My 94 Toyota needs a new motor. Would I be crazy to try to install a long block in my driveway?

loki_racer

loki_racer

Well-Known Member
Joined
Sep 7, 2005
Location
Pittsburgh, PA
I have a 94 Toyota Pickup with 280,000 miles. The 22re final died. The mechanic I had lined up to do the install says he's month away from being ready to do the install. Not having a vehicle is really putting a damper on my pimp life.

I have a hand tools, jacks, a flat driveway, pancake compressor and youtube. I think I would need a impact wrench and an engine hoist and a second set of hands.

Would it be stupid for me to attempt a motor install?
 
You can do it. Take lots of pics so you know where wires/hoses/etc go. You really don't need an impact unless you're just looking for an excuse to buy one. Engine hoist is a must.
 
I've pulled motors in gravel driveways. If yours is paved and reasonably flat, it'll be easier than that. As a matter of fact, I once knew a guy who bought a sheet of 3/4" plywood to roll the engine hoist on, and changed a motor in his back yard. :beer:
 
Buy a torque wrench. You will need it..
 
shawn said:
I've pulled motors in gravel driveways. If yours is paved and reasonably flat, it'll be easier than that. As a matter of fact, I once knew a guy who bought a sheet of 3/4" plywood to roll the engine hoist on, and changed a motor in his back yard. :beer:
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Plywood on gravel is my standard operating procedure. Almost finished w my second build like that
 
I put a 350 in a YJ in a driveway. Did an SBC swap on a square body C10 way back in the day on some bumpy-ass non-level asphalt. Did an engine swap in a grassy yard with an engine hoist (rolled the vehicle forward and back instead of the hoist). Storal of the mory is it's easy to do, especially with a decent hoist and even a cobbled together set of tools.

Jeff B said:
Buy a torque wrench. You will need it..
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THIS. I'd get one of these before an impact.
 
I pulled a 22RE before with no engine hoist. Disassembled it down to the short block and picked it up by hand. Wasn’t easy, but I did it. I wouldn’t drop a new engine in that way though.
 
jeepinmatt said:
Engine hoist is a must.
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You shut your mouth. Several years ago the motor in my wife's Tahoe blew up. We HAD to buy a tractor with a boom pole to swap that motor. Sucked to spend $4k on the tractor but the mechanic wanted just as much and we could sell the tractor when we finished....its been 11 years guess we aint finished yet. Still got the tractor, dont have the tahoe anymore
 
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Years ago andaby myself, I used a tree, snatch block and old winch line to swap cabs and motors. Climbed the tree and with a bunch of rock climbing webbing installed a natch block. Used the cucv to raise and lower the cable. Would push the rolling chassis around and used a Sami when the welded axles bound up in the dirt and I couldn't push.

Motor swap in a driveway should be a slice of pie. :rockon:
 
As always, I appreciate every here on NC4x4. Thanks for chiming in.

Any upgrades I should consider getting for the motor? I don't need a ton of power. Mainly want the most reliable setup I can get. This is my only vehicle and need it to ultra reliable.
 
Only upgrades I would do is metal guides for the timing chain and send the injectors off to get cleaned. Keep it as stock as possible.

What emissions requirements do you have up there?
 
sgtbriangreen said:
What emissions requirements do you have up there?
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Extremely strict. It took me 2 months to find a shop that had a working "sniffer" machine. 2 Toyota dealers lied to me saying they had one. When I showed up, they just tried to sell me a new truck saying mine was too old to pass inspection.

I'll be staying stock. I don't want to complicate anything. I'll put metal guides on my wishlist and cleaned injectors. Thanks.
 
While you have it apart, I would take the intake manifold and EGR off and clean them real well. You would be surprised how much gunk is in the intake and the EGR is probably full of carbon to the point it barely works if it even does.
 
sgtbriangreen said:
While you have it apart, I would take the intake manifold and EGR off and clean them real well. You would be surprised how much gunk is in the intake and the EGR is probably full of carbon to the point it barely works if it even does.
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this
Also besides the typical metal chain guides, might consider an LCE adjustable cam gear. Can get a few more ponies out of it when tuned right. Aftert he emissions test of course.
lbyota85 said:
Oh and don’t forget the bolt under the puddle of oil in the front of the head if you have to swap heads
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and this.
There's also that really awkward one in the intake throttle body that goes through a coolant passage everybody forgets about.
 
shawn said:
As a matter of fact, I once knew a guy who bought a sheet of 3/4" plywood to roll the engine hoist on, and changed a motor in his back yard. :beer:
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Ummmm that's how I've been doing it for 15 years now... :gitrdun:
 
Check the head very closely, if you have to reuse it. I did a head gasket on my daily driver, blown from water jacket to outside of block. All that work, crack in the head, sold the whole truck for less than I had in the suspension! I could have fixed it, I was so mad it I didn't. Good luck you can do it.
 
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