Hey guys,

First post. I bought an '88 4Runner with a 22RE a couple weeks ago, and I've been trying to get it running right. It was stuck in open loop mode for a while, until I was finally able to get the TPS adjusted correctly.

Now I finally get the idle to drop when I jumper the check connector, but I'm still not able to get the timing right on. The distributor runs out of adjustment at 12deg. BTDC. Cold, it runs like hell, with lots of hesitation. So, I popped the valve cover off to set the valve lash, and check the timing chain. I'm thinking it jumped a tooth, or the guy who supposedly put a "new head" on it F'd it up... See the photo, the engine is at TDC per the timing mark, shouldn't the dots on the cam sprocket be at 12:00?? The chain doesn't seem to be too stretched.

Any ideas?

 

i don't see the BRIGHT LINK.....turn the crank i more revolution and see if the bright link matches the dot on the sprocket....if i recall correctly....TDC will be at "0" mark on the crank with the #1 piston all the way up (take #1 plug out to see if it's all the way up) and the dot and bright link should be at about the 11:30 position....

 

Thanks 92Toy,

I rotated it several times while setting the lash, I never saw a bright link. I kept looking for it, but never saw one. I even looked on the other side of the chain to see if it was installed backwards. Also, I did pull the #1 plug and checked that it was indeed at TDC when it was indicating so on the timing mark.

 

eek.

the bright link was hard for me to find as well depending on the lighting...when i used my work light it would all but disappear, so maybe if you look with it slightly darker it may stick out. when i was doing mine i marked all my spots (bright links and corresponding spots on the sprockets) with white model paint.

good luck.

i assume until you find them you can't really answer.

 

Isn't the bright link moot at this point? If the timing sprocket has 36 teeth, and the chain has 96 links... each rotation of the sprocket moves the chain 3/8 of it's length. So, the bright link could be anywhere. If I spun and spun the engine, eventually the bright link would fall on the dimpled tooth, but what would that tell me?

 

someone else is gonna have to answer that one.

 

Found the problem.

See below:




The woodruff key holding the crank pulley in place sheared right in half. This allowed my harmonic balancer to spin enough to throw the timing mark off. So, when I was setting the timing to TDC per the mark, it made my cam timing LOOK off... which it wasn't. It also explains why when I set my timing to 5* BTDC it ran terrible.

 

so is it just that you need a new key or is the crank shot?

 

If this were a perfect world, and I had loads of money and time (which I have hardly none of either) I'd replace the crank. But that would mean pulling the engine, and doing virtually a full rebuild. So, I'm just gonna replace the key, tack weld it into place, replace the balancer, and run it. I'll just plan on doing a rebuild, and replacing the crank someday.

Thanks for your help.

 

and that's exactly what i would likely do too.....