Rare failure. No engine is perfect 3MZ is as good as it gets.

 

This is the engine I had in my 2006 Camry SE. Not very much power, but smooth. I sold it to my mechanic and he's driving it right now. Over 200k on it, only thing he had to do was change the gaskets due to a small oil leak on the manifold. Still has the original starter and alternator

 

Should have kept that car in the family. The 3MZ in my hybrid is fast, just as fast as most 2GR Toyota's. And it doesn't leak oil, no VVTi rattle, no premature water pump failures. I change oil every 3000-5000 miles this preserves gaskets and seals, again zero leaks after 250,000+ miles.

I really dislike whataboutisms that are not in fact equal, the 3MZ broken valve is a rare failure that will be fixed when you replace the valve. UR engine has an inherent flaw with the head design there is no fixing the flaw by replacing any parts.

 

I would take so many other engine before one but that's probably fair it's Toyotas best. If you don't have the annoying issues happen etc but that's true of anything

 

Whats the flaw? The UR just seems sensitive to maintenance and the valley plate, I would ever want an MZ over UR engine if I could choose for sure!

However that said I went away from Toyota in general when I realized how reliable other options are if you aren't an idiot owner

 

Just to be clear and to ensure I am not misunderstanding your comment. I have multiple Toyotas, and I love them (including a Tundra, which you seem to have extra hate for). Does that make me an idiot in your mind?

 

No I meant there are engines that if you aren't stupid are perfectly able to get 500k miles but if you ARE stupid they will die before 100k. Toyotas are very resistant/designed for stupid/typical owners so they don't often have neglect related issues. The flip side I've noticed after seeing hundreds is that owner care almost doesn't matter and they will fail the same ways at the same timeframes regardless of what you do.

I hate that.

The alternatives however require you to be far more attentive/will punish you for doing stupid things like driving on a check engine light or known suspension issues. However they will basically work indefinitely if you follow their requirements

 

Okay, thank you.

 

It was time to give her up, just don't have the room. It's in very good hands now, and I still see it when I bring my cars in for maintenance

 

In 109k miles, my F-150's V8 has only needed a starter and a radiator hose o-ring. The starter went out around 70k. The o-ring maybe a year later. I've spent less than $400 on repairs. Everything else I've spent has been on regular maintenance(synthetic oil changes at 10k, coolant at 100k, brakes as needed, etc) or on repairing damage I've done to it on the trail.

 

3MZ ain't better than the original UZ V8, come on guys. But it is a lovely engine, I agree.

Very smooth and refined, but no more so than a Honda V6 J-Series.

Nothing touched the UZ for smoothness and refinement, as refined as that 3MZ was.

 

I would certainly rank it above a J series for many reasons, but the J is far more fun to drive

 

J V6 was absolutely smooth as silk, plus the VTEC boost. Other people than me would burn the clutch in my old TL when they drove it bc the engine was so smooth, they couldn't tell it was revving way too high to take off.

Not nearly as much torque though as the Yota V6, I agree.

 

I'm talking about reliability not refinement*, of course the 1UZ is smoother it's the perfect V8 engine. Small displacement, perfectly balanced. Lexus/Toyota missed a big opportunity they should have stuffed the 1UZ into a lightweight sports car. 86's and Nissan's with this engine are incredible to drive plus the 1UZ sounds terrific with a more open exhaust and intake.

* I never said the 3MZ was more reliable than the UZ.

 

To be fair the SC400 was more than fast for its time with the LS400's V8.

I thought you were talking about overall engine vs. engine. I'd have to give it to the Lexus V8, especially when it picked up VVT. But it's just opinion versus opinion..