Hi Everyone -
We have an 89 4runner that we are looking to restore. Engine runs rough mechanic says valves are bad. We can get around ok but really noticeable going uphill.
Anyway, I've decided to either rebuild this engine or buy a rebuilt/remanufactured one. Found one not far away where the seller says its completely rebuild and ready to install.

Any advice on what to ask to make sure I'm getting what I need? Warranty seems logical.

Any advice/experience on rebuilding existing vs purchasing rebuilt 22REs? I am not mechanically inclined so no chance I will take it on....more a question of weighing pros and cons
Thanks in advance for any advice

 

My question would be, are the valves BAD, or just need a good alignment?
The more work a mechanic does, the more he gets paid. A valve alignment is not a difficult task at all in the faithful 22RE engine. If you are mechanically incline enough to unscrew 4 bolts, remove a few vacuum lines, and then loosen nut so that you can turn a screw to set the valve lash, you're golden. You will need ONE combination wrench in 12mm, and a standard screwdriver. Oh, and a feeler gauge. Most feeler gauges are a set of very thin metal strips, each marked with it's thickness, all bundled together. You just select the one you need, fold the rest back in, and voila!

It really doesn't take any great mechanical savvy to set the valves in the 22RE. If you can turn a nut, and a screw, you can do it. Big secret it to do them in the right order. Get a copy of the FSM for your truck's year, and it will have detailed instructions on How-To. Even an electronics tech (me) can learn to do the valves quickly.

Otherwise, see if you can find a mechanic to do the work. It only takes 20-30 minutes for me to set the valves on one, won't take a mechanic long at all. Better if you learn, though. It's something that should done on a regular schedule to keep your truck at it's happiest Like changing out the spark plugs, setting the timing, and so on. Regularly scheduled maintenance that you really shouldn't pay a mech to do. It's all so easy! Toyota engineers actually considered maintenance when they designed the engine. Not like engineers usually do. I used to work on the F-4 Phantom, and believe me, they did NOT consider maintenance they designed that plane.

Anywho, having said all that, if your valves really are bad, definitely get a good mechanic, one that you can trust, to do the work. Replacing the valves and their seats isn't all THAT hard, buuuuut...

Sorry. I ramble. Good luck, however you decide to do this.
Pat☺

 

Thank you for your detailed (and inspiring) response 2toyguy .... If that's all there is to it then yes I will take in on myself. Worst case, I'll have to take it to my mechanic anyway and we'll have a good laugh about how I screwed it up.
Cheers

 

let me throw in 2 satoshys here...what Pat says is true, it’s not that difficult, and if you don’t do it 100% correctly, you can do it over. But it would be best to have a friend who knows show you how or at least watch some YTube videos on it before diving in.

Out of adjustment valves on a 22re are not a death sentence but a burnt valve would be. So I would seek clarity on what the mechanic said exactly. How did he determine it...compression test? Vacuum gauge? These are quick, easy tests. If you do have a burnt one, there is no good fix short of pulling the head and getting what used to be commonly called a “valve job”. Today a rebuilt head swap might be an option.
Then it would make sense to consider swapping a rebuilt or lower miles engine in instead. At the same time, you may want to inspect and likely replace your clutch if mileage is unknown.

Buying a “rebuilt”is a gamble, especially if you cannot hear it run. The more info/documentation you can get, the better. Best case would be buying a low mileage one out of a rusted out truck or motorhome. They tend to be lower miles. But i don’t know how common they are in your area.

For example, I recently bought a 22re out of a running truck that the guy was swapping in a v8. He met me in a parking lot and i did a compression test on it right there. A week later he had it out and I picked it up. It was supposedly rebuilt when he got the 4r and had 10k miles on it but had no proof. I partially disassembled it and was able to prove it had been rebuilt. I paid $650. They are rare in this area so i felt that was a good price. If the one you are considering was newly rebuilt by a shop or Toyota specialist, i would expect to pay about twice that. Good luck!

 

Hey Melrose - fellow MA native... (I grew up in Plymouth).
Makes a lot of sense to verify what exactly is the problem. I'm going to take it to another mechanic and get the famous 2nd opinion - with a compression test to validate.

I've seen rebuilt 22REs all over the map as far as price is concerned. There's one not far from me in SC for $1200, but I've seen them as much as 3x that. So in this world of "you get what you pay for" I feel a little unsure about what to buy if I go that route.
If I'm going to spend that $ + installation it damn well better be the next best thing to new.

THanks for your feedback !

 

A BIG THANK YOU to Pat and Melrose on their advice. Took the 89 4r to another mechanical (who was highly recommended). They did the compression test which came back at 160 - well within the limits based on my research.
She needs a new exhaust manifold and gasket and a complete tune-up. According to them the new spark plugs should help increase the compression....No new engine needed ...yet.

 

Yeah, 160 psi is really pretty good. Mine’s in the 135/150 range with 200k miles and runs fine. So that indicates your valves are *not* burnt so whatever is making run badly is spark, air, or fuel related. Good luck, post any new findings.

