I just read that article. It’s a nice write-up. I like it when people post lots of good pictures
Toyota had the IDENTICAL problem on the 7A-FE engine, predecessor the 1ZZ-FE
There are also postings of guys doing the exact same thing to fix the problem on that engine
It’s extremely disappointing that Toyota did not learn from their mistakes on the 7A-FE
This proves, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that Toyota also has their share of f . . . ups. Perhaps Toyota is just better at sweeping their problems under the rug.
By the way, Toyota NEVER had any kind of TSBs alluding to oil consumption on the 7A-FE. Yet it was a problem, regardless of what it was installed in (Corolla, Celica, Prizm, Storm, etc.)
I’m quite certain that Toyota also NEVER had any TSBs alluding to oil consumption on the 1ZZ-FE
I suspect the reason is plain and simple . . . by the time the oil consumption was noted, the cars were out of warranty.
I never would have thought that you can just pop the piston straight out the top that way. Doesn’t it end up restricted up there and prevent just popping it out that way?
Just curious. Anybody know if these engines were used in Toyota vehicles sold in Japan? Maybe Toyota execs thought Americans like a little more power than is desired in Japan, so they modified the engines to a different configuration for those vehicles destined for American car lots? And something went wrong with the re-design.
Correct, the 7A-FE is the predecessor of the 1ZZ-FE
I’m fairly both of these engines were used worldwide
I’m a pessimist by nature, and I feel Toyota did not learn from their oil consumption mistake on the 7A-FE and allowed the same mistakes to happen with the 1ZZ-FE
The fact that both of these engines had problems with the rings getting coked up and stuck truly makes me believe they didn’t learn from their mistakes
It is also possible by the time they were aware of the problem with the 7A-FE . . . which they never acknowledged in any written form, as far as I know . . . the 1ZZ-FE may have already been in production, or in the pipeline
it’s “funny” to think that a company may know something bad is going to happen, but they’re already “fully committed” . . . so they’re just going to let it happen
Well, part of the problem actually comes from anthropomorphizing corporations. Even though the Supreme Court has said that corporations are “natural persons” they aren’t. They are neither natural, nor are they persons. Things like “Toyota” and “GM” don’t have minds or consciousness or memories. Obviously the persons who work for them do. But these organizations are huge and complex. No one actually sees everything or knows everything or ever has all of the information on the table in front of them. And even if they did, the complexity of it would overwhelm their ability to deal with it and sort it out. This is made worse by the fact that a lot of the information would be ambiguous and conflicting. There’s too much of it. And a lot of it is not at all clear. So it never surprises me that seemingly irrational things (that re then interpreted through a moral lens) frequently emerge from large organizations.
This is a bulletin for 2000-2005 1ZZ-FE engines. The bulletin doesn’t state what the problem is but the remedy is to replace the dipstick and increase the oil capacity by 1/2 quart.
I have a piston from an '81 Accord.
Comparing it to photos on the web of the early 1zz-fe piston there’s a big difference in the oil ring lands.
The Toyota has small holes to drain back the oil vs the Honda which has wide slots with much more passage area, maybe 5X as much.
The revised piston has more and slightly larger holes.
I’m guessing the holes leave the piston relatively stronger since there’s more material there.