Used Supra engines from Japan. Are they OK?

[stanley2001]

I am thinking of replacing my whole engine (150,000 miles) rather than just changing the head gasket on my 1991 Supra. For $1,400 I can get a low mileage (40 to 60 K) engine from Japan. But I still will have to deal with the head gasket somewhere down the line.
Any advice? Anyone bought one of these Japan specials? Are they any good?
Thanks,
Stan

[supradaddy0803]

Why not just cut the middle man and replace it with a 1JZ they have no problems with head gaskets and plus the beauty of 11 PSI from the factory and a metal head gasket to boot. You can put 18 PSI through the stock turbos for a whilw before the fail and the motor can handle 700+ without internal mods. Plus being that you have a 91 then you got the right crossmember and they usually run about the same price as what you are looking at.

[oowee623]

japanese engines are usually very good i heard somewhere that the japanese are encouraged to get rid of their old cars at certain mileages and buy a new car to boost up the economy, and they barely even drive their cars they ride bikes and trains most of the time, the japanese man i bought my 1jz from said supras are considered japanese muscle cars and the owners usually ride bikes and trains by day and cruise in their supras at night

[stanley2001]

Well, that defintly sounds like the way to go, but I don't know anything about 1jz engines. What car do they come from? Will they swap out with the original 1991 mk3 without much of a fuss? Or are there modifications that must be made?
Thanks

[SCRAMJET]

They are a 2.5lt twin turbo. Standard about 206Kw. They came out in a few toyota's including the Supra 90-92 but only released in japan. I imported 1 and have been very happy with it. Just bought a single turbo conversion to replace the stock twins so hopefully i will be even happier with it soon...

[supradaddy0803]

When you look at a 1JZ next to the 2JZ in the mark 4 supra they look almost the same. This is because they are from the same family the 1JZ was the start of the 2JZ. Most of the parts for the 2JZ here in the states will fit the 1JZ and they have a metal head gasket from the factory. Pretty much from what I have seen most of the turbo kits for the 2JZ also say they are for the 1JZ as well and I have pulled the manifolds and the bolt hole match up. But there is actually a lot of stuff out there for that motor just have to go to the right place like here www.RHDjapan.com .

[Ranma]

Originally Posted by oowee623

japanese engines are usually very good i heard somewhere that the japanese are encouraged to get rid of their old cars at certain mileages and buy a new car to boost up the economy, and they barely even drive their cars they ride bikes and trains most of the time, the japanese man i bought my 1jz from said supras are considered japanese muscle cars and the owners usually ride bikes and trains by day and cruise in their supras at night

It has to due with the Japanese compulsory insurance and inspection cycles. A new car goes for 3 years and then it is every 2 years. The inspectors are real picky and it gets harder to get the car to pass as it gets older. There comes a time when it is cheaper to get rid of it. Especially the small cars.
As for "millage" distances are less in Japan and the toll roads there are expensive. You can take the "bullet" train for the costs of tolls from Tokyo to Osaka. Then there is the price of petro. After that is the lack of parking at work.
Oh unlike America the cars themselves are insured for a basic amount. It goes with the car and can not be refunded while the car is tagged. So when you register the car the insurance is paid up for the time frame upfront.

[cre]

Having worked in the automotive industry (and even in this specific maket) for a number of years I would NEVER just drop ANY used engine in a car.... even if I hated the person. You have absolutely NO idea what it's been through and trust me, low mileage means NOTHING with a 20+ year old engine which has possibly been beaten to hell in what road life it has seen. I've dealt with plenty of "bulletproof" engines which have died terribly with less than 20K on them (even after testing out just fine prior to installation).

Mostly bicycles? You think it's China huh? They've got more technology open to them than that. It kills me how people think it's that hard for kids to find open road upon which to beat the shit out of their cars on anywhere in the world. Even if it's not driven daily it doesn't mean it's not run low on oil or over heated every weekend; It only takes one screw up to start the time bomb ticking.

A JZ install isn't a straight drop in and many people dig themselves into a hole because they can't do what's needed or afford a competent mechanic. It's a bad idea to just throw it out everytime without explaining the pitfalls. I've seen a lot of these projects sold for pennies because they couldn't afford to continue or just gave up.


And 100 posts doesn't mean much, when I came here I had over 2000 posts on most of the other forums I participate in... Low post count != newbie.

[Grandavi]

As Cre said.. it would be silly to drop a JDM import straight into the car. You want to replace seals first.. EVEN if it doesnt need them.
Salt corrosion is bad and thats what you are going to find. Cheap engines really.. but there is a reason for it.

I looked at getting a front clip and dropping it in. My mechanical abilities are not what they should be since I haven't torn out engines and rebuilt them in over 20 years.. so I ask the experts. For me to do it the way I want, is going to take a minimum of 10,000.00 (more like 14,000+)

I can pull the engine, I can put the engine in.. but I don't trust myself with finessing things and generally I like doing things once only. From all my research I will be sticking with the 7MGTE solely because its the most cost effect way to reach my modest HP desire of approx. 400 at the wheels. If I wanted above 400 I would go with a 2jz swap and single turbo. My initial estimate for doing this with a single turbo was slightly over 14,000.00. You cant just drop it in and hope for the best.

JDM imports are great if your prepared to redo the engine prior to popping it in. If your not.. your gambling. (which isn't too bad if you can pull the engine and rebuild yourself later on)

100,000 miles out of a properly built/properly maintained 7M or 1JZ or 2JZ is simple to do. I only drive my car 2000 - 3000 km per year.. so the car should outlive me

[Paula Akin]

Does anyone know where in Portland the shop is that imports these? My mechanic roommate says he knows there's a place here but can't remember where he saw it.

Otherwise I'll have to (groan) get one from ebay. Not the end of the world, but dang, 395$ for shipping.

Thanks for your help, other Supra owners.

Paula

1988 Supra (mine--needs heart transplant) and
1987 Supra (his--needs more than heart transplant)