1j in cressida conversion.. what to look for?

[rshuwy]

im looking at buying a 1988 cressida mx83r with a 1jzgte, and R154 manual conversion.

its out of a jzx81 chaser along with the suspension and brakes.

what should i be looking for in a good example? what normally are the problems? what goes wrong?

and how expensive are any of these problems to fix?

how reliable are the 1jzgtes? i believe this one has done 80k.

any problems with the diffs? or rust?

cheers

[big_zop]

Firstly, have a search through and tech threads and other peoples conversion to get an idea of what is involved with this conversion. Not only will you learn alot for yourself, it will allow you to ask the right questions.

I have tried to answer what i know in regards to this kind of conversion. You will need to find more specific information in regards to other details such as general issues with the particular engine and gearbox.

Find out the details of the conversion - there are alot of minor differences between the Cressida and JZX81 so check what has been changed for the swap so that you can diagnose any issues. The main constitues are that the JZX81 crossmember and suspension would have been swapped into the Cressida, but apart from the crossmember to lower arm joint being a different diameter there is no actual difference in the physical components (unless there is a different spring rate from factory to suit the 1JZ). Wiring is another item to be changed and there are two main ways to do it: swap in the JZX81 engine and dash loom and repin the loom to the rear of the Cressida or just swap in the engine loom and repin the dash loom to suit.

Tthe main things you should be looking at (but not limited to):
- legailty of the swap, especially in SA
- all JZX81s were auto so it would have been converted in Japan so check what parts were used there (more than likely the manual X8 items but check because adapting others can have issues)
- on the manual conversion, check which box it is - can be either W58 or R154. W58 is the weaker of the two but can last if treated right, the R154 has its own issues but the main one is trans tunnel clearance. The R154 is too big to fit in the tunnel which needs to be widened to accomodate or the rear mount spaced down from the body
- all engine issues come from either lack of servicing or abuse. There is no real way to tell this, even the engine kms are not a good indicator. Main one to watch out for is overboosting the turbos as the ceramic exhaust wheels tend to fail - ditching hte factory dump for a slipt system helps reduce alot of the heat that is the main contributor to the failure.

The Cressida itself is a tough cookie, but things to look out for (again, not limited to):
- rear cradle cracking around the rear diff mounts
- general age and wear

[Brendan-m2]

Hi, with that sort of car and that conversion these are some of the things to keep a look out for that I know of:

With the R154, when you test drive it listen for sounds while the box is in gear and when your foot is on the clutch, generally a big fail point in the R154 is the thrust bearing.

As for the 1JZ check to see if it still has the Hydro Fan setup. If so check to make sure that there are no water leaks coming from the water pump, generally these are a big thing to go and take alot of stuffing around and time to replace. If the hydrofan setup is removed still check the water pump to see if it has been changed to a 2JZ water pump, generaly it will look alloy and cleaner compared to the old 1JZ Hudro water pumps that are black in colour.

Another thing to look for is whitsh-light bluish smoke coming from the exhaust on start up or after the car has warmed up, usually this will indicate a failing turbo seal.

Electrically check that the rear demister works as sometimes after a 1JZ swap from a JZX81 these seem to stop working, also check to make sure that the heater tap changes when you change the temperature in the car as this is also something that can stop working after a conversion.

All in all there are not to many problems with the 1JZ engines so you should be pretty ok there. Just do a quick check of everything and you should be ok.
Hope I could be of some help

[rshuwy]

thanks for the information guys,

i really want to be sure im not buying a lemon.

is there much difference in a 1st and 2nd gen 1j? i read that the 1st gens are prone to turbo failure?

cheers

[Brendan-m2]

Not really much difference, a few extra sensors on the second gens to the first (I currently have both) and the piping of the turbos looks alittle different, that said both gens have turbo problems but on my first gen engine I ran 18PSI on it daily for over 2years and never had a problem, you just need to have after market dump pipes.

[1JZ.747]

1j's are tough as fuck, mine had done 198000k's with 37 pounds of boost and a gut full of nitrous and still came out working perfectly, but it comes down to tune,

[mxracer92]

listen for startup rattle 1jz and 2jz are a bit prone to bottend bearing failure .. seems to be most common issue .. just try be there for the first start after overnight sitting .. see how long it takes to get oil pressure and if it rattles for more than a split second . just mention that .. BUT having said that .. they can still last for years like that and 1jz are cheap as chips , long motors go for about 400-600 and complete motors go for 1000-1500 so dont be scared to blow up a motor now and again !

[bungs]

Harmonic balancers tend to split apart on the olde 1j.

[rshuwy]

thanks for the advice.

i should hopefully be having a look at it soon.

as for as legality for the 1j

is it legal in sa? is it likely that the previous owner hasnt regoed it with that motor?

how hard is it to get it registered and regency passable?

cheers

[bungs]

is it legal in sa? is it likely that the previous owner hasnt regoed it with that motor?

how hard is it to get it registered and regency passable?

cheers

Legal? No.
Likely he hasnt recorded the engine number? Yes
Regency passable? Not hard, probably about $3000 of engineering and regency fees. Plus a few hundred for r33 brake upgrade.

[JZX083]

Hey man,
What colour is it and where abouts is it from, rego even?, just curious ive had my hand in a few of these conversions in adelaide.....
Cheers,

[JZX083]

Pm sent buddy,
I certainly do know that conversion. I did some of the wiring on it!!! Not the worst conversion around. But just be careful with the rego cause if i remember rightly it was registered as a 4 cylinder some how. See if it has been changed??? cause if it is registered as a 4 and you got to regency to approve the 1J there maybe more involved that just a few engineering checks!!!
Oh how much does he want for it???

[rshuwy]

i sent ya a pm mate!

[JZX083]

Hey man how did you go with looking at the car????