RodG said:
I?ve been doing a lot of research on this and here?s what I?ve found out.
I think this may be the best engine option for the MK1 out there. Good power and torque curve that comes in sooner then the 2zz and it relatively cheap.
However the engine has some oiling issues. In talking with the persons at MonkeyWrench they say that the engine pumps oil into the valve cover and it doesn?t drain back contributing to the oil starvation issue. The fix is to bore out the return galleys on the block and the head and this fixes the problem. About 60 dollars.
Also the oil pan has no baffles in the older models and when you go around a corner hard the oil moves to one side and doesn?t get picked up. Fix, new maroso oil pan. (it also holds two additional qts of oil) In talking again with MonkeyWrench one of their customers is running a matrix in autox and has done the boring out task and this fixed the drain back problem. Also he changed the oil pick up point and this also helped.
The one other thing that has come up is to clean out the oil holes on the crank and polish them. I don?t know what that costs but I wouldn?t think it would be too much. (MonkeyWreanch has done this for the Celica guys) Then use good bearings.
Also you should at least change the wheels for the oil pump to Circuit Works about 130 dollars I think. Or replace the Oil pump with I believe a Topa and there?s one other brand they use. The comment made was that these are made of pressed forged metal and if you starve this it returns to it?s former state( unpressed and unforged) This holds true with both the 1zz and the 2zz.
Also the corolla exhaust header would be the one to use as the down pipe comes straight down and takes a 90 degree turn and is one pipe. This would be true for both the NA and a turbo.
Also I do believe that you can use the c52 gearbox but you need to change the bellhouseing.
I still need to do some checking on this. Also the c59 is said to be the same as the c52 only stronger and it can be used by changing out some parts. If you use the SC gearbox you should be good as I?m told that it is stronger then the NA version.
If I ever get a job again I plan on getting a 86 or 87sc MK1 and putting this engine in it and turboing it.
Things that would need to be done to the internals to turbo this are change the springs, valves and seals in the head. Turbokit.com said you don?t need to do anymore. But I would at least port the head. You would need to replace the pistons to bring the CP down to 9 to 1 and forged rods. There was an issue with the early years of this engine with the rings but if you are replacing the pistons anyway this is no longer an issue.
Mr220v can do the wiring for you so it just about becomes a plug and play. He can also give you some info on the gearbox.
From what I?ve been told the best engine to get would be out of a Celica as it has been said that the valves are a bit bigger as opposed to the Vibe or Matrix. This has not been confirmed. For what ever reason they say not to use the one out of an MR-S. I think it?s because of the pre cat issues. There may be some issues with that ECU as well.
Also you want to get one without the Electronic throttle as that?s a can of worms to deal with I?m told.
All this being said the guys at TurboKits.com are getting 235 whp @ 7 psi on stock internals. They also said they get 275 whp at 11 psi on stock internal but if you do that vary much you will break a rod. If you rebuild the engine with new pistons and rods it would no longer be an issue.
You can find out a lot of information over on the newcelica forum. I don?t know if they still have it going on but they had their turbo kit on sale for 2500 to the celica guys on a group buy.
If I remember anything else I?ll add it later. Anyone need a Computer consultant/project manger so I can get started on my project car.
If you spend all that money on a 1zz bock you will be at the same price as 2zz engine. So that somewhat defeats the whole point of a cheap 1zz engine swap.
The 1zz or 2zz swaps in a MKI would be identical. Same engine mounts, same trans, same wiring. If you want power get a 2zz no need to make any changes internally to a 2zz.
The 1zz actually has a better stock oil pan than the 2zz. MWR sells a cheaper option than the moroso which is a slightly modified 1zz pan that even the 2zz guys use.
I say leave the 1zz alone. Don't open it. Done bore anything. Don't try to build it. The whole point of the 1zz is that you can replace it for $500.
There are a lot of 1zz turbo spyders running 8psi on a stock motor without any issues. It is important to get a good oil cooler and have some type of knock control.
I tracked a stock 1zz for 2 years at 10psi in 100 degree california heat and it never broke. It did have a good oil cooler, moroso pan, and a great ECU. That motor made 247whp at 13psi.
The 1zz would be a great motor for someone who wanted cheap reliable 130hp NA.
For turbo power I would stick with a 4agze.
