Buying Advice And 1zz-fe Years To Avoid

[Plainer]

Hi all, I am new around here, but have read a bunch of great information
from this forum. Getting to the point here. I am looking to purchase an Avensis
between years 2004 and 2006. I have read about the oil consumption problems of
the 1zz-fe engine, and these appear to be on earlier models only. Is there specific
years to strictly avoid? Am I save buying 2004 and newer?

How about any other key items to inspect when looking at these
roughly 10 year old cars? They seem to be pretty solid and reliable. FYI I am
very experienced mechanically and do not intend to have the vehicle inspected
by a mechanic.

Thanks in advance,

Ian

[avensisd4d786]

http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/carbycar/toyota/avensis-2003/?section=good

Early 1.8 and 2.0 litre VVT-i engines can start to use up to a litre of oil every 600 miles after 40,000 miles due to a bore liner problem and/or being fitted with slightly undersize pistons. By February 2009 Toyota had extended the warranty on these engines to 6 years or 100,000 miles. Cars built from July 2005 should not have this problem.

http://www.toyotaownersclub.com/forums/topic/145222-how-many-miles-can-you-get-out-of-an-avensis/

[fastbob72]

There are a number of claims and myths around the early 1ZZ-FE's and an ocean of comment online about the subject that can make your head spin but the basic truth is the original 1.8 vvti engine while a cracking motor left the factory with a number of inherent weaknesses built into the design.

Low tension rings, too few and too small oil drain holes in the piston, a shallow sump which meant it only has 3.7 litres of oil to start with and the filters about the size of a yoghurt pot.It meant the pistons weren't cooled as effectively as the should have been, the rings were prone to gumming up easily, the oil itself had barely drained back to the sump before it was fmdrawn back up so it often never got time to cool down. Bear in mind it was also expected to work the vvti system aswell. Altogether it meant that if it was driven hard regularly or the oil wasn't changed religiously it could begin to emulsify on all those undersized drain holes or around the rings, the OCV for the vvti making a potentially stressed system much worse. Having said that if it's been looked after and the oil changed properly then they may not run into oil issues. Mine is one of the good ones though that was more luck than judgement because I only learnt about it's foibles after I'd bought it.

As for the years concerned, anything up to at least a 05 or maybe even 06 should be considered prone. Toyota acknowledged the problem and began to fix cars under warranty in 2005 so generally it's accepted that cars from 05 on don't have these problems but if you're looking at 04-06 go for an 06 for sure.At least

, if I was in your positiom I would anyway or go for a 2.0 vvti instead as this was a different engine and doesn’t seem to have had the design flaws built in or are known for any issues with oil at all.

[Konrad C]

There are a number of claims and myths around the early 1ZZ-FE's and an ocean of comment online about the subject that can make your head spin but the basic truth is the original 1.8 vvti engine while a cracking motor left the factory with a number of inherent weaknesses built into the design.

Low tension rings, too few and too small oil drain holes in the piston, a shallow sump which meant it only has 3.7 litres of oil to start with and the filters about the size of a yoghurt pot.It meant the pistons weren't cooled as effectively as the should have been, the rings were prone to gumming up easily, the oil itself had barely drained back to the sump before it was fmdrawn back up so it often never got time to cool down. Bear in mind it was also expected to work the vvti system aswell. Altogether it meant that if it was driven hard regularly or the oil wasn't changed religiously it could begin to emulsify on all those undersized drain holes or around the rings, the OCV for the vvti making a potentially stressed system much worse. Having said that if it's been looked after and the oil changed properly then they may not run into oil issues. Mine is one of the good ones though that was more luck than judgement because I only learnt about it's foibles after I'd bought it.

As for the years concerned, anything up to at least a 05 or maybe even 06 should be considered prone. Toyota acknowledged the problem and began to fix cars under warranty in 2005 so generally it's accepted that cars from 05 on don't have these problems but if you're looking at 04-06 go for an 06 for sure.At least

, if I was in your positiom I would anyway or go for a 2.0 vvti instead as this was a different engine and doesn’t seem to have had the design flaws built in or are known for any issues with oil at all.

I agree. Go for a phase 2 T25 2006 onwards, to be sure of avoiding the early 1.8 vvti oil burning issue.

Mind you, I have seen quite a few 2001 to 2005 vvti on the road - not all suffer. Unless the owners are regularly topping up, the engine is fine or engine replaced.

