7mge buy and rebuild. Cracked Pistons
 

so im checking out an 86 tomorrow and its looking like a good buy. its for $700, non turbo of course with original w58 auto tranny. ive searched the forums a bit trying to find help on problems to look for when buying but sadly i havnt had the time, being my yota just broke and this sale just popped up. anyways if you have any advice please let me know.

a little about the car.

86 mkIII
245,xxx miles
just replace water pump
all electronics work
running condition

http://sfbay.craigslist.org/sby/cto/1470153180.html

so sorry for not being able to do more research on this site but i have been researching mkIII's quite a bit. beautiful cars. thanks

The W58 is the N/A's 5 speed. The A340 is the auto used in both GE and GTE vehicles (although I believe the GTE's A340 may be a bit more robust, just what I've overheard).

That is a LOT of mileage on that car, do you know if it's ever had a rebuild? I wouldn't touch that car unless I could take it to a mechanic the I personally know and trust to go over it with a fine tooth comb. Definitely need to do a compression test and a leak down test. Does it leak or burn oil? Does it loose coolant? Does it smoke? Have the dampers been replaced in recent years? Any signs of the coolant or oil being contaminated?

What are your goals with this car anyway? Is it going to be a daily driver, are you wanting to turbo the GE are you looking to do a swap in the future?

$700 is a fair price, but with the mileage that engine and chassis have seen I'd pick it apart before I committed. I have a friend who owns a '90 with about 300K miles on his car. It was rebuilt TWICE and the seller had all the paperwork (both theirs and from the previous owner). His car is a gem... but he did a lot of poking around before buying it.

I'm planning on getting the r154 and getting a 2jz. Lol after I rebuild the 22r

Thanks for the advice. Ill check all over the car. But yes I'm planning on replacing a lot on this car. Luckily I have a little paycheck to work on it

if you have a little paycheck to work on it... I'd be very cautious... as Cre mentioned, that's a LOT of miles on that engine. Infact, if there's been no rebuild on it, and has just been maintained very well, it's still likely to go at anytime. Also if it's the original tranny, might want to have that examined as well. If possible, try to catch the car in cold state and examine the tranny fluid, sniff for burnt smells in the trans oil.

Further more, a 2jz auto clip runs anywhere from $2.2k to $4k... manual transmissions only escalate that price (especially 6 speed tranny). I saw a 2jz 6spd front clip the other day for $4,800 total.. but unless you're going to do the swap yourself and also do the wiring, you're probably going to spend that much, if not more, to get it all under the hood and hooked up running. You'd probably be better off looking at a mk3 that's had a JDM 7mgte swap that's ready to drive w/o much work... then again, seems these mk3's are always needing some kind of attention.

Yea I was looking for a while at 2jz with the 6 speeds. I might just get the 5 speed first and the 1jz. We will see. I'm just look forward to working on a car for once instead of my 4runner :) the mileage does worry me tho.

Thank you :)

The 6 speed won't fit.

I've seen an mkIII with a v160

I should have just said that it won't fit without a decent bit of custom work. Anything can be done; I really just meant to make the point that it's not a direct swap.

EDIT: Actually, going back through my links I can't find any MKIIIs with a V160.... I'm not surprised, the gearbox is about a foot longer than the R154... the shifter will be in the center console's storage bin. Have some links or pics of any that you've seen?

I have an new mkiii
 

so i got the car today. absolutely amazing. ive always wanted a supra (any year) since i was little so this is kind of a dream come true. barely any body damage. minor paint fading. needs a clutch fan, and just need to replace a few hoses. $700. the only thing i cant wait to do is put in that r154. oh so thank you all for the help. cant wait to start posting up some build threads

haha problems already.
 

freeze plug.
water pump is the wrong size.
vacuum leak on one of the brake hoses.
and a mysterious oil leak from above the water pump (cant see exactly where) that shut down my car todat. felt like it was losing pressure and now it wont start. this car is a fucking pain in the ass. still love it tho.

so with this being said there was only one thing to do........

start taking shit apart.

