So i just picked up this 89 4runner a couple days ago from a lady down my street, this thing sat under a tree 95% of the time ive lived here. I have been driving past this rig every day for the last 2 years and its only moved 2 or 3 times. Last year the engine was rebuilt (i have the receipt) anyways, this thing has good power and runs great actually, but it smokes constantly a blueish/white smoke, there is no water in the oil or vice versa, im gonna do a compression check this weekend, but i wanted to throw this out there and see if there were any other suggestions, could valve seals cause this? I havent even put 5 miles on this rig yet, so do i need to drive it a little and see if it clears up or..... thanks for the help

 

hmm...driving it might help, but no guarantees. A lot of times after an engine is rebuilt it needs time to "break in". First thing that came to mind when I read your "subject" was piston rings...but then read it had been rebuilt. I had a buddy who owned an 86 with 22re and he rebuilt it and put "Slick 50" in it as its supposed to "rejuvenate" or something...but it caused his to smoke really bad as Slick 50 clogged the cross hatces in his cylinder walls...but i doubt that the same on yours. And yes, valve seals can cause the smoking, how heavy is the smoke coming out the exhaust?

 

Not pouring out as bad as a blown head gasket but it puts out a pretty decent cloud,lol

 

*gasket*

 

The exhaust smells kinda like it runs rich, bit there's mo black smoke so I don't know, I'm a Chevy guy so I'm new to the Toyota stuff

 

well, this is just my second, so im kinda in the same boat, but i will tell ya this, my 22re smells the same way. engine power and everything else seems to be ok though??

 

ya, power seems to be good and like i said, the motor runs smooth and everything, but i only have 6 months until i have to run it through DEQ, and theres no way it'll pass smoking like it is

 

probably has chrome rings and they did not seat in.

big thread on that subject.

 

so if that is the case with the chrome rings, will they seat eventually or does it need to be re-ringed?

 

Here is one of the threads on the subject.

https://www.yotatech.com/forums/f116...ealing-215113/

Seems to be GM 350 clyinder hone instead of the correct one from Toyota.

 

ok, so i did the compression test this weekend and here is what i got in order from front to rear of head, 175,145,150,155....i know they're all within range but it seems a bit weird that the first hole reads 175 and then then drops 30 PSI in the next hole....not sure what to make of this, maybe i should just do a leakdown test?

 

Hey man, I copied this from another guys post from back in '07 : COMPRESSION CHECK
HINT: If there is lack of power, excessive oil con–
sumption or poor fuel mileage, measure the cylinder
compression pressure.
1. WARM UP ENGINE
2. REMOVE SPARK PLUGS
3. DISCONNECT DISTRIBUTOR CONNECTOR
4. DISCONNECT COLD START INJECTOR CONNEC–
TOR
5. MEASURE CYLINDER COMPRESSION PRESSURE
(a) Insert a compression gauge into the spark plug hole.
(b) Fully open the throttle.
(c) While cranking the engine with the starter motor,
measure the compression pressure.
NOTICE: This test must be done for as short a time as
possible to avoid overheating of the catalytic converter.
HINT: A fully charged battery must be used to obtain
at least 250 rpm.
(d) Repeat steps
(a) through
(c) for each cylinder.
Compression pressure:
1,177 kPa (12.0 kgf/cm2, 171 psi)
Minimum pressure:
981 kPa (10.0 kgf/cm2, 142 psi)
Difference between each cylinder:
98 kPa (1.0 kgf/cm2, 14 psi) or less
(e) If cylinder compression in one or more cylinders is
low, pour a small amount of engine oil into the cylin–
der through the spark plug hole and repeat steps (a)
through
(c) for the low compression cylinder.
• If adding oil helps the compression, chances are
that the piston rings and /or cylinder bore are
worn or damaged.
• If pressure stays low, a valve may be sticking or
seating improperly, or there may be leakage past
the gasket.
6. CONNECT COLD START INJECTOR CONNECTOR
7. CONNECT DISTRIBUTOR CONNECTOR
8. INSTALL SPARK PLUGS
Torque: 18N–m (180 kgf–cm, 13ft–Ibf)

Basically, looks like comp on #2 is too low (when balanced against the other cylinders).

 

You most definately have a chrome top ring. There are two options and both stink. Tear the engine back down and use a ball hone and replace the rings with cast iron or moly rings. Or rehone the block to a more coarse cross hatch pattern for the rings you have. Please see the other threads on this topic by people who know far more than I do. But this is my take on their discussion. I am assuming the head was done properly with new seals, because Chevy's are notorious for drawing oil down the guides, Toyotas not so much.

One idea; take it to the drag strip and pound on it. Take the air cleaner off and let it rip... Just make passes all day and see if the rings can finally seat under pressure.

Last resort: Try throwing a handful or two of Bon Ami cleanser into the intake, sometimes it works, and sometime it don't. Its also no good for the engine but it might just get the rings to seat. If not well, it was going to be torn down anyway.

 

ya, ive heard of the Bon Ami cleanser stuff, can that stuff be purchased at the grocery store or something? ya, ill try anything right now, this thing burns enough oil that if you were following me, you might think i was on fire,lol, when i pulled the plugs i would have expected to find at least one nasty plug, but none of them looked real bad, i burned up a quart of oil in 50 miles, yes i said 50 miles, absolutely retarded. i probably wont be able to pull it and tear it down til this weekend, so maybe ill try the Bon Ami stuff, and see what happens, also my rig seems to have good power still....sort of a mystery

 

another thing, when i did my compression test, the motor was stone cold, should i do it again hot and see what i get?

 

you can get incorrect readings if motor is not warmed up. Drive it to warm up and repeat the test

 

ya, its been a while since ive done a compression test, i forget those little details

 

Ok, so i used some Bon Ami and ran the crap out of it, and it actually seems to be a bit better, where the smoking gets bad is if your coasting down a hill with the rig in gear riding on the compression on the motor, thats when it starts hurling the smoke, any ideas? still havent been able to compression test the engine hot. Also, i did find that the thermostat was a 180 degree one instead of the factory 195 deg, so i changed that last night, dont know how much good that will do, but at least its right now. Also I noticed that if i ever so slightly move the little door in the AFM while its idling, the motor seems to idle alot better, its not bad now, but it did make a noticeable difference, i wonder if that should be adjusted, because it seems to run a bit rich at idle.... Sorry, alot of thoughts here

 

Ok; The smoking when going downhill is valve seals. The engine is drawing oil down the guides. The thermostat isn't going to change anything.

Its possible the internal stops for the vane is bent from age (banging shut over the years) and a little push back is required.

My guess would be they decked the heads but did not finish the job.

Just drive it and use the the brakes to stop rather than use engine braking. Get some use out of it.

 

Ya, i'd love to drive it, but theres no way im gonna take this thing out with the way it smokes, i'd probably wind up getting a fat ticket or something, but i need to resolve this problem soon, because filling up my Deisel pickup at $100 bucks a week is starting to get old