Toyota 1GZ-FE engine
Content
A rather rare Toyota 1GZ-FE engine is listed as unknown. Indeed, he did not receive wide distribution even in his homeland. The reason for this was the fact that they were equipped with only one car model, which was not intended for use by a wide range of people. In addition, the unit has never been shipped outside of Japan. What is this dark horse? Let's open the veil of mystery a little.
History of 1GZ-FE
The Japanese sedan Toyota Century back in 1967 was positioned for the executive class. It is currently a government vehicle. Starting in 1997, a specially designed 1GZ-FE engine was installed on it, which is still in use today.
It is a five-liter V12 configuration unit. It differs from its V-shaped counterparts in that each of its cylinder blocks has its own ECU (electronic control unit). Thanks to this design, the car remains capable of driving on one block when the second fails.
Despite its impressive size, this motor did not have much power. All 12 cylinders produced up to 310 hp. (the norm adopted by law is 280). But according to available data, as a result of tuning, the engine is able to increase it to 950.
The main "highlight" of this unit is its torque. It reaches its almost maximum value, one might say, at idle speed (1200 rpm). This means that the engine delivers all of its power almost instantly.
In 2003-2005, attempts were made to transfer the unit from gasoline to gas. As a result of a noticeable decrease in power (up to 250 hp), they were discontinued.
The engine has been slightly improved in 2010. This was driven by stringent fuel economy standards while meeting environmental regulations. The result was a reduction in torque to 460 Nm/rpm.
The engine was not officially installed on other car models. Nevertheless, there were attempts to swap, but this is already the activity of amateurs.
The time has come, and this unit began to attract the attention of Russian motorists. On many sites of online stores you can find ads for the sale of not only the engine itself, but also spare parts for it.
Interesting about the engine
An inquisitive mind and restless hands always find application. The 1GZ-FE motor did not go unnoticed either. A team of tuners from the UAE managed to install it on the Toyota GT 86. Moreover, they additionally succeeded in equipping the engine with four turbines. The power of the unit immediately increased to 800 hp. This rebuild has been called the craziest Toyota GT 86 engine swap ever.
The swap of this unit was made not only in the Emirates. In 2007, Japanese craftsman Kazuhiko Nagata, known in his circles as Smoky, showed a Toyota Supra with a 1GZ-FE engine. Tuning made it possible to remove power of more than 1000 hp. A lot of changes were made, but the result was worth it.
The swap was also made for other brands of cars. There are examples of this. There have been successful installation attempts on the Nissan S 15, Lexus LX 450 and other car brands.
In Russia, the Siberian "kulibins" decided to install 1GZ-FE on ... ZAZ-968M. Yes, on an ordinary "Zaporozhets". And the most interesting - he went! By the way, there are several videos on YouTube on this topic.
When swapping a power unit, problems often arise with the immobilizer. Fully serviceable, with all working blocks and assemblies, the engine does not want to start in any way. In most cases, there is only one solution to the problem - you need to flash the IMMO OFF unit, or install an immobilizer emulator. It is clear that this is not the best solution to the issue, but, unfortunately, there is no other way.
When using this way of solving the issue, it is necessary to provide an additional burglar alarm for the car. Many car services easily solve the problem of disabling the immobilizer and installing a security system.
For your information. On the Internet, if you wish, you can easily find a lot of information on installing 1GZ-FE on various cars.
Technical specifications
The engine was designed so well that for the entire time of its release it did not require any improvements. Its characteristics fully satisfy the needs of the creators of the government car. The table summarizes the main parameters that help to visualize the inherent capabilities of this unit.
