If I were building an engine from "scratch" a VVTI GTE wouldn't be it...

Id start with a $350 LKQ VVTI GE, gut it and build that.

 

I decided to go 2JZ GTE. The Fast and Furious era Supra was an inspiration.

 

Some people want to just keep the culture alive. Cars aren’t an investment. It’s pure joy and hobby. Appreciate your input buddy.

 

If you saw the movie, it was a GE…

He mentioned LKQ engine because right off the bat you infer toward expenditures a few times. “Cost”, “price point”, “jipped”, all lead us to believe you are wanting a reasonable budget. There is no rhyme or reason for prices being what they are on GTE. Today’s tech/parts allow the GE to compete with a GTE (and look like one) for an extraordinary deal. Why spend $5K (medium market) on a GTE when you can spend $300 for a GE-VVTi and build for 1k hp for the entry price of a GTE alone? I’m a GTE guy myself of 18yrs now, but I’m making the move toward GE. This is legitimate helpful and useful advice coming from old heads.

 

 

What do you mean by building? Most here are going to read that as swapping out pistons and rods.

 

I’ll be replacing cams, pistons and rods and other internals for high output potential (1000+) but keeping the hp between 500-700whp. Goal is for power, reliability/longevity, and fun as a daily. I’ll say sorry to you. I didn’t see this post.

 

You can find a complete 2JZGE VVTI engine for $1.5k~$2k USD on ebay, local yards, etc. They are everywhere. Throw in pistons/rods, update all the pumps, convert to coil-on-plug, add your go fast bits (exhaust manifold, intake manifold, etc), VVTI cams, you can make 1k whp at 1/10th of the cost. You'll just be missing the piston oil squirters, which is debatable if needed (search on here ad nauseum). $5800 is what I can find for a 2JZGTE JDM complete engine - 3 times the cost when you'll end up junking most of those parts anyway.

Completely agree - GTE is no longer worth it since everyone inflates the prices. It's becoming a secret among the Supra community but it must be a secret very few like to hear. Perhaps that's a good thing since we don't want GE prices getting inflated.

 

Thanks for the advice. I found some ranging between 1.5-2k. Why are they jacking up the prices so much? What makes a $7K 2j different from a $2k 2j?

 

I appreciate the advice but I've already made up my mind to go for the 2jz. I've been doing my research and familiarizing myself on the engine and learned quite a bit. Hence, I am needing help shopping for 2jz. Whats a reasonable price point, what major issues are dealbreakers, etc. I appreciate the years of experience you have on the engine. Do you have any advice on what to look for in a 2jz gte?

 

Since you already did your research and made up your mind why are you even here asking questions?

 

Because most are JDM imports from Japan. US has plenty GE motors floating around. And also because anything "Supra" gets sellers in a frenzy.

Case in point: $4500 for two pieces of plastic that run near the door jams:
Ebay link to super expensive part that should cost $100

 

So the hype around the engine and supply/demand. That’s the hunch I had. Thanks for the input. Clarifies the hunch I had with the pricing.

 

He's obviously not reading so yall are wasting your time.

 

The difference is a $7k 2jz is most likely a turbo motor also known as GTE and a $2k 2jz is most likely a non turbo motor also known as GE. They can both be built for high horsepower. As other have mentioned here, the GTE (turbo motor) used to be the go to but due to price increase and aftermarket options, most people are now using a GE (non turbo motor) as a base. You can buy a turbo kit for the GE and make the same amount of hp as you would with a GTE as long as they're both built, meaning aftermarket pistons, rods, valvetrain.

 

Thanks for that! I found a seller online in my area who has a 2JZ-GTE VVTI for $2950. Its advertised as NOT a GE. So this deal is a steal?

 

also the GTE motors were put in other models of cars, most GTEs now are from non supras so you will have to change the oil pan to the front

 

On paper yes, but you would have to check that it's legit and in good condition.

