Another fz bites the dust

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voorland80

voorland80

10 Year 15 Year
Joined
Jan 1, 2008
Threads
70
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863
Location
the CV; miss the CZ
not good news
97 lx blew head gasket, 200k+
still runs/ran fine - dam these engines are tuff
not wanting to risk further damage (#6 cyl looks bad) parked it (not a daily driver)
have spare 1fz on stand (one in pic) ready to go. it's a rebuild which ran great before pulled from donor w front-end damage
(fan off, looks ok but suffered scrapes so plan on replacing w oem.
date of rebuild is unknown but mileage on donor lx was something like 350k+
engine sounded great & looks like solid build aside from sketchy stuff like belts & chinese reman alternator.
those not a prob (but could be indicators?)
have two denso alternators on hand & plan on replacing belts w oem
main problem atm is debate between "while you're in there" vs "don't fix it if it ain't broke"
engine harness and auxiliary stuff will get swapped over
minor things like wiring, connectors, hoses, clips/clamps, at least one knock sensor if not both i plan on replacing w oem
new phh & fasteners already on hand
front & rear main crank seals look clean & tight but was planning on replacing anyway
also planning on replacing harmonic balancer (rubber shows it's age) and was even thinking of doing the oil pump gasket
but everything looks sealed purdy tight
had thought of pulling bottom pan but again dam most everything looks sealed clean & tight
even been thinking of timing chain, chain guides & tensioner - thinkin of sending scope in there & into bottom pan
oil sample to blackstone sounds like good idea
plan is/was to pull de-supercharged engine & replace w spare then slowly go thru bad engine to figure out next steps for it
question is: how far would you go if previously rebuilt engine is on stand & before going in there is easy access to just about everything?
there sorta is no budget constraint atm but thinking sb within reason - don't want to push that
guess another question is, what is "within reason"?
thanks for reading and for your thoughts

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Man either those cheap belts are too long or very stretched. I just slapped some OEM units on today with the idler removed it was still very tight getting them on.
 
Well, that is one way to run the belts...

I would do a budget rebuild of the pulled engine while running the spare engine.

Since it isn't your daily, you probably should think about how much money you want to spend for the remaining vehicle life.
 
this. for sure the head gasket was done.
cylinders look really good
thinking of probing further w the scope to see how chain guides look
that might give clue or hint as to how far to go w "refresh" of engine before put in.
 
robnicko said:
ribbed belts going over the idler people would think theres a blower under the hood!
Click to expand...
dk what brand belts those are on spare engine but they are installed with v in pulley grooves
they will be replaced w oem - prolly even just use belts from de-supercharged blown-head gasket engine as those are good.
focus is not on belts, clamps or hoses - just what they may indicate regarding unseen components
but maybe just over-concerned w all that
and should just replace w what needs replacing and run as is
 
robnicko said:
ribbed belts going over the idler people would think theres a blower under the hood!
Click to expand...
Anytime I see that style of belt under hood at my shop I think to myself “ I’m in danger “ cause some jamoke has previously worked on this 20 years ago and now its gonna be my cross to bare… last one was a 84 Isuzu pup. It lived at my shop for two years…. hunting demons.
 
Do an LS swap. 😁.
 
If it was me I would just do the head gasket with MLS and studs if there is no evidence of lower end damage. less cost, less time.
 
That FZ didn't bite the dust, at least not in my book. I'd keep running with some Barr's Head Gasket leak elixir then work on it when you feel like it. Since this ain't you DD, you have the luxury of parking it, which is awesome.

i highly suggest you pony up for a new ECU harness regardless of which path you decide to take. A simple engine swap or a HG project will muck up that harness, and then you'll be chasing gremlins. You'll most likely just snap wiring connectors just by looking at them sternly.

Regarding the timing chain and associated crap - yeah, just replace it all. The plastic guide is brittle AF, and the chain has stretched. I'd also replace the HG on the engine that's sitting on the stand right now too. It's just too convenient to do everything and blow your budget. Just eat Ramen noodles for the next year but don't cheap out on quality parts.
 
working on parts list
new chain, guides, tensioner, hoses, belts, idlers, harmonic balancer...plus plus plus
also adding new main engine harness & oil pressure wire harness if still available, i believe main harness is being produced in vietnam
harness on engine on stand is in sorry shape and while harness on engine in lx looks decent will go ahead & fast-forward thru that
(@OGBeno - appreciate work on the connectors list)
there is a sale coming up at bell lexus.
their regular pricing is usually good and often better than ordering direct from japan or the middle east - so upcoming sale is good timing
 
voorland80 said:
working on parts list
new chain, guides, tensioner, hoses, belts, idlers, harmonic balancer...plus plus plus
also adding new main engine harness & oil pressure wire harness if still available, i believe main harness is being produced in vietnam
harness on engine on stand is in sorry shape and while harness on engine in lx looks decent will go ahead & fast-forward thru that
(@OGBeno - appreciate work on the connectors list)
there is a sale coming up at bell lexus.
their regular pricing is usually good and often better than ordering direct from japan or the middle east - so upcoming sale is good timing
Click to expand...

oh hell yeah baby, make that wallet scream bloody murder why doncha :bounce:

25% off OEM here also Genuine Toyota Parts and Accessories: Official Online Store Serra Toyota of Decatur - https://autoparts.toyotaofdecatur.com/
 
I would remove the head, purchase the valve grind kit which includes pretty much all of the gaskets to do the head job, make sure the head is flat, and reassemble. Job done. You're out about $500-$600. This is the route I took about three years ago and never looked back.
 
jsloden said:
I would remove the head, purchase the valve grind kit which includes pretty much all of the gaskets to do the head job, make sure the head is flat, and reassemble. Job done. You're out about $500-$600. This is the route I took about three years ago and never looked back.
Click to expand...
100%. It's so easy to work on the head when the engine is sitting on a stand vs in the engine bay. It's a no brainer to me!
 
Glad I can help.
 
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