New (old) 94 Yota Pickup
 

Hey all,

I'm new here. Just a quick background. I have two motorcycles, was involved in a hit and run on one of my bikes and sustained some bad injuries so I needed a daily transportation (preferably a truck). Bought a used 1994 Toyota Pickup. The seller told me the engine was original, but after doing some research and looking at the receipts in the glove, I realized it was swapped. The original engine was a 3VZE but currently has a 22re (reason I bought it). I don't know how many miles are on it. The odometer says 134k but can very well be incorrect. I plan to keep this truck until the wheels fall off, so I wanted to invest some money into it. It is in dire need of a paint job, and some small cosmetic and suspension upgrades. Before I did that, I wanted to get everyone's input on it. The engine sounds and runs strong. No visible leaks. The engine bay looks almost brand new. Is there anything that I should look for before investing money into it? Any common problems that could be an issue here? I called around and found a shop that charges $80 to do a full inspection and plan on doing this. Anything I should replace? Thanks all for your help and glad to have this oldie but goodie pickup!

What’s truck gonna be used for?? Let that guide direction you go.

Where’s the pics?

Welcome!!

Truck will be used for daily commute, plus hauling motorcycles and dogs. Working on pics. It's a bit dark out now so I'll take them tomorrow and post them.

First thing I would do is pop the valve cover off and make sure the timing chain guides are intact. They frequently crack on the 22RE engine just over the 100,000 mile mark.

With unknown mileage on it you will want to inspect timing chain guides. Most replace them with steel guides. stock is plastic which eventually break then chain flops around that will eventually eat through timing chain cover. The 22RE comes in 2 flavors downward pointing throttle body and straight throttle body, earlier model and later. Computer should have year or a code you can use to figure out year of motor which will be needed sooner or later. If it’s 22R (carberated) then couple more possibilities.

Thanks for the advice. I don't prefer removing the valve cover unless I have a spare gasket on hand. Is there any other way to determine the shape of the timing chain? Maybe I'll just have the mechanic check it out tomorrow.

I did see the aftermarket LCE dual row timing chain for around 450 online. I definitely will go that route once necessary.

Don’t think you’d gain any benefit for running a dual chain. Check out Engnbldr.com

I would not bother with the double row either. You can get an OSK single row kit for $65, Japan made OEM.

Timing chain is definitely something you can check. In my experience it will wear through the cover before it will fail..

On my truck I've mostly just corrected maintenance issues, my only advice is use dealer parts whenever possible. I've been burned by aftermarket parts ( starter for 3vze that failed in a week). Check your front wheel bearings and repack if necessary, they'll last forever. Change your gear oil and fluids with proper spec synthetic (gl4 for the trans), I gained several mpg from that. Honestly I'd say you'll be changing and upgrading things for the fun of it more than necessity. Watch for frame rot and keep that bad boy undercoated, that's what kills Toyotas in my area.

Good to know. I'll have this checked by the end of the day. Thank you.

[QUOTE=gyates93;52383557]Timing chain is definitely something you can check. In my experience it will wear through the cover before it will fail..

On my truck I've mostly just corrected maintenance issues, my only advice is use dealer parts whenever possible. I've been burned by aftermarket parts ( starter for 3vze that failed in a week). Check your front wheel bearings and repack if necessary, they'll last forever. Change your gear oil and fluids with proper spec synthetic (gl4 for the trans), I gained several mpg from that. Honestly I'd say you'll be changing and upgrading things for the fun of it more than necessity. Watch for frame rot and keep that bad boy undercoated, that's what kills Toyotas in my area.[/QUOYou.

Awesome advice. I'll be sure to do all of that. I'll take it to a shop today to get it checked out professionally since my wrench skills are average. Once I know everything about the truck, I'll be sure to do a whole lot of learning and maintaining. And I know exactly what you mean about doing things more for fun than necessity. That's how I am with my bikes. I keep learning and doing more mods and maintenance. I initially wanted to lift the truck but since it's 2wd and it's mainly for commute and hauling my bikes, I'll be lowering it a few Inches. I do plan to invest a good amount of money into it so this forum will be my new bible. Thanks again.

So I took the truck to the shop today and paid $80 to have it looked through thoroughly. I have gone to this guy for over 10 years and he has repeatedly hooked me up with prices and labor and has my complete trust. I even called around and his prices were half the price of his competitors and he even dropped it more after the job was done. Anyway, the mechanic said the engine is extremely strong and hes never seen a 22re this strong or with this low mileage. However, there are problems that will arise. He made a list of problems and prices (parts + labor):

- Valve cover gaskets $200
- Reseal Timing Cover $1,000
- Cylinder head gasket $1,800
- Reseal oil pan gasket $600
- Rear main seal $600
- All 3 radiator hoses + thermostat $250 (he said this one is urgent, as one of the hoses is enlarged and looks ready to burst)
- Rear lead spring bushings $350
- All 4 shocks $500
- Repack wheel bearings and adjust $200
- Steering gear box $1,000

He did repeat, I paid $80 to find problems and potential problems, and he listed them for me. In no way do I need them right now (aside from the radiator hoses). He said some of these are less urgent. The oil leaks are very minor but he said he estimated problems with the oil leaks within the next 2 years. I know I can do some of these myself, but the cylinder head gasket and some of the others make me just want to get an engine swap. I'm in San Diego, and there is a place in LA that charges $3k to swap a rebuilt 22re motor with installation with 3 year warranty. The mechanic suggested I do the radiator hoses and thermostat myself ASAP, and the rest he said we can either do along the way when they come up, or I can get an engine swap in the next 2 years. I don't see a point to the engine swap if the engine is so strong. Some insight would be great. Again, i'm not a wrench head but I am willing to learn. How difficult are some of these repairs and what are the possibilities of me doing them myself?

