valve and seat faces it won't hurt anything though. If it needs decked, have the machine shop do it for you. It may even be worth it to have the seats and seals replaced though if you're going that far. And then you're not that far off the cost of a new head and cam from engnblder.com.

 

You're right abe. If the head is shot I will be going through Ted again. His prices are difficult to beat.

 

yup....
you can easily hit 300 bucks in labor alone to rebuild a 22re head, so for a couple hundred more you can get a new one.

 

Well, the head is off. It will be going to the machine shop Monday morning to be dipped, decked and rebuilt.

Things that need to be addressed now are the plethora of other problems I uncovered on my way to the block. I would like to get the injectors cleaned/testec. Is witchhunter a good spot? Or are they as good as anoyone local?