| Manufacturer | Toyota Motor Corporation |
|---|---|
| Years of issue | 1997-n.vr. |
| Cylinder block material | Aluminum |
| Fuel system | EFI/DONC, VVTi |
| Type | V-shaped |
| Number of cylinders | 12 |
| Valves per cylinder | 4 |
| The piston stroke, mm | 80,8 |
| Cylinder diameter, mm | 81 |
| Compression ratio | 10,5 |
| Engine volume, cu. cm (l) | 4996 (5) |
| Engine power, hp / rpm | 280 (310) / 5200 |
| Torque, Nm / rpm | 481/4000 |
| Fuel | Gasoline AI-98 |
| Timing drive | Chain |
| Fuel consumption, l./100km | 13,8 |
| Engine resource, thousand km | more 400 |
| Weight, kg | 250 |
A few words about the reliability of the unit
Carefully analyzing the design of the Toyota 1GZ-FE engine, it is easy to see that a single-row 6-cylinder 1JZ was taken as the basis for its creation. For a government limousine, 2 single-row 1JZs were combined in one cylinder block. The result is a monster that has many of the properties of its base counterpart.
The 1GZ-FE power unit is equipped with a variable valve timing system (VVT-i). Its functioning allows you to smoothly change the power and torque at high engine speeds. In turn, this favorably affects the operation of the unit as a whole, which increases its reliability in operation.
Not unimportant is the fact that each cylinder block of the engine in question, unlike its "parent", is equipped with one turbine, and not two. In the absence of this factor, the engine would have 4 turbines. This would greatly complicate the design, thereby reducing its reliability.
The increase in reliability is also evidenced by the fact that on the latest generation of 1JZ engines, the design of the cylinder block cooling jacket has undergone changes and the friction of the camshaft cams has been reduced. These changes carried over to the 1GZ-FE engine. The cooling system has become more efficient.
Considering the special operating conditions (government vehicles only) and the manual assembly, it is safe to assume that this powertrain has a high degree of reliability.
For your information. Improvements to the 1GZ-FE engine allowed it to take its place in the average line with a resource of more than 400 thousand km.
Maintainability
The concept of Japanese manufacturers of internal combustion engines is aimed at their operation without major repairs. The 1GZ-FE did not stand aside either. The high degree of reliability and the skill of the drivers allow the engine to take care of its resource, being content with only maintenance.
Given the lack of difficulty in finding spare parts, there are no big problems with engine repair. The main inconvenience is the price of the issue. But for those who have such a unit installed, the financial issue does not have a priority and is relegated to the background.
It should be noted that the specialists of many of our car services have mastered the overhaul of Japanese engines quite well. Therefore, if original spare parts are available, it is possible to repair the engine. But here there are difficulties with the acquisition of the mentioned details. (Do not confuse the lack of complexity of the search and the difficulty of acquiring the necessary spare parts). Based on this, before doing a major overhaul of the engine, you need to consider in detail the option of replacing it with a contract one.
Repair is carried out by replacing faulty engine components with serviceable ones. The cylinder block is repaired by lining it, that is, by replacing the liners and the entire piston group.
When deciding to buy a contract engine, you need to pay attention to its number. The fact is that Toyota Century is not produced for the foreign market. It is clear that her engines too. But nevertheless in Russia they are on sale. When installing a power unit on a car, it will in any case have to be registered.
To avoid trouble during registration, you must make sure in advance that the number is not interrupted (not often, but this happens) and is clearly visible on the cylinder block. In addition, it must correspond to that recorded in the accompanying documents. Its location must be shown by the sales assistant when buying an engine.
Should I buy a contract 1GZ-FE
Every motorist asks himself such a question before purchasing this engine. Of course, the contract engine is purchased at your own peril and risk. But given that the unit was installed only on government vehicles, the hope that it will be of high quality is beyond doubt. There are several reasons here:
- careful operation;
- proper service;
- experienced drivers.
Careful operation engine involves many aspects. This is a smooth ride, smooth roads, relatively clean road surface. The list can be long.
Service. It is clear that it is always produced in a timely manner and with high quality. A clean engine, filters and fluids replaced on time, the necessary adjustments made - what else is needed to make the engine run like clockwork?
Driver Experience also plays an important role in extending the life of the engine.
According to available data, such contract engines have up to 70% of their unused service life.
The only Japanese V-12 turned out to be an exceptionally reliable unit. Not in vain it was created only for government cars. Excellent torque allows you to use the full power of the engine on the wheels of the car from the first seconds. Even the occurrence of a malfunction on any cylinder will not affect driving performance - the car will continue to move using only one block.
