Properly Installing Toyota Tundra or Celica Engines

The main Toyota Tundra engine that serviced the design between 2000 and 2006 was released the same year one of the great Toyota Celica
Engines was released. This greatest of Celica Engines, the culmination of years of design work, including the perfection of variable valve timing, is of course the vaunted 1ZZ-FE. Less common among Toyota Celica Engines is the even higher performing 2ZZ-GE engine. These 1.8L motors pale in comparison size wise to the 4.7L 2UZ-FE Toyota Tundra Engine, but are none the less equally important. In this article, we’ll share with you tips on finding good replacement motors for your Celica or Tundra, how to investigate the company you’re dealing with, and hopefully save yourself time and money.

The first thing you’ll need to know is that you want to find a low mileage engine for your replacement. If you put something in with high miles, your Toyota Tundra engine probably will not last. Keep in mind that for many this is a work truck that is driven hard. While the 2UZ-FE is well constructed, low miles make sense.

When you get your 2UZ-FE, there are a few things I recommend always replacing in addition to normal maintenance parts. Check with the company you buy your 2UZ-FE from first though, because these things might void the warranty of some companies. The first thing I recommend replacing is the motor mounts, unless yours are in stellar shape (this shouldn’t void anyone’s warranty). Since your old engine is worn out, probably from age, I doubt this is the case! Go ahead and spring for new mounts to make sure nothing binds up. The second thing I recommend replacing is your valve cover gaskets and resealing your oil pan. Seals on engines wear with age, and it is much easier to replace them when your motor is out, on the stand, before installation.

You should do the same things to your 1ZZ-FE, depending on the mileage. Will last longer than Celica engines are much smaller than your typical Toyota Tundra engine, but the mounts still take a tremendous beating. Seals still break down with time and should be replaced as well. Internally, an eight cylinder 2UZ-FE with 40,000 miles should have less wear than a than a 4 cylinder 1ZZ-FE will. This is just the nature of a 4 cylinder engine versus an eight cylinder engine, all other things being equal.

You should always use from your old motor your wiring, bolt on accessories (power, alternator, air conditioning compressor, starter, fuel rail) when installing any of these motors because you know that your old ones worked properly. Always use your own sensors, because you know they will match your engine computer. Of course, if you had a failed sensor you could always try to use the one on your replacement Toyota Tundra engine. Toyota Celica engines are known for sensor issues, so it would make sense to scavenge as many of these as possible from both motors. In fact, you should go ahead and make this a practice whenever you do a motor swap. You must keep in mind that you have to match the sensors up, because they can vary by year model and computer type.