http://viewmorepics.myspace.com/inde...ageID=22490040

http://c2.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/i...807e07ee01.jpg

just started taking the car apart
http://c2.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/i...7c9ed6b4a5.jpg

where is the leak?
http://c3.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/i...c5d3842faa.jpg

grrrr
http://c3.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/i...eab52b25d6.jpg

depressed...

just finished tonight. havnt found anything. i dont want to have to take off the timing belt (never done it before either). but so far i figure its nothing i can get to (at least i think) and i might have to take the engine out. maybe ill do that r154 now. anyone know why my car would have symptoms of a vacuum leak but be leaking oil and steaming/smoking at the same time? i think the steam was mostly from the freeze plug. but the front of the engine still has a little bit of oil on it. ooohhhhhh yea. there was a huge gap in the water pump (since it wasnt the right size) but i wouldnt leak oil right?

hmmm, loss of pressure, leaking oil, smoke.. I'd have to start thinking my HG was blown... but then again, I've thought that about 3 or 4 times since I've purchased my mk3 a few months ago... mainly cause the head gaskets go sooo easily on these 7m's... grats on your purchase, hopefully it wasn't in vain... I've enjoyed the time I've had her so far, but have had to (and still need to) put her in the shop for repairs..

Pull the timing belt and look if the oil is coming from behind the black plate behind the cam gears. If so it's either the cam seals or the valve cover seals. If not the it's either the oil pump seal, the crank oil seal or you're leaking from between the head and the block.... has the head gasket been changed on this engine?

The coolant leak behind the water pump is either an eroded hard line assembly which runs along the side of the block and wraps around the back of the engine or the 90? hose which connects to it right under the thermostat tower. The hard line is no longer available from Toyota, if that's what's leaking you're going to have to either fab a custom replacement or buy a used one.

Switch to Toyota's red coolant, it has better dielectric properties.

what was the problem with your car?

after thoughts.
 

so im thinking that since i have a few weeks off from work i might as well change the head gasket anyways right? i already have stuff taken apart and i should just go all the way instead of having it blow in a few miles.

cross your fingers :x:

Good luck CV... I think that's probably best, and I'm about to do it for nothing more than peace of mind knowing it's been recently done and doesn't have 140k miles on it... As far as what was wrong w/ the car... when i bought it for $1950, couldn't tell anything wrong other than a hatch stopper and slight cosmetics on the vinyl of the interior due to heat stress.. there were no leaks, started right up and performed well as well.

After first oil change, my friend advised me I should get the front tires replaced and get my wheel alignment done. I replaced my tires, but the alignment still needs to be done. I also had to do the brakes within two weeks of purchase as they were worn and cracking.. less than a week after the brakes were done, my distributor shaft snaps and had to get that replaced and have the TDC timing done on her. She gets hot fairly quick, and I'm sure getting my fan shrouds will help with this, but noticed also a few small pinhole sized holes in the top of the radiator, so guessing I need to replace the radiator too. Did try the thermostat and hoses along w/ a coolant flush to see if that would fix the heating issue, but it hasn't. Finally, between the time my distributor shaft had snapped and been repaired, my master cylinder (or the res. above it) has started leaking brake fluid and this is my first priority, followed by coolant. After that, I can focus again at my suspension and alignment... She's sucked up more repair money than I'd care for, but the pride I can have in her, and the fun I can have in her, once she's working good makes it all worth it. :dance:

oh man i feel your pain. yea i figured its gonna blow anyways so might as well do it and then since im doing this maybe ill convert it to a turbo? hahaha i wonder how much trouble that would be. well anyways nice to meet you man and good luck

bolt ons is something I've always been curious about, but seeing and reading how tempermental our ECU's can be and knowing the 7mge has a different ECU config than a 7mgte, I started to believe it might just be more efficient (both in time and money) to just drop a 7mgte w/ a manual trans than it would be to put a bolt on (if one exists for the 7mge) and have to dick with the ECU and still have an auto trans once said and done.. I know I've got a long way to go in my education on this make, but leaves me feeling just as excited as it does apprehensive. However, this forum has been a valuable resource for knowledge so far... hope that doesn't change any time soon.

