deesmckee_ak

So... I have an '86 pickup I took off of the hands of a friend. Basically he's a poor college kid who doesn't have anymore money to put into fixing this ol' girl anymore.

Transmission has been rebuilt. Everything is stock, for now. Big step now is putting a remanufactured motor in it. Current engine is shot. I know the 22re to be an always trusty engine so long as you treat her well and keep up with maintenance, I'll be more than happy to run it. However I've heard good things about the 22rte also. Being a nice extra boost when you want it. Is a turbo necassary? Not at all. But if it is worth getting, I would put in the extra dollars for some more get up and go when i want to climb some mountains.

Also am I looking at needing to beef up other parts such as along the driveline if I go with a turbo?

What I'm looking for is someone who has seen and/or experienced the pros and cons of the turbo. The plan for this truck is to be a medium duty offroader eventually. Probably won't push any bigger than 35's.

Any and all input is greatly appreciated.
Good day to yous from Alaska

Orion22rte

Hey there! First off I'm excited to watch this build, and hope you keep it up! I'm that poor college kid tryin to get mine up and goin, lol. Pretty much the same boat as you, want a turbo 4 banger.. Why not ya know. It's my first turbo project so I'm pumped. There's a ton of good reason here on this forum, and also 22rtetrucks.com is good reads.

Basically with the 22re you have options:

A) throw the turbo at an otherwise basically stock 22re.
Expect to buy : turbo, manifold (fabbed free-$100ish or $350ebay-700 LCE), intake/exhaust tubing, intercooler(highly recommended), and you NEED an AFR gauge( for the very limited amount of adjustments that you have to make to accommodate to the turbo), fuel injectors( 300cc plus), boost gauge. Etc. You would also want to look into arp head studs, less than $200.

With that your limited to very low boost. 3-4psi maybe 5 if you got a really nice intercooler and adjusted afm (or upgraded to supra afm) amongst other goodies



B) This is the modified to infinity section.

Well this is gonna be more expensive. Well, it always seems to be for me.. Cheap, performance, reliability. Pick two.

Some things to think about turbo 22re's:

Cooling- engine (v6 radiator/ aluminum radiator. and oil (oil cooler, better oil)
Head gasket -studs, fancy head gaskets

Timing- you would have definite timing issues on a 22re, I don't know much about that topic though because mine was already 22rte so I'm just modifying the turbo setup. But yeah expect definate timing issues.

FUEL- well the fuel injection is just no good if you want some really high performance. So you would want to look into a standalone system. They're decently pricey. Like 400 ish used pnp piggy back to really nice $1000+ systems.

Boost- from 2-3psi all the way up to rumors of 15psi+. You'd need new pistons, to lower your cr to about 7.5. 1-3-4psi maybe 5 for 22re fuel injection. 1-8psi is a good place to push a 22rte fuel inject system. Beyond those limits your likely pushing it. Then it's time to upgrade to a standalone.


It can get as crazy as you want it too. I like the 22re, but I want it to really have some kick to it too.

I probly missed a ton of stuff, but that's what the internet is for.

At the end of the day, it's never gonna be a power house display of power and torque like a swap to a larger engine. But it's a proven engine that you want to make better. I can say that the very limited drive time i had in my little turbo truck, I knew then that there was no other way for me. Do the research and know what your getting into though because you don't get so much lean way with a turbo.

Hope this helps tho.

deesmckee_ak

I probably should have added that I am not a very experienced mechanic. I know about what i've had to fix, which hasn't been anything TOO in depth yet. So speak plainly. This is my "learn about motors project"

Also the place i'm looking to get the motor from sells 22rte. Turbo already in place. I'll get with the dealer (GEARHEAD) more about it but my inexperienced guess would be that it comes with at least the basic NECASSARY parts to have it installed and run as it should without having to buy and upgrade other parts. But i could be naive.

If there is anyone who has dealt with GEARHEAD i'll gladly take input about them if you've worked with them before.

wyoming9

iTrader: (1)

It seems a lot of money to spend for very little gain.

Then it is your money .

I have 3 of these trucks and my 3.4 in stock form just flat out walks away.

one is my firewood truck for the woods at home.

In fact I pulled the one 22RTEC to start another 3.4 swap.

Any horse power out of the 22R series engines is so very expensive per horse power.

If at all possible drive the 22RTEC and a 3.4 you will see for yourself

Orion22rte

Gotcha. Problem is if it wasn't a turbo truck already you would have to swap wiring harnesses also when you put the rebuilt 22rte in. From what I've read it's a bit of a project.

Maybe stick with the 22re, for simplicity, pep it up if you want, with aftermarket parts, cam, exhaust header, performance head, etc. but as said above it's very expensive to squeeze horsepower from a 22r engine. And it's tough to get to 200hp even with a turbo, 150 without.

