Its been a while since I have been to the oracle ...but I have an issue with my 86 4runner 22re..if you are bored and have a minute i would appreciate your opinions..

I have had this truck about a year...not one issue. However, every once in awhile on start up it will run on less than 4 cylinders ..you know it feels like a clogged injector or bad plug wire. It it only does it a short time. As soon as I start driving it fires on all 4 and feels fine. Well it did this today, but when it kicked up and started running like normal it started smoking like crazy. It was constant for a while. I turned around and went back to work to park it...thinking head gasket. I got in to go home, fired it up and ....no smoke. So I thought it was maybe a valve seal or ring. Then it returned on the way home. On decel, it was smoking quite a bit but by the time I got home it stopped.

I get home and checked compression, #1 130 #2 150 #3 165 #4 170. I also checked the valve clearance and #1 intake was a little lose but the rest were good.

Im thinking valve seal or rings. What do you guys think? I would mind if it was a ring honestly I wouldnt mind rebuilding it with a little more balls.

 

Did you try the trick of putting a bit of oil in each cylinder and testing compression again? If it goes up, rings, if not, valves.

A leak-down test can tell you even more information about where the leak is.

Bad news though is that I think your numbers are super low. Isn't the standard for the 22RE 190 PSI?

 

I did not try that yet. I just messed with it for a bit after work. It is bad news I am afraid....I may be rebuilding. It is odd though, how it goes progressively up from #1 to #4

 

Nominal is 171, min is 142, difference should be <14 (that's for a '94)

 

I screwed up when I did the test anyway. I did not depress the throttle. I have to get new plug wires tomorrow, as I ripped two of them off in the process.

 

I fired it back up today. It was definitely burning coolant. I also checked the compression again and it was 180/180/185/180. So, head gasket it is. I ordered a kit from engnbldr along with the 268 cam to install while Im in there.