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possible the key sheared on the lower sprocket. the oil pump itself is attached to the timing cover, so there's no guard associated with it. it is driven by a gear on the crank, too.
some pics from my rebuild (not the driveway replacements i did on the other 4runner)
Looks purrdy! Thanks. GIves me better idea of what it looks like. So the chain just slides on the tensioner? I thought it is bearing type.
The distributor is driven off the distributor drive gear which is separate from the camshaft. Just bolts right on to the front sandwiching the upper cam chain sprocket to the front of the cam. I wouldn't expect damage to the cam.
doh! of course it is (i need to remember what engine, not a 251 dodge flathead)
Looks purrdy! Thanks. GIves me better idea of what it looks like. So the chain just slides on the tensioner? I thought it is bearing type.
yes, the tensioner just pushes against the chain, and the chain slides along the slippery surface of the tensioner head. you'll see the two grooves worn by the chain over time.
go with the OSK timing set, use the plastic guides they supply. don't be tempted to go for metal-backed guides. you'll need to inspect the timing cover and oil pump to determine whether they are still serviceable. they very well could be. opt for aisin for the pump. the cover too, if you can find one, although there are decent aftermarket timing covers. head gaskets i purchased through mcgeorge toyota.
from my driveway replacement of the timing set (and head gasket) the second time - not so purdy, but it works just fine!
note that i did the job without removing any of the high-pressure fuel fittings. there's just enough wiggle room to remove stuff without disconnecting. see the CSI, the injectors still attached to the rail, the damper, and the FPR, etc.
you really can do this by the end of the month, but if you've got a toyota mech friend, you should be all set.
Last edited by wallytoo; Oct 21, 2022 at 04:40 AM.
go with the OSK timing set, use the plastic guides they supply. don't be tempted to go for metal-backed guides. you'll need to inspect the timing cover and oil pump to determine whether they are still serviceable. they very well could be. opt for aisin for the pump. the cover too, if you can find one, although there are decent aftermarket timing covers. head gaskets i purchased through mcgeorge toyota.
...you really can do this in less than a month, but if you've got a toyota mech friend, you should be all set.
Noted. Got recommended vendor for OSK to be safe?
Were your chain replacements planned or did you do them when something broke? What are the chances of valve damage? When engine died I had to crank a few times, including to observe if distributor was spinning.
If we run out of time, I may just leave the truck with my friend so he can take his time.
Very happy with McGeorge Toyota prices and service! I recently got upstream and downstream (bank 1 sensors 1 and 2) for my 2016 Corolla.
for the rebuild on #2, it was just because i rebuilt the engine.
for 4runner #1, the head gasket failed, so i replaced the timing set while i had the head off. then, i forgot to torque the plastic chain guides, and a week later, a bolt backed out and dropped down, wedging between the lower sprocket and the cover, snapping the chain. this happened while driving, and i was "making a turn" so it was at low rpm. got lucky that it snapped while the valves were clear of the pistons. i attempted to start it a few times, but could tell there was no changing compression. sure enough, the chain was broken.
i don't remember the vendor for the OSK kit, but if you search for that kit number, you should be fine.
Nothing on the upper cam chain sprocket, distributor drive gear, and distributor looks abnormal to me. You mention some wear marks but I don't see anything. The contact area on the gear faces will be shiny and clean from normal running, just like the differential ring and pinion gears.
Lower cam chain sprocket is indeed keyed to the crank. The key is for alignment, not for torque transfer. The torque transfer happens though the friction between the front and back faces of the sprocket to the surfaces it clamps against. This friction force is generated by the clamping force of the main crank bolt at the front of the crank. If the front bolt is loose or undertorqued, then the key will indeed be the last thing holding on and transferring torque. It is not really designed for this and will eventually fail. Unless that bolt is loose/undertorqued, the lower cam chain sprocket is unlikely to spin on the crank.
You can check for bent valves without removing the head. Rotate the crank the shortest distance to achieve 90 degrees from TDC (before or after, doesn't matter). This will put all the pistons in the middle so the valves cannot contact as you perform the next step. Now rotate the cam until both rockers on any given cylinder are on the base circle of the cam (valves not opening). Check the valve lash on that cylinder. Should be within spec. If you see excessive valve lash, chances are the valve is bent and not able to close all the way which results in the excessive lash. Repeat the cam rotation and valve lash check for all cylinders. If all lash values are normal, valves are probably good.
I have a multi part series on YouTube explaining how to replace a 22RE timing chain if anyone's interested. I prefer to remove the cylinder head to perform this. Others have chosen to remove only the timing cover and have reported success. If your valves are not bent, you can choose your own method. If the valves are bent, head removal is obviously required.
Yeah I was incorrect about the " guard " on the oil pump but its the back side of timing chain cover possibly keeping the chain on the lower sprocket if the tensioner failed. I think what your seeing here is that tensioner did fail or something. It's been a few years since I was inside my 22RE and it was only once. Hopefully by the next time it will be many more years! I should in no way be confused with being a trained mechanic, I'm just a backyard mechanic and have only done this for the past 35 years. The first 15 or so years I didn't learn much from these when new. They didn't need much then🤣
Sounds like you got the right person for the job! Have them look at it before ordering parts.
