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I'm doing the head gasket and timing chain on my 1988 Pickup with a 22re because it was overheating and compression test / block test suggested that it was a headgasket failure. (Exhaust fumes in the coolant).
Took the head to the machine shop to get it inspected and resurfaced but they said it was too warped to repair and that my cam and rockers weren't usable anymore either. I didn't get my block checked out because I don't have a hoist to pull it out and I don't own a precision ruler / straight edge. Where can I get a decent straight edge that isn't too pricey?
Now I'm shopping for a new head, cam, valves, rockers, and a timing chain set. I know engnbldr has a good reputation but is there anything else? Also, what benefits would I get from buying the street rv head with stock everything else? My block has about 130k miles on it without a rebuild if that matters. I don't think engnbldr sells rockers so where can I get those?
I saw a few heads on ebay for around 260 complete with a cam, valves and springs. Are they reliable?
Also my coolant passages looked partially plugged in the block, Do I just scrape out the garbage with a gasket scraper or what is the correct way to do it?
you can get a decent straitedge many places. even cheap ones are going to be strait, like lowes/home depot might have them. parts stores should cary them, bearing shops should have them with the otc stuff, and of course tool trucks...... oh, and i forget you guys in the states have harbor freight stores scattered around, lol. it's easy to look town the edge and see the front and end points and line them up exactly to tell if it's not 100% strait. that being said, yes, clean out the coolant passages as much as you can and fill it with distilled water (like less than $1 a gallon usually) when you put it back together. use a shop vac set for wet to clean the junk out after you clean it. once hot, use coolant flush or something with phosphates, like purple clean/ simple green to get the whole system cleaned and flush it a couple times after it cools down, but i like to start it up durring the garden hose flush. turn the heater valve off untill the detergent is circulating, then only turn it on for a few seconds, but also turn to hot and leave there once the flush has been running for a min. it will keep big debris from plugging the core(s) an engnbldr head setup is a great buy, just avoid anything with a cam made last dec or close, like within 4 months. there were a few cams that got ground with a ceterline error, but has been corrected. he has always been the best reliable ebay toyota source for a decade or more. are your original rockers bad, or the valvetrain was bunked for other reasons? you can get good used rocker/shaft sets off ebay, but buyer beware, do your research on the seller...... heck, you could even probably find a rocker set on here with better confidence in it not being a scam. as for bennefits of the rv setup: it should net you some good useable torque, but the fi engine inherently has overly lean fuel maps, so fuel system inprovements will net you good power and response, and be the best to get the best out of the rv head/cam setup that you would not regret.
You're saying to run simple green through the cooling system then flush it out with water? The simple green doesn't have any harmful effects?
I assumed that I was going to have timing chain questions after I get going on that and I just wanted to use the same thread . I'll be using 4crawler's guide.
The machine shop just told me that since I was getting a new cam, I should get new rockers. My cam was pitted pretty badly and I was assuming that since the cam was pitted, it might have damaged the rockers.
What are the chances that the block is warped? Since it's an iron block with the aluminum head, I thought chances were pretty low. The thought of having to remove the block scares me because I would need to buy an engine hoist.
You can check the block for straightness w/o pulling the block out. Just get a straightedge and put it tight against the clean top deck on the block and see if a two thousands feeler guage will slip between the block and the straightedge. Your block should be good as the head is aluminum and it usually warps before the block. Your head must be extremely warped for them not to be able to straighten it.
I just went through the same thing last month for the first time also.
I'm running one of those loaded eBay heads for $235. The one I got was made by DNJ and was supposedly made in Canada, but that's probably not true. Way Too early to tell (900 miles), but so far, so good.
You can get a legit 24 inch straight edge on amazon for $70.
Do not get a cheap full gasket set from ebay. I got one and many holes for ports and bolts don't even line up...
Dremel a slit into an old head bolt, and use that to chase the threads.
I might end up getting Engine Builder's bare head and use my old valves and springs. Only problem is that I'm missing a keeper since I dropped the box of parts from the machine shop. Where can I buy keepers?
