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Hey guys, bought a truck knowing it had a bad hg with plans on replacing it myself. Brought the old gal home and got to tearing everything down. Once everything was out of the way i got to taking the old gasket material off. It was really stuck on there so i took some 1000 grit sandpaper to the block. Got all the gasket junk off the block for the most part but I was left with a bunch of tiny pits all over the block. I just wanted to get you guys’ opinion on whether the block is usuable as is or if it needs to be decked. Here are some pics of everything...
I also have a divot on one of the coolant or oil passages that I’m worried about...
The gasket material is really stuck on the head too, can’t get it off with gasket remover and a plastic scraper, any reccomendations? It also looks as though the pits are on the head too.
And here’s the hg I’m using from engnbldr, I figure it might just compress and fill all the pits but I wanted to ask just in case.
Then is it just to get it running and unload the vehicle as soon as possible ??
Did you by chance check the compression or do a leak down test before pulling things apart ??
Hate to see you put the top back together if you have no compression .
With the head off are you planning on doing the timing chain??
Can you feel these pits with your finger nail??
To me that looks like left over gasket material once things are cleaned up you should be able to tell.
Plan on keeping the truck and driving it very regularly. No compression or leakdown test but it was running fine before I tore everything down. Not planning on doing the timing chain, took the valve cover off before to make sure it was the hg not a chewed up timing cover and the chain has metal backed guides so I figure someone has already changed it at some point. I’m pretty sure they’re pits, probably gasket stuff in the pits but I can feel them with my fingernail and they look to me like divots.
I don't see anything in the photos that would concern me. If the truck was running well to start with and you are using a quality head gasket you should be fine.
Scrape the deck and head with a razor blade.
But since you are this far in, I would remove valve springs, check guides, replace valve seals, check valve seats with solvent and lap the valves if they need it.
Also, wire brush carbon off the piston tops and combustion chambers/valves, inspect the cylinder walls, confirm standard bore, confirm head with a straight edge.
If it was me and I had it down this far, I'd probably do the rings and inspect the rod bearings too.
You can go pretty far with basic backyard blueprinting.
Don't forget to replace the thermostat. Back in the 80s it was common knowledge that Toyota aluminum heads could warp after overheating leading to a blown head gasket(and warped head!) over 100k miles was a danger zone for thermostat lifespan. Check that head for warpage with a straight edge if you are not planning to send it out to a machine shop.
I highly recommend having the block resurfaced. not due to the pitting issue that's too minor to matter but just to make sure its flat. You can call around wherever you are from to get the best price should only be around 50-120 bucks.
Definitely check both the head and block for warpage with a straightedge and feeler gauge. Lots of videos on YouTube showing how.
the head is more likely to warp than the block.
Agreed about measuring the head to make sure it's flat. A machine shop might even do that for free.
The pits don't look like anything unusual to me, both 22re's I opened looked just like that and ditto for a second-hand head I pickup up for free. I think head gasket scrubbing causes those marks, but they are filled by the new gasket and not a problem, according to a perfect compression test I recently did.
The divot on the water jacket opening is not a problem. Likely a small casting flaw.
Since you want to keep this truck and put a lot of miles on it do as much testing and measuring as possible, replacing anything not up to spec. You'll thank yourself later.
Then if the block does need to be decked, it will have to be completly disassembled, tanked.
at that point, honing, new rings and bearings and have it balanced for the cherry on top.
you can see how quickly this could turn into a complete rebuild.
Agreed about measuring the head to make sure it's flat. A machine shop might even do that for free.
The pits don't look like anything unusual to me, both 22re's I opened looked just like that and ditto for a second-hand head I pickup up for free. I think head gasket scrubbing causes those marks, but they are filled by the new gasket and not a problem, according to a perfect compression test I recently did.
The divot on the water jacket opening is not a problem. Likely a small casting flaw.
Since you want to keep this truck and put a lot of miles on it do as much testing and measuring as possible, replacing anything not up to spec. You'll thank yourself later.
Hey Gsp, what did you get on the compression test? About 170 psi?
171 psi on #1,2 and 4 cylinders and 168 psi on #3 that was my own dumb fault for making a small ding in the cylinder wall right about where the 1st ring would be at the top of it's stroke.
Since it's held the same psi for over a year with +10k miles I'll just chalk it up to a learning experience and use tighter-fitting rubber hose on the con rod studs next time the pistons come out.
The thing really flies, though. It feels pretty cool to experience max power of a stock 22re with the correct size tires. Honestly better than I expected.
171 psi on #1,2 and 4 cylinders and 168 psi on #3 that was my own dumb fault for making a small ding in the cylinder wall right about where the 1st ring would be at the top of it's stroke.
Since it's held the same psi for over a year with +10k miles I'll just chalk it up to a learning experience and use tighter-fitting rubber hose on the con rod studs next time the pistons come out.
The thing really flies, though. It feels pretty cool to experience max power of a stock 22re with the correct size tires. Honestly better than I expected.
That's great! I know what you mean about getting all the hp out of it. Had a Celica GTS once with a newly rebuilt 22re.. The only modification was that it was balanced. The balancing probably didn't add any power but man it felt great! So smooth even at normal all around driving rpms.
Mine looked just like that when I did my rebuild about 6 yrs ago. The block was well worn, had tons of miles on it. I was worried too but I Cleaned it real good and put on a Toyota head gasket and a new head from rock auto. Still running great never had any leaks or problems.
Also while the head is off its a great time to check for valve leak. youtube will have a bunch of "how to check" videos. mine did not leak with water but did leak with gas.
01-22-2018, 04:09 PM
