2001 Toyota Mark II JZX110: IR-V Fortuna Yamaha

[build_jzx]

well that's the thing - the top end wasn't touched. The rocker covers were removed and painted - and we were going to install the BC valve springs and cams - but didn't have the tool to do it so we left it for another day.

That's why I was scratching my head for so long wondering how on earth this could have happened. The only things that changed on the car was the turbo, the intercooler and suspension... That's really it. Intercooler wouldn't cause it - mess up the air/fuel ratio but the ECU would rectify that pretty quickly. The turbo was fine - checked the bearing.

My guess is maybe there was a small problem with the bearings previously? And the 10w60 oil was installed to cover up the noise perhaps? A lot of theories went through my head.

I also note when the car was at top secret - I saw it the day it was dropped off and a week later, and it had done 4km on the odometer and had mud under the rear guards. I questioned them about it with no luck, but now I look back on that I think maybe it was given some aussie thrashing by them perhaps? and maybe that lead to the thicker oil install.

Either way as I said, ive thought about a lot of different theories and questioned a lot - but that's not going to change anything. At least things are looking good. Engine was dismantled yesterday and confirmation that it was a 'Stripped bottom end bearing'

[sportivo2007]

What a nice car wow wish i had one ! should be mint with the rebuild :D

all these cars that come from Japan have there ODO reading tampered with i had a mate that imported cars in NSW his like a car that's done 200+ in Japan will be 60 to 70 kms in Australia when it gets here .

[Hiro]

What a nice car wow wish i had one ! should be mint with the rebuild :D

all these cars that come from Japan have there ODO reading tampered with i had a mate that imported cars in NSW his like a car that's done 200+ in Japan will be 60 to 70 kms in Australia when it gets here .

I doubt that odo tampering goes on these days (considering you can actually get the Japanese service/rego details which lists the k's), it is more a case of poor servicing and lack of general care that makes a ~60,000km car have the engine condition of a 200,000km one (you'd really struggle to get 200,000km in 10 years over in Japan unless you were a taxi driver)

Cam it sucks that what looked to be a nice clean motor had a hidden demon inside, but better you find out now than in the middle of a road trip. In saying that though, just by changing the turbo you could have disrupted the oil system (as you would have removed/refitted oil lines etc), so there is a slim chance that you may have dislodged something that then found its way through the system - highly doubt it though as that is what the strainer and filter are for, but you never know (and I'm not sure where the turbo/s fit in the oil circuit of a JZ)

[sportivo2007]

ODO tampering does still goes on seen it on the news ,current affairs a couple of times ,a 2001 done 50- 60 KMS is hard to believe ,my camry is 2007 and it's done 160,000 kms ,i bought it when it was 75,000 kms ,i only drive in NSW

so you do the math average is 20,000 KMS 25,000 KMS a year .

[build_jzx]

ODO tampering does still goes on seen it on the news ,current affairs a couple of times ,a 2001 done 50- 60 KMS is hard to believe ,my camry is 2007 and it's done 160,000 kms ,i bought it when it was 75,000 kms ,i only drive in NSW

so you do the math average is 20,000 KMS 25,000 KMS a year .

Its possible - but highly unlikely. The car itself is immaculate, straight, clean and underbody is untouched. Even the motor had marks on it where bits and pieces connected still from factory. So theres no doubt that the car itself is only 57,000kms old.

I guess one theory now is could it be a different motor that was dropped in? Not sure how the Japanese laws work over there and whether people just do straight swaps. But then again - I can pretty much rule this out as well because when we were pulling the motor out - all the bolts in the underbody were rusted tight. Only surface but this would be from the salt they put on the roads in japan.

So whilst its possible, I highly doubt it. Especially with all the electronic equipment on this car and cars nowadays, id say it would happen AS much as it used to.

[build_jzx]

What a nice car wow wish i had one ! should be mint with the rebuild :D

all these cars that come from Japan have there ODO reading tampered with i had a mate that imported cars in NSW his like a car that's done 200+ in Japan will be 60 to 70 kms in Australia when it gets here .

I doubt that odo tampering goes on these days (considering you can actually get the Japanese service/rego details which lists the k's), it is more a case of poor servicing and lack of general care that makes a ~60,000km car have the engine condition of a 200,000km one (you'd really struggle to get 200,000km in 10 years over in Japan unless you were a taxi driver)

Cam it sucks that what looked to be a nice clean motor had a hidden demon inside, but better you find out now than in the middle of a road trip. In saying that though, just by changing the turbo you could have disrupted the oil system (as you would have removed/refitted oil lines etc), so there is a slim chance that you may have dislodged something that then found its way through the system - highly doubt it though as that is what the strainer and filter are for, but you never know (and I'm not sure where the turbo/s fit in the oil circuit of a JZ)

Hmm it does seem that I am extremely unlucky. Cant help but feel a little gipped. But it is what it is and ive taken the path that I have. So the rebuild will put my mind at ease starting with a fresh mechanical history and it will be a strong and precise build. The builder has a great rep and ive seen one of his 2J re-builds before.

