From what I know about them the heat builds around the rear head and is the main cause of the head gasket going out.

 

yea that is an issue that i definitely see, and will be fixed by getting rid of the over the tranny dump from the front bank. I think that the engine most has HG issues that cause bearing failure from antifreeze contamination. but I'm hoping i get more positive feedback. At least i can fix the HG and the exhaust easily

 

There is no fault with the 2VZ itself; and from what I understand the 3VZ has significantly beefier rods and a far better engine management system which is why people love it so much.

If I were to boost a 2VZ I would seriously look into more effective venting for the engine bay- a low scoop mounted at the front of the hood and a vent installed at the rear (or even just raising the hinges an inch or so- a vent really would look cleaner) will help to draw hot air out of the engine bay and keep you from cooking the rear head.

 

yea ill have to look into that. Im sure there can be a modest but good-looking vent added to the Gen2 hood.

it has slight hood lines that can be worked with. if i had photoshop on my mac (pc is at home) i would start playing around with that now

 

I would go for something low and broad up front and a standard kick in the rear. I don't think it'd be too hard to integrate a rear vent in with the natural curves of the hood- though it would be easier with an ES250 setup as the lines at the rear hood corners are a bit more aggressive.

 

I would not call the 2VZ weak, it just does not have the beastly bottom end of the 3VZ. The 3VZ-FE has an extremely strong bottom end with a forged crank, 2VZ a cast crank and average bottom end that won't take anywhere near the power of the 3VZ. The bearing cage on the 3VZ is also more beefy. I've read that the 2VZ has a weak-ish oil system and tends to eat rod and main bearings if you push the engine but that could be nonsense. The oil pan baffle on the 2VZ is not as good, but not really an issue for street driving. Both engines have cast rods.

I've compared the 2VZ and 3VZ heads side by side and the porting on the 3VZ is much better, also the intake manifold is obviously more airflow friendly on the 3VZ. The 3VZ has two knock sensors the 2VZ one (or none). On forged rods, I've read about people using the 22R rods on the 1MZ, maybe it's an option for the 2VZ/3VZ? I have seen forged rods/pistons on Ebay for the 2VZ but $$$$$.

If you want to go with big power then the 3VZ-FE is just a way better platform to do it with. On a hood vent, the 7th generation Celica has one that draws air and directs it onto the exhaust header would be perfect on the Camry.

...honestly if you want to stick with the 2VZ, I'd say forget forced induction and get better rods, port the heads and fix the dumb exhaust design. I think this would give huge gains. To address the statement that the 3VZ is a stroked 2VZ, not really. About the only thing the engines share is head gaskets. The heads, intake, bottom end, block etc. are all different. I think the valve buckets are the same so there's that. :lol:

 

well, when i thought that up i meant it in terms of customization and some parts interchangeability.

You should know that I'm already well versed in the 2vz-3vz differences, or lack of similarities :rofl:

i might go to the yard and see if i can bolt up a 3vz crank to a 2vz. I really want to keep the 2vz. I do think it has potential, plus to be a 2vz guy is a sticking point

i want to do that regardless of NA vs FI, but its only going to net around 30hp. if i do it all with a turbo.....
:naughty:

 

You should know that I'm already well versed in the 2vz-3vz differences, or lack of similarities :rofl:

I wish I knew more myself. I did practically torture myself pulling heads off multiple 2VZ/3VZ engines to try and see if a hybrid could be built. It can't, trust me. :rofl2:

i might go to the yard and see if i can bolt up a 3vz crank to a 2vz. I really want to keep the 2vz. I do think it has potential, plus to be a 2vz guy is a sticking point

Unfortunately it is impossible to remove the 2VZ (and probably 3VZ) bearing girdle without removing the rear main seal housing. And to do that, the tranny has to be removed along with the flywheel. I respect the fact that you want to keep the 2VZ, I feel the same way I really love the engine. I passed on a 1993 Camry, it had been smacked bad enough to push the strut tower in but the engine/drivetrain was mint. Very tempting I could have got the car for $400, everything needed to do a nice swap.

