Toyota Camry 2002 - 2009 2AZ-FE engines

[JOET/CAMRY]

Hello,

I own a 2003 Camry with the 4 cyl. engine and have discovered via this fourm and other online sites that the 2002 and later 2AZ-FE engines have problems with the headbolts striping. Actually to be more exact the threads on the bolts themselves don't become stripped it is the threads that are in the holes that the headbolts screw into that become stripped. Did I say that right.

At any rate does anyone actually know if the problem was ever addressed and fixed in later year 2AZ-FE engines. If so, what year Camry has the new and improved engine.

[02 camry LE]

havnt got a problem with miens tho
120k and running strong

[Yuko]

157K on our 2002 Camry 2AZ-FE with no problem. No coolant leak or heavy oil consumption. I guess is you let the engine warm up correctly, maintain it, and don't pound on it at every red light; it should last for years without any problems.

[jeffbro]

Sitting on 236xxx kms atm.. stil goo :] !

[leakyseals]

I researched this quite a bit because I have one of those years. I found the vast majority (but not all) of engines that experienced this problem were maintained poorly or improperly. The likely culprit is overheating or prolonged high heat conditions to the aluminum block and head. Add a rough idle and the bolts can strip causing the head and block to pull apart under the right conditions. The fix from Toyota is a new engine. New threads on the block using time serts is all that really needs to be done, and there are kits available for it. Not that hard to do, just time consuming.

Most important preventative maintenance for heat is keep the coolant up to date. Change it early and often using the correct coolant and water/coolant%! Also keep the engine internals clean, no sludge, change oil on time. Third would be keep that idle smooth so it doesn't shake.Tune it, clean the TB, etc.

[JohnGD]

The problem was more of a metallurgical failure. Some say it's the foam strip keeping the engine heat and would remove it. Dunno. Others say they made a revision but no one can confirm it in writing.

I'm not sure they even fixed it in 2010 with the 2.5L engine. We'll see after about 80K miles and see if they start popping bolts.

Other than that Time-sert is bolt popper's best friend. Do all 10.
http://www.timesert.com/

[musashi]

I have an '02 J-vin with 170,000 miles and no problems yet, including having blown the serpentine belt and needing to drive it about another 3 miles before clearing the road. I believe it is a combination of mettalurgical formula for the block and heat. I have read the entire stripped headbolt discussion on this forum and it seems that Toyota may have had up to 4 different manufacturers of blocks at one time. It seems to me they may have had a bad batch of blocks, but the information needed to figure out the effected vehicles is not easy to come by (people do not post the manufacturing date of a car with the issue, or a location of manufacture). I do believe that the coolant is important in preventing this issue. I also talked to a tech at the dealership I frequent and he said, in the time these cars have been out he has only done 2 of them.

I knew about this problem before I purchased my car, but I figure since inserts fix the problem if it occurs, then I am aware of the worst problem to occur with these cars and the appropriate repair. I don't worry about it (I try to keep up on maintenance) and I will deal with it IF and WHEN i get this problem. I also have the repair parts planned if I need them. I intend to use the NS300L inserts. They were designed to fix a similar problem on the Caddilac Northstar V8 engine, so they should be a great fix for an I-4.

Personally you should not worry about the problem, you are aware there may be a problem, as well as a repair for it, enjoy your car for as long as you want. Treat it well and it will treat you well. I intend to go for 1,000,000 miles in mine, and have no doubt I can reach that.

Good luck.