 

What specifically should I be looking at? What should I ask the seller to do to make sure the engine is indeed in good condition?

 

Oh buddy, you are not sounding like someone who has done a lot (or any) of research.

Is this a troll thread?

 

Look, I’m here to learn. You’re either going to help or not. No need to be condescending. Is it wrong for me to ask questions here? Is that the purpose of a forum? Everybody chill and if you don’t want to help, no need reply.

 

I've inspected over a thousand imported JDM engines from 2004 to 2012 , they came 44 at a time in high cube containers and I would look each over and select the ideal candidates for personal use

What you are looking for could be very difficult to find given the age. But here goes
All original parts. get a list of OEM parts and OEM pictures to compare with.
-original air box and air filter, or evidence that OEM air filtering was used. It might be hard to tell now.
-original wiring, tubes, lines, in factory locations, not relocated, not 'upgraded' etc...
-original gaskets, no evidence of silicone sealants, look for red color glue or excessive oozing glue that shows its been open , no good
-original PCV system, look for both sides of the pcv system is OEM. Avoid catch cans and breathers as they tend to ruin the engines over the course of high mileage and seeing one supports the theory that there is some problem and the engine is blowing oil out
-look for signs of pressure washing, very clean spots in easy areas and filthy in hard to reach areas. Pressure washing is fine if you know what you are doing, but if the engine was pressure washed a decade ago and sat for 10 years with water inside its a disaster
-crankcase coloration should be light brown to golden. Avoid dark brown and especially black crankcase colors which indicate poor oil change interval or engine breathers/disabled pcv systems.
-avoid after market air filters, I've seen enough pitted debris inclusion inside throttle bore and deck/head/pistons
-it may or may not have good even compression, the old carbon sticking valves open is common in aged sitting engines, so low or weird compression is not a deal breaker, but youd need a leakdown or some diagnostic (camera on the valve hangup) to determine why its low and prepared to remove the head to rinse the valves with hydrocarbon(non polar) solvents to fix it
-under valve cover like the crankcase is golden to light brown, no sludge jammed in corners of the head or under the valve cover. Some dark brown streaking is common for high mileage but it shouldnt all be dark.
-Any sign of 'cake' carbon is a deal breaker, when carbon becomes soft, loosely tar-like, or fluffy and breaks off easily, this is a very bad sign avoid at all costs, the easy to break apart carbon can circulate and clog tiny orifices in the engine and trash the block. The only types of carbon deposits you should be okay with are the hard, difficult to remove, diamond like sheets that tend to stay put, and only when they appear in key locations such as specific regions of the valve cover or oil pan where oil rinsing is minimal, also the tops of cam caps collects dark residues for some reason, it must be low splash or something. Those types of carbon are common and as long as it doesn't break off a chunk easily (a tiny chunk the size of a pencil lead is too large and can clog something so it doesn't take much) The inside of the engine crankcase needs to be absolutely clean for oil to flow, any tiny debris, grit, sand, bits of carbon, is a deal breaker.

basically all factory original parts well maintained.

 

I've inspected over a thousand imported JDM engines from 2004 to 2012 , they came 44 at a time in high cube containers and I would look each over and select the ideal candidates for personal use....

(snip)

Literally none of the engines coming from Japan these days* have a prayer of meeting your criteria, my friend. Time and saltwater air are bastards like that.
2004-2012 was a lovely time.... but those times are long gone.

*engines we care about, anyway. I'm sure there's some nice minty clean 2ZR's and other boring hybrid engines coming in.

