Lexus or 7mge

[mark watson]

jaco , going back in the posts i saw your comment on check the 1uz offroad , not to sure if you are comparing the 1uz with your 2jz , if you think the 2j is better then great , your opinion , ive done enough conversions with the 1uz and the j series motors , granted as said before the j series is a more than competent motor from the toyota stable in turbo form , in normally aspirated form they are still good but not in the same league as the u series , in standard form 1000cc extra with 2 additional pistons makes it a no brainer as to the competence of the 1uz. probably the biggest mistake the guys make is fitting the turbo versions in their 4x4 , great if you want to show of at the robot but a total pain in the butt to drive offroad , if you look at the pics of the tata with the 1jz vvt turbo - yes went like stink over 210kw on the wheels but for petes sake just dont try tow something , eventually the customer came back and asked for the 1uz to be fitted and now i cant get the grin off his face , granted once the boost thrill wore off and the petrol bill hit home , the only time a turbo is beneficial on a 4x4 is when its attached to a diesel , when we go offroad a lot of the time i maybe use 5 - 20% throttle as the torque is there and you dont need to welly the thing , i see you drive a 79 series - we did a 76 last year ( well fixed the conversion , also from pretoria ) with 40k on the clock and the customer is happy as a pig in sh*t , he tows a double axle caravan and he says that it will murder the 1hz that was replaced , imagine trying to sell him on the 2j theme - dont think so .

[96-Luxi 4x4]

Well, I decided to go ahead and do it!!

See this Thread: Luxi is getting the Lexus 1UZ VVTi

We will update as we go along. Soon I will see if it pays off.

[LouisZ]

You keeping the Catalyc converter in the system Mark?

[96-Luxi 4x4]

Good question, do you think its needed?

[mark watson]

no naas / louis we will decat but obviously put the o2 sensors back.

[LouisZ]

It steals a bit power. But the sensors if it is not there it can cause havoc with the Ecu.

Now where is the photos??

[96-Luxi 4x4]

Cool Mark, I knew you had it covered.

We have not started yet, thats why there is no pics yet

Mark will source the motor, and then strip and prep, we will see some fotos in the next week or 2 I think.

[richardo1]

manne manne, ek het i 7m-ge in my trok kz gearbox en transfercase met die oorspronklike diff van die bakkie en ek sal julle se ek kan nogsteeds 120 ry as ek wil en ek kan selfs twee ton trek sonder dat enigeiets breek, ek kan even in tweede wegtrek met i vrag sonder om die clutch te brand daai bakkies is in die eerste plek nie gemaak om 160 te ry nie manet my opinie

[mark watson]

hi richard , as ive said the 7m was not a bad motor , but there was a lot of issues with the head cooling etc , granted the motors are peanuts to buy 3.5k i think , but the 1uz still works out tops in the lux but with the auto box

[rayv]

Dawie, the 7MGE conversion is great, I had one for more than 4 years and enjoyed every minute of it. That said, If I had to do it all again now, I would go for the Lexus. Reasons being:

1 ) Newer technology. 7MGE engines available 2nd hand all have high mileage on them now, as they date from the early 90's at the latest.
2 ) MORE POWER
3 ) Lexus engine weights less than the 7MGE
4 ) Cost is almost the same if you have to start from scratch
5 ) Skills and expertise for fitting Lexus engines are much more available at the moment.
6 ) Did I mention MORE POWER?
7 ) Better fuel consumption in the Lexus
8 ) It just sounds great...
9 ) Spares availability.

I am sure some of the guys will add many more reasons why you should go Lexus rather than 7MGE..

Oh, did I mention the power??

You dit not mention MORE POWER

[ThysdJ]

My bad dude.. I suspect that I might have neglected to mention that the Lexus has MORE POWER!!!

That said.. I must echo Richard's statement, I also experienced that in Hilux with a 7MGE!!..

[Gunta]

I had my 7m for 10years and if you build that engine right the first time it is bullet proof. The nice thing with that conversion is it is relatively cheap and does not destroy your drivetrain and everything is standard toyota parts.
Lexus is great but you have to do a lot more mods to make it reliable that it doesn't break stuff.

[Kaspaas]

I am thinking of getting a 7MGE tatoo on my left butt cheek!!

[Macaco]

hi guys, just my 2c's worth,

I had the same decision to make about 3 months ago, lexus or 7m???

I opted for the 7m as it was the way cheaper option and I didn't see the need to spend so much more on a conversion just for a few kw's and nm's more and then yes, to sit with the fear of something breaking cause of the excess power, even though I would have loved to have it, I just don't feel the need for so much power when im never gonna use it.

I bought my bakkie already with a 5mge motor with Cressida box and transfer case setup, so the conversion to the 7m wasn't too big, but I had quite a few underlying issues with wiring and a extremely dirty water system, so all in all it was new motor with new engine management (dictator computer), new clutch kit, changing of a few brackets and mountings, flushing of water system with new water bottle, wiring, upgrading the brakes and replaced the master cylinder, the power steering pump also needed relocating and everything worked out to just under 25k and Im smiling from ear to ear with this machine, I now know and realize I made the right choice, I need nothing more!

I haven't really worked out my fuel consumption yet as I haven't had the bakkie very long, but all I can say is that with my long range tank (total of 130l) driving in town with a heavy foot (extremely heavy) I manage to get just under 1000k's (982km) before reserve light comes on, so not too shabby hay.

I would agree with sum though that the 2jz-ge (not 2jz-gte) motor would be the absolute best option to go for, in terms of price of conversion, parts, power, torque, reliability and size (more compact than 7m and v8 and lighter) and my goodness the sound it makes (v8 not bad but not the same)

hope this helps and hope I haven't offended anyone, just my 2c.