MilesToEmpty

Hey everyone, I ended up picking up a 88 SR5 Pickup.

It has 180k miles on the body.
Has 125k miles on a 92 Engine
Has an Automatic that was rebuilt in 05

Cab and frame has no rot at all! The only rot is on the bed, which I can fix - no biggie.



Anyway some questions...

Firs off, tires. Im not a fan of the 31x10.50x15's that are on the truck. Id prefer something a tad skinnier. How does the OEM tire size compare to this size tire? Id rather be able to keep my speed then have big tires lol. I do alot of highway driving, about 100 miles minimum a day.

The truck seems to bog down somewhat when accelerating/ turning on/off of the OD feature. I can be accelerating from a stop to say 45, and there is just a feeling that of the Castrol GTX commercial with the guy pulling the anchor.

For some reason, the PO put a sticker in the engine bay that says AMSOIL 10w30 ONLY.

I also notice a ticking that started about 3minutes after the truck warmed up for me today.

The truck idles high, which causes the trans to engage hard. I want to say warm idle was around 1500rpms.

And what things should I change right off the bat? How much/what type of oil should I use?

Thanks!

toyospearo

Use the oil recommended by Toyota. 10w 30 I think it says. I use Castrol GTX.
If the timing chain hasn't been done I would get around to doing that sooner than later. That 125 milage reading is about where you should do it.
Back the idle off down to 700 or 800
Ticking sound is normal for the 22re. If it is rattling well then thats the chain in need of an R and R.
I would do a full tune up just to start off fresh.. Plugs, plug wires, cap, rotor all from the dealer, oil change, oil filter, air filter, maybe even a new PVC vavle. Gear oil change.

MilesToEmpty

How big of a job is it to do the timing chain and the guides? Is there a way for me to check if the guide or chain are loose?

Im use to Subarus... I can get the timing belt done on my STI for $300 lol, or $180 for just parts...

the_supernerd

I would start by checking for vacuum leaks that could be raising your idle, then set it back to normal. New problems might become noticable at normal idle. I would then do a full tune up as suggested above. Also check the timing and adjust the valves.

The ticking could be a valve that is out of adjustment. Check the timing chain guides while you have the valve cover off. Factory adjustment for the valves is .008/.012, but .007/.011 will tick less. You can even try .006/.010, but it seems common for valves on the 22R to tighten over time, so you might need to check them more frequently to avoid burning a valve.

Stock tires should be 225 75R15. It will say on the driver's side door jamb. Those are about 28 inches tall. This will help acceleration some, but your truck looks way cooler with the oversize tires .

MilesToEmpty

Say I wanted to go with a 30" tire but not quite 10.5" wide, what would be the ideal size?

I still need to look into doing the timing on one of these... Feel like a newbie lol. Subarus are a complete different animal.

bobby_duce

alot of people run 30x9.5

the_supernerd

30" tires are usually 9.5" wide. The height is what bogs you down because it is the same as changing the gears in the rear end. Try http://www.1010tires.com/tiresizecalculator.asp to get an idea of the difference in tire sizes. I do not know how much work you want to do on your truck, but a 5 speed swap would probably be a big power gain. Plus, automatic trucks usually have slightly lower gears in the axles which would go well with the oversize tires.

The ignition timing is easy on a 22R. If your truck is carbureted, plug both the vacuum lines going to the distributor and set the timing. For fuel injected, short the diagnostic connector and set the timing. I believe the connectors to short are E1 and TE1, but double check that to be sure. If your timing does not seem to change when shorting those terminals, your TPS is probably bad and could be costing you power.

MilesToEmpty

Hmm good idea lol.

So far I've ordered:
Plugs
Wires
Dist cap
Dist rotor
Ignition coil
Air filter
Fuel filter
Oil change

Anything else I should pickup?

bobby_duce

ive come from the world of subarus too. coming from a wrx to my 22re i was thinking something was wrong with my truck but i was just so use to having all this power to use. its a turbo hangover. lol

but everything you just posted is always good todo after buying a used truck. before you do anything do a tune up and see if that helps.

the_supernerd

I would also get new belts unless they look new. Also get a new valve cover gasket set and some black RTV if you are going to adjust the valves.

Van Cour

keep the ams oil. its a great i oil i just changed all my fluids to it. you can change it every 10k miles tranny nearly every 30k diff just once!

ams oil made my tranny shift so much better. my truck runs and starts better especially in the cold. its more expensive but in the long run with less changes its cheaper.

Clean truck!

MilesToEmpty

Already got the ignition replaced and it starts on the first crank now.

There's a slight mis fire.

The large idle screw is all the way turned. It wont turn any farther clockwise.

It seems that as the truck warms up, the idle goes higher. I can turn the throttle some and the idle will drop, but it goes right back as soon as I let off. - Both cables have slack when the truck is idling.

There is still a "tinking" noise coming from the front of the engine. ive attached a video.

the_supernerd

That noise sounds a lot like a broken timing chain guide. Does it sound like it is coming from the alternator? Take off the valve cover and look at the driver's side guide. I am guessing it is broken.

MilesToEmpty

I'm really tempted to just take it somewhere. I really don't have the time to be pulling the engine apart, even on the weekends we are working on finishing building of our garage so I don't have time then either.

the_supernerd

Before I felt confident enough to do it, I paid a mechanic to change mine, and it was about $1000. The parts are less than $100, so if you have a friend that knows how to do it, the job will be much cheaper. I have also changed it myself on a different truck, and it is time consuming, but not too difficult. Even though it sounds like a broken timing chain guide in the video, it might be a good idea to pull the valve cover and double check before taking it to a mechanic. Have them adjust the valves while they are in there.