 

a good stock GTE engine from 98 - 02' supra

Get pictures like this for the vehicle its from, then compare everything, the hoses, clamps, the indents in the tubes, the shape, shields, look for signs of tampering and parts, tubes, clamps, hoses, etc... that have been changed, like the air intake duct and pcv system stuff

I'm in the GTE camp myself. Gota have my piston oil squirts, imo essential for high output on factory pistons which are brittle fracture failure materials like an LS or sr20 or RB, same stuff. Can't stand changing bottom end parts. I'm a capable tuner and I know how to squeeze 700rwhp out of one of these for 200,000 miles without touching the stock bottom end. But that is not for everybody... stock pistons are 1-mistake pistons, so if you don't know every trick in the book to prevent every single mistake all it takes is one. If you can actually find a good engine and keep it 100% stock with factory computer and air filters etc... then its a great idea to skip fooling with the GE. But if you plan to perform mods and play with fuel flow / boost / turbos etc... then I would take the reliability/longevity penalty of a forged slug being loose in the bore when its cold so you can make X-mistakes in stead of just 1

 

Wreckless and others have already made excellent points about why you really should have a very good reason to go to the expense of buying any 2JZ-GTE vs building a much more common and much more affordable 2JZ-GE especially considering that any 2JZ-GE Non-VVT-i is just as strong internally as any 2JZ-GTE. And yet even a 2JZ-GE VVT-i can be built with strong rods, pistons and rings with just a bit more work.

Many good points were also made above as to what to look for, what to inspect and maintenance right out of the box. I'll add the health of the sequential twin turbo system needing to be checked as well (preferably prior to engine installation).

I specifically wanted a 2JZ-GTE Non-VVT-i USDM spec engine with functioning factory sequential twin turbos myself with a big factor being that I needed it for CA emissions compliance. Even 10 years ago those particular versions just weren't very available, weren't usually fully complete nor were they cheap at all.

Mind you, the newer JDM 2JZ-GTE VVT-i engines are more available and more affordable.

But it was worth it to me... so I took the time and money to make a huge list of parts from the exploded Toyota diagrams, find all those parts individually and build it myself from scratch (including meticulously reconditioning many used parts).

I wasn't looking for more than stock to BPU/BPU+ power potential at most over the long term and I have zero regrets having done this. I wanted my end result to be a near stock looking OEM+ vehicle build and my car's engine bay reflects that.

But... that's just me satisfying all the reasons I had for doing it the way I did. When I was done I basically had a brand new totally remanufactured 2JZ-GTE Non-VVT-i engine as if from the showroom floor.

I didn't go to all that trouble with the most cost effective way to get a 700whp+ 2JZ (regardless of being GE or GTE) engine in mind. Beyond 500whp or so it really doesn't matter which version of the 2JZ engine you start with as they all need significant upgrades to reach higher power levels reliably.

Take that for what it may be worth to help inform your ultimate decision.

 

Absolutely, I am well aware of where the others are coming from. They are just trying to help me save some bucks while getting the same output as the more expensive GTE. But thats what they would do and not quite helping me in what I am looking to do. It's amazing how people find it so hard to grasp that all new endeavors start with questions that need answers and going to the ones who have the experience and wisdom is the smart thing to do. At the end of the day, its my money, time, and work thats going to be put into it so I do not believe am not being spoon-fed anything. Apologize for the small rant, but think it needs to be said.

I hear you, a lot of Californians seem to dread over the emissions law there. I'm also looking to build the engine as OEM+ hoping to maybe make between 550-700whp. Its going to be an enjoyable daily build for me to cruise and take to meets n such. I'm just team enjoy-the-process of building. Working on engines and cars for me is more than just making the big gains. This hobby literally has helped me mentally. Its a way to also minimize the negative stereotype that is wrapped around the car scene tainted by immature, reckless enthusiasts who ruin it for guys like me.

In any case, I appreciate you giving me some additional perspective on this build journey.

 

I'm also looking to build the engine as OEM+ hoping to maybe make between 550-700whp. Its going to be an enjoyable daily build for me to cruise and take to meets n such. I'm just team enjoy-the-process of building. Working on engines and cars for me is more than just making the big gains.

