Some details of the 2AZ-FE engine

Gonna write this stuff down and post it so I don't lose it. Had
to wade through a lot of pages to find it. The 5th Generation Camry's
2AZ-FE engine (an advanced powerplant, by the way) is
the same engine that was used in the '01 Highlander SUV.
5th Generation Camrys cover Model Years '02 - '06.

The cylinder block is made of aluminum alloy. It uses aluminum
pistons, high-strength steel connecting rods and caps, forged steel
crankshaft, and, IIRC aluminum camshafts. The VVT-i only works
on the intake camshaft, not the exhaust camshaft. It varies
the timing of the intake valves. There are two intake valves per
cylinder and two exhaust valves per cylinder. Having two of
each increases the total port area, so more air can flow into
and out of the combustion chamber. As the manual's authors
write, "Intake and exhaust efficiency has been increased due
to the larger total port areas."

The cylinder head cover (not to be confused with the cylinder
head) is made of magnesium alloy for lighter weight. I think
cylinder head cover is synonymous with "valve cover," but the
Camry manual refers to it as the "cylinder head cover."

Since the manual doesn't mention what the cylinder head, itself,
is made of, I will assume iron, but just an assumption.

The cylinder head gasket, used between the aluminum engine block
and the (iron?) cylinder head is a steel-laminate type of
material. Any concern about electrolysis taking place between
the steel-laminate and aluminum?

When the service and repair manual says the dry weight of the
engine is 267 pounds, does that include the crankcase, crank,
cylinder head, and valve head with camshafts--or does the
weight only include the engine block without crankcase
and cyclinder head, etc.?

The crankshaft and camshafts are connected by a timing chain,
not a belt.

The oil pump is located behind the timing chain cover at the
front bottom of the engine, even lower than the crankshaft. The oil
pump has
its own short section of chain that's connected to the
crankshaft. Couldn't tell from the picture if this is a second,
dedicated chain, or just part of the larger chain that ascends to
the camshafts. Double overhead cams, don't ya know (DOHC) :-)

If I had to guess, I'd say the oil pump has its own dedicated
short chain that's separate from the timing chain, ie., camshaft
chain..

"Built_Well" > wrote in message
...
>
> Gonna write this stuff down and post it so I don't lose it. Had
> to wade through a lot of pages to find it. The 5th Generation Camry's
> 2AZ-FE engine (an advanced powerplant, by the way)

Advanced, in what way? Lots of comparable engines from many manufacturers. I
have a hard time thinking of any engine that requires routine valve
adjustment as "advanced." But I guess that is also a trend these days. And
since most people ignore the routine valve clearance checks, I guess it is
irrelevant. I was shocked when I found out my Nissan Frontier requires valve
adjustment. You have to love the chutzpa of the Nissan engineers. The engine
in my Frontier requires valve adjustment only when the valve noise is
objectionable. It is going to be damn loud before I'll spend hundreds (maybe
thousands) to have the valves adjusted. I assume the engineers at Nissan
(and Toyota) have designed the valve system so that the valve clearance
increases with wear - else you run the risk of burning valves if the
clearance goes too low (learned from sad experience on older engines).

> is the same engine that was used in the '01 Highlander SUV.
> 5th Generation Camrys cover Model Years '02 - '06.

It is still used today in Camrys, RAV4s, and ?

> The cylinder block is made of aluminum alloy. It uses aluminum
> pistons, high-strength steel connecting rods and caps, forged steel
> crankshaft, and, IIRC aluminum camshafts. The VVT-i only works
> on the intake camshaft, not the exhaust camshaft. It varies
> the timing of the intake valves. There are two intake valves per
> cylinder and two exhaust valves per cylinder. Having two of
> each increases the total port area, so more air can flow into
> and out of the combustion chamber. As the manual's authors
> write, "Intake and exhaust efficiency has been increased due
> to the larger total port areas."
>
> The cylinder head cover (not to be confused with the cylinder
> head) is made of magnesium alloy for lighter weight. I think
> cylinder head cover is synonymous with "valve cover," but the
> Camry manual refers to it as the "cylinder head cover."
>
> Since the manual doesn't mention what the cylinder head, itself,
> is made of, I will assume iron, but just an assumption.

Nope, it is aluminum.

> The cylinder head gasket, used between the aluminum engine block
> and the (iron?) cylinder head is a steel-laminate type of
> material. Any concern about electrolysis taking place between
> the steel-laminate and aluminum?

Nope, but be sure to use the recommended coolant.

> When the service and repair manual says the dry weight of the
> engine is 267 pounds, does that include the crankcase, crank,
> cylinder head, and valve head with camshafts--or does the
> weight only include the engine block without crankcase
> and cyclinder head, etc.?

Everything that makes up the main engine assembly (block, pistons, heads,
cams, etc.) but no oil or water. Probably does not include accesorries
(alternator, starter). May or may not include intake system. Probably
includes intake to the throttle body.