Theres just too many theories to throw around how/why this happened... That's the annoying part. Not knowing - it eats me alive.

[build_jzx]

Okay guys... Looking for opinions on what may have caused this all to unfold if the pictures help. It seems this problem may have been bigger than first thought anyway as it looks like the pistons have got excessive wear and tear. Not too much of an issue there as I need to bore it out anyway for the bigger pistons. But it just gets me wondering if this may have been an issue that has happened for quite some time?

I am thinking that maybe this motor has had something foreign disrupt the oil quite sometime ago and a noise was discovered. Maybe the thicker oil was installed to pro-long the life?? And maybe since I changed the oil to a fully synthetic 5w30 - it finally decided to go once the oil was nice and hot?

As you can see, the noise would have been from the completely f**ked bearing. But is the wear and tear on the side walls of the pistons normal? I wouldn't really know but it sure as hell doesn't look good to me.

The crank will need a lynish but its not too bad. Rods and everything like that are great. Also - the excessive carbon on the top of the piston, does that possibly indicate a motor older than 57,000kms??? Again, not really sure.

Lastly but not leastly, is this something that Jspec should be made aware of? Do I have any ground to stand on? Not really sure how their warranty side of things stands (if any at all) - but then again that's something I didn't really look into with great deal. Worth asking the question?

Cheers

[trentmeyer23]

The wear looks like fairly heavy piston slap. The carbon could be from a rich running engine, or poor quality fuel being used over a period of time.

It wouldn't hurt to have the crank crack-tested as well, especially since that bearing has let go.

[Hiro]

ODO tampering does still goes on seen it on the news ,current affairs a couple of times ,a 2001 done 50- 60 KMS is hard to believe ,my camry is 2007 and it's done 160,000 kms ,i bought it when it was 75,000 kms ,i only drive in NSW

so you do the math average is 20,000 KMS 25,000 KMS a year .

Odo tampering in Australia is a completely different story to Japan. Remember, most Japanese people keep their cars for a couple of years and then sell them because the cost of rego gets too high, this is why places like Australia imports a large number of ~10yo cars. Also, 200,000km is nothing for an Australian car but a lot for a Japanese one - Honshu (the main island) is basically the size of Australia from Brisbane to Melbourne and inland to the Great Dividing range, and yet they cram 103 million people onto that island and 2 of the top 10 largest metropolitan areas in the world, so public transport is rife and you rarely need to drive a car long distances.

[build_jzx]

The wear looks like fairly heavy piston slap. The carbon could be from a rich running engine, or poor quality fuel being used over a period of time.

It wouldn't hurt to have the crank crack-tested as well, especially since that bearing has let go.

Being a car in Japan - you would think they would run 100 octane through this. But your definitely right about the car running rich. It was definitely running rich and apparently toyota do that at factory as a safeguard if you like.

Crank will be crack tested :-)

[Hiro]

The wear looks like fairly heavy piston slap. The carbon could be from a rich running engine, or poor quality fuel being used over a period of time.

It wouldn't hurt to have the crank crack-tested as well, especially since that bearing has let go.

Being a car in Japan - you would think they would run 100 octane through this. But your definitely right about the car running rich. It was definitely running rich and apparently toyota do that at factory as a safeguard if you like.

Yep, Toyota love to run their turbo engines uber-rich up top...

[build_jzx]

Update.

I wont post anything in here about the rebuilder or the process - it could be debated for days. Good news is, I know ill get a quality built motor.

Anyways, I have been waiting for some time now for updates and dropped past the shop a couple of times. Turns out the crank needed the be ground. Worse news - they finally got the crank back and it had been ground down too much. Who was at fault? Hard to say, either the blokes who ground the crank or the engine rebuilders measured wrong. Either way, I wasn't paying for that. but it did completely stuff me around.

Lucky for me, I had a mate who got in contact to find a new (second hand) crank for me within hours. Took it back, measured it up. It was dead straight, stock as a rock and perfect. Beautiful. Things could progress.