...oh on the head gaskets, are there MLS versions available for the 2VZ/3VZ?

 

totally forgot about that part. hm.

looks like a long day at the yard and hoping i get lucky too. not often do i see a 3vz and a 2vz at the same yard

 

Here's some 2VZ/3VZ comparison info. Rest of the document is here, unfortunately the diagrams are almost unreadable.

 

Forgot to say, the guy that did the 3VZ swap into an ES250, when he was running the 2VZ he did break the crank in half. Keep in mind the car was running all out on a track, but it does give credibility to the bottom end being vulnerable on the 2VZ.

 

so from what I've read, the engineers at toyota combined the ACIS intake manifold and the increased intake journal straightness to give the fat power band of the 3vz. Im starting to wonder if its possible to confer the 2vz to that setup. Throwing out lots of thoughts haha.
EDIT this part woruldnt work. as its all compute controlled with the 3vz ecu/.

Would the 3vz heads have fit right on the 2vz block? or would they be too close and cause issues with the intake manifold like the 2vz on the 3vz block did?

that would be the only area where i would have to do some improvement then, as a cast vs machined crank will always be weaker where there are corners.

 

Would the 3vz heads have fit right on the 2vz block?

They do! In fact everything damn well fits including the timing belt stuff, the coolant bypass ect. The intake manifold no because the block deck is taller/wider spacing between the heads. To do a 2VZ/3VZ hybrid you would need a custom intake, I think the stock electronics would work fine. Custom exhaust not an issue like it is with the 2VZ because with that you either need custom headers fabricated or 1VZ headers which seem impossible to get a hold of.

Would the 3vz heads have fit right on the 2vz block? or would they be too close and cause issues with the intake manifold like the 2vz on the 3vz block did?

The heads will fit, but again because of the width between the heads, the intake manifold won't fit anymore.

Here's a 3VZ with 2VZ heads.

3VZ manifold on top, 2VZ on the bottom

 

after re-reading the article again it would need the 3vz edu to allow usage of the acis from the 3vz.

lots of thought on this build.

 

lots of thought on this build.

Yes.

I've contemplated the pros and cons, which is why I came so close to saying forget the 2VZ and drop in the 3VZ. It does instantly solve the alleged bottom end weakness as well as the crossover pipe issue. With a proper y-pipe and AFM leaned out, a fresh 3VZ can easily make 210hp with very very healthy torque. And I mean healthy the 3VZ has an insanely flat torque curve. Paired with a 5-speed the gen2 Camry would be a seriously fast car. And 100% reliable because it's all factory parts.

 

i would only do it if i had the entire front clip with harness and ecu.

I'm thinking if i do experience an issue with my 2vz (it runs damn well now) then i might consider swapping, but then that negates the point of finding this car i guess haha. I will do the afm mod as soon as i get a spare just in case.

 

Yea that's why getting that wrecked 1993 was so temping. The AFM leaning on the 2VZ doesn't help as much as is does on the 3VZ, at least in my experience. Interestingly, the 3VZ ECU for some markets was not de-tuned and the engine made more power.

I think the thing to try first is get a proper exhaust on the 2VZ and see how it responds. When it warms up here I'm going to go down to a place that is familiar with these cars and see what they can do about a custom exhaust. Not hopeful though, I don't think they make custom exhaust header setups. Damn you Toyota and your crossover pipe silliness. :facepalm:

 

i saw a 3vzfe supercharger build where the guy (i think EEngineer) brought the rear header out to over the trans, and the front header toward the front of the trans, and met both right under where the battery would be. But he had custom 3inch piping made from the manifolds back :lol:

i have a few shops near me that are custom in nature, so i will check them out soon

 

Once those v6s get the California emissions on it, it is a bit de-tuned as well.