I bought a 87 4Runner 156k miles and knew the chain was loose.i was driving it home down shifted to fourth to get up a hill and it died and I put it in back and gear and it pop started and it started knocking pulled over On the highway and got it towed home. It was knocking pretty good but not the worst I’ve heard Did it jump time? chain is super loose driver side scarred up valve cover pretty good. Any ideas are my valves toast or who thinks I can slap another chain on and time it and be good?

 

this ever happen to anybody and they put a new chain And be ok how do I go about timing it if the bottom end is outta wack?

 

You need to research more about timing chain guides failing, it's an extremely common issue with these engines. There is a lot of information about this.

If you're somewhat mechanically inclined you should be able to take care of this, people do timing chains and head gaskets on these engines all the time.

 

I had just sold an 88 that already had the chain and guides done. I helped with one back in high school but What I’m wondering is with that bottom end knocking is this fixable or did I bend a buncha valves or no way of telling until I really get into it? Just thought I’d ask some guys that may have extensive knowledge on the engine or been in a similar situation.

 

Bottem end knock and top end valve are completely different. If you have a bottom end knock you meed to address that. How did you determine its a bottom end knock?

If its just bent valves then you can probably replace those without going through the bottom end if the pistons aren't damaged. In my experience bottom ends are way easier than top ends but I know a lot of people that say the opposite. Have you run a compression test?
If the chain isn't snapped then you can run one. You can also do a leak down test. You may be able to just pull the valve cover and spin the motor over by hand and see if you have a valve that isn't moving or isn't moving completely, (stuck or partially stuck). If you bent a valve the head comes off.

If you have a garage I would just pull the whole motor including the wiring harnesses by just unplugging it at the ECU. Engine stands are cheap on CL and almost rental shops can rent a hoist for cheap or just buy one on CL then sell it for what you paid for it when your done with it.
But by pulling the motor complete you will probably do less damage to the brittle wires when taking it apart. It also makes it much easier to work on when its free standing right in front of you. You can also flip it over on the stand and inspect the bottom end without crap falling in your eyes from crawling around under the truck. If no garage dont worry. Many of us have rebuilt these motors while they were sitting in the truck if you didnt need block work done.

Check prices on new heads if yours is hosed pr need major work. Usually they can be had fully assembled for almost the same price as what a shop will charge you to dissemble clean, resurface and reassemble. Anytime you resurface these heads they get closer to needing an adjustable timing gear. There are tons of threads on "rebuild or replace a 22re head". They both work fine just need to figure out whats best for you. If you have the time and tools I would rebuild it. If you dont I would just buy one. I had the time and tools and just bough an engnbldr one for maybe $40 more than the quotes I got to "rebuild" it. It was just a timesaver for me. If engnbldr was still around I would just tell you to calm them but I think they retired. , but congrats to them for retiring.

 

Yes I need to get another battery and do a comp test and I have the valve cover off. It seems like the valves are ok when I turn the motor over by hand but I’m not sure exactly what to look for either. I hope I can just do the chain without taking the head off is that gonna really compromise the head gasket?

 

The only way I've replaced the timing chain and guides is by also removing the head, it's not a tonne of extra work and having a new head gasket is some good piece of mind.

That being said I know it's possible to do with the head still on, but I've heard it's hard to seal the area at the top of the timing cover where it meets the bottom of the head.

 

Its not that hard to do it with the head on. Just have to drop the oil pan. But unless you know the condition of the engine, assuming your head and block are fine, its probably only another few hours. I would buy a Toyota, from Toyota, head gasket or one from a reputable toyota specialist, 22re performance or LCE. Most people don't recommend parts store head gaskets. The rest of the parts store gaskets are totally fine. And many people have used parts store head gaskets as well and been fine...

 

Say if my valves are bent and I need to do a rebuild? are those eBay heads any good? They claim to be new not remanned and I’m not sure if that’s a good thing with Toyota’s lol

 

Mine was a new head. Zero problems with it. Do some seller research and shop around. Dont be afraid to call vendors and ask them questions. You might get a better head for the same price as sone people charge on CL. Depending on the CL vendor they could be great.