1989 4Runner question (1 Viewer)

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Jun 19, 2005
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Hi,

I'm looking to buy 1989 4 Runner 4cyl with an automatic. It seems to be in very good shape however I haven't driven or examined it closer. Would should I look for in these kind of truck. I'm a long time land rover owner and currently have a 2000 echo. Driving a toyota made me a believer and can't wait to get a toyota truck.

Thank you
 
Listen to the front of the engine with a piece of hose or automotive stethescope. The timing chain guides are prone to failure. It's a loud ticking noise right when the engine starts up. Sometimes it goes away, but if both guides are broken, it will always be there.

I've never heard a complaint about the automatics that came in those, just that they are sluggish.

The injectors on the 22R-E are also noisy, don't worry about them. That is how they should be.

1989 w/ the 22R-E is a much better rig than a 89 4 runner with the 3.0 V6. Beware that engine.
 
Also the Automatic are not what you want if you plan to turn this into a rock crawling rig. They do not have top shift t-case and they don't have a crawler setup for the Autos to my knowledge.
 
Thanks for the pointers. What kind of gas mileage can I expect, also are parts easy to get. Not too many rocks where I live. A good mixture of mud, tight trails and a view rocks. Most likely this truck will end up being my daily driver, so it will only see light to medium off roading. I still have to have an excuse for the Land Rover ;)
 
It will be slow as dirt. No way to avoid that but the 22re will run forever. However they are very well made trucks. Definetly ask if the timing chain has been replaced. I replaced mine at 80k and it was well overdue. mine got arould 20mpg on the interstate and 17 around town. I was 16-19 when I was driving it so you may add a few mpg to my numbers.
 
Thanks for all the info. Well, I bought the truck and I love it! I'm going to replace the timing gear though.

What kind of part brand do you recommend. I can find EPN on ebay. Is that good quality or should I go to the toyota dealer? How hard is it to replace the all the gear.

Matthias
 
I used all Toyota parts but there are a couple places that make double chains w/ guides that are metal backed so that if they wear out the chain wont eat through the timing cover.

For Toyota parts call CruiserDan:
https://forum.ih8mud.com/showthread.php?t=17873

As far as aftermarket i have been out of the mini-truck game to long an i have forgotten all of them (google).

You wouldnt by chance want a pair of Factory Repair Manuals for an 86. how does $125 for both sound.
 
matthias said:
How hard is it to replace the all the gear.
The gears and chain go on and off easily. But the timing cover is sandwiched between the head and the pan. OEM procedure is to pull the head. Work-around is to loosen the pan.

Plenty of writeups on the net. Plan on several hours.
 
You dont have to pull the head but you do have to pull the rest of the front of the truck apart. Start w/ the radiator (im sure a flush wouldnt hurt it anyway) and then the rest of the front end of the motor. There is one bolt that is hidden in a puddle of oil right at the front of the head inside the valve cover that will piss you off if you dont know about it. I had the prybar out before i found it.

Overall i would say it is a 3 bannanna job as long as you have a good repair manual (FSM) to follow.
 
LC Engineering and DOA Racing both make some killer parts for the 22R-E. When I did my mini timing chain replacement, I just used the stuff from Napa. The guides broke a year later. I'd say get the chain/tensioner/gears from a local parts place, then get some guides from DOA for $40 +/-

I also trie the pry bar! Funny. stupid little bolt.

Good luck.
 
matthias said:
I'm going to replace the timing gear though. What kind of part brand do you recommend.

Matthias

Contact Tim at www.doaracingengines.com and get his timing gear set. It's not the chain that is the issue, the factory guides are plastic. They break up and your chain gets sloppy eatting a couple holes in the timing cover. Tim's guides are steel. In the old days of the 20r/22r the guides were steel and the motors ran double chains. You can't swap these early parts in.

Tim is a good guy and a good guru on the truck engines. Browse his website with caution. Oh, I absolutely love my DOA motor.
 
Mike,

I just bought a house and the truck, I'd love to have the manual but I am not "allowed" to spend a hole lot of money any more. You know how it is:) Maybe in a couple of months... Thank you for the offer though.

I ordered the NAPA timing set. And will probably get the steel guides.

I'm also going to replace the thermostat and give the cooling system a flush since it seems like the engine isn't getting up to temp.
 
I drove my 86 w/ a 22re for 8 years and it always ran cool summer or winter. I flushed the system a few times, replaced the t-stat, and it never seemed to get up to temp so i figured it was just the way it would be.
 

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