New to me 1985 4runner

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate
links, including eBay, Amazon, Skimlinks, and others.

J

jessnbrianfj40

10 Year 15 Year
Joined
Jan 9, 2007
Threads
41
Messages
142
Location
Shenandoah Valley
Just sold my fj40 last week, and bought an 85 4runner sr5. Needed something with heat and back seats for the kids.

Has 240k on the clock, but the guy I bought it from just spent a bunch having a lower mileage (116k) 22re installed. He said he had about 1000 miles of driving in it and it just stopped running on they way home. Cranks over great, but just won't start. Oil and coolant looked fine. Any ideas on where I should start?

Looking to build this thing back into a relatively stock road trip/camping truck/mild wheeling, so any good threads you can think of, let me know.

Thanks
 
check for fuel
check for spark
make sure there isnt something living in the intake tube

:cheers:
 
Check ignition and EFI fuse.
Check basic electrical, like making sure there is voltage to the fuse block with the key on.
Make sure pump is working. Short the test connector under the hood and listen for the pump in the tank.
Check dizzy cap for cracks. Look for spark as mentioned.
Pull codes.
Make sure you have a good computer.

Buy a Toyota service manual.
 
jessnbrianfj40 said:
First time working on the 22re.
Click to expand...

they are kinda over whelming to look at at first but they arent to bad

FYI: the fuel filter is under the intake manifold:hillbilly:
 
Did it just cut out all together? Or did it sputter? Usually electrical problems shut an engine down fast, and fuel delivery issues make it sputter... But in the case of fuel injection you have electrical stuff controlling fuel delivery, so the line can get blurred... :cheers:
 
Shut down quick

He said it just shut down fast. No strange noises, just died.

Good to know about the fuel filter. I was looking everywhere (except the fsm of course) for where it was.

If it is the timing chain, I saw the kit on engbldrs website with the steel rail. Would it be advisable to just go ahead and install a new head and camshaft from him at the same time, just to do some preventative maintenance?
 
That's what I did: steel guides, head, and cam from ENGNBLDR. I also replaced the timing cover because the chain broke-off the bottom rib.

I hope you have something simple, like a loose wire or clogged fuel filter. But mine did the same as you describe - just stopped idling at a stop light. The engine turned-over much faster with the starter.

It's easy to check by pulling the valve cover.
 
jessnbrianfj40 said:
Would it be advisable to just go ahead and install a new head and camshaft from him at the same time, just to do some preventative maintenance?
Click to expand...

if moneys no problem yes

otherwise just get the head check and surfaced if youre going to all that work and if you have a ton of miles (worn stem seals, rings) a new cam probably wont benefit much
 
Take the distributor cap off and make sure the pick up assembly didn't explode. If it did you will see a bunch of copper wire wrapped up in there.
My 94 did this and it just died all of the sudden going down the highway.
 
I've been hoodwinked.

Well, I made a list of the things to check from this thread and everything was checking out.

The oil and coolant were clean when I went to look at the truck, check it a few times. After cranking it over quite a bit in the troubleshooting process, I checked the oil again and it had started to turn milkly. Number 2 cylinder had water in it.

So the guy had changed the oil right before he sold it and played dumb about the blown head gasket he knew he had.

I did a compression test on the other cylinders and they were all at 170-175. Is this a good sign that I will be safe in just doing the head?

I'm pissed that I was lied to, but somewhat happy that I can replace the head and know that I have a solid motor. My plans are a mild restoration and build for road trip/exploration truck and reliability is my main concern.

Now my question is: After adding up parts on eng bldr's website, I come close to 1k. New head 450, crawler cam 100, head gasket and bolts 60, timing chain and cover 86.

Do I go with a whole rebuilt motor that I see on ebay? Or rebuild just the top end with quality parts?

Sorry for the long post. I botched my way through an fj40 rebuild, and want to do this 4runner right and have a solid truck to last a long time.

thanks for the help,

Brian
 
Why replace the head? Just replace the gasket and the little bits. 170psi is pretty good.
 
If it were me, I would not buy an Ebay motor. Just build what you have, and do the entire thing top to bottom. That way you will know exactly what you have. I would not count on the bottom end being solid at this point.
 
You don't know how long it's been drinking milkshakes. Rebuild it from top to bottom.
 
I agree with the above. Especially the last post! If you can handle the downtime and swing buying the parts, I think you will be money ahead in the long run if you rebuild the whole thing. Also way ahead on the frustration level- nothing worse than the bottom end letting go right after an upper end rebuild.
 
Can most of the bottom end rebuild be done wite the motor still mounted? I don't have the equipment or the driveway to pull it out. I'm hoping I can just hone the cylinders by hand instead of having the get them bored.

Has anyone ever gone over 100k with a rebuilt motor? My biggest concern is my reliablity goes way down hill when I dig into that far. Am I better off waiting for a lower mileage original motor to pop up?

Thanks for all the help guys.
 
Personally I would drop the pan, and check (plastigauge) all the bearings. Look over the cylinder walls as well. If the walls look good and the bearings look good and clearances check out, then I would leave it as is and just do the head gasket. That can all be done in your driveway.

No need to go crazy rebuilding an engine that is in fine shape, but you should check it all to make sure it's in fine shape... :cheers:
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Share this page

Back
Top Bottom