Our family owns two of these, one in a Highlander and the other in an ES 350. I love this engine. Just change the oil every 5k and coolant every 60k and you can’t hurt these engines. They will run forever with proper maintenance. I learned a lot from watching your video, thank you.
@@Merryfrankster_ Update: ARP said unless the gasket specifies a heat cycle re-torque there is no need to if you follow the directions. ie thread cleaning chase, arp thread sealer, hand tight studs, arp lube on fasteners, torque in sequence of manual. I just emailed ARP about heat cycling the head studs. I never did on my sr20's and never had a problem.
Thank you for the MOST DETAILED and COMPREHENSIVE video on this widely used engine. Moreover, the way you explain various items so calmly and comprehensively is simply outstanding. I was hooked on “the Car Care Nut” channel;, but you definitely win over him in your videos. I am just puzzled as to why your channel is underrated. You deserve at least half a million subscribers. I will spread the word and I believe everyone who encounters your video should as well. Again, many thanks for your effort in preparing such comprehensive videos and keep up the great work.
Thanks for watching and for commenting. My channel is growing steadily thanks to people like you. I doubt it will ever go viral as I don't know how to dramatize or sensationalize - people need some form of dramatic tension for a satisfying viewing experience. I am going to think some more about how to give each video a narratve arc with an exposition, a conflict, and a resolution - standard playwright stuff. Let me know if you have any suggestions or requests for future topics.
@@Merryfrankster_ "I appreciate your response and your humble attitude. I am not a RU-vidr and only watch videos that can help me better understand cars. I wish I could offer you a constructive suggestion. All I can do at this point is to let my friend know about your channel
I work in machining at a toyota engine plant. I was on 2gr block line before we retired it. I hear our engines were great, but my god the CNC machines we were using were beyond ready to be retired. I'm on 2.4 Turbo machining block line, now. Specifically for the Tacoma. Excellent video! Enjoyed!
Thank you for watching and for commenting. They need to gather up all the bean counters from the different divisions, and make them talk to each other. I mean, have the bean counters from manufacturing figure out what their savings on delaying updates to tooling and machinery end up costing to the bean counters in warranty.
Right on, the 2GR itself is fairly trouble-free. Engine issues that can arise are the usual O2 sensors, sometimes a camshaft sensor or oil control valve or ignition coil, occasionally throttle body issues, or leaking water pump. It's very rare that this engine has any major mechanical issue like blown head gasket or spun rod. But if your MR2 chassis is nearly 30 years old, it could have some "deferred maintenance" issues. Fortunately those are not too difficult to address.
On the 3.5 v6 from 2005-2009 sometimes it's just the little rubber pieces inside the valve covers that wear out and leak oil causing the valvetrain to start dry each time. Those little rubber pieces come with some valve cover sets and just have to be replaced.
I have the same engine. It doesn’t rattle on cold start, it makes a bad rattle on warm starts. I got the valve cover gasket to open the valve cover and have a look at the vvt. But now i have hope the rattle may go once i change the o rings you mentioned
Hello Frank. Thank you for an extremely detailed explanation of this engine. Could you please describe how the oil returns from the head vale areas to the bottom chamber pan? Can they get clogged and cause oil pooling and valve guide cause smoke issues? Thank you for your time. (There appears to be opening near each spring towards the out side casting)
Yes obviously the oil flows down the galleys driven by gravity. The valve stem seals should prevent any oil from flowing down the valve guides. If there is seal leakage then not only will the engine burn oil, but the valve guides could become fouled and eventually the valves could stick. Are you having a specific issue? Or just asking for a friend.
Great video!!! So glad I subscribed to your channel. My son has an 08 ES350 and I’m interested in learning what I can about this motor. The car has 109k miles with extensive service records. I want to change the serpentine belt next on our general maintenance for preventative care and I’m hoping it’s not too difficult. I have drained and refilled the coolant and the bleeding process was just that…a process that was a little nerve racking. I’ve cleaned the throttle body and air filter housing really good. I’m not sure if I should have cleaned the MAF sensor so I left it alone until I can confirm if I should clean it with a MAF cleaner. Keep up the great work.
I'm not sure if I've shown the trick for holding the belt tensioner - you insert a allen key in the hole in the hole to hold it. This saves a lot of struggle. It may be on an alternator video or a water pump video. Thank you for watching and for commenting.
