So I finally got around to do a detailed cleaning of my 22re. Tore off the intake, sent the injectors out to witchhunter (highly recommend them BTW) and went on a black goo assassination spree. Everything went well and I thought I'd post a couple of tips here that might be of interest to others looking to do this.
First, clean your linkage especially the springs. When I bought the truck, if left sitting for long periods of time the accellerator would tend to stick ever so slightly. Nothing drastically dangerous, especially with a manual, but the tach would sit at around 1300 instead of dropping down to 800. I figured that the throttle cable would need to be replaced but that wasn't the problem at all. There was just 200k of gunk that had worked its way into the various springs in the linkage. Taking it completely apart and cleaning the various parts made a HUGE difference. The throttle response is now great and the pedal is nice and sensitive.
Second, getting rid of the black goo is a two step process. First, yes you do have to take off the intake. There just isn't any getting around this because you wont be able to access everywhere without being able to move it around. Second, dont screw with toothbrushes and solvent/parts cleaner because they are almost useless against this stuff. I'm the 2nd owner of the truck and the PO was meticulous about maintenance so my engine was very clean. However 25+ years of goo constantly being baked on isn't going without a fight. The key to seeing shiny aluminum on the inside of your intake again is the DIY carwash. Take the pressure washer, stick it in every opening and watch the goo disappear. This took me $1.25 and all of 5 minutes and the inside looked almost new again.
Third, take pictures. Lots of people do the numbering thing, but I found that when messing with vaccum lines, the wiring harness and small hoses, it was much easier to snap a pic with the digital camera for reference prior to disassembly. Its much faster and there isn't any substitute for seeing a pic of where something is supposed to go.
Now for the payoff. Prior to this, my truck could consistently get 23-24mpg with 30-70% city/highway driving. After a thorough scrubbing, cleaned and balanced injectors, all new gaskets, and a new mandrel bent 2" cat back system, I now get a consistent 27 mpg over the same drive. Throttle response is vastly improved and I have a noticable amount of more power in the upper gears.
Thats not to shabby for a truck with a aerodynamics of a barn whos MPG rating from the factory was 22mpg.
The 22re isnt going to ever be anything but a little tractor of a motor, but that doesn't mean that it doesn't have potential. Let your engines inhale and exhale and both of you will be happy.
Stageilovethislittletruck2
First, clean your linkage especially the springs. When I bought the truck, if left sitting for long periods of time the accellerator would tend to stick ever so slightly. Nothing drastically dangerous, especially with a manual, but the tach would sit at around 1300 instead of dropping down to 800. I figured that the throttle cable would need to be replaced but that wasn't the problem at all. There was just 200k of gunk that had worked its way into the various springs in the linkage. Taking it completely apart and cleaning the various parts made a HUGE difference. The throttle response is now great and the pedal is nice and sensitive.
Second, getting rid of the black goo is a two step process. First, yes you do have to take off the intake. There just isn't any getting around this because you wont be able to access everywhere without being able to move it around. Second, dont screw with toothbrushes and solvent/parts cleaner because they are almost useless against this stuff. I'm the 2nd owner of the truck and the PO was meticulous about maintenance so my engine was very clean. However 25+ years of goo constantly being baked on isn't going without a fight. The key to seeing shiny aluminum on the inside of your intake again is the DIY carwash. Take the pressure washer, stick it in every opening and watch the goo disappear. This took me $1.25 and all of 5 minutes and the inside looked almost new again.
Third, take pictures. Lots of people do the numbering thing, but I found that when messing with vaccum lines, the wiring harness and small hoses, it was much easier to snap a pic with the digital camera for reference prior to disassembly. Its much faster and there isn't any substitute for seeing a pic of where something is supposed to go.
Now for the payoff. Prior to this, my truck could consistently get 23-24mpg with 30-70% city/highway driving. After a thorough scrubbing, cleaned and balanced injectors, all new gaskets, and a new mandrel bent 2" cat back system, I now get a consistent 27 mpg over the same drive. Throttle response is vastly improved and I have a noticable amount of more power in the upper gears.
Thats not to shabby for a truck with a aerodynamics of a barn whos MPG rating from the factory was 22mpg.
The 22re isnt going to ever be anything but a little tractor of a motor, but that doesn't mean that it doesn't have potential. Let your engines inhale and exhale and both of you will be happy.
Stageilovethislittletruck2
b/c most places you'll get yelled at or worse for trying that b/c they really prefer you not be washing contaminates into their drains and actually say "No Engine or UnderCarriage Cleaning" right next to the sprayer. Hot tank and pressure wash afterwards is another choice. (Though in a cosmic way not much better b/c then you're just passing off the drained off washer tanks into a barrel to be processed by a haz-mat facility.)