22re small block questions

8

87yota4runner

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Ok so my 22re must have been burning a ton of oil cause i just filled it up last month and there hasnt been a single drip, but today while driving my engine shut off, i started it back up and when i put it in gear t started knocking like crazy. I checked the oil and it didnt even show on the stick. I added oil(3 quarts low!) and the knock went away, i started driving back up the mountIn and the knock came back in full force and now my engine is ruined. Yes i know, its my fault and im an idiot for not just checking the oil. From what ive read the cheapest fix is going to be a used or rebuilt shortblock, but im having trouble finding out what years are compatible with my 87. I see that the pre 85 blocks use different pistons and that they are slightly larger, so now i my question is, will any 22re fit from 1986-1995? Im still searching but im not finding a definite answer. Also if anyone lives near big bear and has a short or long block that works please let me know. Its my only car and i need to be able to get to work. Thanks in advance guys.
Brian
 
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I know you can use 85-89. The 22r would take more work because there would be the carb/intake switcheroo.

Not sure when, but sometime in the 90's it went from a 2.4 to a 2.7. I don't know if everything would match up or not.

Now for the advice you didn't ask for: Why put some other mystery milage 25 year old engine in only to have it burn oil too, or worse? Or why spend $2-$3k on a nicely rebuilt?

If you are going to pull yours anyway, 90% of the work is done. Just get a rebuild kit, have a machine shop clean up your block, slap some new rings and pistons in and you're set. Even buy treat yourself to a brand new head and cam from engnbldr and you're still only out about $700.

Seriously, if you're thinking of pulling your old motor and putting in one you pick up somewhere, that is the vast majority of the work anyway. Put in another couple of hours and have a nice new motor good to go another 300k miles.
 
Thanks for the reply txclimber, i was under the impression that the time and money ittakes to get something machined and then replace whatevers ruined. I need to read up on doing a rebuild, any advice on what needs to be replaced? It sounds like theres a bad bearing and if there is a knock i thought i need to replace the crank and piston rods? Any help would be great.
 
Machine shop should only charge about $100 to bore and hone the cylinders. They will then tell you what size pistons you need.

New pistons are cheap too, about $50.

The rebuild kit will set you back about $300 and will include all gaskets you need, the bearings, water pump, and oil pump.

I was a little intimidated rebuilding mine as well, but it really isn't bad at all. I got a lot of help from yotatech.com. I would suggest browsing that site, it is more geared towards the 1st gen crowd.

As a start, check out my rebuild thread. Rings, Pistons, Header, A/C too? - YotaTech Forums

I would also recommend a timing chain kit while you're in there. I also chose to put a new clutch in mine because it was easy to do with the engine out and worth the $200.

If you have any specific questions PM me and I'll try to help.
 
The machine shop will also mic the crank to make sure it's still ok. Chances are it is, the bearings are much softer than the crank and that's what wears.

They'll polish it up nicely for you too.
 
The guy i bought it from said he just rebuilt the engine when he put the new head on(less than 2000 miles ago) and he told me it was bored .50mm with oversized pistons(his words not mine). Is that even possible? Im sure he meant .050mm but every kit i see goes from either .020-.040. And if my block has been bored out before is it worth trying to save again or will the walls be getting too thin like stroker motors?
 
50 is pretty big. I'm not sure how big you can go on these before the cylinder walls get too thin. There is the option of adding cylinder sleeves but that may be more work. A call into a machine shop could clear this up. They have books with all engine blocks and their tolerances.

Typically, the only bore them out as much as needed to make the cylinders round again. Usually first at 20, then second rebuild goes to 40. If yours has 50 over either it was in really bad shape or has been rebuilt several times already.

Too bad your not closer, I have one sitting in my garage on an engine stand ready to be built that hasn't been bored out at all.
 
Not many shops will bore more than .04 over. I remember engnbldr saying he takes his race engines to .06, and has to hunt long and hard for blocks that are just thick enough to take that much bore. You can take yours to the shop and see what they say, but if it really is .05 over, they'll probably tell you they can't go any farther.

Any 85+ 22r or 22re short block should work. The carb crap doesn't matter because you'll just be putting your head and EFI stuff on it anyway, and the different pistons don't matter as long as they match the block, which yours will.
 
Thank you guys so much for the replies. I think im going to try to find a rebuilt shortblock to save all the time. Ive been bumming rides to work the last few days and its driving me nuts. I get paid monday and have tuesday/wednesday off so im hoping to find one by then. If anyone knows a reputable shop in the inland empire that has rebuilt shortblocks please let me know. Or if anyone on here has a rebuilt block they want to sell that would be great. Most shops only do longblocks and i dont really wan to trade my new head for a rebuilt one. Thanks agin for everyones help and please let me know if you know of a good place to get a rebuilt shorty.
Brian
 
Thanks for the link, seems like a great shop buts the only do longblovks and are so far out of my price range. I would have to save up for the next 2 months to buy the stage 1 engine. I will probably have to go with a japanese rebuild just cause i dont make much money and i am in time crunch.thank you for the link, i will remember them if i ever have the cash laying around to spend.
 