If you really want to pull this off, as a beginner to the antique engines are we discussing, given the low quality of current motorsets available due to age, I strongly recommend 1. Make a list of every part, add it up and double the cost, somewhere around 25k perhaps 35k is needed on top of the vehicle prepped already is typical. And 2. Buy two or three engines, as you will A. likely need spare parts potentially hard to find and B. toast one of them from some mistakes and C. Once you have a good stock engine in place wired up tuned driving perfect for a year you can swap it out for a built version, this way you already know the electronics/wiring/hardware/fuelsystem/etc.... is all good which cuts down dramatically on time and effort diagnosing new issues from the new 'better' engine.

 

Ok, that sounds like a good plan to me. Make sure the stock engine with stock parts work before doin anything to it. Doing this the right and long way never hurts. Appreciate the tip here.

 

Amen...

 

I work in medical tech and met people who have lost their souls to the influence of machines. In any case, we are actual human beings at the core. If you believe in souls, we all have one and robots don’t. Unless I’m talking to cyborgs, for a fact he’s as human as everyone else on this forums. I’m also not here to assume people actually mean well as life taught me otherwise. You come off a certain way, you should be ready for the repercussions of your actions. My bias is there but don’t assume that I just jump the gun on decisions. I too like to be well informed hence my reason being here.

I understand your stance on wreckless. I actually don’t have any ill feelings towards him. I’m flawed as much as he is it’s just I try to be self-aware of those flaws and work on them. We’ve all experience some sort of hardship and pain. Why does that allow me to put on another person? My goal in this journey is to actually spread good, positive vibes and try and bring the good out of people. That doesn’t mean always agreeing with them.

It got real philosophical here on this thread but maybe it’s a good thing. Hopefully it can reach out to others and make them think a little bit more before they act upon their own impulses and puffed up egos that leave a bad taste in peoples mouths. Let’s regain some humanity in all this. God bless you all.

 

@Syk7, you gotta have thicker skin man. You came across as arrogant and dismissed the advice of those who collectively have more than 100 years of experience with the platform. You rightfully got called out for not even reading the posts or answering some of our questions. This is a place will you be called out for BS and be challenged. That's to your benefit, like it or not.

Spread "good positive vibes" by respecting the input from those on this platform, being humble and read/respond to relevant posts. So far, you've acted like a drama queen.

 

Same here, calling out arrogance, and disrespect as I see it. Dealt with enough of this in the military. I wouldn’t talk about humility if you’ve never joined the military or have done something in your life where your life was actually laid down for someone other than yourself. I believe I came off very open and respectful on my post. There’s only a couple replies that I saw that deserves my respect and humility. I don’t have a care in the world if you have the nicest supra or 2j, if you come off disrespectful and uncourteous I will dismiss you. Military and veterans don’t get enough respect as it is so unless you get to learn and understand our world, I suggest you not be so quick to judge. Have you laid down your life for your country? Whether you see it as me being a drama queen or not what I’m saying is right and I apply this to myself every day. I say humanity first and then car second wouldn’t you?

 

Ya know, you could just say you're sorry and then everyone would be willing to help you out in the future. That's the kind of humility I would expect from a veteran. You're not doing yourself any favors being this defensive.

 

Maybe everyone who took shots at me here should say sorry. Think that’s fair.

 

They fit good in a Nissan 240, did tons of these

 

Once you build this longblock and are in it $15k already including cost of motor, parts, machining, and assembly, also consider you are 5% of the way there. Factor in a turbo kit, fuel system, engine management and sensors, wiring material, a transmission and rear end that can handle what you’re doing, custom fabrication for intercooler charge piping and exhaust, plumbing… not to mention if you’re considering putting this in a ‘17 Lexus the extensive wiring involved to get that to work… building a motor is the easiest and cheapest part about what you want to do.

 

The wiring is something I am not familiar with at all so will definitely be needing help in this area. Good thing I'm planning now. I appreciate your input man.