1985 Toyota Sunrader 4x4 22R Motor Specs

[Cliff333]

Hey everybody! I am new to this forum. A little while ago I purchased a 1985 Toyota Sunrader 4x4 edition motorhome. It has the 22R Motor in it which is blown. There is a hole in the block and I am sure a number of things that need to be replaced internally. Eventually I want to rebuild the motor since it has pretty low miles on it. But untill I get the time and resources to do that I want to pick up another 22R Motor to put in the camper for the meantime. There are quite a few 22R motors around the area that I could purchase. My question is is the motor that is currently in my camper a normal 22R motor. Or were there special things done to the 22R motors in the Sunrader campers to give them more power? They just seem to have a decent amount of power considering the weight they are pulling. Does anyone know if a normal run of the mill 22R motor will be the same as the factory one that came in my Sunrader? Thanks for he help! Also here is what is written on the info tag for the blown motor thats currently in the camper...

22R RN Cal

Engine Displacement 144.4 Cid

Engine Family FTY 2.4T2FCC7

[darrel]

The 22r motor is nothing special for a motorhome. It's a 22r motor, in fact all of the toyota motorhomes all have run of the mill motors unless a special order of turbo charged and even then the motor specs are the same.

[MontanaChinook]

You aren't going to be rebuilding an engine with a hole in the block.

But welcome to the forum! That's a really cool vehicle you bought.

Yes, 22R is 22R, any will work.

[Cliff333]

Nice! Thats what I thought and was hoping to hear but wanted to make sure. Thank guys!

[linda s]

If you need everything I would think about upgrading to at least a 22re. Some Sunrader 4x4 owners have gone with a chevy 4.3 v6 for the extra power. very dependable engine and you will get the same mileage as the 4 bangers. There is a lot of info about toyota swaps to the 4.3 online. Very cool rig but I am wondering where did you buy it.

Linda S

[zero]

If you need everything I would think about upgrading to at least a 22re. Some Sunrader 4x4 owners have gone with a chevy 4.3 v6 for the extra power. very dependable engine and you will get the same mileage as the 4 bangers. There is a lot of info about toyota swaps to the 4.3 online. Very cool rig but I am wondering where did you buy it.

Linda S

Have you seen any MPG figures that have been verified? I don't say that as a challenge or rhetorical question. It's just that I've read so many "wishful thinking" fuel mileage posts by people who have done custom engine swaps. Most that I've had an actual chanced to verify were BS.

I've been a member of a diesel forum for years and there are daily posts of RVs getting 25-30 MPGs after diesel swaps - when in reality they are really getting 10-14 MPG. Some real crazy stories out there.

The GM 4.3 certainly isn't known for effiency. Being reliable and rugged - yes. It's based on a 60 year old engine design. I spoke to an owner of a Winnebago-Toyota RV recently in the low altitude flatlands of Florida. That is where the best MPGs will happen. He has a TBI 4.3 in his and has gotten a best of 14 MPG. That tells me that here in NY at an altitude of 2000 feet and lots of steep hills - it would probably get 12 MPG.

There are many, many engine swap Websites and with any - rarely is found a "lack of success story" when a person does a swap and gets poor results.

I know that my 1995 Astrovan AWD with a 4.3 tended to get 17-18 MPG on the highway and 13-14 MPG with mixed driving. Got an all-time best of 19 MPG on one long highway trip down south. That is just a bare van and no RV on top.

As I recall, you own an Astro RV with a 4.3, don't you? What kind of fuel mileage do you get and at in what sort of terrain. I ask about terrain because in my case - all my vehicles average 2 more MPGs in Michigan then they do here in NY. Where a vehicle is driven can make a big difference.

A friend of mine in Florida has an 89 Astro-Allegro RV with a 4.3. Just a 2WD. He keeps good records and the best he's ever gotten was 15 MPG and that's down south and at speed less then 60 MPH. He had it up here one summer and was getting 12.5 to 13 MPG with it.