Then, the re-builder rang me up and said he was concerned that maybe some contaminated oil could still be within the oil cooler assembly and the vvti cam pulley. He suggested we replace these and noted 'you don't have to, but if you choose not to then ill just write on the invoice that the option was given'. What the **** do you say to that? Ofcourse ill replace them. So got in touch with my mate again and we got both the oil cooler and vvti cam gear within hours. Gave them all a good clean up.

Should pickup the motor finally tomorrow. Although im not getting my hopes up. All he really has to do now is get the clutch and flywheel on and all the other bits and pieces/electronics. In terms of putting the motor back in, well that will have to wait until next weekend now. I have a few other little things to do in preparation. Good news is tuner is confident setup and run in tune can be completed well before Christmas. So ill be dropping the car in late November to get all that done including fitting fuel pump, fuel rail and injectors. The exhaust has also been re-booked for a couple of weeks time so that will be complete ready for the run in tune.

Some more progress pics below - I cannot fault their quality and checks, that does make me sleep easier at night.

[Defyant]

That's some serious sexiness goin on there mate, I know it wasn't on the plan but ya gotta be feelin good about how it's coming along.

[build_jzx]

So, I could have gone to the races today - all paid for, drinks unlimited, good looking girls everywhere.

But - JZX life is more important...

Installed the engine back into the car today! I will note - I would like to hear your opinions on the way this has all gone down. In particular to the videos of it first starting up. Whilst I have descent mechanical knowledge, im far from a mechanic or engineer. I did this with 2 other mates who are both mechanics. I must say, the re-installation was flawless. Everything just worked perfectly. So it was a painless process.

However before putting the motor in, did find a couple of bolts missing, a couple loose and the oil feed lines to the turbo were loose as! not very impressive but we did a full check over. Filled the oil filter with oil before re-installation. The run in oil given to me was 'Brad Penn SAE30 - Run in Oil 'The Green Oil' ' and it literally was green. Started with dropping the gearbox out of the car - no issues. Also dropped the exhaust just to get it out of the way. Then completed the clutch conversion accessories onto the bell-housing. The ORC kit was great. Everything was straight forward and went on ***** easy.

Then the motor went in - again, really easy job. The twin plate clutch made slightly less room from the firewall but it still went in like a breeze. Engine mounts plonked straight in and we were on our way. Whilst one of my mates Re-plumbed and re-connected all the wiring clips/harness, myself and my other mate started on re-installing the gearbox. It was a little difficult but that's purely from the space restrictions. Jacked up underneath the front of the engine to get the right angle and removed the driveshaft. Gearbox went up and in without any issues. Bolted all that back together and installed the starter motor again and wired it all up. Meanwhile my other mate had finished the plumbing/electrical, so he proceeded with the intercooler piping again. I decided to install my orange silicone hoses as they had finally arrived. Also took the opportunity to replace all the clamps with proper T-Bolt clamps. Much much better quality piping and clamps. No issues there either.

They then installed all the airbox and the radiator again and we were coming to the end! Topped up the clutch fluid, power steer fluid. Installed approximately 7.5L oil. Installed 6 initially, once we kicked it over for several minutes, it needed more. Flushed the remaining coolant fluids and installed Tectaloy 100 plus coolant. Approx 7L.

To get oil pressure in the engine we disconnected the ignition and kicked the engine over and over and over until the oil light disappeared from the dashboard. Took about 4 minutes. Then we kicked it over. It started first time with some gas. No issues - and it wasn't as metallic as I thought it might have been. A little bit of burn off coming from the engine bay but no leaks anywhere. The twin plate clutch rattle may take a little getting used to but its all good. We kicked the engine over a few times and ran it for all up around 20-30 minutes. It was clear the engine was simply not going to idle no matter what we tried. But we held a constant 2000rpm for a few minutes and then revs to and fro. All sounding well - the BC Springs did definitely make it sound a lot different. But I was just happy to hear the JZ purr.

All the signs were great. No engine lights/oil lights, temperature was all good. Only one way to test it all out. Took it around the block for a spin. I can firmly say - so impressed. The car was so smooth right away, responsive and the turbo and spool actually sounded really really well. Better than it sounded prior to the engine drama. We decided to take it for a good drive. Took it out on the motorway and on the way there, made sure I bed the rings in well. I was driving in 5th gear at about 1500-1800rpm and making the engine work. I purposely did not want to hit boost, but it seemed clear to me that it was hitting boost at around 2700-2800rpm now. Previously before this drama, the tomei wasn't noticed until 4000rpm. I only hit about 3300rpm during this drive. All up we drove it for 60km. Everything was great. All the signs were perfect - no issues to be had.