Also, if someone can send me a link to the 3 radiator hoses and thermostat that I need, I would appreciate that!

https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.yot...dfe47a9ef0.jpg
https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.yot...f8ffb3c29e.jpg
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https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.yot...e79cacd896.jpg
https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.yot...c1ab675b0a.jpg
https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.yot...cec6911b0f.jpg
https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.yot...c37f1f2647.jpg

Wow, clean engine bay!!!!

Your mechanic's prices are astronomical in my opinion, but I haven't paid anyone to wrench on my rig so maybe price is right. Do you have any mechanical capabilities? Several of items are easy. Some I don't understand why he listed them. ie; resealing timing chain cover. Has to be removed to change timing chain so why list twice. Even if he is quoting parts and labor ouch. I wouldn't bother with changing headgasket unless there is a problem. Valve cover is easy so is oil pan.
Replacing hoses is easy can get from Toyota, trailgear (summit sales TG), local auto parts. Probably should do thermostat at same time, I'd go with Toyota for thermostat. 3rd hose you'll need to remove alternator to remove.

I'd flush break lines and clutch lines. Do rear main and front tranny seal when you do clutch.

Thank you for that info. It's a relief to hear. My capabilities are limited. Everything I've done, I've taught myself from youtube videos. I've never changed brakes on a car/truck, only motorcycles. I mostly do oil changes and aftermarket part replacements.

I initially thought his prices were high but when I call around, I run into even higher prices. I guess here in San Diego, most people take their cars to mechanics so they're heavily relied upon. I'm ordering the hoses and thermostats now on Amazon. The hoses are Gates brands and thermostat is Stant. The prices are decent and the reviews are good so hopefully they do the trick. The truck also needs rotors as they're warped, so I'm ordering brake/rotor combos and will do that the same time I repack the bearings. I've never repacked bearings, and the youtube videos I have found are somewhat difficult to understand. They're all different. I also can't find any good write ups on this. Do you know if there are any here on this site?

Look for a copy of factory service manual. Step by step from factory. I have a digital copy for 92. Too big to email. If you have any idea of getting it to you let me know.

Test thermostat before you install. Take a pan of water, use a piece of string and a chopstick/pencil/skewer to suspend t-stat in water so that it is not touching bottom of pan. And confectioners thermostat to monitor temp. Turn heat on to burner. T-stat should open at temp stamped on it.

I would definitely recommend a Toyota thermostat regardless of the higher cost. Those prices for service do seem very high and some of the service seems unnecessary.

The body on that thing looks pretty straight and rust free! You should be able to enjoy the truck as a good reliable commuter vehicle for years to come. Don't worry about the head gasket unless it actually fails, and even if it does it's doable for you with some hand tools and a good torque wrench, just read the manual and label the parts when you take it apart. We've recently removed heads for a stripped spark plug hole on a 1989 v6 Nissan, it's really not that hard if you go about it methodically, and just take the head to a machine shop once you've got it off, they charged me $80 for both to clean, inspect, and re tap spark plug hole.

Thanks for that. I cancelled the order and ordered an OEM thermostat, it was basically the same price except +$13 for shipping.

That is also good news. I really hope to have this truck for a long time. Here in San Diego, we don't really worry too much about rust. I didn't even know what undercoating the body was until gyates93 pointed it out. I checked the bottom and barely any rust.

I found the service manual but doesn't say much about repacking and adjusting. Also watched some more videos and am starting to understand. I understand the repacking part but still figuring out the adjusting. Some people use some repacking tools that look pretty expensive and some people have brand new bearings. I'm assuming I don't need either of those.

Wow. I am glad I do my own maintenance. Looking at those prices helps me justify my thousands of dollars of tools.

Did he even look at the timing chain guides? He would have had to pop the valve cover off to do it. If he did not do it, I would suggest you get yourself a valve cover gasket, 2 half moon seals, 4 cap nut seals and a metric socket set and look at them yourself. You can then pocket the difference on the $200 he would have charged you to change the gasket. It is a simple repair that will let you decide if you like working on your own vehicles. Take a picture of the guides and we can tell you whether they are crap or not.

The hoses and thermostat are also easy to do on your own. Get yourself an OTC 4521 hose remover pick ($9 on Amazon) the old hoses are likely welded to their fittings and that tool will make separating them easy. You will spend about $60 on hoses antifreeze and distilled water. You can then pocket the difference on the $250 he would have charged you.

Why does he think you need a new head gasket?

What is wrong with the steering box?

Finally a tool I already have! The $7 pick :roll:.

Yes, he did look at the chain but i forgot to ask. He just wrote exactly that on the paper, so I'm assuming I need to replace the chain as well. Im trying to figure out how to access the guides.

And I believe he said the head gasket is leaking.

Not sure about the steering box. Does it affect the alignment of the steering wheel? If so, the steering wheel is a bit off.