Timing chain jumped a tooth or two?

Ok so I started pulling stuff apart today and then realized I should at least check the cam for any wear before I pull the motor. Cam looks good, but I did notice that when I hand crank the motor to TDC and get the crank lined up at zero, my cam sprocket mark isn't all the way at the top. By the time the sprocket mark gets to the top, my crank mark is about 10-12 degrees past zero. Could this be my problem?
It makes no since cause my engine fires up instantly and idles smooth, but has that crazy loud knock at 1500+rpm's. It sounds just like when my dad's Chevy had a bad rod bearing. Any help would be really appreciated before I pull more stuff apart. I'm at a total loss here and could really use some advice.
 
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It would make since that the timing chain jumped a tooth right? If it got about 2.5qts low on oil and my oil pressure went to about zero, maybe the timing chain tensioner didn't get enough oil pressure to stay engaged and it let the chain jump? That would explain why it shut off right away but wouldn't explain how it still runs. It does seem to idle lower than before, has way less power and stalled when I stopped to back into my driveway. And I tried pulling each plug seperately to see if one of my rod bearings were shot but it knocked the same each time. Maybe the crazy loud knock is my piston hitting my valves? I do see super tiny metal shavings on my dipstick though.

I already pulled my ECM and fished the wiring through the firewall, radiator, shroud, intake tubing and battery so if anyone is reading this and has insight please tell me before I end up having it all pulled apart.
 
KidVermicious said:
Yeah, that's off a touch. Is the crank at zero when you put the motor at tdc? And where's the rotor on the dist?
Click to expand...

It seems like the piston doesn't stop moving up I till the the crank is at the 1 o'clock position(that's also when the cam is at the 12oclock). But that wouldn't make since cause the crank is what decides where the pistons go. I'll check the dist right now. Thanks kid
 
Ok so I just rechecked it. It seems like the piston first flattens out right when the crank his zero. But it also stays about flat until maybe 8 degrees past zero. When it first hits tdc the dist is right on the number 1 plug. By the time the piston starts to move back down the dist is barely past the #1 plug. The cam sprocket has about a half inch to go before it hits 12oclock, when the crank is at zero.
 
87yota4runner said:
The guy i bought it from said he just rebuilt the engine when he put the new head on(less than 2000 miles ago) and he told me it was bored .50mm with oversized pistons(his words not mine). Is that even possible? Im sure he meant .050mm but every kit i see goes from either .020-.040. And if my block has been bored out before is it worth trying to save again or will the walls be getting too thin like stroker motors?
Click to expand...
.50MM is tiny. that is half a millimeter.

.50 inches is huge. obviously...that is 1/2".
.050 inches is also tiny.

likely it was done at .50MM, I believe that is fairly standard.

87yota4runner said:
Ok so I just rechecked it. It seems like the piston first flattens out right when the crank his zero. But it also stays about flat until maybe 8 degrees past zero. When it first hits tdc the dist is right on the number 1 plug. By the time the piston starts to move back down the dist is barely past the #1 plug. The cam sprocket has about a half inch to go before it hits 12oclock, when the crank is at zero.
Click to expand...
is there a lot of play on the chain? are the guides still in place?

I had a chain drop off the lower sprocket, and jump teeth at an idle. it clunked(valves smacked pistons) and died. it bent every intake valve. hitting the starter resulted in a fast even crank. like when the plugs are out, due to ZERO compression.

it was a mess inside. guides were toast, the chain chewed into the timing cover. the bearings were full of aluminum shavings...a mess.
 
nevada said:
.50MM is tiny. that is half a millimeter.

.50 inches is huge. obviously...that is 1/2".
.050 inches is also tiny.

likely it was done at .50MM, I believe that is fairly standard.

is there a lot of play on the chain? are the guides still in place?

I had a chain drop off the lower sprocket, and jump teeth at an idle. it clunked(valves smacked pistons) and died. it bent every intake valve. hitting the starter resulted in a fast even crank. like when the plugs are out, due to ZERO compression.

it was a mess inside. guides were toast, the chain chewed into the timing cover. the bearings were full of aluminum shavings...a mess.
Click to expand...



That must not be the case with my motor. The timing may be off by a tooth but the knock is so loud, if it were hitting my valves it wouldnt still run. It would have bent the crap out of them cause i drove for about a mile uphill with the knocking at its loudest to get into a turnout, and i imagine once a valve gets bent the motor wouldnt start back up and idle. Also the knock doesnt seem to happen until it revs up past idle. I guess it must be my main bearing that knocking since it doesnt go away with any plugs pulled.
 
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