Rod Knock - Blow-by Noise - 1989 Toyota Pickup 22RE 4WD IFS

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cfrumpp4

cfrumpp4

Joined
Dec 10, 2025
Threads
2
Messages
9
Location
Mammoth Lakes, CA
Hey Team,

1989 Toyota Pickup 22RE 4WD IFS - 224k miles

My truck started knocking the other day. I checked Valve Lash and it was all good, I set to .008 and .012. I did the spark plug boot removal test and the knock stopped when removing the spark plug boot to cylinder #4. I dropped the oil pan and was able to replicate the knock from rod assembly #4. See knock video here. I ordered a micrometer set, dial bore gauge, and plastigauge along with standard size connecting rod bearings from Yotashop.com. Have to learn how to use those tools via Youtube - if anyone has tips/tricks input is gladly accepted. Going to see if I can measure and make sure the standard size connecting rod bearing will fit and resolve cylinder 4 knock.

My question is:
Should I replace all 4 connecting rod bearings while I have access to the crank and rods via dropped oil pan? None of the other rods have side to side play. I'd rather not mess with too much I would imagine it's worth replacing all four while I can easily.

Additional Question:
How much cylinder blow-by noise/hissing would be considered normal?
See blow-by hissing video here.
As I spin the motor, I can hear A LOT of air hissing by the pistons. A couple months ago, I did a compression test and cylinder #3 was about 9psi lower than the rest at about 153 - (cylinders 1, 2, and 4 were about 162). I did not do another compression test since the knock developed nor before I dropped the oil pan to check the rods.

Any input is appreciated.
 
I appreciate your excellent diagnosis videos. Thank you for providing numbers. I hope members in your area with ACTUAL engine building experience will help you. As your project progresses, post pictures and videos.
 
Figure out what caused the knocking issue. Oil starvation? Did you find small metal pieces in the bottom of the oil pan? Open up the oil filter and check the filter paper for metal. How do the bearings and crankshaft journal surfaces look? The crankshaft may need to be ground. Measure the journal diameters. Is there enough material on the crankshaft for it to be ground? A factory service manual (FSM) is a great reference.
Excessive piston blow-by? Use a leak down tester. A very informative, must-have tool.
Do not use inexpensive, poor-quality parts. They wear out or fail at the most inconvenient times.
 
That hissing can be heard even with a fairly fresh engine. A leak down test would tell you if it's too much. The loose rod is not good. The rod journal on the crank will most likely be damaged. The cause of the rod bearing failure needs to be diagnosed. Usually it's a loss of oil pressure.

Now may be the time to rebuild while you still have usable parts. Good luck with it.

To add. It would be good to take a look at the other bearings. Including the mains.
 
If you’re getting visible rod movement by hand the engine needs torn down, cleaned, and probably machined. I’d be concerned about that metal clogging future oil passages and I’m with @aztoyman that the crank is probably going to need work at a minimum.
 
Thank you all for the info thus far. This is super helpful. I'm going to try and replace the bearings only for a quick fix to buy me some time. I'm planning to rebuild or purchase a crate motor - or potentially sell the truck lol.

Here is a video of what I found in the oil pan. To Mudder and Aztoyman's points, there are metal shavings in the engine (and most likely channels as well). Not HUGE shavings, but large enough to be a significant concern (please chime in w/ opinions on this). In the video, I try to show the largest flake I found. Either way, no bueno.

I cannot say exactly how this knock came to be. I bought the truck 10k miles ago (214k). It was in pretty rough shape, but the motor seemed alright other than timing chain guide knock - looking back on it, it's probably a pretty neglected motor considering the state of the rest of it's systems.
I replaced all the fluids, did basic tune up - spark plugs, wires, distributor cap + rotor, adjusted valves, fixed the suspension (it tracks straight but haven't replaced springs/shocks yet) and had to rebuild the transmission (a bearing blew up inside it around 222k miles). Nothing in the fluids looked immediately alarming or stood out as bad. I thought I "baselined" the truck to some extent. Two weeks ago, on my way to work the truck started knocking while going uphill on the highway (at 7k ft elevation) pushing a constant 3500-3700rpms for less than 2 minutes. I should've taken a video of the knock before dropping oil pan. My bad. It wasn't the worst knock I've ever heard, but it was quite noticeable over the timing chain knock. The knock seems to almost go away when accelerating quickly. The knock is hardly there when cold or warm idling.

As of right now I'm racking my brain on what to do. Do I total rebuild myself, purchase a rebuilt engine, or purchase a short block lower and rebuild the upper myself. I've spent approx. $11.500 on this darn truck so far (includes it's cost - purchased for $6k two years ago). Ideally don't want to surpass $15-$16k or I'll be in quite a large hole and feel even dumber. Would love a dependable engine, the intent for this truck is to be an offroad baja surf and winter ski camp rig.

