HiHy vs. RX350 at the dragstrip would be hilarious, I'd pay to see that

Not so much the parts but the engines themselves. I frequent the pick n pull a lot and often times they are gone, same with the 1MZs. The 2GRs are a lot of times too, but I find a lot of them are left behind and picked a lot later than the MZs which are usually pulled before the car is even set out. Probably because they are getting older and more people need to replace them.

 

1MZ/3MZ's are pulled at Pick n Pull (by staff) because they are sent off to be refreshed/rebuilt. 2GR is too expensive to rebuild plus you can't machine the block.

 

I would imagine 1MZ/3MZ wouldn't be easy to machine either? Aluminum block + VVT-i as well although closed deck vs the GR. I do see reman MZs for sale but not sure if I'd trust them after hearing some horror stories from TCCN

 

I intentionally selected a 330 when I got my mom’s. The 350 engine is not bad, and I have experience with the 2GR-FSE. But I know how reliable and well made the MZ engines were, and I was willing to have to do the timing belt once every decade or more in exchange for the reliability and quality.


Be aware a 420 or 430 code does NOT mean the cats are shot. They can usually still fly through an emissions sniff test (I’ve done that/tested it). Two ways to cure the code, and still have a perfectly emissions-friendly car are 02 extenders, or wiring in an emulator. Both are cheap.

 

You can skim the block to take out any minor pitting and left over gasket material even though technically not supposed to. Can't do that on the 2GR as you say because of the open deck. But I agree, avoid any Toyota engine that has been machined there is a good chance it wasn't done correctly. I asked at Pick N Pull where the engines are going they wouldn't tell me. Maybe the engines are not rebuilt at all just cleaned up and maybe a few gaskets replaced.

They must be making money since about 90% get pulled. 1UZ's are often gone but people buy them up for engine swaps I've pulled a couple myself.

Anyway I own both the 3MZ and 2GR I feel the 3MZ is invulnerable unlike the 2GR. I have cam rattle and timing cover leak and the engine is starting to feel kinda harsh.

 

Which car / year is your 2GR? I agree my 1MZ keeps on ticking but I have my doubts about my 2GR's long term reliability - so much so that I got a spare engine. It does have 230k+ on it and feels great, but it sounds pretty bad on startup. Oil analysis checked out fine but the rattle is not going to get any better. Mine rattles even on warm start ups, and it has the timing cover leak. The 2014 RX we have has no rattle or TC leak but that car only has 100k miles so time will tell.

 

2009 RAV4, the quickest RAV Toyota has made I think.
Both my RAV and HiHy have a bit over 250,000 miles the 3MZ sounds basically the same as it did at 60,000 miles. The 2GR not so much lol I'm kinda wondering when the cam gears are going to explode. Overall the RAV has been great but the transfer case did fail shortly after I bought it used not sure if that is a common thing. I change transfer case and transmission fluid regularly.

 

Easy enough to fix, Drop the cradle, remove the engine & replace the cam phazers & reinstall & your good to go........

 

Tried an O2 extender on my 04 RX330 3MZ on the Bank 2 downstream and it did not work -- P2197 code after a short amount of time. Did end up replacing the cat and A/F sensor which totally fixed the PO430 error and restore some upper end responsiveness. Seems like the emissions system may be smart enough not to allow O2 extenders.

 

It worked on my 2008 350 on the bank 2 downstream. Maybe the 3MZ is more picky or the cat was too far gone?