Words cannot describe just how good the car felt to drive - compared to when I got it back just after the tomei snail went on. If you may recall from my thread, after the tomei snail went on, the engine struck issues 100km later. But I knew as soon as I drove that car that It just felt like a pig. The difference today is astonishing. Today, it felt like it had been running for 20,000kms. The only issue is the fact it doesn't idle which we kind of expected. The car is very very responsive and smooth. Exhaust is all lined up for Monday 25th November and I cannot wait. Finally some happy progressive news...

Finally - Also fitted my TRD underbody tri-brace. Its been here for a while but didn't bother with it as I knew all this was going to happen.

FYI - The ORC twin plate carbon clutch is amazing! The clutch pedal is so light and I would say the same as standard! Friction point is less than standard (to be expected) - but it is also very very smooth. Just the rattle you get when you put your foot on the clutch (due to being a twin plate). Im stoked I did this now... Cost a lot but I don't regret it one bit.

Now some pics and videos! And yes - I know it definitely requires a detail in that engine bay after the work. That will happen!

And a chance to show off the new plates:

http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2873/10883645966_2d24f0aa41_b.jpg

(and no those tyre marks on the driveway are not from me)

[build_jzx]

http://youtu.be/ZyYoAu3BH3g
http://youtu.be/ejQ8-ts3eRs
http://youtu.be/fANykTfYOZo
http://youtu.be/F6uszxGVaTk
http://youtu.be/iBCZ1AnQgdM
http://youtu.be/_BPa1ZCqr0s

[Defyant]

Im stoked I did this now... Cost a lot but I don't regret it one bit.

Glad to hear Cam, Damm you got some good mates too :D

Ive seen a couple of these of the road now but none look as good as yours, even with the stock rims. Engine bay looks awesome mate the orange plate tops it nicely.

And the list of mods you have done to this in such a short time is enough to make any hot rodder envious

Hats off so far mate top job.

[build_jzx]

Im stoked I did this now... Cost a lot but I don't regret it one bit.

Glad to hear Cam, Damm you got some good mates too :D

Ive seen a couple of these of the road now but none look as good as yours, even with the stock rims. Engine bay looks awesome mate the orange plate tops it nicely.

And the list of mods you have done to this in such a short time is enough to make any hot rodder envious

Hats off so far mate top job.

Thanks luke. I just think the fortuna Yamaha model looks nicer all round - better stock rim, better kit. Now the engine is done, who knows what it's capable of.

I obviously didn't want to rebuild - but hey once I commit, I don't stop. It's done now and the exhaust finally goes on in a week. Cannot wait. Then tune before Xmas. It will only be a run in tune for now - then power tune after about 2000kms.

Some guys are saying ill crack bigger figures than I anticipated! The engine and ignition and fuel system will be good for 500-700hp but it will all depend on the snail! See if the snail can go any further than 506hp like the Americans claim.

[build_jzx]

So update. We re-gassed the AC today, so I could finally drive it home back where the car belongs.

To my surprise when we started it up - after 6 minutes or so, it idled by itself (at around 600-650rpm). The engine is already starting to sound a lot quieter. Things are looking good.

Drove it home, by the time I got home, it was idling at 950rpm. Perfect. Could it be that the ECU is actually trying to learn and work out what the hell ive done? I know it wont be perfect, but either way - good signs.

Took this film clip (might need to turn audio up) as it was idling at 700rpm - you can hear its lumpy as ****** which may be because of the cams, but it still misses and pings every now and again so that lumpiness might disappear a little with the tune. But cant wait to hear this again with the exhaust.

[sportivo2007]

Nice build mate looks like NEW BEAST, atlest you know its done 0 KMS and its all fresh and new ,

maybe time for a piggy back and a good tune :D

[build_jzx]

Update. Picked the car up from the exhaust shop today. For those that read it - its done by Haks at Performance Exhaust Centre in north Parramatta. Their work is amazing and service second to none. They did a quality job and im stoked. Was a little unsure of the tip - I wanted it a bit bigger, but im not overly fussed. It doesn't look like a hectick exhaust bro.

I must say I thought it wasn't very loud. It definitely has that deep note which I like and sounds so crisp. I think when I do finally get the car tuned and really extend those rev's - it should respond nicely. Haks loved doing the work - he said he just enjoyed working on new style of car that he hasn't done before. Dump went on no issue and its all swappable with my old exhaust should there be any issues.

Driving it home, instantly I could hear the turbo a lot more - mind you I wasn't driving/revving past 3300rpm. But the turbo could be heard on the open road at about 2700rpm. However if I drove through a tunnel or next to a wall, I can hear it whistle at much less. Response has increased I think - but again im yet to fully test it.

All in all - totally satisfied.

Only got pictures from iphone - but they will do for now.