> The crankshaft and camshafts are connected by a timing chain,
> not a belt.

Common practice these days. Cam belts are mostly on the way out for modern
engines.

> The oil pump is located behind the timing chain cover at the
> front bottom of the engine, even lower than the crankshaft. The oil
> pump has its own short section of chain that's connected to the
> crankshaft. Couldn't tell from the picture if this is a second,
> dedicated chain, or just part of the larger chain that ascends to
> the camshafts.

Completely separate chain (referred to as the No. 2 Chain Sub-assembly).

> Double overhead cams, don't ya know (DOHC) :-)
>
> If I had to guess, I'd say the oil pump has its own dedicated
> short chain that's separate from the timing chain, ie., camshaft
> chain..

Correct.

Ed

Ed White wrote:
> Advanced, in what way? Lots of comparable engines from many manufacturers.
==========

Well, the manual, or something I read, said it was "advanced." I don't
think it was a case of self-promotion by the manual ;-)

You wrote, "I have a hard time thinking of any engine that
requires routine valve adjustment as advanced."

Well, it's not exactly routine. The scheduled maintenance
guide says to inspect the valve clearance after 120,000
miles or 12 years. 12 years is a long time.

When they say valve clearance, I guess they mean the
gap between the top of the valve stem and the bottom of
the lifter and/or tappet?

Anyone know if "lifter" and "tappet" are the same thing?

By the way, it's a shimless system.

Yes, the 2AZ-FE is still used today. I saw an '07 or
or '08 Solara with the 2AZ-FE, and the '08 Camry
owner's manual I bought off Ebay says the '08 Camry
also uses the 2AZ-FE. It's a very good engine. Toyota's
not gonna junk it anytime soon, I would guess.

By the way, that '08 Camry manual I got off Ebay says
the engine's drain-and-fill oil capacity with filter is
4.5 quarts. That's a whole 0.5 quarts more than my
'06 Camry manual says to use (4 quarts).

I thought maybe the new Camry might be using a bigger
filter, but without the filter the '08 Camry manual
says to use 4.3 quarts, again a half-quart more than
the 3.8 quarts called for in my '06 manual without filter.

Does anyone know why the two Toyota manuals recommend
different oil amounts for the same 2AZ-FE engine? That's
a big half-quart difference.

I have always put in 4.25 quarts, instead of the 4.0
quarts recommended in my manual, but do you think I should
increase it to 4.5 quarts, which would equal the
amount recommended in the new '08 manual?

Frothing probably wouldn't be a problem with that small
amount extra, but you never know.

Ed White wrote:
> "Built_Well" > wrote in message
> ...
>
>>Gonna write this stuff down and post it so I don't lose it. Had
>>to wade through a lot of pages to find it. The 5th Generation Camry's
>>2AZ-FE engine (an advanced powerplant, by the way)
>
>
> Advanced, in what way? Lots of comparable engines from many manufacturers. I
> have a hard time thinking of any engine that requires routine valve
> adjustment as "advanced."

Solid lifters = less reciprocating mass, and higher RPM potential
because the lifters won't pump up. The reduction in reciprocating mass
allows the use of lighter valve springs for less friction. Doing away
with the need for oil feed to the lifters reduces the required capacity
of the oil pump and therefore pumping losses.

With careful design and material selection, the required valve
adjustment intervals can be quite long. I don't think I ever adjusted
the valves on my old Scirocco; by the time I'd collected the required
tools and shims I realized that the darn thing would just keep running
indefinitely whether I adjusted them or not. (for some inexplicable
reason, VW went to hydraulics anyway.) I did have the valve cover
gasket replaced once while it was in my care but I can't even remember
if I asked the mechanic to check the valve clearances or not. (don't
remember why I didn't do it myself.)

nate

--
replace "roosters" with "cox" to reply.
http://members.cox.net/njnagel

Did I say frothing? I meant foaming--oil foaming.

The 2AZ-FE engine in both the '06 and '08 Camrys
is 2.4 liters.

"Built_Well" > wrote in message
...
>
> Gonna write this stuff down and post it so I don't lose it. Had
> to wade through a lot of pages to find it. The 5th Generation Camry's
> 2AZ-FE engine (an advanced powerplant, by the way) is
> the same engine that was used in the '01 Highlander SUV.
> 5th Generation Camrys cover Model Years '02 - '06.

This stuff is interesting if you have an initerest and understanding of
engines, but otherwise, it is not that helpful for the average
do-it-yourselfer.

