Toyota 22RE motor & what sort of HP is realistic - performance mods - what the stock ECU can handle?

[@rootednode]

I have an 86 4x4 4runner. I built an engine for it with forged internals and oversized valves, ported the head myself. I run a t04e at 12 psi with a water to air intercooler and megasquirt. I put down 173hp and 212tq to the rear wheels on a Dynapack hub dyno. Peak torque at 3500rpm and peak power at 5000rpm.

[@ray5961]

Nice.. what compression ratio on the motor itself? JE pistons?

[@rootednode]

@@ray5961 racetec pistons I got from 22re performance. I calculated it to be about 8:1 compression. I hope to go fully sequential fuel and spark soon. I also want to add methanol injection since I’m just on 91 octane. I am running a Schneider 260 turbo cam to help keep the dynamic compression in check and have 360cc 12 hole Bosch injectors.

[@ray5961]

@@rootednode Sounds like a nice setup. 8:1 is nice. I'm planning on doing my 3RZ around 7.5:1 and maybe running 15-20 PSI boost with an air intercooler and water/meth injection, etc. Do you have adjustable boost control? On the last turbo motor I built, I had a vacuum controlled wastegate and regulator on the dash to allow me to control boost while driving - that was fun.

[@rootednode]

@@ray5961 I run a Mac valve that my megasquirt controls. I don’t let my gate see boost until i hit desired pressures in my map. It is a great setup and improved boost response by not letting my gate partially open too soon. I would love to do a 3rz build if this one ever blows up.

[@ray5961]

@@rootednode Sounds like a nice setup. I have a 3RZ block and crank sitting here next to my desk - eventually that will become a project for the channel. I've seen some pretty crazy 3RZ turbo builds out there. I'm just looking to put down 375 HP and keep things from blowing up or melting :-)

[@regularguy8592]

good to see you again Ray! I can tell yall from experience if you want a good 22re with plenty of pep just get you a stage 3 engine from Yota1 and go with 10,1 forged pistons ,upgrading to Haltech ecu from snp is optional but it will give you way more engine management control and eliminate a whole bunch of under the hood wiring clutter. Not had mine on a dyno yet but I'm guessing in the 180 to 200 hp range The only downfall I have is having to run 93 gas,91 would proly work but not readily available around me. Also running LC's 2/14 exhaust and headers which give amazing sound. If I can ever get this rig painted or wrapped maybe ill make a short video

[@ray5961]

Sounds super nice! Would love to see a video of that for sure. I'm probably gonna go with a turbo charged 3RZ-FE motor down the road, but for now I'm loving my little 22RE :)

[@davidgardner48]

This guy is super smart i wish i could pick his brain he seems like he knows a lot about this 22re 🎉

[@ray5961]

Thanks man. Feel free to use the comments section if you ever have any questions on anything related to the 22RE.

[@davidgardner48]

@ will do thank you

[@prdubi]

I managed to dyno my 1986 4runner at a tuner shop that has an RV cam and an old EngBldr setup with LCE headers, larger throttle body, K and N Filter, turbo head gaskets, LCE timing upgrade, and other setups and it was pushing about 130 averaging 128 to 130 or so at rpms. I wanted to keep it as stock as possible but do mild upgrades that won't break the bank. This was stock ECU. Overall, I'm happy and I can do what I need it to do from towing my boat and trailers with no issues. Being in Oregon, I could send it to that guy down in Creswell for his 3.4 conversion and then I think I will call it good.

[@rdallas81]

I have a 2004 Dodge Ram 5.7 It gets 16 mpg in town, 20+ on the highway. It has 304,500 miles, burns no oil, and has 345 horsepower. Ball joints, trans, alternator, starter, even the 16 spark plugs (2 per cylinder) is all original. Runs every day all day.

[@ray5961]

nice!

[@fiys567]

Is what you have on your valve cover for crankcase its basically a vacuum no? Also where did you get it.

[@ray5961]

It's a dual stage adjustable PCV valve and then a little hose that acts as a stand off (which has some filter stuff in side it to help prevent oil from being drawn up too much). It's basically just a better PCV system to ensure 100% vacuum in the crankcase at all times - under load it just adds additional vacuum basically. Google dual stage adjustable PCV and you should find it. It helps with crankcase evacuation and promotes ring sealing and helps you make slightly more power with less blow by. I made the mounting stuff myself from just random parts around the shop.