I'm straight up intimidated to pull the motor and rebuild it myself. I've done plenty of general wrenching, rebuilt a power steering pump, and rebuilt the W56C transmission on this truck which has been working great so far (only driven for about 2000miles though). Other than that, I have not done anything technical with an engine. I would consider rebuilding myself if I can calculate ballpark cost for both necessary tools and (potentially) necessary parts, but most importantly I would need to find a good source of video(s) to enlighten me on the technicalities of measuring engine components, ideally specific videos to 22RE rebuild. I do have a FSM so that's a plus.

So, spitballing ideas:

Option 1: Rebuild myself surface level approximate calculations are $600 for the tools. I have no idea what parts will cost. I'm guessing total of $1200-1800 all said and done.

Option 2: Buy a rebuilt 22RE from either Sunwest, Fraser, Yota1, 22RE Raceworks, or LCE. I know the first two rebuilders listed are questionable, and I will probably not be going with them unless I get immense positive feedback (which would conflict most of the feedback I'm finding online). The only reason I list them is because I they both have less than 1month-ish turnaround time.
The Yota1 build is the cheapest, comes with stock and stage 1 rebuild options but turn around time is 9months. Also offers rebuilt shortblock option.
The 22RE Raceworks (Jim) sounds like a great option but turnaround time is 12months. However he offers a "assemble yourself" option which saves about $500 and has a 1month turnaround time.
LCE seems like the most expensive and has either a "Stroker Long Block" Or "New Street Block" and does not list a turnaround time.

So I'm spinning boys. Please help.
 
My opinion is if you throw a rod bearing in it and keep driving it, you won't have an engine to rebuild.

If you decide to rebuild it yourself, you're still going to have wait time because almost every machine shop seems to be back logged.

You seldom get back what you put into old vehicles. We that do it, do it because we like the vehicle. Most of us have the skills to do our own work. If you don't have the skill, you must be willing to try. There are plenty of resources to learn from. Some of us have lots of money so none of this matters in that case.

If you are in a hurry, don't learn on this one. If you rebuilt the trans you probably have the skills to do this though.

If it runs good other wise, I'd rebuild it. If it has problems IN ADDITION to getting ready to have a catastrophic engine failure..........?????? You won't know if your new engine is bad or if there are other problems to figure out after you get the new one installed.

If you buy from one of the listed options, I would think you would at least have a warranty. The cheap options most likely use cheap parts. Trust your gut when talking to the venders you're considering. (And reviews)

If the truck is not worth saving in your opinion, you can probably get more parting it out. That takes time and space. Got any pics?
 
As far as the tooling and measuring, in all of my experience, the machine shop measures your block, crank, rods and inspects the parts. They will then tell you IF it's rebuildable, what the overbore needs to be, if the block needs to be decked or if there's fatal cracks, etc. The machine shop will often have a good source for the parts. Or they will tell you what size pistons and bearings to order with your kit. They will tell you the lead time. Most shops also have big paying customers that get to cut in line. Just so you know.

The same for the head, if it needs guides, seats, surfaced, new valves, if it's warped or even usable. If you just drop off the engine, they will charge you for labor. I always brought in my block, crank, rods, assembled head and timing cover semi clean. Saves time and money. They need the timing cover if the block needs decked. So it has to be bolted on when it's decked.

They will clean ALL your parts if you bring them in. It's not free, but usually reasonable and saves a LOT of cleaning time.

Sorry you're all stressed out. Good luck with your decision. I'll answer any questions you may have to the best of my ability.

Scott in AZ.
 
If the rod truly has gone then I’d be checking the camshaft as well to make sure it isn’t messed up. I went through a similar situation on a 3rz where the #3 rod bearing was gone and it destroyed the engine cylinder head. If you’re wanting to keep it cheap you can always browse FB Marketplace for a used engine to drop in. There’s no telling what kind of abuse it’s gone through so I would understand being hesitant. The 22re isn’t a terrible engine to rebuild yourself but you’ll still have machine shop costs. They need to do probably deck the head, machine the crank, and possible bore the engine over.

I used Yota1 for a rebuilt transmission and liked them, they were very helpful. However the 9 month lead time for an engine would suck. The only 22re I rebuilt I used a short block from LCE and a head from Engnbldr to save on down time and lack of machine shops where I lived.

Whatever you do, do not buy parts from APR Auto (Toyotatruckengine.com). If anything goes wrong they’ll blame you and refuse to warranty.
 