 

I'm glad you got it squared away.
Remember, at least in my book, a tune up is plugs (verify the gap!), plug wires, distributor cap and rotor, distributor's air gap, timing, valve lash alignment, coolant and radiator hoses (bear in mind that there are 3 hoses!), thermostat, air filter, oil and filter, fuel filter, and PCV valve and it's grommet. The grommet gets stiff and brittle in a year or two, and will crack and disintegrate when you pull the PVC valve out. Be prepared to ensure none falls down into the head!. Kinda handy having the valve cover off to set the valve lash and/or replace the valve cover gasket set when you go to do the PCV valve and grommet.
The fuel filter is optional, depending on the fuel flow rate. They can be a real PITA in the 4Runners, too.
The valve cover gasket and halfmoon fittings is optional, as well, but whether it's leaking or not, every few years it's a good idea to replace to KEEP it from leaking.
Transmission and differential oil also ever two or three years.

Honestly, all this good stuff is actually pretty easy for even a non-mechanic (me!) to do, quickly. If I'm doing my spring tune up, the biggest delay is "burping" the cooling system after a flush and fill.
While it's good n warm (hot!) burping the coolant, it's a good opportunity to change out the oil and filter. A hot change is more effective than a cool one. Just watch the hot oil draining out! Be ready to get your hand out of the way when the drain plug comes out.

Once again, all this fun stuff is easy for even a non mechanic to do easily. As Melrose said, get a copy of the FSM, even a PDF version is good to have, and maybe watch some youtube videos on what you want to do. Otherwise, the only thing to do is get your hands greasy and oily just doing it. It's a great feeling getting a tune up done, and hearing/feeling the improvements you've made in your truck.
You'll need some basic tools any vehicle owner should have anyway. Scewdrivers, a set of metric combination wrenches, a metric socket set, feeler gauges, pliers, both regular and needlenose, and so forth. It SOUNDS like a lot, but it can be a lifesaver at 0100, on a dark desert highway, as the song goes.

I always take the removed parts and save them in the truck. If something fails out on the road, it's possible I can fix it on the spot and save the tow fee and time involved. I throw the previously saved parts away when I put another set in, so I've always got a set of "stuff" that's only about a year old, and in relatively decent shape. It has payed off a few times for me. Cracked distributor cap from the store, hoses with pinhole leaks, and so forth. The joys of mass production. Replaced on the spot, and away I went

Have fun, however you choose to do things
Pat☺

 

Can't thank you enough guys .... Will post updates.

Their recommended tune-up is
PCV
Plugs & Wires
Dist Cap & Rotor

They also said both valve cover and oil pan gaskets need replacing.
What got my attention there was their estimate on gasket labor was $108 for the valve cover and $324 for the oil 3 x more for the oil pan?) - I'll tackle those myself...they're gaskets after all.
All the best - Dennis

 

There's a reason the oil pan gasket is so much. It's not the gasket per se that's so tough, it's getting TO the oil pan that's difficult. I've never done it, myself, but I've seen threads about it. You have to drop the front differential slightly, or remove it completely, whichever, to drop the oil pan. Clean off all the old gasketing materiel, then apply a bead of the Toyota gasketing RTV stuff, and get it seated in position within a limited time frame, I believe a half hour. Once all the bolts are back in the holes they came out of, and that's important, then you have to get the front diff back in, and so forth. It takes a lot to do the oil pan gasket!

The valve cover takes four acorn nuts, maybe a few vacuum lines. The new gasket is a long rubber piece that sits down in the groove in the valve cover. Set it in place, valve cover back on, done. You do need to replace the two halfmoon rubber seals, one at each end, with a small bead of rtv on each side of them. Heck, the hardest part is getting the acorn nuts started with the new valve cover gasket, and new grommets under the acorn nuts. It can all be larger enough than the old one, that it's tough to get the nuts started. The valve cover gasket is T shaped, and if you don't put it into the groove correctly, ie: the vertical of the T in the groove, not the crossbar, you'll never get it to seal up and the acorn nuts won't go back on at all.
A little hint: To get the gasket to stay in the groove while lowering the cover back onto the head, put a little dab of thick, heavy grease in various places around the groove before you put the gasket in. It will hold the gasket in place long enough to get the valve cover back in place, but NOT add any thickness to the gasket, which would make getting the acorn nuts nearly impossible to get started again.
Put a pair of vice grips onto the cover/head meeting to help push down enough to get the acorn nuts started. Once you have one in front, and another in back on the opposite side, the other two will go on fairly easily. Pop off the vice grips and you're good to go.

Good luck, and keep us up-to-date
Pat☺

 

We rebuilt our 22r in a shed with no prior large engine experience. It's all pretty straight forward. Got most of the parts from LCE. Fires up instantly and runs like a top. Finding a replacement engine can be difficult, and reman ones are pricey imo

 

Thanks for the info - good to know!