@@Merryfrankster_ thx so much. I’ll go through your videos tonight and I’ll see what I can find. Thx for responding and keep up the great informative videos.
Hello Frank, I appreciate you taking the time to make this video. My 2007 RAV4 with 2GR-FE has the cold start rattle that might be caused by the cam timing gear. it only lasts for 2 seconds on cold starts. it has 150K miles. Should I be worried about reports of the bolts backing up on the cam gear and destroying the engine, or is that a rare occurrence? I also concluded from your video that these engines have a loud tick because of the rocker arm design and that is nothing to worry about. am I correct? Cheers!
The start-up rattle is due to low oil pressure. Sometimes it is simply because the oil o-rings under the valve cover (the two double o-rings plus single o-ring on each bank, that are included in the valve cover gasket kit) are worn out and not allowing pressure to build up. I inadvertently discovered that replacing these o-rings can make the startup rattle go away. Honest to god. Try it.
My 2GR was doing that. I solved it by adding rislone engine treatment additive for a while then used an engine flush additive before my oil change. Solved the problem. I'm assuming that the galleys were partially clogged
Frank, when you replace the spark plugs on an 08 AVALON, 1) do U remove the cowl, wiper motor, & gutter (as shown in most videos), or are you able to leave them in place? 2) Is it one or two brackets that you do not re attach to support the plenum? Thanks for ur excellent advice!!
Yes I remove the cowl wiper motor and gutter there are 2 brackets on the back the one on the left is more difficult - I recommend bolting that bracket fingertight to the plenum before installing it to make it easier to line up
What its the torque spectrum to reinstall the head bolts, and also the crankshaft rod to piston, I am working on learning and have same engine to work thanks for the video I really helps.
Frank: thanks again. Want to clarify... 1) The sensor issue CAN possibly go out all at once, & leave me stranded... correct? If plenum bracket is left off, 2) you think I will be able to change out the cam shaft position sensor (I assume you are talking about the drivers side sensor) as well as all the coils at a later date while leaving the cowl, rain gutter, & plenum in place? Also, I am a little nervous about leaving the support bracket permanently off (maybe plenum might get cockeyed?). As such, I wanted to ask you 3) if this were your car, would you feel comfortable permanently leaving the rear support bracket off the plenum?
The camshaft position sensor will not leave you stranded. The car will run with the camshaft code. The CEL will just go from intermittent to on all the time. The plenum support brackets are the thing that makes the plenum removal a pain in the rear. If you leave the brackets off then the plenum can be removed very easily in just a few minutes. In my judgement these brackets are not needed. I have left the plenum support brackets off several cars with no ill effect.
2grfe is a head code(right) ... Just like 1grfe is the opposite head(left) ... Am I wrong? I've been looking for a head for the front... So that's what I've seen. Also every parts place says right and left is based on the harmonic balanced... So left is left and right Is right... Not the opposite... Which is what u said.. 🤔
2GR-FE is an engine code. It designates an entire engine, 3.5-liter transverse V6 from Camry, Sienna, HIghlander, RAV4. 1GR-FE is a different engine. 4.0 liter longitudinal V6 in 4Runner. .Bank 1 is the rear bank in the 2GR-FE, aka the right bank. The front head in 2GR-FE is Bank 2, aka left bank. It sounds like you need to look for the left bank of a 2GR-FE, aka Bank 2 of a 2GR-FE.
I've had metal flakes in my oil filter the last 3 changes. I'm assuming it's accelerated bearing wear and will spin a bearing soon. My e154 has a trd diff and I thought maybe that it had a little rattle but what I'm hearing is probably the beginning of rod knock. Will be shopping for a short block soon. Very sad. Too much red line? Lost oil pressure during cornering? Don't know
These engines are tough as nails - but nothing withstands unlimited abuse or lasts forever. Sounds like it has served you well. Hope you can find a good one to replace it.
Hello, I have a quick question about the vin plate. I have a 2016 sienna and it doesn't seem to have the vin plate so that got me curious as it is only a US vehicle, any possible reason for that?
Great video. Are there any design flaws with this engine? I know it's common for timing covers to leak oil, but I've also heard that there is a problem with the cam phasers that can cause grinding noise on startup. Also, are the transmissions reliable on the ES350?
