Hey,

I was under the assumption that the 4runner, sequoia, land cruiser, lx470 and gx470 had the same motor. The 2UZFE!!?!?!?!

But looking at used motors (for no reason in particular) I see that the folks on ebay make a distinction as follows:

4runner and GX470 are interchangeable.
land cruiser, LX470 and Sequoia are interchangeable.

I have bout about a couple dozen land cruisers and LX470 and from the looks of the motors, I feel like my 4runner has the same motor. But maybe something is different? If it is something significant I might be disappointed. I bought this v8 cause I've seen the LX470 and LC go 200-350k miles consistently.

From what I've been told: the engines built in Japan were different from the ones built elsewhere because they had stronger internals and block. Also, the 4runner engines have different exhaust manifolds because of the smaller space they had to squeeze the engine into.

The 4runner engine is actually the desireable one...you just gotta fix those manifolds which would be a piece of cake with the engine out of the truck.

I believe the Tundra motors were made in the US. The US models used lower quality connecting rods vs the Japanese made engines. The 4Runner engine has different exhaust manifolds.

LC, LX470, 4runner, and GX470 have same engine. Tundra and Sequoia have same engine but built here If im not mistaken.. only difference is what years they got VVTI and materials used on rods. Japan made engines have forged rods from what i understand..

Sequoia and Tundra were built here in the U.S. The 4Runner has smaller manifolds and an electronic throttle and were made in Japan.

The issue is that one of the reasons the TRD Supercharger kit was discontinued on the Tundra & Sequoia 4.7L was due to multiple engine failures at even recommended boost levels. I have not heard many people with 4Runner, Land Cruiser, or LX470 2UZ-FE having engine failures on their vehicles; but then again I haven't heard that many people running superchargers on their V8's either.

The weak link was found to be the Connecting Rods, as the early 1UZ-FE engines were very stoutly built, while progressively later engines had thinner connecting


Now some people theorize and suspect that the issue is that the US built 2UZ-FE engines utilize a different metallurgical formula in their rods that predisposes them to fracture/failure more readily than the Japanese built 2UZ-FE. According to Toyota literature, both use Sintered and Forged Connecting Rods; this means that the rods are forged from powdered metal being compacted and forged into shape.

Whether or not its true, I can't really say. Perhaps its a urban legend perpetuated by the often justified belief that American products are of typically lower or shadier quality than other countries such as the Germans and Japanese, or perhaps there's just a feeling of superiority of having that JDM tag attached. I couldn't tell you for sure, but I honestly wouldn't doubt that the American quality being suspect is the reason, I've seen enough Domestic cars and their "quality" to know better than to brush that off.

That being said, the engines should be rather identical in terms of the core components themselves. You will want a newer (stick with '02+) 2UZ-FE as I believe the earliest examples in the LC100's are not electronic throttle body. You will also want to make sure you stay with a Non-VVTi engine if you do not have it currently as it will require a new PCM and possible wiring harness to make work.

The main differences between the 4Runner & other 2UZ-FE's is going to be the exhaust manifold and engine brackets as the 2UZ-FE in our trucks are shoehorned in there and needed as much space as possible. The 120 platform is a much smaller frame than the full sized ones used in the Tundra/Sequoia and LC/LX470.

Ideally you want a 4Runner V8, but you should be okay with a newer 2UZ-FE provided you research which parts need to be replaced such as the exhaust manifolds and such.

Thanks for all the info, I actually am not in need of a motor, just wondering why i saw different interchangability between the various models when I thought the motor was the same.

And while we are at it, I have a 04 Sr5 v8. Does that mean I have VVTi? Is it as simple as looking at the motor for a badge?

VVTi came out in 05 for v8. Toyota 4Runner History 2005

Its the same motor but built to a different specification. Tundra and Sequoia 2UZFE's are American made for the North America market, they made slight changes to make them more suitable in a fullsize platform and be more competitive in the markets they were new it. While the 4runner, LC, and Lexus were already established in their markets and sold around the world it made sense to continue production in Japan.