Why you should AVOID a TOYOTA with the 2AZ-FE 2.4 liter engine!

The 2AZ is NOT the engine you want to have in your Toyota!

Check out our latest video of this engine, we look inside with a borescope!

Taking a look inside of our 200,000 mile Toyota 2AZ-FE engine using our Xtool XV100 borescope and D8

[connor]

350K on mine. This engine is among the simplest to work on. Did everything myself. Only oil changes every 5K miles and changed the cover gasket once. Top tier engine.

[Jim-ropt]

I have over 288, 000 miles on my 2AZ-FE engine and it still runs like a champ. I did started using Restore engine oil additive which has helped out tremendously. Not sure what's so bad about this engine. It's a very reliable engine in my opinion.

[Sam-lxxm]

From my 35 year experience the 2azfe is the best 4 cylinder engine I have worked on.

[wes]

I have an 09 camry with the 2az-fe eng..482, 068 miles at the moment. Sure, it burns oil and there are things to do to mitigate the oil consumption, but I'm still driving it to this day. Original engine, transmission... water pump... drive belt. What other car can you say this about? I love this thing. And nearing half a million miles, it's still fun to drive!

[derekviars]

2AZFE engine is a great engine and typically operates into the 300k-400k miles. Change the oil every 5000 miles or 6 months to avoid issues and use a good 5w-30 oil.

The first issue did have a TSB and owners were taken care of by Toyota and they extended the warranties for those vehicles. The fix is fairly easy and an advanced DIY person can do the job. Time Cert repair kits were used for warranty repairs and did not void the vehicle warranty (when I was working) they were as good as the original, and I have never seen one fail or personally heard of one failing.

The bad piston design was mainly an issue with the oil rings designed to give better fuel economy, which is also why they switched the 5w-30 to the 5w-20. They made a special kit that included new pistons, rings, and squirters that included all the gaskets necessary to resolve the issue however that isn't a DIY repair.

While this engine had its issues... it is very easy to work on, depending on the vehicle it is in, and extremely reliable. When I got rid of my Dodge neon it had 424, 000 miles but I spent 10x the time and money on maintenance and preventative repairs than I would have on this engine. By the way, Dodge had a similar rear head bolt problem causing head gasket issues, the rear bolt holes were not deep enough from the factory.

Every vehicle manufacturer has issues, but at the end of the day, this is one of the most reliable 4-cylinder engines I have ever seen. How many 4-cylinder vehicles have you seen with 300-400k miles on an original engine with only regular maintenance?

Just my personal opinion.

[randomsurvival]

My 05 Camry has nearly 400, 000 miles and still runs smooth. Sounds like a new engine

[bmiller]

Keep the oil full and these engines last forever

[cwmoser]

Our 2009 Camry with 2AZ-FE currently has 106, 000 miles. We keep records and changed oil every 3, 500 to 5, 000 miles. I started changing the oil myself at 83, 000 miles using Mobil-1 Synthetic 0w20. It currently burns 1/2qt every 2, 500 miles, but when I change the oil it still has a nice amber color. We purchased this Camry new and the only maintenance is Gas, Oil, Battery and Tires, other than that I just recently replaced the Spark Plugs and Air Filter. Engine Bay looks brand new, no rust or engine leaks and Engine has never been washed. Always garage kept. So far this Camry has been a great vehicle. I'm "Toyota impressed" even if the 2AZ-FE is not the best Toyota engine.

[toma]

I tend to agree with your advice. Had a 2007 Camry that got the warranty repair at 85, 000 miles. It was using a quart and a half in 1200 miles per dealership test. The car was driven mostly freeway miles, 80 miles per day five days a week. I had regular oil changes every 4, 500 to 6, 000 miles. That wasn't good enough to prevent the oil consumption problem. After the repair the engine ran fine.

[AaronCookdotCom]

Have this engine in my 2006 Scion TC. Just turned 178, 000 miles and it doesn't burn a drop of oil. I always use Mobil 1 full synthetic for every oil change, and always do my oil changes between the 3k and 4.2k mile mark...no clue about the previous owner though (bought the car with 123, 000 miles on it already). I also run a full bottle of Techron in it before each oil change. With good maintenance, this engine will last and last. I'm nearing 200k miles and still average 31+ mpg on the highway. Bulletproof.

[noelj]

I got 239, 000 miles out of my 2002 Toyota Camry le before I sold it. I think I remember hearing only a small percentage of vehicles had the oil consumption problem. It was the best, lowest maintenance vehicle I have owned. Most of the parts were original from the factory when I sold it this year. Unless quality starts to drop off I don't think I will buy anything but Toyota. I did have to add a couple quarts of oil between oil changes but I think this was due to a leaky belt tensioner rather than internal engine damage. I had to add engine oil between oil changes to every vehicle I have owned. I did service it regularly. The vehicle started and ran like it did when I bought it back in 2005 at the time I sold it.

[billmyers]

Spoken like a true toyota mechanic! Very accurate material, I love these engines. Rebuilt probably at least 50!

[ExploreAuto]

2011 toyota camry 2.4 L, driven 207000 KM, never had any issue. For the last 4 years I just changed engine oil and filter. Once the Crank seal was leaking so replaced it and that too 3 years ago. That's it. This is a pretty good engine. And no oil consumption till now. Running good.

[valentinog]

223k miles on my Camry. I check the oil level and top it up every 800 miles. Runs like a dream.

[focusable]

I have a 2006 Camry Altise that my Parents owned and drove for the last 17 years until they recently decided to buy a new car, the engine has never had any of those problems show up, in fact, apart from the normal servicing the engine hasn't had to have any major work done to it, been the most reliable car my Parents owned, it's about to turn over 190 000Km (118 060Miles) hopefully it will continue to be as reliable.

[paulmaxwell]

My brother-in-law had a 2002 Camry with this engine. At 189, 000 km (113, 000 miles) the head bolts stripped out, coolant dumped into the cylinders and the engine was destroyed. It cost almost $9, 000 to get the car back on the road. The dealer swore he'd never seen a failure like it (Toyotas run forever!) but the Toyota mechanic quietly said he saw quite a few of them. The engine had always been dealer-maintained, had its regular oil changes etc. The engine was going to self-destruct eventually, no matter how well looked after.

[jedisentinel]

Got 155k+on my 05 Camry. Runs like a top. Every once it a while if it been sitting in the cold there will be a puff of blue smoke, nothing more. Keep up on preventative maintenance religiously.

[mikeszabo]

350k on my awd matrix, the engine has never missed a beat. ran 0w20 every 10k all its life and the only engine work was plugs and serp belt. otherwise thats it, it's still going strong, it's my DD work vehicle

[jonathanjw]

My son still drives our 2004 manual shift camry with almost 200k miles on it. The only thing I've had to do is replace a valve cover gasket and leaky radiator along with 5th gear repair with a clutch (which is apparently fairly normal). Still the best driving car I've got... It is a Japanese made car... Don't know if that makes a difference, but I love this car.

[ibrahimmohamed]

I have the 2AZ-FE 2.4-liter engine in my 2006 Camry. The car has 130, 000 km on the clock and has never burnt a drop of oil. I change the oil every 5, 000 km and drain and fill the transmission oil every 50, 000 km. I have changed the coolant and water pump once.