Video (ignore the rattle - the car was cold start and wasn't idling as it has struggled to idle since the engine install. All good when its warm though)

[build_jzx]

Finally booked in with the tuner - but no surprise its not until the new year. Jan 6th it will go in for 2 weeks.

had a good old chat with him and he is very confident that there shouldn't be any issues. Ofcourse he questioned the throttle - but not sure which way we will go with that just yet.

In the mean time, ill be driving it around before jan 6th and get 2000km's up on the motor so its ready for a full power tune straight away! Track day in February at marulan, so that's what im aiming completion for.

Tune setup details to come...

[build_jzx]

So I changed the oil today. Dumped the Run in oil - after 990kms on the new motor. Oil still looked very clean and good. Installed 5L of Penrite HPR15 (and 1L of Penrite Ten Tenths 10w-40) and will use this for the next 5000kms. Then I will make a full change to Penrite Ten Tenths 10w-40. The engine took 6L oil. Felt good even after the first initial drive although a fresh change always does.

Also gave the car a good clean today and detailed the engine bay a little bit - nothing fancy. Things are looking good now.

And nope - I haven't had a chance to grab my old turbo yet and photograph it for you all. Ill get onto that tomorrow if I can.

Pics after today:

Oh and I tried fitting my rims about a week ago... Didn't go too well. Looks like ill have to roll my front guards. Also will have to get a wheel alignment done with some more camber on the front. The car also sits about an inch higher off the ground - but theres literally like no clearance between tyre and guard if I fit them. Rears seem to fit good. hmmm. Biggest regret - should have gone polished silver finish and super concaves on the rears (fronts work work with super concave when i get bigger brakes) Also need bigger brakes - bad.

Rim Size:

19x9.5 + 18 Fronts with 235/35's

19x9.5 + 38 Rears with 255/35's

[Defyant]

Engine bay looks schmick Cam, The orange highlights work 100%

Those rims transform the car into a total stunner . Cant wait till you sort the front and get em on proper.

[build_jzx]

Engine bay looks schmick Cam, The orange highlights work 100%

Those rims transform the car into a total stunner . Cant wait till you sort the front and get em on proper.

Yeh the colours are starting to take shape now. Once the intake kit goes in - I can get rid of all that horrid black plastic casing lol. Powdercoating the intake pipes black with orange silicone hoses as well. Also getting a quote done to hydro dip the black cam cover and finish it same colour as the rocker covers. Thennnn once I get around to brakes - orange calipers and 2 piece rotors with the black rims and she will be complete.

Tune first... the tune will be worth it!

[build_jzx]

Update:

Patiently waiting for choooooning. In the mean time, I have ordered myself a cusco underbody brace for the rear end. Should arrive next week just before xmas. I have also ordered some braided brake lines in prep for brake upgrade later on. In terms of install, I have finally gotten around to installing the new headunit, beatsonic kit and trim and tv tuner (although not working properly yet... gotta figure something out with the settings to pickup aussie tv stations).

You can also see from these photos quite clearly that my standard EMV unit is not centred. I have researched everywhere about this and chased up several contacts who dealt with soarer EMV's, contacted Toyota and lexus as well - so far nothing. So might have to purchase myself another screen eventually. There is adjustment buttons for the screen but nothing for position adjustment, only brightness/contrast and all that jazz.

Im glad the stereo install is all done. Finally have aussie radio. Full gps maps incorporated and Bluetooth. All cables and install work was done very very well. The iphone outlet for the CD player was hidden where the cigarette lighter goes. I removed this as I don't smoke and installed the port there. Hidden and reversible if need be. The sensor for the tv tuner remote is also located just underneath the iphone outlet. Beatsonic kit worked a charm. Tv tuner mounted in the back nicely next to the standard EMV box. The VTR adaptor I bought had the wrong plug - so we hard wired it as we didn't have the right plug.

Well installed, keeping a clean (factory-ish) look. Also when all the trims came off, clear to see that the car has never been touched and well looked after. Everything looks brand new, no dirt, dust, anything broken or missing.

Pics:

Last but not least... I have my intake install sorted. Should be done by Saturday evening. Getting rid of the 'J pipe' and doing a custom intake install. Including removing standard blow off valve and installing aftermarket BOV plumb back. The apexi cone will be installed and all plumbed this by the weekend, however the box I want around it will have to wait till after the tune. Don't want too much cop attention so definitely enclosing it in a box later on - want it done now, but Christmas is upon us!

If anyone is interested - I have a photo of a soarer intake setup on 1j vvti that ill be using the same sort of thing. But much cleaner and should look good once all powdercoated black.