Yeah I was incorrect about the " guard " on the oil pump but its the back side of timing chain cover possibly keeping the chain on the lower sprocket if the tensioner failed. I think what your seeing here is that tensioner did fail or something. It's been a few years since I was inside my 22RE and it was only once. Hopefully by the next time it will be many more years! I should in no way be confused with being a trained mechanic, I'm just a backyard mechanic and have only done this for the past 35 years. The first 15 or so years I didn't learn much from these when new. They didn't need much then🤣
Sounds like you got the right person for the job! Have them look at it before ordering parts.
it's all good; none of us remember everything about stuff we've worked on. see my above post about the distributor gear and camshaft. hint: not a problem on the 22re! i knew that, but i'd forgotten it. like you, i'm just a wrench that isn't afraid to dig into stuff. some things 22re i can do in my sleep (fuel injection system); others i have to review/read/research. i have the FSM to help, but even better, yotatech is here to get the right stuff done!
i still think ray has the patience and skills to do this in his driveway/condo spot and get it done before the end of the month, but it is good to have a toyota guy available as a resource.
4Runner Runs! Thanks to all your inputs/insight.
Chain snapped chewed out the timing cover.
We had to drop differential to remove and clean oil pan. Somehow, valves seemed OK. Checked clearances, replacrd chain system, timing chain cover, oil and water pumps.
I have driven it 90 miles, conservative freeway speeds and so far no major issues. I saw wet parts from passenger side engine mount and below, but saw no leaks above it when revving up at stanstill. I'm hoping it's just residue from spill when we were taking timing cover off. (I observed that coolant seems to evaporate slowly.)
Need to do compression check to make sure. We had a working party like we did in the Navy. LOL! One Yota mechanic, me and 3 cheerleaders. LOL! We dropped diff to access oil pan. I am blessed with friend who's a former yota mech.
Nice! Sounds like you lucked out. Glad it's back on the road. My guess on the apparent slow coolant loss, you had the system open and drained. When you re-fill it, there are little air pockets all around. As you drive it they work their way out but it leaves the coolant level looking slightly lower (as the air is replaced with coolant). Keep an eye on it. If it drops a bit and then eventually settles out, this is likely the cause. If it never stops dropping and you are always topping it off, further investigation is required.
Looks like a cheap brand timing setup was used at the last rebuild.
AWSOME!!!!!.
I think this is the best picture.
so cool looks like a good time.
Check these bolts just incase they might have loosened after warm up. I ended up putting one in that was just too short and it leaked at first when i did my engine a few years back. Good luck with it. Glad it's back to life.
Last edited by Damion812; Nov 4, 2022 at 11:06 AM.
agree. while the osk set uses plastic guides, they are far beefier than that junk that failed in ray’s engine.
Originally Posted by arlindsay1992
Nice! Sounds like you lucked out. Glad it's back on the road. My guess on the apparent slow coolant loss, ...
Looks like a cheap brand timing setup was used at the last rebuild.
Yeah, the driver side guide (aka damper) that broke was metal with plastic cladding. The OSK kit came with thicker plastic guides, so we found out last minute that the plain bolts for the former would not fit the plastic one that use shoulder bolts. No luck finding the correct shoulder bolts for the plastic guides but found metal one guides from O'Reilly's on Jefferson in Murrieta that came with mounting hardware (plain bolts). I also think that in 2013 The Truck Shop of Miramar (San Diego) either did not replace the old chain or replaced it with inferior one that broke after only 9 years (100,000). I will write more detailed report later.
I actually only saw the passenger side engine mount (just behind the negative block ground wire) wet with coolant and am hoping it came from when we took off the coolant lines from the timing cover. I asked my daughter to hose down all the coolant on the engine mount as well as areas above and below it and monitor for further leak.
Originally Posted by Damion812
Check these bolts just incase they might have loosened after warm up. I ended up putting one in that was just too short and it leaked at first when i did my engine a few years back. Good luck with it. Glad it's back to life.
Yeah, I checked those coolant pipes on rear face of the timing cover.
AWSOME!!!!!.I think this is the best picture... so cool looks like a good time.
I really needed the tech support and moral support because I only had a few days to get the truck ready to bequeath to daughter who is still learning to drive stick shift.
I have moved to the land of non-P.C. trucks - LOL!
Ray I think you skipped a few chapters! Am I reading this right...you gave the 4runner to your daughter and you moved to some other country where they have lots of diesel Toyotas? Where is the, the Philippines? You live there now?
... where they have lots of diesel Toyotas? Where is the, the Philippines? You live there now?
Yes, Sir. Currently living in small city but will eventually build in my rural hometown. I gotta have open space and greenery. Nothing shorts, lightweight, light-colored shirt and 70-cent locally made, sustainable, bio-degradable straw hat, and the fact that I never have to dress up for work, could not handle. LOL!
Will stay in touch. We'd still need everybody's help keeping the Yota alive and well, especially since my baby will be driving it.
Oct 21, 2022 | 04:05 AM