[fastbob72]

Exactly Konrad I mean mine is still one of the good ones so they are out there. It depends on a number of factors. Clearly number one is how often the oil is changed and is it the right type. I mean just go into Halfords and you will come across at least 5 (in my local Halfords anyway) different Halford brand 5W 30 fully synthetic oil. One for Ford. Another to suit BMW,Vauxhalls,Peugeots and whatever else but you don't see one for that states it for use in vvti Toyota. You need to go find out yourself that you want the one specified for Ford.

But also there's what it's used for i. e did it live in the city and get used to go to the shops and back. Was it a reps motorway muncher or worked 12 hours a day as a taxi. Maybe it was a frustrated rally driver who drove the car daily to work at 70.or 80 for the first 25 mins then through town.

It's a bit like two people who's family history strongly suggests they're quite likely to die young of cancer.The chances are the one on 40 fags a day will be active and fit till his mid 90s while the health concious one was riddled with tumours and didn't make 30.

It has the weakness in the lubrication system that makes it prone to problems yet two cars the same, doing the same jourrneys

, day in day out the chances are one will eat oil the other never burns a drop.

I don't take off quickly, wheelspin,brake or corrner harshly but my car isn't treated like a fragile invalid.She sees 6000 rpm + on occasion and she sat at 125 mph along a straight stretch of empty dual carriageway for 5 miles or so the other night (that rarely happens) so you'd imagine it's steadily begin to burn oil if it's treated like that but she barely sees 2500 rpl let alone 3000 until she's fully up to operating temp. You can suggest a car treated a certain way should be more or less likely to develop a problem but only time and use will answer that one.

The thing is though unless you really want a T22 above all else it would seem prudent to eliminate the problem all together and buy a late 05 or 06 built after the problem. was sorted out :)

[Devon Aygo]

The official fix dates are:

1.6 ZZT250 April 2005

1.8 ZZT251 July 2005

Toyota only specify a month not a day as they use a chassis number to pin down the actual change point :

1.6 ZZT250 from E036113

1.8 ZZT251 from E129522

If you have an Avensis chassis with the last 6 digits higher than above then the car has the later modified engine

[fastbob72]

Nah mine is E079 :(

Oh well, it wasn't recalled or 'fixed' by Toyota then. Tell me something I didn't know haha :)

[Konrad C]

Nah mine is E079 :(

Oh well, it wasn't recalled or 'fixed' by Toyota then. Tell me something I didn't know haha :)

FastBob, you know that Toyota would not make recalls on engines. It was up to the owner to report, and Toyota laid down conditions that said tough, if they were not met!

Actually Lee's info regarding the chassis number of car with the modified engines, is there a starting point of the engine numbers?

The reason I am asking is, if a car is written off and the engine is okay and removed, it assist somebody sourcing a replacement for an oil burning engine.

Car breakers do not put chassis numbers on engines removed from scrapped cars, only the year! If the engine is still in the car, then fine.

So there is hope for owners who are stuck with earlier cars.

Konrad

[Plainer]

Great info here guys, thanks for all of the insight, and to Devon
for the cold hard dates. Looked on google for a couple hours to find something like
that.

Fastbob – I am with ya, there is not always a rhyme or reason to
two identical card suffering far different fate. But fate can helped a bit with
proper care and lack of abuse.

I consider myself relatively hard on cars, I drive a bit high
revving; but only do 8000 miles a year and could up the oil change frequency so
I am confident the engine is happy. Seeing as this will be our only vehicle and
shared between my wife and I, then I will see what I can do to go for an 06 or
newer. Sounds like it could be worth a couple extra bones as dead reliability is
important.

If I can get my hands on the 2.0 vvti I will. They are few and far
between here in Norway, and when they come up for sale, they are grabbed up
with a quickness.

[captain avensis]

Interesting stuff!

I must have got one not made on a Friday! 2001 1.8 with one of the first vvti engines just done 186,000 miles and doesn't burn oil !

[Konrad C]

On 6/21/2015 at 9:12 PM, Devon Aygo said:

The official fix dates are:

1.6 ZZT250 April 2005

1.8 ZZT251 July 2005

Toyota only specify a month not a day as they use a chassis number to pin down the actual change point :

1.6 ZZT250 from E036113

1.8 ZZT251 from E129522

If you have an Avensis chassis with the last 6 digits higher than above then the car has the later modified engine

Lee. This bit of the post should be pinned for the sake of owners/prospective owners looking for a car or replacement engine.

