# New engine for the flat bed Yota



## Foragefarmer (Aug 10, 2013)

A few years back I thought about getting a Polaris Ranger  or some sort of side by side for around the farm and then got sticker shock when I actually went in to a dealership. I thought about it for a while and trolled craigslist and bought a 87 toyota pickup for $800. The cab was good, the frame was good, the engine was tired. I spent another $1200 or so on it and it was perfect and road legal for a year and a half when the tired old motor spun a bearing. So it has been mighty sick for a while now, although still running. 

Well everything is in order and a new engine is on the way. I was draining fluids and pulling the radiator when a thunderstorm rolled in.

The Toyota Ranger


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## clemsonfor (Aug 10, 2013)

I would not buy one for the reason you say!  I said why not buy a ford range. Or toy??


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## MasterMech (Aug 10, 2013)

I had an '84 Datsun/Nissan pickup for awhile and the engine was the last thing I was worried about with that truck.  Fun little trucks to drive and very trail capable on larger tires.


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## Elderthewelder (Aug 10, 2013)

Foragefarmer said:


> A few years back I thought about getting a Polaris Ranger or some sort of side by side for around the farm and then got sticker shock when I actually went in to a dealership. I thought about it for a while and trolled craigslist and bought a 87 toyota pickup for $800. The cab was good, the frame was good, the engine was tired. I spent another $1200 or so on it and it was perfect and road legal for a year and a half when the tired old motor spun a bearing. So it has been mighty sick for a while now, although still running.
> 
> Well everything is in order and a new engine is on the way. I was draining fluids and pulling the radiator when a thunderstorm rolled in.
> 
> The Toyota Ranger


 
where did you buy the new motor from? I have a 87 Yota as well and well need a new motor or rebuild soon. Alot of options out there


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## Foragefarmer (Aug 11, 2013)

Elderthewelder said:


> where did you buy the new motor from? I have a 87 Yota as well and well need a new motor or rebuild soon. Alot of options out there


 
There are too many options out there.


I am a member of Yota Tech and searched threads around there and changed my mind three times and finally pulled the trigger on an engine from a company called Sun West. They have a good warranty, and it was within budget. They are located in Washington state like you so shipping would be far less than for me. They have a loyal following on Yota Tech and are reasonable. I didn't want to spend the 1k more on an LC Engineering motor or similar.


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## Foragefarmer (Aug 11, 2013)

MasterMech said:


> I had an '84 Datsun/Nissan pickup for awhile and the engine was the last thing I was worried about with that truck. Fun little trucks to drive and very trail capable on larger tires.


 

236K miles of poor treatment from what I can tell. This is the third truck I have had with a 22R or 22RE. I wish I hadn't sold the other two.


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## Beer Belly (Aug 11, 2013)

Those trucks sell fast in my area.....if you see one for sale and want one, buy it or it'll be gone the next day


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## clemsonfor (Aug 11, 2013)

They sell fast here too. The 4wd world exploded like 10 yrs ago. There the new jeep. They still bring crazy money and the cheap ones sell. Fast.


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## Elderthewelder (Aug 11, 2013)

Foragefarmer said:


> There are too many options out there.
> 
> 
> I am a member of Yota Tech and searched threads around there and changed my mind three times and finally pulled the trigger on an engine from a company called Sun West. They have a good warranty, and it was within budget. They are located in Washington state like you so shipping would be far less than for me. They have a loyal following on Yota Tech and are reasonable. I didn't want to spend the 1k more on an LC Engineering motor or similar.


 

 Yeah, I am familiar with Sunwest and have checked them out online, as well as Oregon engine rebuilders and  22re performance.com which is who i want to buy from but they want alot for them. not as much as LCE but still alot.


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## Foragefarmer (Aug 11, 2013)

Elderthewelder said:


> Yeah, I am familiar with Sunwest and have checked them out online, as well as Oregon engine rebuilders and 22re performance.com which is who i want to buy from but they want alot for them. not as much as LCE but still alot.


 
Yeah, you have hit every site I did. 22re performance seems to have a nice product, but I didn't want to spend that much. I went with the supreme engine with the new head and hotter cam. We will see how it works out.


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## Foragefarmer (Aug 11, 2013)

I have been getting stuff off the engine so I can yank it out when the new one comes.


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## clemsonfor (Aug 11, 2013)

Man that motor looks clean!


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## salecker (Aug 12, 2013)

I'v got an 83,and a 93 that was my dads,the 93 is real tiered 335Kmiles,still runs,but leaks coolant.
I remember i had to change the engine in my 83,warranty work.A friend gave me a hand,and we had it strapped to the pallet while it was still warm.
Great trucks,will always have one.
 Thomas


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## Foragefarmer (Aug 12, 2013)

clemsonfor said:


> Man that motor looks clean!


