Enging noise, one last resort

Any insight would be great. Quick story. I have a 91 toyota 4x4 22-e engine. I replaced the timing chain guides, head gasket, timing chain cover, the whole 9. Started the truck, it appeared to run fine. I test drove it up and down the roads near my home and it seemed to perform fine. After a period of a few days I changed the oil then took it out on the expressway. This is where it got ugly.

On the expressway after struggling to reach 65mph it began to overheat, and eventually stalled. I had it towed back and let it cool overnight. The next morning I started it up and now there is a loud clicking sound coming from the #4 piston area. To test, I hand cranked the engine to make sure that the valves are moving, I also did a valve adjustment. I made sure the spark-plug was recieving juice. So I pulled the head once again to see if the piston has a hole, or debris inside the piston...none.

I have since replace the head gasket, and buttoned it all back up, the noise is still there. The truck runs but the clicking is bad and it doesn't have much power. I havn't given it a compression check, don't know if it would even be worth buying the test equipment at this point.

Please help, I'm at my wits end. I'm going to junk it if its not an easy solution. Thanks in advance!

Try the various chain auto parts stores in your area and see if one loans tools. They may have a compression tester available cheap or free. Are you a member of an auto club like AAA? Some auto clubs provide free or cheap vehicle inspections. If possible try trading the fuel injector with another cylinder. Since you have tried a different spark plug wire that leaves out the wire. Did you ever determine why the motor overheated?