22re. Love it or hate it?

[thatoneguy]

What's your opinion on the 22re engine?

I've been driving one for seven months and am absolutely not impressed with it. It definitely doesn't live up to its own hype.

What do you guys think?

 

[hoe_nah]

299,000? Not impressed yet? Idk what will impress u lol...

But really its a dependable motor that doesn't eat too much gas..what do you not like about it?

 

[85toy4runner]

love the 22re or 22r , people ask if it has 22re , then they give the thumbs up. there is a reason why its one of the best engines Toyota has produced

 

[SV_Dude]

The 22re is an extremely reliable motor. But it does seriously lack power. BUT... I think that if any motor is maintained then it can be just as reliable as the 22re. The difference here is what it costs to maintain each motor.

I will do a motor swap in my 4runner as soon as I have a good opportunity to. I am thoroughly dis-pleased with the power that my beefed up 22re produces. I have just about everything done to my motor that you can do without spending thousands on a turbo, stroker or supercharger. I am still not happy with the power that my motor puts out. There was a period of time where I was content with it, but living at 5000-6000 feet, this motor is anything but satisfactory.

 

[thatoneguy]

299,000? Not impressed yet? Idk what will impress u lol...

But really its a dependable motor that doesn't eat too much gas..what do you not like about it?

Eats more gas than the 4.0 in my uncles' 4th gen.

Yeah, and that's 299k on the chassis. Original motor went at 170k. Original owners paid for a new crate motor at that time. It does look like they kept up on maintenance.. 130k into the new motor my timing chain and guides look brand new.

I didn't say they weren't dependable, but a lot of motors are dependable.

 

[SJC]

Pretty sure its the best motor any company has ever made. Lol they last for ever and take a big beating. Even if its lacking power its got plenty for the trails/ town. Not the race track though

 

[nevada]

Eats more gas than the 4.0 in my uncles' 4th gen.
Yeah, and that's 299k on the chassis. Original motor went at 170k. Original owners paid for a new crate motor at that time. It does look like they kept up on maintenance.. 130k into the new motor my timing chain and guides look brand new.

I didn't say they weren't dependable, but a lot of motors are dependable.

so, give us some numbers?
they were never high mpg engines to begin with.

but, my worn out 22re gets me 20+mpg running 35's, and 5.29 gears.

 

[thatoneguy]

Pretty sure its the best motor any company has ever made. Lol they last for ever and take a big beating. Even if its lacking power its got plenty for the trails/ town. Not the race track though

I absolutely can't give the 22re the "Best Motor Ever" award. They're good at mid-range torque, which is good. Our group always mentions that they were pretty good for their own time period. Not much else in the 80's had it's combo of decent power and good mpg. I'd drive one forever over a 3vze for sure.

On the mpg front, i get 19 combined, runnin 31's on stock 4.10's. I used to get better than that on the 29's i bought it on.

 

[T?@\7]

Love it

for such a small and light truck, the 22re with proper gearing should meet or exceed your demands for a truck with such age. Whats the rush anyway?

 

[Quatre Coureur]

the 22re is probably the most reliable motor ive ever owned. ive had chevs, fords, and alot of jeep 4.0s. the 22re definitely is no torque monster but it gets u there n back everytime. just give it some love! my88 4rnr has 230k n my 85 longbed has 290k n both are running strong! the 85 doesnt leak a drop of oil. cant say the same for my sons 06 jeep.

 

[hoe_nah]

You can't give ANY motor the "best motor ever" award cuz every motor has its flaw..and to each his own so everyone will have a mixed opinion on everything lol..

 

[KidVermicious]

runnin 31's on stock 4.10's.

This is your problem, right here. The 4Runners that shipped on 31s had 4.56 in the manuals and 4.88 in the autos*. You're undergeared, and the 22RE doesn't have the oomph to pick up the slack. I'm currently running 4.30 on 30.5 inch tires, and it brings the suck on hills and in headwinds. But I know I'm undergeared, so I live with it.

