1mz-fe help please - Toyota Nation Forum : Toyota Car and Truck Forums

seh6183 · 02-03-2009, 11:03 AM

I am seriously considering buying a 94 v6 Camry tomorrow. The only problem is that a buddy of mine tells me that the motor in those camry's (1mz-fe) is prone to blowing head gaskets and valve seals. To further confirm this, there is 1 camry on craigs in my area with a blown head gasket and 1 that smokes bad and is listed with bad valve seals. He also tells me that the trannys all eventually start slipping with high mileage.

Ive looked around the forums here for common problems and it doesnt seem to be mentioned a whole lot. I even had my buddy who works for all-data look up all TSB's and recalls. I was just looking for some advice from people who have experience with the car. I drove a couple and the car rides great, the auto tranny feels good, the suspension is nice, and the power is there, I really like the car. Any help is appreciated thanks

kegunder · 02-03-2009, 12:08 PM

How dare you propose such a thing! (Just kidding

They were pretty nice cars from the factory. The engine did experience gelling (sludging) issues at times, so have a look under the valve cover for signs of that. I would also look in the oil filter for crusty stuff that might indicate a botched cleanup job (of previous sludge.)

But, routine oil changes (and ATF) should enable a car such as this to go further than most.

I've never heard about the issues that you referred to.

ekopel · 02-03-2009, 01:03 PM

There are a lot of people here with motors well over 150k, which is already more than the average motor lasts. I personally highly recommend this motor. I think it is more prone to valve cover gasket leaks more than anything else. My .02

seh6183 · 02-03-2009, 01:30 PM

Well the one I am looking at has 200+ on it but is in perfect mechanical condition, just some minor cosmetic flaws. I am only concerned because I have a 94 toyota corolla that has 162 on it and doesn't have a single problem and never has; so I dont want to screw myself. I would have to sell it to buy the camry. The only reason that I really want to switch to the camry is because of the torque and the size of the car. I think it would be more comfortbale to jump in a bigger car and have more space. I just dont want to sell my perfectly working corolla and then get a camry that has some kind of major problem soon after I buy it.

seh6183 · 02-03-2009, 03:01 PM

Wow! I just found a 97 v6 with 170k for $2000. All that is wrong is leaky valve cover gaskets and cracked windshield. Should I do it???

bigbird · 02-03-2009, 03:40 PM

id have a mechanic you trust do a prepurchase inspection but yeah thats a pretty good deal.

Fiox789 · 02-03-2009, 04:10 PM

I've had very little trouble with the motor. Just regular wear and tear.

islandboy57 · 02-03-2009, 04:35 PM

I haven't heard anything about an above average frequency of x problem on the 1MZ - besides sludging, but if you keep up with oil changes that isn't a problem. As far as the tranny, well, all transmissions will begin to fail after hundreds of thousands of miles.

I love the 1MZ EXCEPT for the location of its oil filter! Other than that, it's a great motor.. Coming from a Corolla you'll love the power, that's for sure.

seh6183 · 02-03-2009, 08:17 PM

Im just afraid im gonna buy a car that is notorious for say... blowing head gaskets or something. I dont want a nightmare on my hands. You guys have been helpful so far, thank you.

bigbird · 02-04-2009, 04:08 AM

if you buy anything with a 1mz in it then it will be notorius for working well. and as long as ya take care of it, she'll last a long time.

seh6183 · 02-04-2009, 11:21 AM

Great, it looks like I will be picking this one up tonight for $1900. Ill just pull the leaking valve cover off and put on a new gasket and it should be good to go. Im gonna do a full fluid change on it as soon as I get it because I have read about the sludging that sometimes happens. I read about the tranny needing a certain fluid too. Should I just go with what all-data says and be fine with that?

Gibson99 · 02-05-2009, 09:16 AM

The engine that had the bad head gaskets was the old 3vze 3.0L in the trucks from about 88-96 or so. It's completely unrelated to the 1mzfe in the camry/avalon/sienna/solara/highlander/es300/etc etc which, when properly maintained, is just about bulletproof. True, valve covers leak, but that happens on every engine. Be sure to check the back one - that one is more prone to leaking onto the exhaust, giving you a burning oil smell.

the 1mz in my red 95 se v6 coupe had 180k when i sold it to a buddy... it had a supercharger on it for like 90k miles before i removed the s/c to sell the car. Last I heard, it's got about 245k on it now, still going strong. he did have to replace the tranny at like 215k, but really... 215k miles is a long life for an automatic, especially considering the 90k of abuse I put it thru w/ the supercharger. I think he spent about 1900 for a shop to do it, but it came w/ a great warranty.

my current 98 camry also has the 1mzfe, and it's only got about 114k.

seh6183 · 02-05-2009, 11:46 AM

Lol my buddy has a 97 with a TRD charger on it and wants to know if I want to buy it. He just bought an s2000 and is putting the camry back to stock. How much torque do you think I could see by slapping that on? And its a roots style blower right?

Gibson99 · 02-05-2009, 01:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by seh6183

Lol my buddy has a 97 with a TRD charger on it and wants to know if I want to buy it. He just bought an s2000 and is putting the camry back to stock. How much torque do you think I could see by slapping that on? And its a roots style blower right?

yes, it's roots. its only 4psi boost, but it really flattens out the torque curve so you have more available down low. peak tq only goes up like 40 ft-lbs, but because you have SO much more tq down low, it's much more usable. When I sold my s/c'd 95 for a miata, the torque and the big trunk were the ONLY things i missed about it.

islandboy57 · 02-05-2009, 04:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by seh6183

I read about the tranny needing a certain fluid too. Should I just go with what all-data says and be fine with that?

In later years, Toyota started using Toyota-branded Type T-IV ATF. In a 4th gen I'm pretty sure it still uses the widely available Dexron III. The former is only available at the dealer and is sort of pricey.