The first thing to do if your cam phasers rattle on startup is change the o-rings for the cam phaser oil passages under the valve cover. Often this corrects the problem. That said, there was a mechanical design issue that affected cam phasers on earlier production models, and this was corrected after 2008-2009. If you're asking about the U660E transmisison, it's reliable, but not bullet-proof if you beat on it. There is no specific issue that affects its reliability but constant abuse can lead to failure.
@@Merryfrankster_ do you have the part number or something so I can change those o ring under the valve cover ? I have cold morning rattle noise 2011 es 350 at 200k miles original owner. thanks
@@Merryfrankster_ do you have the link for the video? I have a 2011 Lexus es350 with 200k miles. I keep up with timely maintenance. Now it is making noise I think like cam noise in the morning. Is there recall for es 350 for cam noise?
Super interesting videos I have been looking to see if he has made one about the 2gr's Bastard lust child the 4gr-gse engine found in a 2008 Lexus is250 both engines look identical to me I know there not but I hear bad reviews but mine has 250,000 on the odometer and still in service anyways interesting content!
The 4gr-fse is nearly identical to the 2gr-fse - and both do have some similarities to the 2gr-fe. Valvetrain and oil circulation system are nearly identical on all three engines. But the big difference is the direct injection and the high pressure fueling system.
wow you are amazing thank you for vesting the time for us I have been looking for a video on why am i not getting suction from my vacuum line to the brake booster if you or anyone have an answer would gladly appreciate!!! 2012 camry v6 only the brake light goes on replaced... all sensors abs pump calipers brake booster at this point have been looking to find out if this car has a vacuum pump with no avail found a pump on ebay but dont see it in the car or any videos for this engine
The vacuum line for the brake booster comes off the back of the intake plenum. You can investigate if the nipple on the plenum is clogged or damaged. You can try to blow it out with compressed air - by blowing compressed air into the plenum through the nipple. You can replace the entire plenum. Used plenums are available for cheap.
@@Merryfrankster_ ok thank you! I'm not sure if I should or not. I don't think that hose leaks very often but I have heard of the wiring getting brittle and needing replaced. I'll have to look into it more and decide
Great video with detail explanation, One question thou, could you just remove the crank shaft bolt with a impact & bolt it back on like any other idlers.? After some reading i realize it should be torqd to 184 ft lb, during the process of removal if crank is turned anticlockwise does it affect the engine or valve train timing.?
They are both v6 engines. Some details of the valve train are the same. Other than that, different animals. The 3gr-fse has direct injection with high pressure fuel pump in addition to port injection. High compression pistons. Different intake and oil pan. Different bell housing bolt pattern. In my view more differences than similarities
All I know is this engine had a safety recall because the valve springs can break. If your engine had this service, it should be ok. Recall date 2010-07-06 Recall no. 10V309000 TOYOTA IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2006 THROUGH 2008 LEXUS PASSENGER CARS MANUFACTURED FROM AUGUST 26, 2005 THROUGH JULY 29, 2008. MICRO-FOREIGN OBJECTS IN THE MATERIAL OF THE VALVE SPRING MAY DEGRADE THE STRENGTH OF THE VALVE SPRING, POSSIBLY CAUSING THE SPRING TO BREAK.
Hello, I have an engine failure on my lotus requires which is equipped with this v6 with compressor. Five valve caps were found in the oil pan. How did we get there? Over-rev may have occurred when the upshift was blocked during full acceleration. Is the motor damaged?
Have you looked under the valve covers? You might find that rockers have come out of place, freeing the valve caps, and they fall down the oil galleys into the sump. In this situation, you lose valve timing, the valves stay closed, and there is no valve to piston contact. But there could be damage in the head from the rockers being flung about.
Frank thanks for the fast reply. I do the same (buying Denso) but saw at Toyo dealer yesterday printed on the coil "Diamond" brand (I was expecting Denso)??? I have considered replacing ALL of the items you mentioned. I am doing this myself. A few things... 1) could you please rank the additional replacements you suggest (ranked 1,2,3, etc.) according to your OPINION of their importance since I may not do all of them? 2) Do you think an advanced DIYer can change all of the items you mention / if not, which are the hardest (for instance, there are no videos on replacing REAR valve cover gasket, ONLY front ones)? I would rate my DIY skills at a 7.7 on a scale of 10. ALSO, (THIS HAS ONLY HAPPENED ONCE) in Nov of 2019 in 40ish Degree weather, the car throws code P0015 ""B" Camshaft Position-Timing Over-Retarded Bank 1". I tried to reset it and it said permanent but then went away after 5-10 mins of normal operation. Since it has only happened once, I dismissed it. Does this make replacng the cam shaft position sensor more urgent, or do you think it was a fluke? Also (in ref to the rear Valve Cov. Gasket) my car does not loose a drop of oil between changes. Again, I greatly appreciate your fast response (because NOW I need to order more parts) :-) .