[@jackschwanke603]

150 is still pretty good.. and its still very serviceable.. cheaper than anything else really

[@Chris-ob8ok]

Of you want power, definitely swap that junk. I have a love hate relationship with 20r, 22r, 22re engines. When I was young I went down that rabbit hole just to do a chevy 4.3L swap which is arguably as reliable or moreso. I currently have a 1992 work truck with the 22re with only 165k and really bad blow by, I'm trying to decide if its worth rebuilding or doing an engine swap.

[@ray5961]

I hear ya... 22RE is good, but you can't kill a blueprinted SBC either :)

[@fiys567]

Do you think your setup as of now. If you were to use the lce stroker kit you would be in the high 100’s no? And that’s keeping the stock ecu setup. Can probably squeeze more hp out of a tune on a aftermarket ecu or maybe even a Holley sniper efi kit

[@ray5961]

hard to say... usually longer stroke and more displacement is a good thing. I think pumping the compression ratio up more to 10.5:1 might help and running a bigger cam but as mentioned in the video the stock ECU starts to have issues. Short of building an all out race motor, I don't think you're gonna get much over 150 HP from the 22RE if you are sticking with the stock intake setup. Now if you run some kind of more exotic induction system or side drafts or something, then maybe you could get up more like 175 HP with some tuning or something. At some point camshaft and porting starts to really impact things. To make large HP you generally have to sacrifice some low end torque - that means the motor is a bit slow off the line, but once it gets rolling you can't catch it :)

[@fiys567]

LCE’s stroker kit makes the 22re a 2.7L and not only that it’s completely compat with stock efi, but I’m sure the best thing is an aftermarket ecu to squeeze as much as possible make the motor run as good as possible too. Is it not possible to tune/mess with the stock ecu from what I’m thinking it’s probably not that modular like an aftermarket ecu. Larger throttle body and ported intake plenum would help a lot. Also I see you mentioned Haltech have you ever looked into the mega squirt ecu is plug and play and pretty cheap it’s around 800.

[@fiys567]

@@ray5961also on a side note I remember you run 7 degrees ignition timing have you ever tried turning that up more?

[@ray5961]

@@fiys567 I'll have to check out their stroker kit a little more closely, but I've built motors where I increased both the sweep and piston diameter and had really good luck making power. I have not looked into the Mega squirt ECU's but I will; I've heard them mentioned quite a bit but have never really investigated what they offer. Doesn't Gabe at SNP use those from time to time on his stuff?

[@ray5961]

@@fiys567 I'm running 5 degrees at the moment and that is working well. 7.5 is also good though and I might try going back to that just to see. For now the truck is running so nice I kinda don't wanna fool around with anything haha.

[@gregdavis9376]

Great video, Ray! I have a near new 1992 that I just had restored. It only has 110k miles and run like new still. I did pick up an LC Engineering timing chain and guide kit but have not put it in yet. I would love to get a little more horsepower for my truck but don't want to deviate too far from stock. The great guys at LC Engineering have advised I do one of their stage 2 heads but I'm still on the fence. My truck is an automatic transmission so I would love to get more power. I also have air conditioning which also takes power.

[@ray5961]

be careful with the dual row kit where the bolt goes from the front of the cylinder head down into the timing chain cover itself - measure that all very carefully because usually the bolt LC supplies in the kit is a mm or 2 too long so make sure you triple check that. Otherwise, it's a really nice upgrade!

[@gregdavis9376]

@ray5961 I saw that in one of your videos and noted it. I got the single row kit and will also check it but I may still exchange it to a two row if I end up upgrading to one of their heads and cam to get a little more power. I'm on the fence because the truck runs so perfectly stock and has zero leaks. I'm worried about the head gasket and pil pan seals if I install the single row kit I have and try and do it without taking the head and oil pan off. Think it will be ok? Many others seem to have done the job ok while not taking off the head and oil pan.

[@gregdavis9376]

@ray5961 My truck is an automatic with AC. I would be pleased to get just enough more power so that when the AC is used, that noticible decrease in power is no longer felt. I think 10-20 HP should do it.

[@ray5961]

@@gregdavis9376 I've done the job both ways (removing the head vs. slipping the timing cover into place w/ the head and gasket already present). I think changing to the dual row is worth it. As long as you seal things with some black Ultrablack RTV sealant around the top and bottom of the cover, you should be okay. Just clean everything well with acetone and you should be okay. If the motor only has 110K miles and everything runs fine, I wouldn't advise pulling the head; just do the timing chain (single or double) and leave well enough alone. I just did that dual row on my buddy's truck (the one you might have seen on the channel); I just did the front timing chain cover and dual row and cleaned out his oil pan. Everything went back together fine and he's been driving the truck without any issues - he just actually painted it, so it's looking practically brand new now! Motor had 270K miles I think and some scuffing on the cylinder walls, but not enough to warrant a full rebuilt yet. But if you are going to do to the trouble of changing the timing chain, I would definitely say go the extra mile and get the dual row setup.

