Anyone got any suggestions for a solid after market timing chain for a 1988 22RE? Probably going to have to get one within 6 months or so.

 

engbldr has good chains. I've installed 2 timing chains using his kits and have had no problems.

Troy

 

x2 on engnbldr. ted is awesome.

 

Does engbldr have a website or something? Or is he just a guy on this board?

 

Try this:

http://www.engnbldr.com/

 

he does, just search engbldr. LC engineering also offers a double row kit with steel guides. kinda overkill but its pretty bulletproof.

 

What tools do I need to replace this timing chain on my own? My shop guy quoted me about $800 and if I can just do it myself I think I would like to. I have a Haynes repair manual. Let me know if I need any special tools or skills.

 

don't listen to haynes..... their way to do it sucks, remove cyliner head, oil pan, which means pull the motor or remove the front axle according to them... i'm not 100% sure the easier way out of it, but i'm sure somebody around here can manage to tell ya something.

 

You'll need the online FSM:

http://personal.utulsa.edu/~nathan-b.../8timingch.pdf

And this helped out a lot:

http://www.4crawler.com/4x4/CheapTri...ingChain.shtml

Print out both manuals and you'll be good to go. Roger (4crawler) has a list of tools that you'll need. I would suggest dropping the oil pan, otherwise you could run the risk of bending the front lip of the head gasket that's sandwiched between the head and the timing cover (I've done that! ). Also, you'll need 2 extra oil pan bolts to secure the steel backed guide in engbldr's kit. The OE bolts will stick too far out and rub against your chain. Also, be careful that you don't torque down the tensioner beyond spec, otherwise it may not work properly and could starve the top end of oil.

Troy

 

Dont bother with the LC super duty chain. Its $$$ and doesnt do much else for ya (that said - I have one)

In my case - I put a new chain in at oh 200K and the HG let go at 250K (like 18 months later)... shoulda just rebuilt the motor...sigh.

 

I dont think I can use the double chain because it had a warning that if my motor is a set up for a single chain it wont work without the additional kit, which is more $.

 

Sweet thanks. How long will it take a novice to install?

 

Hmmm... That may depend upon:

function(your mechanical ability, having all parts and tools available, sense of urgency, ability to organize parts that haven't been lost or broken)

The first time I did it, it took a weekend. The second time I did it, it took less than 4 hours. I think I could probably do it in under 3 hours now, as long as I didn't spend time cleaning parts.

Troy

 

I could take a weekend if need be, its not critical that my truck is running everyday of the week. Should still be worth the $800 I would have dumped at the shop.

 

I did mine mine about 6-8 hours. Dunno exact time cause there was beer involved, stopped to eat, numerious smoke breaks, and part cleaning. Cut out the non-needed time consuming parts (eatin, and keep the cleanin confined to the must clean items), could probably get it done in 4-6 hours. Definitely need beer and cig breaks though. Keeps the cussing rate down to 2-3 every 5mins instead of the 3-5 every 1min. And see if you can rope a friend into helpin ya. Really helps things move along if you have a pair or two of helpin hands. Just make sure they aint drink ya dry!

 

I just did mine, still am, tomorrow will be day four. Part of that is riding my bike to the parts store an building a spring compressor tool. I also found a few old seals that needed replacing. Speedy sleeve for the crank pulley, and the half moon valve cover seals.

The job gets longer and much more expensive if you:
remove oil pan on a 4x4 <- good idea
end up re-moving the head <- it could happen
the valves end up needing work, <- my stem seals were rocks
you have power steering,
AC
everything has 1/4 inch of carbon or old dried oil.
you break exhaust bolts
etc
etc

 

yup

There is a $$ kit to convert the later model single row to an early model dubole row chain...

Nice, but not really worth it IMHO (thats the kit I have installed)

In my case the cover was pretty cut so I wanted to get a new cover anyways..

 

dave1993,

I'm guessing that you've got a 1993 truck with a 22re. I've bought this kit from engbldr twice and have not been disappointed:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/TOYOT...QQcmdZViewItem

Also, ask him to add a front sleeve and seal for your harmonic balancer to your order. It's only an additional $9. Make sure you get FIPG called "The right stuff". (FIPG = form in place gasket). You'll need good torque wrenches and pay attention to torque specs as some are in inch lbs and others are in ft lbs, otherwise you may strip threads.

To get the front crank pulley off without a high powered impact wrench, do a search on the starter removal method. That's all I've used and it worked every time. Take lots of digital pics of your hoses and every step you make along the way. Put bolts and such in zip lock bags and label everything. Be especially careful of the timing cover bolts, because they are different lengths and should not be mixed up. Also, get 2 additional pan bolts for the steel backed guide. Do not use the bolts for the plastic guide in place of the steel backed one. I would also use loctite on the tensioner bolt for insurance since I recall the torque spec being only 12 ft lbs. It would be unpleasant if that bolt backed out on you.

Troy

 

Don't pull the head or take the oil pan off. Just loosen the oil pan and drop it down a bit. You will be into way more problems and more work if you pull the head. You can do it in about 4-6 hours. If you pull the head look at 2 days and a lot of swearing an praying that the headgasket is okay when you fire it back up.

Make sure you put the shortest bolt you got underneath the timing marker tab. You don't need to take it out but incase you do by accident.