Diamond same as Denso. In my experience camshaft pisition sensir can start intermittent then eventually go to constant on. Sounds like gasket is good so leave it. If you leave the plenum support brackets off then you can get back there very easily, so no need to do all at once.
Frank I have 2 questions. I'm going to be servicing the spark plugs on an 08 Avalon VERY soon (with extremely limited access to the back plugs near the firewall). The car has 118,000 mi on it and runs fine. The Toyo service interval is 120 k, but a Toyota service manager said I could go to 160ish k. 1) What is your opinion of how long I should run iridium plugs? ALSO 2) Do you recommend that I replace ANYTHING ELSE as a preventative measure as I'm changing out the plugs? I started out thinking that I might change out the rear (only) coils, but am currently thinking that I probably won't. What is your opinion on that OR any other additional parts you suggest that I change out (if any). In other words (while I have it all apart and I'm back there) would you suggest that replace anything else as insurance to try to avoid possibly open it up again? I would greatly appreciated your fast reply on this matter as I'm probably going to change out the plugs soon.
Believe me I know all about getting to the rear bank on a Camry or Avalon. Personally on a 08 Avalon I would replace the coils. The older coils of that vintage are less reliable and had more tendency to fail. The newer coils were revised around 2010, they are more reliable and less likely to fail. You might think about replacing the camshaft position sensor that is difficult to access. I have had to replace a few of those. Also without a doubt I would do the valve cover gasket. I've never had any problem with the vvt oil control valves and never had to replace them. If you are paying dealer prices, this all would add up to a pretty big bite. I purchase authentic Denso parts that are OEM quality and they cost significantly less.
Yes absolutely. This swap is difficult because of very tight quarters, but it is completely do-able. Check with DDPR and with Frankenstein Motorworks for their 2GR swap kits for MR2 Spyder.
I'm installing one myself using a 2nd gen scion tc transmission (eb60) and Frankenstein motorworks swap parts. You'll need to fabricate an access panel, runners for the the exhaust, and axle carrier. I have zero experience and can tell you it's pretty easy until you have to pay a fabricator. I have my build thread on spyderchat
The Lotus engine is exactly the same in all functional aspects as a Camry or Rav4. It runs on a different ECU with a different tune that is more oriented to producing power rather than fuel economy and emissions. You can put the Lotus supercharger on your Toyota engine, or better yet, get the Harrop 1900 TVS that has superior performance over the 1320 TVS used by Lotus and TRD. You will need either the TRD or Lotus pulley set to run the belt over the supercharger.
Can you explain how to order OEM sized con rod bearings on these motors? Dealer said there are stamps on the block that can be different from engine to engine and the stamped numbers correspond to a scale to order bearings. ?. ?? Thx
I can't explain it, but the service manual explains it, if you scroll down to the bottom of this page of the factory service manual online version. www.tsienna.net/inspection-614.html
Hi one quick question on timeline 15:34 you removed camshaft after taking out all caps then when you put it back 16:09 does that lobe have to point on specific direction .. Or it doesnt matter simply put it back and camshaft doesnt have any specific alignment or orientation.?..
This video was awesome! Out of curiosity, has anyone attempted changing the head gaskets on this engine while still installed in a RAV4? My 08 Rav blew a head gasket at 46,000 miles and I’m trying to research if it can be done without dropping the engine. The Haynes manual says the heads can be removed without engine removal but I’d like to hear from someone with experience in the matter. Thanks!
It had a broken ring land and damaged cylinder wall. Caused by a bad injector and ignoring he check engine light probably. Pulled it and replaced it for a customer. Never got around to doing anything with it. I may use the block as a core for a sleeved block and port and polish the heads for use on another car.