 

Pressure washer.  It was a greasy mess. Whoever replaced the timing chain at some point didn't get a good seal between the oil pan and the timing chain cover.


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## Beer Belly (Aug 12, 2013)

I don't know how these imports get so many miles out their trucks....my '06 Silverado hit 90,000 miles and just started falling apart to the point where I was putting as much into it as a new truck payment


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## Foragefarmer (Aug 12, 2013)

It gets worse. What engine was in your 06? If it was a 350 then the two engines are bastard cousins. Everything I have read says Toyota used the 350 as the basis for the straight 6 in the FJ 40 land cruiser. They then lopped two cylinders off for the 20r and which layer became the 22r which is why the motor mounts and tranny bolt layout are the same as the Chevy 350.


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## MasterMech (Aug 12, 2013)

Foragefarmer said:


> . What engine was in your 06? If it was a 350 then the two engines are bastard cousins.


 

The 350 was retired from the pickups in '01 when GM went to LS series engines with the exception of the 4.3L six.


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## Flatbedford (Aug 12, 2013)

Seems to me like a better option than one of those UTVs. Much cheaper AND street legal.


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## simple.serf (Aug 13, 2013)

Beer Belly said:


> I don't know how these imports get so many miles out their trucks....my '06 Silverado hit 90,000 miles and just started falling apart to the point where I was putting as much into it as a new truck payment


 
We got 400K out of a 94 Ford Ranger (never touched the bottom end of the motor!), 225k on a 98 Ranger (2.5 pinto engine), 183 on an 04 Ranger (rolled that one) and currently 74K on my new to me 04 Ranger. All of these are on domestic designed and built trucks. The only one that was falling apart (but is still on the road nevertheless) is the 94.


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## Bigg_Redd (Aug 13, 2013)

simple.serf said:


> We got 400K out of a 94 Ford Ranger (never touched the bottom end of the motor!), 225k on a 98 Ranger (2.5 pinto engine), 183 on an 04 Ranger (rolled that one) and currently 74K on my new to me 04 Ranger. *All of these are on domestic designed and built trucks.* The only one that was falling apart (but is still on the road nevertheless) is the 94.


 
Not hardly. They are re-badged Mazdas.


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## Flatbedford (Aug 13, 2013)

Bigg_Redd said:


> Not hardly. They are re-badged Mazdas.


 

I think the Mazdas are actually re-badged Fords. Can an owner verify by telling us the first digit of the VIN from one?


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## oldspark (Aug 13, 2013)

Flatbedford said:


> I think the Mazdas are actually re-badged Fords. Can an owner verify by telling us the first digit of the VIN from one?


 I think you are right according to what I found, ford engineered any way.
Foragefarmer-neat truck, I bught a brand new 1971 Datsun for 2275, wife wreacked it and it still sits out behind the barn.


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## clemsonfor (Aug 13, 2013)

The rangers are good trucks.  I see many full size that go 300k though? I work in the wood/timber business. Many of these guys out 30-50 thousand miles a year on their trucks.


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## clemsonfor (Aug 13, 2013)

Mazda are now rebadged rangers after ford acquired most of Mazda in the 90s. That's why old rangers n Mazda don't look alike but do latter. For in this acquisition gained engine technology and now uses some Mazda stuff. Even my 1990 ranger has a Mazda trans but back then Mazda did not look like ford. The 2.3 has and back then was a ford engine.


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## Highbeam (Aug 13, 2013)

Brings back memories of my old 85 4wdtoyota. I had a crappy crate 21ru engine and had to put in a 22r from a wrecking yard. The wrecking yard motor was great. It had good compression so I bought it cheap. It was a 2wd engine in my 4wd 85.

I didn't know that they had carb'd 22Rs in 1987. When did they switch to EFI and IFS?


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## Foragefarmer (Aug 13, 2013)

IFS in 86. That 85 is a sought after truck. EFI was an option in 87. They went to EFI only 22RE and a 3.0 V6 option in 89 I think.


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## Foragefarmer (Aug 13, 2013)

Well it rained this morning then cleared off. But I didn't work. In addition to the new engine I am redoing the front end. New shocks,ball joints, drive shafts the CV boots are shot, Ball joint spacers, and Sway Away torsion bars. Getting the cone washers off the hub studs is a bear.


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## simple.serf (Aug 13, 2013)

Bigg_Redd said:


> Not hardly. They are re-badged Mazdas.


