This 150k-Mile Toyota 2JZ Still Looks New Inside

It was bought for $250, and it's destined for greatness.

Photo by: YouTube

By: Christopher Smith

Aug 4, 2024 at 9:00am ET

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When someone mentions Toyota 2JZ, you probably think Supra. It's the engine that turned the Mk4 Supra into a legend, after all. But the 2J was used in a lot of different cars. This particular mill came from a 2005 Lexus GS300, the last year the sedan came with the old inline-six. And we get a chance to see just what it's made of in this I Do Cars teardown video.

If you're tuning in to see what kind of catastrophic damage led to this disassembly, prepare to be disappointed. It's not that you can't destroy a 2J—massive turbochargers are excellent at creating unwanted holes in the block. But this engine never had boost. It lived a naturally aspirated life under the hood of a base GS300, and there aren't many people hot-rodding those cars. Perhaps that's why it was purchased for the bargain price of $250.

The purpose of this teardown is twofold. For starters, it's nice to simply peer inside one of the greatest engines of all time. But it's destined for an IS300 project car, where the plan is to make more than the stock 220 horsepower. So this is an opportunity for a very thorough inspection to see if it's up for a performance-focused rebuild. And the results are clear.

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The engine had 150,000 miles when pulled from the car, but you wouldn't know it by looking inside. The head and camshafts look remarkably clean when the valve cover comes off. The timing belt is in great shape, though it's not clear if it's been replaced. With the head off, the cylinders look outstanding. So does the crankshaft, the pistons, rods, bearings, you name it. Even the bolts come free with little fanfare. This is indeed a very different teardown video than what we normally see on the I Do Cars channel. As for the engine, it doesn't even need any machine work. Just bolt in the go-fast parts and have fun.

This certainly isn't the first high-mile Toyota engine we've seen, and it probably won't be the last. The Japanese brand might be having some trouble with its modern V-6, but this video reminds us how Toyota built its reputation for making cars that just never die.