22re Power

[BoDuke209]

If you have seen my intro post you know that I would like to turn my 95 22re pickup into an overlander. WHile at first I was totally onboard for this a couple posts on other forums and facebook groups have shaken my faith a little. Does it have enough power to push the truck with camper shell and loaded down with gear? Any suggestions are welcome as to how to make it more capable if need be. Thanks.

 

[gnob]

22RE is inherently slow, but like a tractor, will get it done.
If you're curious about feel, just load the truck with your approximate camping weight and test.

I know you can definitely feel the difference between one guy in a rig vs four.

It ultimately boils down to how fast you need to go. A stock 40 isn't fast by any means.

 

[cruiserpilot]

Sure, great for that! Toyota has built more than a couple of versions of campers, some even
with dually’s on the back - all powered by 22r motors. My buddy drove clear across Canada from
coast to coast. Averaged over 20 mpg with a dually camper. Slowwwwww…like any underpowered rig
stay right and enjoy the view. Last summer I passed a Toyota camper on the Alaska Hwy just south of
Whitehorse, both of us southbound. Just over three weeks later I’m at home on Vancouver Island and
by Victoria and I find myself driving right beside the same rig! I was home in four days. I bet it took them
at least seven. My only concern is radiator, cooling has to be preemo! Get head gasket and have the
head done proper.

 

[BoDuke209]

Thanks for all your replies! I know it’s low power and I didn’t buy this ting for speed, I just wanted to make sure it could at least move some weight! I appreciate it!

 

[Ken in AZ]

What size tires you going to run? Automatic or 5 speed? Factory 4.10 gears? If it’s a 5 speed drop 4.88 gears in it and add an e-locker in the rear while you are at it. Motor will benefit from a set of headers, better intake, larger throttle body. Rv cam is nice as well as larger tuned injectors. If you have the money throw a turbo on there! LC Engineering has all the goodies.

 

[kirvesmies]

If you have seen my intro post you know that I would like to turn my 95 22re pickup into an overlander. WHile at first I was totally onboard for this a couple posts on other forums and facebook groups have shaken my faith a little. Does it have enough power to push the truck with camper shell and loaded down with gear? Any suggestions are welcome as to how to make it more capable if need be. Thanks.

facebook, there's your problem.
20r or 22r/re engine will get the job done well. not fast. my present weekend warrior is a '91scsb yota. 22re, 5 spd, 285/75-16 bfg ats n 4:88 gears. it moves my camp down the road at 65-70 mph n hands me close to 30 mpg. a rock crawler it isn't but it'll get me far enough into the wilds to not see anyone . oh, n it's well north of 300,000 kilometers on the odo.
my advice would be take a look at what you call gear. a lot of do dads n knick knacks that's perceived to be needed for what you young lads call overlanding.......are mostly just added weight
yeah, don't be afraid of the 22re. n don't listen to the naysayers

 

[BoDuke209]

facebook, there's your problem.
20r or 22r/re engine will get the job done well. not fast. my present weekend warrior is a '91scsb yota. 22re, 5 spd, 285/75-16 bfg ats n 4:88 gears. it moves my camp down the road at 65-70 mph n hands me close to 30 mpg. a rock crawler it isn't but it'll get me far enough into the wilds to not see anyone . oh, n it's well north of 300,000 kilometers on the odo.
my advice would be take a look at what you call gear. a lot of do dads n knick knacks that's perceived to be needed for what you young lads call overlanding.......are mostly just added weight
yeah, don't be afraid of the 22re. n don't listen to the naysayers

Thanks. I bought the truck I have just for camping and I did all my research beforehand and figured it was the right one for the reason you listed, mpg and reliability. I know that a lot of the "overlanding" knick-knacks are too much and I was going pretty barebones for financial reasons and personal preference.

 

[BoDuke209]

What size tires you going to run? Automatic or 5 speed? Factory 4.10 gears? If it’s a 5 speed drop 4.88 gears in it and add an e-locker in the rear while you are at it. Motor will benefit from a set of headers, better intake, larger throttle body. Rv cam is nice as well as larger tuned injectors. If you have the money throw a turbo on there! LC Engineering has all the goodies.

I just put 31.5s on it and I'm running factory gearing right now. I plan on making the switch to 4.88 but not exactly in the cards right now due to finances.

 

[kirvesmies]

@BoDuke209 , just a quick fyi, my mpg is figured on a canadian gallon. your results will definitely vary. about the only thing to watch for on an r series engine is the timing chain guide, specifically plastic. the metal one is the one you want. when the plastic one wears out, the chain starts to to chew into a water jacket. when the plastic guide is going/gone, the front end of the engine will sound rattlely. when/if you go to 4:88s, you can easily run up to 33" for tires. with my 285s n 4:88s, my odometer is 1/10 of kilometer short measured over 10 kliks on the super slab mileage markers. enjoy your truck man

 

[BoDuke209]

@BoDuke209 , just a quick fyi, my mpg is figured on a canadian gallon. your results will definitely vary. about the only thing to watch for on an r series engine is the timing chain guide, specifically plastic. the metal one is the one you want. when the plastic one wears out, the chain starts to to chew into a water jacket. when the plastic guide is going/gone, the front end of the engine will sound rattlely. when/if you go to 4:88s, you can easily run up to 33" for tires. with my 285s n 4:88s, my odometer is 1/10 of kilometer short measured over 10 kliks on the super slab mileage markers. enjoy your truck man

The guy I bought the truck off of had the timing chain done like a month before I bought it, I looked it over when I took the engine apart to do gaskets (the place he took it too didn't secure the head gasket correctly at the TC cover). He had the metal guard so It should be good for some time!

 

[cruiserpilot]

Weight is your enemy. Load your truck like you are backpacking. Like carrying it on your back.
That will make you think about what’s really important.

 

[bajaphile]

Congrats on the purchase. It will be fun regardless. Seeing you're a fly fisherman in Central CA I would imagine you'll be going to the Sierras quite a bit?

If that is the case, you'll want to save up for gearing. Even with 31's you'll want the 22RE to run at higher RPM's for max power. Is the truck a manual? A camper shell with basic camping equipment will be fine. There are a ton of 22RE trucks which run 40"+ tires and have plenty of power for rock-crawling due to proper gearing.

My first truck was an 89 22RE 4Runner 4x4. I bought it for $3k in 1996 with 275,000 miles. Drove it from Santa Cruz to San Diego ~50x, to Burning Man, to Cabo ~5x, lived out of it for a summer along the Russian River in Healdsburg, took it everywhere. It did fine. Looking back now I would have probably done a cam, headers, other bolt-on's, etc to milk any additional power I could. I sold it with 350k on the ODO.

Luckily with the 22RE's, there will always be a market for them and will sell for a good amount. So if you find out the truck is not for you, you will most likely sell it for the same amount or higher than you bought it for.

 

[surfpig]

You'll be fine.

 

[toyotaboy80]

Should be able to atleast do 56mph on a healthy hill. The 22r series motor will spin at 3k+ all day. Just grab a lower gear if you have to.