Hi Frank, thanks for the video, I'm a fan here from Melbourne Australia. Just a question, my customer has a LEXUS 2008 RX350 and it has a 2GRFE engine, do you think that I can replace the engine of it with TOYOTA 2GRFE engine and won't do any problem in the future.??
Yes, absolutely, it is the exact same engine. Depending on the year of the replacement engine, you may wish to swap the injectors from the original engine, and the intake plenum. An oil cooler with the "towing option" is optional equipment for some of these engines, and with this option there are differences in the oil pan and the water plumbing - just be aware of this.
Great explanation very straight forward, how reliable this engine im looking to buy 2017 lexus ES 350 ? I have read so many common problem with this engine should I avoid it and go for the 2gr-fks ?? Any recommendations that would be great 👍🏼
The 2GR-FE is a much simpler engine than the 2GR-FKS. If I had to choose I would go 2GR-FE. Most issues with the 2GR-FE were in early production (before 2010) and have been resolved.
@@Merryfrankster_ I went for a test drive I didn’t really like the car it was in a very good condition 1 owner but seems like I liked the 2022 Toyota camry in v6 a lot better thanks anyway and happy new year 👍🏼
It helps the ECU to filter out noise for the sensor signals. You can get one out of a junkyard, they are the same for nearly every Toyota. Car will run without it, but runs better with it.
Nothing is impossible, but there are some very high level technical difficulties to overcome when you do this. Not a question I can answer in 200 characters or less. In brief, all the systems of your car, ABS, Traction and Stability Control, Transmission control, are integrated with the ECU, which is not equipped to handle boost.
As others mentioned, I'd like to use this engine in a MR2. How do you recommend sourcing the engine? I've checked local marketplaces but I'm also considering getting a salvaged donor car.
@@Merryfrankster_ not really when you know what you’re doing. Plus the only reason it was in a scrap yard is because the car was crashed the engine is fine we went through it and it is perfect
I tried looking not finding much but i see the alternator housing in this video and thats piece i need i just dont know if its 1 piece my botttom alternator bolt housing is stripped so i need to change the whole housing that holds the alternator to the motor but i cant find it anywhere online so idk if its part of the motor or if its a separate piece
I am not sure what is the scope of your question - does it relate to engine wear (aging) or does it relate to engine design. The engine wears very well if given the proper care and it can go over 200,000 miles easily so it ages well. In terms of design, Toyota has gone with D-4s and Atkinson cycle and electric valve timing on newer engines for trucks and economy cars, so this would make this engine outdated because it does not have those features. This engine is also a real pain in the rear to work on because of the complexity of the assembly, but the newer engines are worse.
LOTS! Atkinson cycle fxe vs conventional Otto cycle fe, high compression 12.5:1 fxe vs 10.8:1 fe, some 2gr-fxe have D-4s port +direct injection, others port only like 2gr-fe. Not even really the same engine.
@@Merryfrankster_ thank you for the info . I have a Lexus with 2grfxe . I hope it will be reliable as 2grfe . There are not much information about 2grfxe . Even couldn't find good explanation about Atkinson cycle .
@@kavindugilshan Atkinson cycle means you have a very long duration intake cam that makes the dynamic compression ratio more like a normal car. But it gives a very long expansion that delivers more of the available energy from combustion into propelling the car instead of going out the exhaust.
@@Merryfrankster_ Ok. Thanks. I will use my articular endoscope camera to look. I searched and searched and could not find any 2GR engine with bent valves online.
@@derekkchung I've had a couple here in my shop but it's very uncommon. It's one of the reasons for having a timing chain instead of a belt - it prevents this kind of mishap. With a higher compression ratio, the 2gr-fse that you have may be even more prone to it than a 2gr-fe. if you do have a bent valve then in general when you rotate the crankshaft by hand it cannot turn past the impact with the valve. You can turn it backward and it will come back to the same point of contact. If you can turn the crankshaft freely then it is unlikely that any valves are bent.
@@Merryfrankster_ Spent one hr on it and could not even remove all wiring harness. I usually work on BMWs and thought Toyota is easier.... I will get to it and update.
@@Merryfrankster_ Check out video 4_ySLw1APpk. He has a IS250 so it is a 2GR-FE with P0390. bank 2 exhaust camshaft not rotating yet the engine is running (rough). That really puzzles me. A V6 can run with 3 cylinders?