 
The long answer:

I have had real B series Mazdas in the past. A Ford ranger and a true Mazda truck  are two different things. Manual trans Rangers usually have a M5OD (mazda), and the later (post 2001 1/2) 4 bangers were a shared platform engine though the 4 banger to this point was a version of the pinto engine (2.0, 2.3, 2.5).  The 3.0 is the Taurus engine which was designed in house by Ford in '84-86. The 2.8, 2.9, and 4.0 were all designed by Ford as well.   Now, When Mazda discontinued the original B series (b series up to 2600i, including the Ford Courier, which WAS a rebadged mazda), the Ranger was rebadged for Mazda with the B number corresponding to engine displacement.

The Front suspension design is a scaled down version of the F series suspension (either TIB, TTB, or A arm style), and the sheetmetal corresponded to the curve and grille design of the F series, depending on the  generation of truck. The rear axles are a Ford design.

I've had one of every engine family (except the diesels) in either a road legal truck or a trail truck. Most of my buddies were Toyota guys. I have wheeled in both. I feel you have more options with the Toyota than the Ranger, simply due to their popularity. I also think that the Toyota is a better choice for using as a replacement for a side by side, because those off the shelf choices keep the price reasonable.

Anyhow, sorry for steering things off topic. Looks like a fun project!


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## Foragefarmer (Aug 18, 2013)

While I have been waiting on the new engine for the Toyota; it is currently in Salt Lake City, I have continued to upgrade the front end.

Yep it is in pieces.





New ball joints and driveshaft in.





Oh oh I think the bearings are bad on the drivers side. Went to the store and got new ones.









Got everything back together. But a lower ball joint was wrong. The part # on the boxes where the same but the ball joints were different. Had to order one.

Also I figured if I was going to drop a bunch on an engine I might as well get a fresh carb..


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## Foragefarmer (Aug 20, 2013)

Well I got everything back together on the front suspension.

As you can see the Ball Joint Spacers made me shim the shocks. And you can see the new red torsion bars.









With the Ball Joint Spacers having changed the front end geometry I am going to need to do an alignment on the front end and then take it in to a shop for a final alignment. Just looking at it the toe in is insanely out.


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## clemsonfor (Aug 20, 2013)

wow it is!


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## Highbeam (Aug 21, 2013)

Is that a factory rebuilt carb? I've got a factory 22r carb and at least one weber for the 22r on a shelf. Box of jets too. I got pretty good tuning that weber.

You know what I really miss? the most? Is that awesome parking brake handle that you pull and twist. Well, that and the synchronized transfer case. Well, also the manual trans.

Man, I should look into another old yota for a commuter.


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## Foragefarmer (Aug 25, 2013)

Update: the new motor is here and the old motor is out. 

Got it ready to pull.









Out it comes. 





In the shop with the new one. 





I need some bolts to mount the new motor on the stand and then I will spend the evenings swapping parts from the old one to the new one and hopefully get the new motor in next weekend


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## Elderthewelder (Aug 25, 2013)

New engine came in a cardboard box? would of thought it would of been shipped in a wooden crate box or shipping skid


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## Foragefarmer (Aug 25, 2013)

Elderthewelder said:


> New engine came in a cardboard box? would of thought it would of been shipped in a wooden crate box or shipping skid


 

There is a heavy duty pallet under the cardboard box. It is the same dimension as the cardboard box. It was diapered and shrink wrapped and plastic strapped through the box to the pallet.


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## Foragefarmer (Aug 29, 2013)

Well, everything is coming together even though a previous owner was red RTV happy and the vacuum lines were not all in the right place. Cleaning everything off has slowed the process a bunch. Oil pan this evening and then work on the clutch.


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## Foragefarmer (Aug 31, 2013)

Everything is back together and ready for the install over the weekend. Considering all the poor quality work I saw taking the old engine and transmission apart I feel much better about what is going back into the truck than came out. Of course anything is better than the half a quart of sludge and bits of timing chain guide that came out of the oil pan.


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## Foragefarmer (Aug 31, 2013)

She is a runner!

Started at 9. Got the Engine in. 






The blue tractor has been acting up. Seems to be a safety switch is bad but I couldn't figure out which one. So I busted out big green. 






Got her back together and she was a runner after tapping the starter. I need to find a timing light, it is really close by the sound of it. But I need to dial it in. And I need to get the hood on it. Then it is only an alignment and inspection and it is legal again. 











You got to drive it a little.


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## Highbeam (Sep 3, 2013)

Dual air filters?


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## Foragefarmer (Sep 3, 2013)

Highbeam said:


> Dual air filters?



Ha Ha, No, just another thing that needs to be corrected. This truck really has turned into a labor of love. I have turned to the interior now. I need to stop! It was supposed to be a fun little beater truck.


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