[linda s]

Sunrader shorty with the 22re gets 17 mpg driving on flat terrain. The Tiger gets 15 but I usually am driving that faster because I can, so sounds about the same to me. One of the serious Toyota guys in Colorado switched out the turbo 22re In his 87 Sunrader 4x4 to the 4.3 and loves it. Much more responsive at high altitude. If your going to drive any off road you really need that extra power. I got stuck one time in my Sunrader cause I got down the hill fine but it just didn't have the power to get back up. Had to dump water tanks and passenger to make it back out of the campground. Power is good

Linda S

[zero]

Sunrader shorty with the 22re gets 17 mpg driving on flat terrain. The Tiger gets 15 but I usually am driving that faster because I can, so sounds about the same to me. One of the serious Toyota guys in Colorado switched out the turbo 22re In his 87 Sunrader 4x4 to the 4.3 and loves it. Much more responsive at high altitude. If your going to drive any off road you really need that extra power. I got stuck one time in my Sunrader cause I got down the hill fine but it just didn't have the power to get back up. Had to dump water tanks and passenger to make it back out of the campground. Power is good

Linda S

If I wanted power, I'd got with the 4.3. It's an old-tech rugged engine but certainly not known for great fuel mileage. Very rugged small-block V8 with two cylinders shaved off. Easy to get parts for.

In my case, i don't care about the power anymore just as long as I can maintain highway speed in most places. My turbo-diesel Blazer-Hallmark (or Chalet) gets 16 MPG at best at 65-75 MPH with fuel that often costs 50 cents more per gallon then regular gas. My Dodge 1 ton 4WD turbo-diesel truck with a slide-on camper on the back can get 17 MPG. I could probably do a 100 MPH with it (if the camper didn't blow apart) but it's not something I care much about anymore. 30-40 years ago - yeah. I'm shooting for something that can get 18-20 MPG on regular gasoline. If in the future - gas becomes more pricey then diesel - then I'll be back to diesels again. The way things look, I'll be dead before I see that again.

It's kind of amazing with the stories I often hear in regard to fuel mileage. Especially the small engine RVs e.g. Toyotas , Winnebago Leshaors/Phasars, or Winnebago VW based Rialtas.. All have small four or five cylinder engines that are usually gasoline spark-ignition types.

I've heard for many years about the Toyota RVs that get better then 20 MPG but I've never verified one yet to get better then 16-17 MPG unless it's a pop-top Chinook type. I have found many owners in 21 footers that tend to get 12-13 MPG. With LeSharos? The one I have now with the 2.2 liter gas engine is often called a "22 MPG" RV. I found a fuel usage log in the one I got and years of driving and fuel use. 15 MPG was about the best it ever got.

[linda s]

Best actual Mileage I have ever gotten is 19mpg. You have to remember though this is an 18 ft Sunrader, no roof AC but I do have a generator that weighs at least 100 lbs. I said 17mpg cause that's what I get at factory timing which I just had to set it to for California smog. I will tweak it back to improved the mileage a touch. The only Toyota Rv that can get 20 other than the pop tops, there are more than just Chinook, is my rig with a manual tranny. My friend Tony can get 21 driving carefully. Other pop tops are Bandit, Sandtana, Ranger, and I have seen one Easy Ryder. This thread started out as a discussion of the 4x4 Sunrader. Whenever your talking 4x4 simple highway driving isn't the most important factor. It's are you going to be able to handle that road less traveled.

Linda S

PS I also have a Nissan 18ft Sunrader with a v6 so I have my power there. The Tiger will be sold if I ever get it to look pretty again. I'm a Sunrader girl

[zero]

Best actual Mileage I have ever gotten is 19mpg. You have to remember though this is an 18 ft Sunrader, no roof AC but I do have a generator that weighs at least 100 lbs. I said 17mpg cause that's what I get at factory timing which I just had to set it to for California smog. I will tweak it back to improved the mileage a touch. The only Toyota Rv that can get 20 other than the pop tops, there are more than just Chinook, is my rig with a manual tranny. My friend Tony can get 21 driving carefully. Other pop tops are Bandit, Sandtana, Ranger, and I have seen one Easy Ryder. This thread started out as a discussion of the 4x4 Sunrader. Whenever your talking 4x4 simple highway driving isn't the most important factor. It's are you going to be able to handle that road less traveled.

Linda S

PS I also have a Nissan 18ft Sunrader with a v6 so I have my power there. The Tiger will be sold if I ever get it to look pretty again. I'm a Sunrader girl

For me - 4WD and fuel mileage have equal importance. All depends on what a person wants to do. I don't do rock-crawling. Me et. al. tend to drive by major road and then find remote areas to camp at night. I've been to many rural camp areas where I'd never of made it with a 2WD. Especiallly in the Michigan UP where even some often used roads are made up of loose beach sand. If you stop with a 2WD RV, you don't get going again.