I currently have a 97 Eclipse GSX and have found that I'm tired of modding. I curantly have an Aprilia RSVR, so if I realy want to go fast I still can. I would like to pick up a MKIV Supra NA, but have a few questions for you all.

First is what kind of inheirent problems are associated with this car? (i.e. the Eclipse is subject to crankwalk, and the timming belt jumping teeth) So, basicaly what you do all find are the common problems.

Second, is the 2JZ an interference engine?(will the pistons make contact with the valves if the timing belt breaks?)

And what do you all find is your average mile per gallon, and what occtain is required for the car? Can you run regular, or must you run pluss, or supreem?

im new here so i dont knowmuch but i do know that the headcasket (stock) might break. best bet is by a new one and tighten bolts to 7s lbs. (not sure) as of gas i think its plus only not sure either....

the 2jz motor is the most tunable engine in the world...its one of the most durable engines on stock internals...the other being the rb motor from nissan, there arent that many problems from the motor from teh factory...i think it was basically perfect....as for the avg mpg it changes...the more you mod the car..the less you getm which is the same for any car you mod, as for octane...usually premium is good enough but if i had one i would put supreme all the time....but then again as you mod the car more and more you will need a higher octane...just like any other car

Cool, getting so good info here. Does anyone know if the 2JZ is an interferance engine or not though. Also if some one could give me a ball park guess at the MPG on a completly stock NA.

Thanks

an N/A supra stock will get you about 18mpg in teh city and 24 mpg on the highway, not sure what you mean by an intereference engine though...

An interferance engine is an engine where if the timming belt breaks the pistons make contact with the valves, usualy destoying the valves and pistons. A non interferance engine, such as that in the miata, if the timming belt breaks no damage occurs to the engine. All you have to do is purchase another timming belt and re align the cams.

im not sure if it is an interference engine...imma try and find that out, i think it might be...but im not sure ive never checked the clearances

Also what type of stuff should I take the extra time to check out when viewing a supra I'm thinking about buying? Was there also a difforent set up for California cars due to emissions? Or were all cars sent the U.S. the same?

P.S.
SupraMan1784 I aprieate all the info you've given me.

All cars that were sent to the US are the same....Really, with all supras be wary of a seeping or blown Headgasket....You won't have as big of problem with this with an N/A because your not boosting, but but a Metal HG and New Head bolts and Torque them to 82 ft lbs....thats always the biggest one and you say you want N/A, well before you know it you will want to do a Turbo swap...The MKIV is one of the most reliable cars out there just maintain it correctly and she should go 250,000 mile no problem


btw....the I-6 is designed as a non-interference engine and make sure you get a compression test

yea i just found that...the 2jz is a non-interference engine....super...are you sure the headgasket for the mkiv is bad? ive only heard of problems for it for the 7m not the 2jz...for the 2jz i heard the head is just as good as teh bottom end, as for looking for a supra...just look for the basics...like rust, leaks, boost leaks, definitely take a test drive...u usually dont find stuff just by looking at it...check the compression...not sure...but i think the compression on that motor should be about 140-147....i think ill have to double check on that, all the cars were the same that were sold here in america.., if i were you i would get the turbo...but then again some prefer the n/a route...i know some people with 11 sec n/a supras....so keep that in mind

Oh, I'm sure I will do a turbo swap on it one day, but that will probably be after I get out college, in about 3 years. As of right now classes take a lot out of me finantialy, that is why I'm dumping the Eclipse. As of right now I want a car that I know when I get into it every morning it will get me where I want to go with out the hassel. Here in Oregon it's not to fun to ride bike year round.

Are you sure it's not an interferance engine? It has detents in the pistons for valve clearance... The 2JZ is solid as a rock, it's typical toyota all around, EXTREMELY overbuilt and durable.

Timing belts have a bad rap for some reason, though they can be nearly as durable as chains, and are a lot lighter and have less drivetrain drag and noise. They're also a lot easier to replace. Very very few problems with the MkIV besides the high price tag :lol:

the motor is pretty solid...everyone upgrades hte timing belts though so usually htat isnt a problem

What do you mean by upgrading the timming belt? Do you just mean replacing it, or is there a particular brand that is better than Toyotas?


Humm, after looking at all the questions other people have I'm surprised you all haven't made a sticky, or what looks like you call a pinned, that states all this info. Thanks again for all the input.

well when upgrading the timing belt you can change the belt itself...rather than using a stock belt you can go aftermarket for a stronger more durable belt thats less likely to break, i havent really looked at timing belt companies...i know there are some out there maybe ill look later

Greddy is the only maker that I know of, and it's a couple hundred dollars. If you're going to get cam gears and start tuning with cam setting, might as well replace the belt while you're there...

Another question has come to mind. I was wondering how well the targa tops hold up to water. I live in Oregon which is rather wet for about half the year. Do the targas have issues with leeking? My old Miata did, and my friends 2nd Gen MR2 T-tops also leak rather bad...even after replacing the seals. Will the targa have this problem as well?

Well...as with any car with a removeable top...they CAN leak..

Ok, so I'm back again...still with out a supra. It looks like turbo MKIVs are easyer to find for some reason. Can someone shoot me off a comparison or the NA and the Turbo...focasing on MPG. Stuff they have actualy witnessed them selves would be best. Also what are the weeks spots in the turbos system. Like in the Eclipse I had to replace the BOV fast because it leaks.

2JZ = Interference Engine
 

according to this the 3.0L is an interference motor

http://autorepair.about.com/cs/doity...mingbelts6.htm

The 2jz-ge's (and the 2jz-gte's) head gaskets are not weak points.

I agree generally ... the more you mod the car, the more boost you typically want to run ... and for more boost you need more octane (or it'll detonate, which will wreck any engine including the 'mighty' 2jz-gte).

The 2jz-ge and the 2jz-gte are non-interference engines.

If it's an n/a I can't advise you on special requirements, but if it were a tt I'd suggest you to do a compression test in addition to all other standard checks you'd do buying any used vehicle. The 2jz-ge also requires premium fuel so I would guess that running it on (for example) 87 octane constantly would eventually hurt the engine.

This is absolutely not true for the 2jz-ge nor the 2jz-gte. This 'weakness' was only present in the MKIII (7M).

Although there are two different options for aftermarket timing belts (Poodles is correct, GReddy is one of the two**), the oem timing belt has proven itself to work just fine for 1000rwhp+ applications.

** Poodles is also correct that the targa can leak or rattle, but the fix is relatively easy...

The 2jz-gte can be modified to become an interference motor with (for example) 272 duration cams and/or 'decked' block and/or head. Bone-stock specs are non-interference.

Oem spec for the mkiv tt is 17mpg city, 24mpg hwy.

Yes, the oem bov on the 2jz-gte is a bit of a weak point too. It's been known to partially fail (resulting in decreased max boost) after about 50k miles. Other somewhat-unusual items that should be replaced in higher mileage 2jz-gte's are the coilpacks and the harmonic dampener (crank pulley). Other items may also need to be replaced, such as the water pump and/or oil pump, depending on how diligently the previous owner followed the maintenance schedule.

Wow, this is kind of funny. My GSX, which is AWD and turboed with 660 cc injectors and a 190 fuel pump gets the same gas milage as a TT Supra. Can anyone give me some experienced gas millage for a NA, so I can compare.

Oh, wait this is an oem claim. Can someone give me mpg they have actualy experienced?

Best I ever got with my tt was about 400 miles on the highway with a full tank (17 gallons). I guess that works out to about 23.5 mpg...

Yup, About the same as my GSX. Anyone with an NA able to tell me their gas millage also?