headgasket replacement 22re, quick question!

[the4runner]

hey guys, im replacing the headgasket on my 22re engine, 1988 toyota 4runner. im just wondering, everythings off, except the head. am i able to take the chain off the top gear without taking off the timing chain cover? am i able to simply loosen the crank and will that give me enough room to take the chain off the top? thanks,





p.s. ive also been thinking.... ive pretty much stripped the engine apart.. at this point would rebuilding the engine be a no brainer at this point? engine has 305xxx kms on it. dosent burn any blue. thanks!

 

[cometobanks]

I don't remember if you can or not but, if you do the job will be incomplete. replacing the timing "set" is important. There are some chain guides in there that fail.

 

[SV_Dude]

I agree with the above. Timing chain kits are cheap and you might as well replace that while you have everything apart.

p.s. ive also been thinking.... ive pretty much stripped the engine apart.. at this point would rebuilding the engine be a no brainer at this point? engine has 305xxx kms on it. dosent burn any blue. thanks!

If you were curious about a rebuild, you should have done a compression test before you tore it down. But, since you didn't... How to the cylinders look? How do the tops of the pistons look? Go ahead and drop your oil pan and check for metal particles in the bottom. Check for play in all of the connecting rods and forward and back movement in the crank. If everything checks out okay then I wouldn't bother rebuilding it. If it's not broken then don't fix it.

 

[SV_Dude]

And yes, you can take the chain off but you don't need to if you don't plan on replacing the timing chain. Just take the bolt out that holds the top gear to the cam. The top gear will slide off the cam and you can remove the chain from there. If you do not replace the chain and do not remove the timing chain cover, be sure to keep some tension on the chain so it doesn't jump any teeth on the bottom gear.

 

[the4runner]

awesome thanks for all the info guys, i really appreciate it.

 

[michaeltruck]

And yes, you can take the chain off but you don't need to if you don't plan on replacing the timing chain. Just take the bolt out that holds the top gear to the cam. The top gear will slide off the cam and you can remove the chain from there. If you do not replace the chain and do not remove the timing chain cover, be sure to keep some tension on the chain so it doesn't jump any teeth on the bottom gear.

Sorry, but search has been a fruitless endeavor for me. How can you tell if you indeed skipped a tooth on the bottom? Thank you for any tips here. I worry because at TDC and camgear at 12 o'clock, I have slack on driver side chain, and the chain itself is fine.

 

[SV_Dude]

Sorry, but search has been a fruitless endeavor for me. How can you tell if you indeed skipped a tooth on the bottom? Thank you for any tips here. I worry because at TDC and camgear at 12 o'clock, I have slack on driver side chain, and the chain itself is fine.

First off, thanks for searching! A lot of guys post new threads instead of searching, kudos to you!

To answer your question, it's a loaded response really. Where the timing chain on the lower sprocket is doesn't really matter. As long as the #1 piston is at 0*TDC and the dimple (dot) on the upper sprocket is at the 11:30-11:45 position when you reinstall the upper sprocket with no slack on the driver side of the chain, your mechanical timing will be good. Please double check this info with the chiltons manual or a factory service manual before you do this though. I am trying to recall from memory here so the slack may need to be on one side or the other while installing the chain. Bottom line though, it doesn't really matter where the chain is on the bottom or top sprocket, as long as the #1 piston is at tdc and the upper sprocket dimple is slightly to the left of tdc... I don't remember off the top of my head where the slack in the chain is supposed to be but I think the slack should only be on the passenger side because of the tensioner.

 

[92 TOY]

this is my write-up on YOTATECH.... BEGINNER'S 22re Timing Chain Failure / replacement / head gasket replacement - Page 2 - YotaTech Forums

see page 2, post #36