You are beyond quick, easy fixes. Your "knock video" shows about 0.040" (1mm) of movement. That metal went somewhere. Any metal pieces you can see and feel, when rubbed between your fingers, will trash rotating assemblies. As @aztoyman said "if you throw a rod bearing in it and keep driving it, you won't have an engine to rebuild."

Fortunately, you have rebuilt a transmission. Engine rebuilding is much the same. I created some threads that could provide some guidance: "Dealing with Mechanics Specials" and "Rebuilding Toyota Engines". You can access these threads easily by clicking on my profile. I have personally experienced what you are going through. I hope I can help.
 
Appreciate the support everyone. Trying not to stress too hard but can't help it. Definitely understand that I won't be getting back what I put in. My last built rig was a cheap bastard but engine was SOLID and suspension lift worked great for my needs. My brother rolled it a couple months back so I expedited this truck project.

I DO NOT have much money most of the time. If I were to buy a crate motor, I'd be relying on pay later (Affirm, Klarna etc) platforms. I'll continue to research and weigh options. I've accepted that I can't be in a hurry. I have a beater Subaru I can drive for the time being. So, I'm considering all options. Could take my sweet time on self-rebuild but I don't trust that I'd have the same performance and lasting quality as one of these Toyota specialist/performance rebuilders. Sounds like my cheapest option though.

For now, Is it even worth trying to measure my current journal/rod/bearing clearance and if it's within spec replace the bearings? I foolishly ordered the parts and thought it might be a decent quick fix but from what I'm hearing I probably shouldn't even try.

@Mudder - how do you like your LCE short block? I haven't dug into this option yet, but I like the idea of buying a short block or assemble yourself 22RE Raceworks kit. Seems like a good way to get the quality performance machining from a 22RE specialist but doing as much as I can to minimize total cost, turnaround time, as well as learn a thing or two about my engine without all-in gambling on my beginner engine tech skills. How much (ballpark) was your total cost on your rebuild w the shortblock/engine builder head?

@aztoyman, I'm definitely willing to try. I took my time on the transmission and so far it's great but not tried and true. I'm just hesitant to gamble on my own first time engine work. I'm going to look at some videos and threads @nab856 mentioned (thanks bud) and go from there.

@nab856 - thanks for the threads, these are exactly what I need. I will study them and reach out with questions.

Thanks Team. Seriously appreciate the feedback. I owe you all a couple cold ones.
 
@cfrumpp4 I liked it. I got it with a remanded crankshaft and upgraded rods as my plan was to boost it before I ended up with a 3rz swap. I think I was in it all for around $2500 but that was back in 2016. Engnbldr is no longer in business either.
 
Alright so,

I dropped the oil pan and replaced the rod bearings one at a time. I plastiguaged each one and they are all within oil clearance spec, all between 0.0015in - 0.0023in. Rod bearings on cylinders 1-3 looked pretty worn, some wear on the backside of cylinder 3. Cylinder 4 rod bearing was totally f'd. See videos below of all Rod Bearings after removal.

There was definitely some light radial marking on the crankshaft journal in cylinder 4 (cylinder 4 caused the knock). I did a very light polish with 1000grit then 2000grit sand paper - see videos below. I did not measure the journal(s) - I should have. Crankshaft journals on cylinders 1-3 looked all good, no radial markings.

See Rod Bearing Videos Here:
video #1
Video #2

See Crankshaft Journal Cylinder #4 Pitting
Before Video
After Video

I did not do the Main Bearings. I checked the second main bearing (from the front) and it had some substantial pitting on both bearings. The crank shaft journal seemed alright but there was one small pit about 1mm long but shallow - I could feel it with my finger nail. I'm opting in for a new engine. Currently researching and leaning toward "Assemble Yourself Kit - stage 1" from 22RE Raceworks in the coming weeks/months. Seems like the best turnaround time (3weeks), but isn't necessarily cheap (around $3200). Next best option is to wait 9 months for assembled stock ($3180) or stage 1 ($3950) long block from Yota1 Performance. Still researching the best option for rebuild, haven't looked into buying assembled short block and piecing together the cylinder head/rocker arm assembly etc. but this is what I've come up with so far, some super pricey options but seems like some of the most reliable.
 
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Once again, great videos!

Since installing rebuilt engines with quality parts, I have not had to open up and repair long blocks. I don't worry about getting stranded. The cost is worth the peace of mind.

It is much easier to work on an engine installed on an engine stand. This approach gives improved parts accessibility and reduction of engine compartment body contortions.

Having extra, running 22re vehicles provides parts when needed or another way to get to work. This turns power steering pump, alternator, and brake caliper rebuilds/repairs into leisurely weekend activities.

OEM parts can be identified by their casting/forge marks. If they are still in decent shape, reuse/rebuild them. Don't trade them in for new chinesium mystery metal junk. This is something I learned the hard way.
 
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