[@ray5961]

@@gregdavis9376 Are you running a catalytic converter where you live? A less restrictive exhaust and/or running a test pipe in place of the cat can make a noticeable difference, especially with some performance modifications.

[@NathanPellham-yo8pl]

Not necessarily true I was running a 22r with a ported cyl head, stock valves, header, ported 32/36 Weber, redline cam with .430 lift intake and exhaust 268 duration 110 centerline, decked the block and the head was shaved dam neer to the point of where the factory shave marks were gone, block bored.030 over, steel backed timeing set, my pistons sat .025 out of the block and was running a turbo head gasket with the factory vacuum distributor with both sides hooked up and initial timing set at 8° btdc, truck was running 36-14.5-15 tsl swampers welded front and rear diffs with factory 4.10 gears I also ported/port matched the factory intake manifold, I would turn my 36s no problem and it would hold 6000 rpm all day long wheeling it. I bet I was making 180 hp out of what was factory 96hp @4500 rpm, my next project is a twin charged 22r for my 68 corona hopefully I can hit 250-300hp, if you know what your doing there's a bunch of potential that these engines have that a lot of people miss out on because they don't do the research into how to make real usable horsepower and torque out of an engine, with the right selection of parts and I'm talking cast iron factory stuff a Chevy 350 with the right port work should make 500 if one knows what there doing.

[@ray5961]

sounds like some fun projects over there for sure. I mean you can make 800 HP from under 2 liters with enough boost, but the question is how long will it survive :) I could definitely see 275 HP to 300 HP from a 2.4 liter. Back in the day, my friends were getting solid 275 HP out of a 2.0 L series datsun motor. LS right? Let's go!

[@NathanPellham-yo8pl]

@@ray5961 I really want to make a custom intake manifold to run dual down draft Weber 32/36, or twin 38 Webers, iv seen the side drafts and they look cool but I want something unique that as far as I know nobody has done before would and be performance oriented, I have this problem with working on anything and just leaving it stock I gotta hop it up a bit, hell my buddy had a rideing mower he said he wanted more power from his 18hp Briggs and Stratton flat twin, so I pulled his heads milled .030-.040 off of them and unshroued the valve Pockets, he said it definitely made a difference until he did a wheelie off a curb and bet the Chinese tin frame the thing was made of thay was a good day of laughing and drinking

[@ray5961]

@@NathanPellham-yo8pl Dual 44 Mikuni sidedrafts is were it would be at for the 22RE

[@cbh148]

Just think -- for whatever amount of added oomph you've given your 22re, and how much more fun and zippy that's made your pickup to drive, us guys with the 4x4s are way off the mark that you started from haha I drove my friends '94 2wd regular cab 5 speed which is in really great shape, bone stock other than 14" American Racing wheels. Couldn't believe how much more lively it feels than my '94 4x4 XtraCab 5 speed. I love my truck, but that 2wd was downright sporty by comparison lol

[@ray5961]

Oh yeah you ain't kidding. The 4x4 trucks weigh something like 800-1000 lbs more as I recall. My truck is 2950 lbs (although it might be a touch more now that the front push bar is on there); some of the trucks are more like 4000+ lbs as I recall. The same is true for the 3rd gen 4Runners - my ex's mom bought a 4x4 version and her other daughter bought a 2WD and they were radically different vehicles to drive. I was just in my friend's 2000 4Runner that is 4x4 and it felt like a slug compared to my 2WD pickup, which has the 22RE vs. his V6! Lugging around all that 4x4 stuff is fine if you are rock crawling or going off road a lot (which my friend does), but for just a daily driver that lives 99.9% of its life on pavement, I say 2WD with a rear E-locker can't be beat. I had an early 2000's AWD Infiniti QX4 (basically a pathfinder) before I got into Toyotas and that thing was lucky to get 13 MPG around town because it was so darn heavy haha. Doing fluid service on it was also a straight nightmare with the center diff and everything else. 2WD from now on over here :)

[@weinerdog137]

Maybe 160

[@Dem0nwarrior17]

22r is a Bulletproof Workhorse 🚅🚫🔧 🐎