Sweet! Somehow he managed to do it with less work than any I've seen. I didn't see any info regarding the trans tunnel, did he say anywhere else if he had to pound it out or not?

Yea I'm think after this head gasket is done then I will see how much extra money I have to put in the manual tranny.

i got the car today. absolutely amazing. ive always wanted a supra (any year) since i was little so this is kind of a dream come true. barely any body damage. minor paint fading. needs a clutch fan, and just need to replace a few hoses. $700. the only thing i cant wait to do is put in that r154. oh so thank you all for the help. cant wait to start posting up some build threads

stalker......... :gtfo:

ok so just an update. i almost have the head off and am ready to have everything take to the machine shop. but me and my girl had a sudden realization. our engine has 240,xxx on it, its non turbo, and were pushing this build to close to the amount of a rebuilt 7m-gte......... so why not get one?

in the net couple days were going to be checking out some engines to see whats up and what our possibilities are.

i know theres not a whole lot of people reading this but......

journaling is fun.

PEACE!

That's what I was getting at... you're gunna spend soo much money fixing the 240k 7mge, and you still wanna swap... you might as well do the 7mgte when you do the swap... might have sound mixed or confusing since I think when I was trying to point out the 7mgte would be a quicker swap with less of a price tag, you were still thinking about 2jz swaps.. 240k miles, I'd definaly consider tossing that engine and putting in a JDM 7mgte w/ ~40k miles.. or you can send your 7mge to the shop, pay them what you'd pay to have a 7mgte dropped in (not including cost of the engine, tranny, tranny swap or combo thereof). Dunno about you, but I'd have much more peace of mind knowing I put something reliable in my car rather than something old and restored to hold together... knowing I got more power out of it would just be an added bonus.

yea totally agreed. do you know any good, honest places i can get a used 7m-gte? or even a rebuild thats not too pricey? honestly im worried im gonna get screwed over again on a bad engine. i have BHGphobia.

hey krem what do you think?

http://www.toyota-supra.info/forums/...fo-needed.html

and soooooo i found a good deal.......

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...d=260501792873

i cant find any rebuilt engines that are going to be cheaper than me just rebuilding this one. man these engines are stressful

sorry that took so long. his build wasnt very informative but according to some threads i have read its easier to do a swap like that because its right hand drive. bla bla bla bla something about the firewall is different...........

those jerks. :p

I don't think I'd go thru the rebuild myself... now maybe if I were as inclined, mechanically, as some of the other posters I've seen here, I might attempt the rebuild. The downside of that would be I'd still be dealing with a naturally aspired engine on a 4 speed automatic transmission. :\

I think you might not be using the best search queries for what you're lookin for. If you want a replacement or a swap, try "JDM (engine code) swap" IE: "JDM 7mgte swap". If you're more lookin at doin the engine and tranny, as it sounds you are, you probably want to look for front clips. This is essentially everything from the firewall forward (as I had it described to me), sometimes including the front portion of the chassis/body. Can easily find that in a search for "(Engine code) Front Clip". IE: "7mgte Front Clip".

Just a quickie, I've found a couple links, tho I'm not sure of the reputability of the sites.

JDM Front Clips (Looks like the 7m doesn't have a tranny, only the jz's)

JDM Front Clips, Engines and/or Trannies (Website looks better put together)

ohhhh man well due to time constraint and my absolute phobia to get things right........

im gonna go with the rebuild


soooooooooooooo the journey consinues....


http://c1.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/i...fc2db6f950.jpg

got the throttle body off....


http://c3.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/i...901ca76e06.jpg

no more intake manifold.....

honestly im no genius either when it comes to cars but hey, how hard can it be?.......
:help: lol

I wish you best of luck cause after the rebuild, you're probably gunna wish the time and money spent were on a swap as the power you probably want still won't really be there. However, on the flip side, once you do achieve the rebuild, it will be a feeling of great accomplishment that I could only be envious of and give you props for trying if nothing more.. hope you get it done tho. As for how hard can it be? Well, I don't think you need an IQ over 145, but you might want to do some homework and review first... some things require precision down to millimeter specs... and just like with planes, a couple millimeters off here, or there, could result in disaster or failure of a lesser degree. Keep postin pix like Oregonjoe did, please... I'd like to see how it's going as well as see what's all involved incase I'm unable to get my hands on a 7mgte swap when my car needs it...