>
> The cylinder block is made of aluminum alloy. It uses aluminum
> pistons, high-strength steel connecting rods and caps, forged steel
> crankshaft, and, IIRC aluminum camshafts. The VVT-i only works
> on the intake camshaft, not the exhaust camshaft. It varies
> the timing of the intake valves. There are two intake valves per
> cylinder and two exhaust valves per cylinder. Having two of
> each increases the total port area, so more air can flow into
> and out of the combustion chamber. As the manual's authors
> write, "Intake and exhaust efficiency has been increased due
> to the larger total port areas."
>
> The cylinder head cover (not to be confused with the cylinder
> head) is made of magnesium alloy for lighter weight. I think
> cylinder head cover is synonymous with "valve cover," but the
> Camry manual refers to it as the "cylinder head cover."

Toyota calls valve covers "cylinder head covers."
>
> Since the manual doesn't mention what the cylinder head, itself,
> is made of, I will assume iron, but just an assumption.

The head is also made of aluminum alloy.

>
> The cylinder head gasket, used between the aluminum engine block
> and the (iron?) cylinder head is a steel-laminate type of
> material. Any concern about electrolysis taking place between
> the steel-laminate and aluminum?
>

No concerns about electrolysis taking place between the head gasket and
aluminum, but you should stick with genuine Toyota coolant.

> When the service and repair manual says the dry weight of the
> engine is 267 pounds, does that include the crankcase, crank,
> cylinder head, and valve head with camshafts--or does the
> weight only include the engine block without crankcase
> and cyclinder head, etc.?
>

As Ed mentioned, "dry" means without fluids like oil and coolant. The
weight is for the long block, which is basically the entire engine minus PS
pump, AC compressor, & alternator.

> The crankshaft and camshafts are connected by a timing chain,
> not a belt.

Toyota has started to go back to timing chains on new engines.

>
> The oil pump is located behind the timing chain cover at the
> front bottom of the engine, even lower than the crankshaft.

This is a common arrangement for Toyotas.

The oil
> pump has
> its own short section of chain that's connected to the
> crankshaft. Couldn't tell from the picture if this is a second,
> dedicated chain, or just part of the larger chain that ascends to
> the camshafts. Double overhead cams, don't ya know (DOHC) :-)
>
> If I had to guess, I'd say the oil pump has its own dedicated
> short chain that's separate from the timing chain, ie., camshaft
> chain..

F.Y.I., an engine with 4 camshafts like a Toyota V6 or V8 is also referred
to as double overhead cams, or DOHC because the nomenclature refers to the
cams over each head.

Some older Toyota engines (and current domestic engines) have a single
overhead cam, or SOHC.

--

Ray O
(correct punctuation to reply)

"Built_Well" > wrote in message
...
<snipped>
>
> Does anyone know why the two Toyota manuals recommend
> different oil amounts for the same 2AZ-FE engine? That's
> a big half-quart difference.

The different oil capacities can be due to different capacities in the oil
pans, which are due to different shapes.

>
> I have always put in 4.25 quarts, instead of the 4.0
> quarts recommended in my manual, but do you think I should
> increase it to 4.5 quarts, which would equal the
> amount recommended in the new '08 manual?
>

No. Stick to the recommended amount in your manual.

> Frothing probably wouldn't be a problem with that small
> amount extra, but you never know.

It depends on how excided you get when you add the extra oil.

The oil is not going to foam with an extra half quart.
--

Ray O
(correct punctuation to reply)

Ray O wrote:
>
> Some older Toyota engines (and current domestic engines) have
> a single overhead cam, or SOHC.
========

Single overhead cam (SOHC)!!!! Well, I guess that's better
than using pushrods and rollers.

Built_Well wrote:
> Ray O wrote:
>> Some older Toyota engines (and current domestic engines) have
>> a single overhead cam, or SOHC.
> ========
>
> Single overhead cam (SOHC)!!!! Well, I guess that's better
> than using pushrods and rollers.

WHY?
Push rod engines have been around a LONG time. Toyota even agrees as
they built more than a few. (take a look under the Tundra V8s hood)

--
Steve W.

Ray O wrote:
> "Built_Well" > wrote in message
> ...
> <snipped>
> >
> > Does anyone know why the two Toyota manuals recommend
> > different oil amounts for the same 2AZ-FE engine? That's
> > a big half-quart difference.
>
> The different oil capacities can be due to different capacities in the oil
> pans, which are due to different shapes.
>
> >
> > I have always put in 4.25 quarts, instead of the 4.0
> > quarts recommended in my manual, but do you think I should
> > increase it to 4.5 quarts, which would equal the
> > amount recommended in the new '08 manual?
> > =======================
>
> No. Stick to the recommended amount in your manual.
>
> > Frothing probably wouldn't be a problem with that small
> > amount extra, but you never know.
>
> It depends on how excided you get when you add the extra oil.
>
> The oil is not going to foam with an extra half quart.
> --
>
> Ray O
> (correct punctuation to reply)
============================

Yeah, from what I've read online from reliable sources, an
extra 1/2 quart won't induce foaming, but a quart or more
is pushing it.