My rockers arent that bad. No scratches but there is a little pit on the edge of one so I might end up reusing them.
EDIT:
Also would I need to get the head surfaced and lap the valves with the new bare head?
How do y'all clean the head surface? I know what you shouldn't use any power tools so I was just going to use the gasket scraper but is there any way to get it perfect or is perfect not needed?
I'll be getting LCE Exhaust studs because mine are broken or missing.
I'll probably get their intake studs too because I left them on my head and the machine shop took them off and didn't give them back in my box of parts.
This truck is a daily driver and I wont be doing any wheeling because I'm in college and I don't have time to so I'm wondering what cam to use with the street rv head. Ted told me through an email that I should get his 261C cam if I wanted to keep a similar power band to stock, which I do but on his website the 261C cam is listed for offroad and highway while the 268C is for a daily.
Does anyone have any experience with any of these cams?
i use a ball-peen hammer and scraper on all gasket surfaces (ball-peen for any stuck-on gasket) and then clean up with rol-loc bristles. yellow and white.
Take pictures of your block and post it. Take close-ups of the water galleys. I thought my block was good until I measured it with a straight edge and feeler gauge. Even a carpenters square can give you an idea. If you have to mill/shave the block you will probably need some help not only with the removal but disassembly/assembly of the block. Don't know of any machine shops that will deck a block without removal of the crank. I could be wrong.
You may decide to get a new/used engine and just drop it in. Check your block before you buy a bunch of parts.
I've been working and haven't had the time to get a straight edge. This is just something that I noticed after a guy told me to check the cylinder walls too. I haven't checked 1 and 4 but 2 and 3 have pits that I can feel easily and they're also easily seen. This is with the old head gasket still on.
I don't have time to rebuild right now since I need to drive 8 hours to school on September 20th. Is this block gone? Do I absolutely need a rebuild on this block?
What are the problems that these pitted cylinder walls can cause besides low compression? Something I already knew this engine had before I tore it apart. What does low compression cause besides lack of power? Can I just throw on a resurfaced head, new timing chain and cover, and deal with it after I get out of school next summer or over winter break? Or is this a very serious problem that would render the truck useless after a few hundred or thousand miles?
Cylinder 2 in the middle and 3 on the right. I circled the pits.
Cylinder 3 on top
I might be able to get pics tomorrow of the block without the gasket if that would help
Can you feel the pitting or is it just discolored? Mine had some also but it came out when I honed it. It was more like a stain. It may be a no-starter and time for another engine. You also have to take off the old gasket and do some cleaning and measuring. Is there lots of pitting on the deck? If there is then you are looking at a lot of work. No sense dropping a new head and gasket thinking it will seal.
The pits are easily felt. I don't need to use my nail and try to barely feel it. Anyone would be able to tell that its rough if they just rubbed a finger on it.
In my not-so-professional opinion,,you are looking at a complete rebuild. If you look at all the parts for just replacing the head and gasket, and then knowing about the pitting on the cylinder walls, and the possible un-flatness of the block? What are the odds of this working out and all the money for those parts being wasted?
You said time is an issue so I think a new or used engine is your best option now.
If the timing isn't right, the valves can contact the pistons, locking the engine up. I hope you are turning the engine over by hand and it is locking up, otherwise you will now need to pull the head and replace some bent valves.
If the timing isn't right, the valves can contact the pistons, locking the engine up. I hope you are turning the engine over by hand and it is locking up, otherwise you will now need to pull the head and replace some bent valves.
Well it was timed right when I went to replace it but I was replacing it because it kept jumping time
If you can catch it with your finger nail it needs honed and ringed, but pits you can clearly feel need to be bored out. otherwise rings can snag and bend or break. aside from that, running it without doing anything will have a whole bunch of blow-by and oil consumption, hard starts, smoking, plug fouling, etc.deep pits like that can happen when coolant hits a hot cylinder wall, spot-shrinking it.
09-02-2015, 11:08 PM