* now that I look at that, I'm not sure that's right. 4.88 might have only been in the auto with the tow package? I don't remember now, and I can't be bothered to look it up :lmao:. My point stands though, you've got more tire than gear.

 

[tony420]

Agreed!

Ive owned 2 different trucks both with the 22re and i am impressed with them both. The first truck was a 93 regular cab 4x4 it had 223k when i got it an i traded it in at the dealer for an 09 corolla and got 4200 on trade with 252k miles on it! My current truck is an 86 4runner i got off the original owner with 382k and i now have 399k miles and it runs excellent cold ac (i fixed) and hasnt once left me stranded all ive done is regular mantinence belts, hoses, distributor, wires, spark plugs etc I got a full exhaust w pacesetter headers and a K&N CAI and thats it for mods i cant wait to turn the big 400k ill take a pic for all u guys haha! But Yes, ive never driven a 3vz equipped truck but i am a firm believer the 22re or 22r is far supirior to it in terms of reliability.. As for horsepower goes.. just build ur 22re to suit ur needs, sure its not a speed demon, but itll rarely ever give you problems or leave you stranded.
Just my 2cents!

 

[slacker]

I wont ever build another 22r/re for my own truck . although a GREAT , GREAT engine , but it's old tech . and gets crappy fuel economy . DD is ~ 18-20 MPG with 31's

my S/C 5Vzfe , on 36's gets 24 MPG with my foot in it !! .. not sure what it would get driving it "sainly" as it's just to much fun and havent calculated that # yet


.

 

[the_dingman]

We all know that the 22R(-E) is underpowered for the 1st and 2nd gen 4Runners, and honestly so is the 3VZE. So I can understand being "underwhelmed" by it's output.

The reputation of this engine isn't about power, it's about reliability.

YES, any engine that is properly maintained can do 200k+.

YES, most engines now days do 200k+.

YES, fuel consumption isn't as good as newer, larger engines.

BUT, and this is a big BUT.

The 22R is known for reliability even when not maintained. I drove my original one from December 2001 to April 2002 with a blown head gasket, and a dry cooling system for the winter, then started using water when it got warmer. I didn't even warp the head. That's something most other engines couldn't handle. While this was incredibly stupid, there are many more stories like it from other owners.

Remember that the 22R is a 30 year old engine design. From that time frame, very few engines survive to 200k+ without a complete rebuild, especially small 4cyl engines.

Fuel economy standards have increased dramatically, and with them has come new technologies. The 22RE is one of the first mass produced fuel injected engines, and has very little of the technology that is used these days to increase fuel economy.

Remember that when comparing to other engines, you MUST remember the age differences. It would be like comparing a 50 year old athlete to a 20 year old athlete.

 

[OTTERYOTA]

ok lets consider this the 22re first was introduced in 1986 considering that and considering the junk that was avilable in other like vehicles at the time its a great motor. the 2.5 chevy 4 banger and the 2.3 ford of the same era are junk in comparison. :thumb3::thumb3:

 

[azshtr]

I don't get the bad rep for the power of the 3.0. I'm not in a hurry anyways when I get in the runner. It's the journey not destination. My 3.0 has the head gaskets fixed. It has plenty of power off road, and just enough to get me there on road. At 225,000 I can't complain. It makes me slow down and smell the roses, which is what offroading is all about.

 

[KidVermicious]

I don't get the bad rep for the power of the 3.0.

I think folks see "V6" and expect a little more kick. I agree with you though, my Runner isn't a race car and doesn't need to be.

 

[Quatre Coureur]

I believe the 22re was first introd in 85. Possibly only in california but not 100%. My 85 sr5 pickup has 22re.

 

[thatoneguy]

I believe the 22re was first introd in 85. Possibly only in california but not 100%. My 85 sr5 pickup has 22re.

Places like wikipedia say it was supposedly '83ish in Celicas