Just bought a very clean 1994 base shortbed 22RE, power steering, automatic, no AC. 200K on odometer, truck looks well maintained, but previous owner (for the last 30k) did not replace timing chain.

Truck runs fine, but I'm having the timing chain done immediately anyway, it's at the shop now.

What else should I ask my mechanic to check? Tires are good, fluid levels good, truck seems tight, no rust anywhere. Brake light comes on and goes out, is that the parking brake light? Regular brakes feel fine, truck stops straight.

Thanks!

 

Check out this link http://www.yotatech.com/f120/my-first-22re-what-should-i-do-289712/

On these trucks the brake fluid only needs to be down a little from the full mark and the brake light comes on and goes off as you hit dips in the road and the fluid shifts. Keep it on the full mark to avoid this. If it comes on again obviously you've got a problem be it a leak or a bad sensor/switch.




Make sure the rear wheel cylinders aren't leaking. The longer you put this off the worse it gets.
Look at it from the back side. If you can see fluid on the backing plates or wheels it's been caught too late and there will probably be a lot o paint damage under the drums. Not to mention bad brake shoes.

To make sure remove the drums either way. It will probably be very difficult.
First back the E brake star adjuster off from the backside, it will help but sometimes even after that it's very difficult. After that try to pry the drums off by threading two bolts into the drum and forcing them off first.

Sometimes the face of the drums rust to the axle faces. Spraying PB Blaster through the stud holes and letting it soak in then beat on it with a BFH can help.

Look at it from the back side. If you can see fluid on the backing plates or wheels it's been caught too late and there will probably be a lot o paint damage under the drums.




Take the cap off the brake and clutch fluid reservoirs. If either is brown or blackish or has debris in the bottom it needs to be flushed and cleaned out.




Since you don't know the exact history of the cooling system you may want to go through that right away. Full flush, replace, and burp it. On a 22re any air trapped in the cooling system WILL cause idle problems. Most people will get the front of the truck up as high as they can and run it till it comes up to temp with the heater slid to hot and the fan off. Wait for the coolant to drop then fill, repeat till it won't take more. Make sure the reservoir is up to the correct level and there are no leaks. Trust me when I say you don't want any cooling system problems on a 22re.

 

Thank you for the suggestions! I will certainly do that. It's at my mechanic's right now, and I'll be talking to him shortly. I will make sure he checks out the brakes thoroughly and flushes/refills the cooling system. He's a good mechanic, I've been working with him for many years; I trust him. But like going to the doctor, you have to tell them where it hurts or they may not catch the problem.

 

I just heard back from my mechanic. Good news and bad news, but nothing too unexpected.

First, the truck is in generally good shape according to him. Nothing horrible, nothing damaged beyond repair. Solid frame and body, which I knew, but it's good to have confirmation from an expert.

Front brakes are gone - rotors trashed as well. Needs front bearings repacked as well.

Automatic transmission pan is leaking. Needs to be removed and the gasket replaced. Since we're doing that, we'll replace the filter and replace the transmission fluid of course.

Oil pressure switch is leaking badly. Remove and replace.

Needs tune up - possibly original plug wires, plugs shot.

Timing chain - remove and replace. New guides, chain, gaskets, etc. Since the water pump has to come off, remove and replace that as well.

Change oil, flush and fill radiator.

Should be done in a couple days. Price was a bit ouchy, but I will get over it. Can't wait to start driving my new truck!

 

is he doing the head gasket too or just the timing kit? the "proper" job involves taking off the head and the oil pan. I also replaced my plugs, wires and distributor just because. Also, all my steering components, leaf springs and shocks on my 93 since they were all stock and worn after 18yrs and 200k of use.

 

After the timing chain job is complete make sure you keep checking the rear of the valve cover for leaks. The 1/2 moon gasket is a common source of leaks. It's very difficult to see unless you have an inspection mirror that you can angle around the back of the valve cover/head.

Stick with Toyota oil filters. I've been through a lot of oil filters (stock and aftermarket) trying to kill the start up noise on my 22re and I can say the short stock filter works the best for this. PT# 90915-YZZD1.

Replace the cap, rotor, and spark plugs with *DEALER* Denso parts. There are little differences and on most engines it doesn't matter. The 22re really seems to like those dealer parts.

-The distributor is in a fairly vulnerable spot when it comes to water-
While you're at the dealership get a new O ring gasket that goes under the distributor cap. They shrink up after lots of repeated heat cycles and age. It's purpose it to help keep water out. When it shrinks up the distributor cap won't make contact with it and it fails to do the job.

If the front of the engine comes off along with the pan some people also like to replace the oil pump. Most people try to replace the water pump, oil pump, wheel cylinders, master cylinders etc with Aisin parts as they seem to be better quality then your average stuff from NAPA, CarQuest, Autozone, etc. Aisin parts is also what the truck rolled off the assembly line with.

 

He told me he got a gasket for the oil pan in the kit, but was not sure if he'd have to drop the pan or not. Not pulling the head, I think.

We may have to do more, but we're already at $2K in repairs, quite enough for now.

 

Thanks, I will check with my mechanic. But bear in mind we're in SE MI. Not much foreign parts here, you kind of take what you can get.

 

This is the US of A. It's actually hard to find a part that isn't foreign made these days

The problem is it's made in China.
That's why I do a lot of shopping online when purchasing parts for my truck.

 

When I was a young man, I did a lot of my own wrenching. Minor stuff, but I've rebuilt an automatic transmission, done brakes, etc.

I'm not a young man anymore. I don't have tools, space, or time, so I end up paying others to do much of what I could probably do myself.

However, part of my goal buying this older truck is that it will be my daily driver, and I'll get back into doing some of the minor wrenching on it again.

As I do that, I'll be doing my best to buy good parts online as you have correctly suggested. I hope to do things right, not just cheap. But time will tell if I can actually follow through on my desires.

 

I'm only mentioning it because a lot of the parts you purchase at the parts stores have taken a turn for the worse when it comes to quality and reliability.
Especially when it comes to aftermarket China parts vs. OEM Toyota.