oh man so i remember Oregonjoe saying something about having alot of band-aids ready.... i sould have taken that advice. this engine has sooo many tight bolts that are just frozen over the years and of course i end up slammin my elbow into crap trying to loosen them up.... ouch.

ok but enough complaining. here we are now. just got the bottom part of the manifold off.

http://c2.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/i...2acd2dfae1.jpg

bhu - n shit!!! sprinklers just went off on me..... (im on the computer in my front lawn next to the car........

i guess my parents changed the sprinkler times....

anyways so the more and more im working on this i cant help thinking i might keep this car n/a for a while instead of the usual turbo but then ill still do the w58 or r154 swap. like you said Krem, im pretty sure ill feel majorly accomplished after this.

Unless there's a problem with your W58 I'd wait on the R154 swap and swap it in when you get the GTE. It's a much heavier transmission and generally not as smooth shifting. Spend the money on other components which you'll still be able to use with the GTE though... fuel mods, suspension, etc.



Krem, just because an engine is from Japan and has fewer miles doesn't mean it's not complete garbage. A lot of those engines were beat to hell and/or saw nothing but city miles... they're also still 20 years old. If you get a JDM you still should plan on having to rebuild it.

[QUOTE=cre;75286]Unless there's a problem with your W58 I'd wait on the R154 swap and swap it in when you get the GTE. It's a much heavier transmission and generally not as smooth shifting. Spend the money on other components which you'll still be able to use with the GTE though... fuel mods, suspension, etc.[QUOTE=cre;75286]

lol no sorry i ment i want to swap in a w58 OR r154. i know the r154 is more robust and all and if i can ill get that. haha i guess after all of this i shouldnt be tooooo cheap

Oh, that's right! I forgot you're swapping from an auto.... in that case, swapping to a R154 won't add any more weight than you've already got in there, so go for it. Might as well only buy one transmission.

ok so the exhaust manifold is off. totally easier than i thought. ok off to krage for that hex head thing so i can take off the head


soooo just so you all know. its a 14mm hex

***EDIT*** 10mm for head bolts.

ok bad news. im trying to get the head bolts off and they wont come loose. in fact its so bad that im starting to strip out the hex!!!!

heeeeeeeeeeeeeeeelp!!

please

ok i feel like i noob....cause i am. sooooooo tomorrow or friday i shall take the head off anf hopefully send to the machine shop.

When you remove the head bolts you need to clean out any and all oil in the hole and any debris which may have collected there; Failure to do so may prevent the allen bit from entering the opening completely.

If you cannot get a bolt out all the way using constant steady pressure AND the socket is in all the way you can try: Pounding downward on the head of the bolt a few times with a rubber mallet; Use a breaker bar and while you hold it FIRMLY in place have someone tap the end of the handle several timed with a hammer; AND, spray the area thoroughly with a GOOD penetrating oil (WD-40 does not count as a good penetrant).

As for the bolts you've already stripped, go to the hardware store and try to find an allen bit or regular allen wrench that's just a *tiny* bit larger than yours, it'll most likely be an SAE size unless you've got a shop in the area which can order .5mm bits. Take it home and tap it in with a hammer... you know the drill from there. Some people have luck with easy outs; Grinding the head off the bolt usually results in some heavy gouges in the mating area directly under the bolt head and as such getting an accurate torque thereafter is unlikely without having the area machined.... not to mention all the debris you'll have to worry about flushing out of the block. Note: If all you can find that'll fit is a regular L shaped allen wrench you can just cut it off and slip it into a regular socket. ;)

If I think of anything else I'll let you know.


EDIT: Oh, and don't be afraid to use a LOT of penetrant... it's cheap enough. Soak the bolts, wait an hour, soak again, wait another hour, soak again.... repeat a often as you wish, then let it sit for a few hours before going at it again. When you do go at it again make sure the allen is going in all the way before you try to remove the bolt.