Or placed in the how to. 

[James McCafferty]

I have a 2004 avensis with the 1.8....it has always burned about 1lt per 1k miles. It had 160k now it has 180k. Believe me the last 20k have been the hardest of its life. I regularly red line.... Always use the vvti.... Change oil every 3.5k change plugs every 7k....and believe me when I say its getting faster by the month. 6hrs at 80mph regular.... Regular throttle body flush.... I'm a complete petrol head and believe me when I say I have Never owned a better engine. Laughs at everything I throw at it.... The oil burn is just its way of letting you know you need to lift the hood every month... It has never increased since I have had it. Beast of an engine. Period 

 

[9thgenguy]

The 1zz-fe in my 06 corolla has been the most reliable machine I’ve experienced. I’m a delivery driver and I was introduced to my baby at 62k. It was a single owner of an elderly lady who treated it very well. I’ve put 192k HARD miles on this car over 7 years. The block and internals still act like the day I test drove it. Over the years I’ve replaced most of the accessories but my life long pal has endured the test of time, constantly exceeding 30 mpg. The only frequent maintenance has been the brakes (every 15-20k ) and the oil (every 3-6k). Currently I’m at about 248k and have no plans of retiring the immortal mobile. She has served me well and has made me well over 40 times what I paid for this member of my family. If you find a strong 1zz treat it well and you may never  have to say goodbye 

[mrfixer]

I spend about half of each year living and working in Thailand. As anyone who has visited Thailand will know, most taxis used here are locally-built Toyota Corolla Altis. 

From 2001-2010 the Thai Corolla Altis used the 1ZZFE and 3ZZFE (3ZZFE is very similar to 1ZZFE but with shorter stroke giving 1.6L capacity). Many of the 1.8's were fitted with the U341E automatic transmission.  The vast majority are converted to run on gas (LPG, or these days CNG) - its cleaner and a lot cheaper than petrol.

In 2010 there were about 90000 taxis registered in Bangkok - nearly all being Corolla Altis. Around 70000 on the road at any time!  Normally they are run to about 600 000km - around 7-8 years old. They seem to be incredibly reliable and over the years I have probably only seen a couple that have broken down.  I've chatted with many drivers and never heard even one complain about the car. Given the heat and harsh driving conditions these models seem to have been astonishingly reliable!

Parts are extremely easy to get and pretty cheap. E.g. 1ZZ coil pack (Denso) is £20. An Aisin radiator (tropical spec. - double UK thickness) is £40. All the mechanics know the cars backwards.

There's a huge area not far from Bangkok international airport where secondhand parts are available - literally hundreds of sellers. A good used 1ZZ engine is about £200 and an auto transmission about £250.  Rebuilt with new parts is about double the price. Fitting will cost about £50.

Subsequently Toyota introduced newer Altis models with 2ZR and then 2NR engines and CVT. The CVTs don't have such a good reputation as the older style autos.  There are now about 140 000 taxis in Bangkok...along with about 10 million private cars (eight times the estimated road capacity...).

 

[Besjan]

Hi 

On 6/21/2015 at 10:12 PM, Devon Aygo said:

The official fix dates are:

1.6 ZZT250 April 2005

1.8 ZZT251 July 2005

Toyota only specify a month not a day as they use a chassis number to pin down the actual change point :

1.6 ZZT250 from E036113

1.8 ZZT251 from E129522

If you have an Avensis chassis with the last 6 digits higher than above then the car has the later modified engine

This was the info that i was looking for. Thanks for sharing.
The Avensis i just tested to buy is June 2005 and 1.8 engine with E127 chassis number, so i guess it's in the "danger zone" for the oil consumption problem.
Is there any way to find out if it has or not the consumption problem before buying? The owner says it doesn't consume oil but i guess he won't tell if it does. 
(ps: it's a 2005 Avensis hatchback, 1.8vvti engine with automatic transmission, 200k km)

[Harry Carri]

If I remember rightly the dipstick lengths differ. Part of the fix was to increase the oil capacity. It isn't 1st of April. The oil capacity was increased which was done by fitting a shorter dipstick😁

[Peter_Jan_JDM]

Sorry if this is off topic guys. 

I've only just bought an Avensis, owner said it had FSH but they gave me a service printout and not a book which I was expecting. I've found this blank book on fleebay https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/195117347380 I'm new to toyota (after spending my youth hating on them). Is this version of the book suitable for my 2010 Auris?

Any help is appreciated guys.