My perfect little 1993 Toyota 4X2 Xtra Cab Deluxe

This was a look at my engine before tearing it to shreds up front. All I ever did was change the oil from time to time, replace front pads and rotor, and new tires over 13 yrs!

Yuck, what is going on here!

She started to drink coolant like koolaid, and I started to get this yellow goo on the oil filler cap. After a little head scratching, and a lot of investigation on the internet, I found out what happened.

Timing Chain Cover

If this happens to your 4cyl 22ER Engine, this has to come off.

A look at the block after removing timing chain cover.

This timing chain got pretty stretched after only 67000 miles, and when that happened, the guides on the right and left hand side broke off (plastic). This allowed the timing chain to slap the timing cover, cutting a groove into the water pump housing area. When the groove was deep enough, all the coolant ran right into the oil pan!

A look at the cam timing gear and down into timing cover

Look at the sludge, yes 67000 miles over 13 yrs is all the age of this engine. Will have to drive it more and change oil even more often!

Timing cover with a lot of light shining on it

If you look into the water pump housing area, you will notice a ridge running horizontally (close to impeller). This is the timing chain wear marks that wore all the way through the housing. Wish I had a heads up on this before all this happened!!

Cover with light from behind, showing hole

There it was, the culprit! Looking into timing housing, water pump mounting area.

A little closer

A little further away.

Ok, you can replace the timing components, cover, etc without pulling the head or the oil pan. Contrary to the Haynes manual, and Toyota, who instructs you to pull those components also. Why would I want to replace a perfectly good head gasket!! There are lots of helpful articles to show you how to do it step by step all over the internet. Hope this helps one other baffled Toyota 22RE owner, that suddenly loses all his coolant, and finds it in his oil!

Oil Screen, Yuck!

A case of oil starvation here?

A look at the Crankcase

View after removal of Oil Pan., not too bad

Second look up towards pistons, pretty clean here.

I wonder if there was some Antifreeze detergent action going on here.

A quick look at the mains

All looks good here.

No wonder I had rod knocking going on

Got scared when I saw this!

Started to cry when I got here

Now I am thinking whole teardown! As it turned out, I lucked out. #3 and #4 had the bearing plating stuck to the journals. A little oil, some fine emery cloth to polish, and all like new. Bearing clearances measurements with a new set of rod bearings show like new clearances!! This is why you don't want Prestone in your crankcase!!