Head gasket replacement, 22R. Any quirks???

Hey y'all. Well, run into that dreaded task I hate to perform, BUT...it's gotta be done. 1984 Toyota pickup with a 22R, and it looks like I'm going to have to replace the head gasket. No water in the oil, but that chocolate milkshake look in the coolant, plus a lot of coolant loss. This is my fourth Toyota pickup I've owned, but never had to replace a head gasket on any of the others. And I'm the symptoms are all too obvious that this is what I need to do.
So, I was just wondering for the folks out there that have replaced a head gasket on these 22Rs, if there was anything strange, out of the ordinary, more tedious or less tedious than the repair guide specified. My local auto parts place has the whole kit to do this with. Hey...I've done V-8's before, but I like to treat these aluminum 4-bangers as a whole different monster. I just want to do a good job, so it's something I won't have to repeat. And I hate to see my truck when she's sick. So, anyone that's performed this operation...if there's any advice you can offer, anything else you did in addition to the engine while you had it apart, and about how long it took you, then I would be most appreciative. Plus, I'm good on tools, but let me know if you came across something that you wound up needing an extra or special tool for. Thanks y'all.

I just made an unsuccessful atempt at replacing the one on my 22re. I was in to big a hurry because I had to get to work monday morning. I will have to do it again, but I bought a car to get me to work so I can get it right. Here's my advise, Get new head bolts; If you strip a bolt that goes into the head(not head bolts), just tap it out to the next bigger size and move on, but don't assume it will be ok. Doesn't sound like you would anyway. I'm not sure if the 22r has that hose under the intake, but if it does, be very sure to get it right because you have to take everything back apart to fix it after you get it all back together. If it blows, you'll lose all the water real quick. Let me know how it goes. Good luck with it.

These sites explain the timing chain replacement well so they obviously show the detailed process in replacing the headgasket.

http://yotarepair.com/22R%20timingchain.html
http://www.4crawler.com/4x4/CheapTricks/EngineMods/TimingChain.shtml
http://www.4x4wire.com/toyota/maintenance/timingchain
http://www.4x4wire.com/toyota/reviews/doatimingchain

Any Public Library in your area would have the Factory service manual,Haynes,Chiltons,Mitchells,Clymers,Bentley and Toyota repair books.

There is also free AutoZone service manuals at:

http://www1.autozone.com/servlet/UiBroker?ForwardPage=/az/repair_info/repair_guide/repair_guide.jsp

1985 Toyota 4-Runner/pickup Factory Service manual:

http://www.jasuza.com/1985toyotatruckfsm.pdf

1993 Toyota Pickup Service Manual:

http://personal.utulsa.edu/~nathan-buchanan/93fsm/

2003 (2001-2004) Toyota Tacoma Factory Service Manual:

http://fsm.afraid.org/
http://www.junglecode.com/toyota/tacoma/2003_fsm/
http://65.200.1.6/FSM/

FSM (factory service manual)can be acquired in several ways:

Toyota Material Distribution Center
750 West Victoria St
Rancho Dominguez/Compton,CA 90220-5538
USA
Ph:1-800-622-2033 (outside CA)(M-F: 7-5 PST)
Ph:1-800-443-7656 (inside CA)
Ph:1-310-818-4630 (in or outside CA)
Speak to Beverly or Deloris
http://techinfo.toyota.com/public/main/mdc.html
http://www.4crawler.com/4x4/FSM.shtml

1)buy a used one off e-bay
2)some Toyota dealerships may give you one or sell it for $10-20 (used) as most Toyota dealerships don't repair many old Toyotas and no longer need the service manual
3)some public libraries sell their old books as they are not in demand any longer
4)some free buy & sell classified papers,websites and bulletin boards may have some used ones for sale
5)some junk yards may have one laying around
6)some Toyota specialty garages may have one laying around and no longer use it as the vehicle may be too old and those mechanics probably have so much experience that they could publish their own factory service manual with corrections and "real world repair tips"
7)if someone has the FSM maybe they could scan all of the pages and post it on a site for all of us to download or view.

For scanned pages of factory service manuals for other engines:

http://www.brian894x4.com/Scannedmanual.html
http://home.swiftdsl.com.au/~scorp/surf/1KZ-TE.pdf
http://www.showmesome.info/hilux/info/manuals/1KZ-TE
http://surf.mactherapy.com/1KZ-TE.pdf
http://surf.mactherapy.com/parts/
http://www.spyderchat.com/1zzfe.pdf
http://files.matrixvibe.net/docs/1zzfe.pdf
http://landcruiser.free.fr/mans/
http://surf.mactherapy.com
http://www.turbosupras.com/pages/technical/tsrm.htm
http://www.lieblweb.com/tacoma/Mechanical/96TacomaDiagrams/index.htm
http://perso.wanadoo.fr/adherence.4x4/liens_techniques.htm
http://perso.wanadoo.fr/adherence.4x4/index.htm
http://www.asatraction4x4.cl/html/
http://www.toyotasurf.asn.au/techsite/downloads.htm
http://www.grubinski.com/grubinski/automotive/toyota.manuals/
http://www.carsoft.ru/files/4runner95di.exe
http://www.hotrodder.com/kwkride/tech.html
http://www.autoshop101.com/autoshop15.html
http://www.mtv411.com/sitemap.htm

Sidney® ™
Repairs tv's,vcr's,home/car audio out of my home
E-mail:[email protected]
Dartmouth,Nova Scotia
Canada
1985 Toyota 4-Runner,solid front straight axle,factory cruise control,sunroof,22R-E,W56,RN60LV-MSEK,rusted rear step/towing chrome bumper with 246 000 KM

Hey Sidney, I appreciate the reply. Right now, where everything stands, I'm trying to rule out the possibility of the wear of the timing chain cover, due to the the timing chain guide breaking off a good while back. Waiting to hear back from a few other folks on this subject. So, almost looks like I might've replaced a head gasket for nothing. But, at the time, it seemed like the most obvious procedure to start off with. But, I do appreciate your reply with all the info. Thanks again.