I have a 22RE 4wd with a standard shift 5 speed transmission and going to pull the engine and rebuild. Is it possible to remove engine without dropping transmission first? A
nd if so how much harder will it make it if leaving trans in place?

 

According to the FSM, no. You pull out the engine and transmission as a unit, and then remove the trans, once you have the pair of them all the way out.
You just have to angle the engine/trans correctly to be able to lift and tip then slide forward and up at the same time until it all comes out.

Does this help?
Pat☺

 

it is possible. i’ve done it on each of my ‘87 4runners. once to replace a clutch, and once to rebuild a 22re with a blown headgasket. i cannot say how different it is vs removing the transmission, because i have never used that method for removing the engine.

 

If you're rebuilding the engine I say just go ahead & pull the trans with it. That way it will be easier to clean up the trans too & get some new trans mounts in it, new input & output seals if needed, etc.

 

+1 for pulling the trans.

 

1: very possible. Use your engine leveler, a friend would be handy also. You might need to air down the tires some for clearance depending on you crank and rigging.

2: not impossible, but it's much more straight forward when you have the better access on the floor.

 

If the transmission is fine I would definitely not recommend removing it. It's not difficult at all to remove the engine with the transmission in place. I use a ratchet strap looped between the frame rails under the transmission to support the front of the transmission with the engine out.

 

The most annoying part is getting those top trans bolts. Get a socket swivel adapter to get an angle.
after that it should be straightforward. Less maneuvering than if you pull the trans and motor.

 

Thanks everyone. I was able to get it out without removing the trans. It was actually pretty simple. Now I just hope I can get everything to line up and go back in as easy once I finish rebuilding

 

This was one of the better rod bearings. And I was just hoping to replace the timing chain but the motor had other plans

 

Keep us updated. Whatever problems you run into, someone has probably had to deal with the same thing.
you may not have wanted to, but its good youre rebuilding from the bottom up. Get it done now and dont worry in the future
Putting it back together isnt too complicated. Fine tuning the timing is often the tricky part but you can figure it out.

 

Chasing the threads on the mounting bolts and holes in the block did help me a bit. I too used the swivel socket for the top two bolts, with about 3+ feet of extensions. Having someone peer down from the top to help the swivel onto the bolts is nice.
You can actually order individual Snap On metric tap and dies from their website. Pretty darn cheap (I'm guessing they did it to help techs replace damaged ones in kits.) I don't recall they charged any shipping, either.

Taiho is/was a bearing supplier for Toyota. You can often find their bearings for the 22r# at a good price. Same with NPR (Nippon Piston Ring Co.) for rings. Pistons, too.

 

Yea we went with King bearing and Nippon piston/rings