Gears are def your friend with a 22re

deesmckee_ak

Very helpful input. So now the question shifts. How much extra do you get with the 3.4 and how easy/not so easy is the swap? Also how reliable is it compared to 22r? I drove a '91 3.0 manual and wasn't impressed at the difference of power compared to the gas it drank.

Side note, this truck will be doing some logging runs.

Orion22rte

No personal experience with the 3.4 but the ppl who have em, love em. Some say it's the best engine toyota ever made and if cared for can hit 300k+ miles. Good power, torque. It's a pretty good project tho. And there's plenty of swap threads on here for research too

wyoming9

iTrader: (1)

It all depends just where your skill level is.

Some people the hard part is the mechanical end.

Others are scared by the merging of the two wiring harnesses

You can buy a plug and play harness in fact if you have the money all the parts can be bought to make it a bolt in swap pretty much.



I could be off here but I think the 3.4 stock puts out @190 hp.

I use mine for work and it is not uncommon to have a thousand pounds in the bed.

The most I had on was a ton of wood bricks on a pallet

Lots of information in the 3.4 swap section read and make up your own mind.

Granted they can be a pain to all the electronic gremlins are worked out A code reader or scanner is just about a must but some do without.

deesmckee_ak

Well this has been helpful in a much faster way than I imagined. On the financial end of things, staying stock with a 22re is obviously the best route. Just skimming the surface of a 3.4 swap info, i have a feeling i would be pulling my hair out.

Like i said, this is my first motor removal/install. Probably smartest to keep it simple this time. In the end all I really want is a trusty Toyota that i'll bond with and grow old with. This cleared up my curiosity on the matter of is more power do-able or worth it for me. A 22re it is, time to save up a few pennies and the project shall begin.

Being an 86 with rusty holes that go through and through some of the body. I can expect to do some other upkeep and replacements to make her truly happy. Bushing, seals, brakes etc. Anything to lookout for that maybe gets looked over for a truck that is 28 years old? I have this problem where i really hate breaking down on the road or worse, off the road.

wyoming9

iTrader: (1)

Mechanical things break most often at the worse time and place.

Just your usual hoses ,belts , Drive shafts Keep up on checking your fluids.

I do like the 22rec for what it is .

Other then the timing chain/ Guides or a water pump most other things you should be able to get home.

Good Luck

deesmckee_ak

Any pluses with the reC other than it's California friendly?

Swimmerboy2112

iTrader: (2)

More emissions junk which probably means less power.

deesmckee_ak

Thankfully i don't live in California. Even better, Alaska threw out IM testing being necassary recently. But yes, i looked at a diagram of the REC, looks awful.

92yoterDD

Before you sink money into it. Give the frame a really good look over for rust damage.

deesmckee_ak

Will definitely look the frame over when i get home in 3 weeks.

So i've been getting quotes on a reman. 22re.

It's come between Sunwest and Gearhead. Both run right around $2000.
I looked into 22re perfomance, I like the way they advertise, seem very trustworthy but just too expensive.

Any preferences between Sunwest and Gearhead? I've spoken with them both and can't really lean one way or the other without some reviews. Sunwest, the motor is cheaper but the shipping is more. Gearhead the motor is more but the shipping is less.

Bah! This is one downside to living so far north. It's okay, I still love it. When this girl starts driving, there will be some admirable pictures off her maiden voyage.

deesmckee_ak

This project has taken a sharp turn, because I always forget how cheap i really am when i realize i can't afford a whole reman. motor. And the fact that i want this truck running already!

Where we are now, i took on the motor with the issue of no compression. I'm praying it's not the block. The idea now is to remove the head and check out what might be causing the problem. Which brings me to my question.

What are some common and maybe not so common reasons for not having compression? Again, this is all new work for me. A DIYer learning as i go. Using my Chilton like a Toyota bible and this site as my rabbi.

YotaWoRx

Tight/burnt valve

wyoming9

iTrader: (1)

Just how bad was the compression and was it pretty close between all the cylinders??

deesmckee_ak

Progress!! I got the head out. Even from a novice perspective it's not looking good. There is metal corrosion on the exhaust valve side of each cylinder at the head. So in the LEAST a new head is in order. But while i'm at it, i would assume at least new valves might as well happen. 22re performance sells a stock for $550 or performance for $850. I know they're good stuff but i'm a cheap skate when i can be.

Questions:
Is the performance head worth it? I'm not a drive fast everywhere type but i do like extra power when i want it.

Any other recommendations for who to buy a head from?

Aside from gaskets, what else should i aim to replace for reasons: A) not having to take the head off for a while for repairs and B) maybe to get a little extra power.

How do i identify a burnt valve?

Thanks Again
-Daniel-

deesmckee_ak

Thank you wife for adding in picture of eggs. Not relevant to Toyota problems.