es250 2vzfe rebuild

[1dmk2n]

As you can see I am new so please forgive me if this is the wrong place to post.

I have a es250 that I purchased last year. It had a head gasket out so we just put a used motor in it to get me by while we got some other vehicles on the road. Well, the current motor just blew the head gasket last weekend but fortunately I can spare the vehicle to do the repair. This is where I need your advice.

I have the orginal engine that I would like to rebuild. I understand that the 2vzfe is prone to head gasket issues so a premium set is in order. But it also seems that this engine may have issues with rods / bearings, is this true?

This is what I had in mind. I want to keep things essentially stock for the most part with a few exceptions.

1. Have the heads ported and polished.
2. Upgrade the rods and bearings, perhaps get the rods and pistons balanced.
3. Rebuild the injectors.
4. Upgrade the exhaust system.

It is a daily driver and I don't want to build a rocket ship, just make it dependable and improve its performance and lower end a little.

Hope I am making sense, thanks in advance for your advice.

Note: While the motor is out I will be replacing the power steering hoses, etc. The struts, and other steering gear has already been gone through.

[dem2757]

my 2vz has 296000 miles on it, all original. the crank probably wasnt the issue, the water in the oil might have done it.

if you have the engine out, its best to rebuild it imo. youre gonna get better compression and have stronger internals than before. just make sure your block and head isnt warped. get the heads professionally done and youre good to go

[dem2757]

****also, custom headers that route the exhaust below the enigne and make it a true Y pipe, and not that hideous retarded crossover.

I NEVER understood why toyota made a V like that. EVEN THE 1VZ-FE had is routed UNDER the engine. youll gain some power from it as the engine literally breathes better.

[white90dx]

Originally Posted by 1dmk2n

I have the orginal engine that I would like to rebuild. I understand that the 2vzfe is prone to head gasket issues so a premium set is in order. But it also seems that this engine may have issues with rods / bearings, is this true?

This is what I had in mind. I want to keep things essentially stock for the most part with a few exceptions.

1. Have the heads ported and polished.
2. Upgrade the rods and bearings, perhaps get the rods and pistons balanced.
3. Rebuild the injectors.
4. Upgrade the exhaust system.

It is a daily driver and I don't want to build a rocket ship, just make it dependable and improve its performance and lower end a little.

Hope I am making sense, thanks in advance for your advice.

The 2vz is known for eating lower-end bearings and headgaskets, yes... But with a fresh set of stock parts maintained right, you should get an easy 150k miles out of it - I don't see a good reason to upgrade parts.

My responses:
1. If you can do the work yourself, its a good idea. Make sure you port match the intake manifold while you are at it. Don't go crazy, just clean up the casting marks and open it up a tiny bit. The stock cams are probably the limitation more than the ports.
2. There are no upgraded bearings available that I know of. No need to upgrade the rods unless you are going for big power. A good machine shop might be able to work the oil passages a bit (chamfer crank oiling holes, etc.) to keep the bearings happier.
3. Injector cleaning is cheap and easy - good idea.
4. New headers with a true y-pipe will get you good power. The rest of the exhaust isn't much of a restriction compared to the stock manifold/crossover setup (maybe just do 2 1/4" or 2 1/2" from the y-pipe back).

With a clean careful build and the above suggestions, you will probably take your 155hp car up to around 170-175hp...

If you want real performance out of the car, swap to a manual transmission. If you can find a V6 manual Camry donor car, you can do it (heck, the ES250 was even available with a manual trans...). For comparison, a 4-cylinder (115hp) 5-speed Camry is almost as fast as a V6 (155hp) auto. Something to keep in mind...

-Charlie

[1dmk2n]

So it sounds like the issue with the bearings is getting enough oil, is that correct?

Also, do you have any recommendations for parts suppliers for headers, etc?

Thanks

[dem2757]

id assume so. i still havent seen that many cars with these problems. V6 or I4.

all the junkyard cars either were hit hard and totaled, driven in as trade ins and then sold to scrap yards, or transmissions gave out (window sticker says it as its an insurance car thats been 'totaled')

[white90dx]

Originally Posted by 1dmk2n

So it sounds like the issue with the bearings is getting enough oil, is that correct?

Also, do you have any recommendations for parts suppliers for headers, etc?

Thanks

Generally when bearings go it is contamination or oil starvation. Otherwise, there really should be no metal to metal contact on the bearing surfaces.

Headers and y-pipe? Custom is your only option.

What other parts might you be interested in? The market for aftermarket parts is VERY thin...

-Charlie

[Grego 92]

Knock on wood my bottom end stays in good shape for a while longer. This is what happens when you mix coolant with your oil (22RE). I still drove it for 50,000 more miles after having it cleaned up, just now changing the bearings and had the crank ground down .010.

[1dmk2n]

Thanks to everyone so far for your insight. With all the background info from you here and elsewhere I was able to locate someone to do the machine work for me that I am very comfortable with that was located near my home. I plan on dropping my motor off tomorrow.

The crank and bearing surfaces will all be refinished. The machinist will also be chamfering the oil passages. I will also have it balanced as well. The heads will be re-surfaced and rebuilt as well as being ported. The balancing and porting only add about $300 to the project so it seemed like money well spent. New pump, etc. It should about $2,200. or so. The machinist is well established and does mostly racing and drag engines, he does no advertising.

[1dmk2n]

Originally Posted by white90dx

Generally when bearings go it is contamination or oil starvation. Otherwise, there really should be no metal to metal contact on the bearing surfaces.

Headers and y-pipe? Custom is your only option.

What other parts might you be interested in? The market for aftermarket parts is VERY thin...

-Charlie

Thanks for your response. As I mentioned in an earlier post I located a machinist / engine builder who is going to rebuild the motor. I spoke with him about the exhaust and he said the easiest and best way to go is just dual exhaust and two cats. That sounds fine to me.

I am looking for dependability and to improve my mpg a little. It is a bonus that it will have a little more power.

[blu_91_cam]

If you end up buying some of the parts yourself could you say post what brand and where you got them? Been thinking about rebuilding my 2vz too, shes got 215,000 on the clock. I personally havent found any reliable manufacturers for the 2vz so keep us posted.

[dem2757]

same here.

IMO the exhaust might be easier and cheaper to get a single cat though. have the y pipe custom welded and just bolt it to the existing flexpipe and resonator etc, instead of two custom headers and 2 cats.

[JOKeefe88]

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[JOKeefe88]

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[1dmk2n]

Originally Posted by blu_91_cam

If you end up buying some of the parts yourself could you say post what brand and where you got them? Been thinking about rebuilding my 2vz too, shes got 215,000 on the clock. I personally havent found any reliable manufacturers for the 2vz so keep us posted.

Will do so.