What to look out for? (Looking to buy a 1JZ Car)

[DonS1mpson]

I'm going to have a look at a car powered by the big 1J tomorrow and just wanted to get a bit of advice as to what exactly I should be looking out for.

I understand that the turbos are a weak point, are there any particular warning signs to look out for?

What tends to go at Circa 85,000 miles? And is it worth paying a premium for a well maintained example with 52,000 miles on the clock?

Thanks

Josh

 

[rakkasan]

I would look very closely to how well the wiring looks. Does the tach worth, are all of the splices in the harness cleanly done, ect. Also, it might just be me, but I look for the quality of the swapped parts too, like couplers, t-bolts/clamps. Also, you might want to let the car idle for a minute & have someone rev the motor slightly while you watch the exhaust. You might find a puff of smoke, indicating the need for new valve seals....

 

[DonS1mpson]

Sorry, I should have mentioned that the swap has been done by the best possible people - Toyota themselves (it's an import), so won't have to worry too much about wiring.

Thanks for the tip on the valve seals. Any more tips like that?

 

[rakkasan]

Sorry, I should have mentioned that the swap has been done by the best possible people - Toyota themselves (it's an import), so won't have to worry too much about wiring.

Thanks for the tip on the valve seals. Any more tips like that?

tug/pull on the harmonic balancer, they've been know to fail, but mostly on modded cars.....

 

[bluemkiii]

Oil leaking from the front seal and rear seal.

 

[Evilempire1.3JZ-GTE]

Yea I think your in england so that means its already RHD no worries.

So the main thing you would have to worry about most of the 1JZ MKIIIs in the USA is botched extended wiring harness.

I would do a car fax if you have that system or a simular one there, see if hes a member on forums a mechanic that takes good care of his car does he keep work reciepts does work at back yard mechanics or dealerships.

Do usual mechanical checks and test drive. compression plug checks check dip stick oil or for BHG lol JZ or any engine could have that. See how corrosive the coolent is when it was changed last.