JoeIsuzu wrote: ↑Thu Oct 17, 2024 4:48 pm
My brief ownership experience with the 4ZE1 left me with an unfavorable impression. I may have bought the last NOS EGR pipe in the country, and it ended up with the classic blown head gasket. If I'd been game for another project, and if it had been 4wd, I might have considered a 4JG2-T swap, or even a 4.3 swap. But as I said, it left me with an unfavorable opinion of the 4ZE1.
Jack
I have heard horror stories about peoples 4ZE1 engines too. Overheat issues, head gasket issues, troubles getting the idle stable, AAV issues & some other things. We have all heard the horror stories of people experiencing the same repetitive failures too. When investigated deeper the truth comes out. The root cause of these type of failure is about 80% time created by the owner or an incompetent shop. 99% of the time root cause is overlooked. There is one thing I have learned in my 30+ years of turning wrenches is that people do weird things to their cars. The majority of motorist do nothing other than start the engine and drive until the vehicle makes weird noises & the check engine light come on. Only then does the owner ignores all of these symptoms until the POS car won't run anymore. I have noticed that when it comes to Isuzu brand in general there is a massive massive and massive amounts of inaccurate information about it. The amount of horrible recommendations & even worse repair ideas combined with terrible modification recommendations is endless as people simply repeat what they hear & read. I'm convinced that most if not all issues with this engine is mostly impart due to the belief the 4ZE1 is exclusive to Isuzu & its EFI system is ultra rare. careful, say that truth in the wrong place & you'll instantly become the village idiot. When anyone buys a dud vehicle its normally because the multiple previous owners created it.
There is a variant of the 4ZE1 used in another popular US vehicle. This engine is built in the same Japanese factory as the 4EZ1. It has a reputation of being a work horse. Another variant is manufactured outside the USA. It's one of the most sought-after automotive & marine engines in the county.
Anyhow i digress at times... It sucks your experience was a bad one. I think we all buy dud vehicles at least once in our lifetime.
This is excellent work. I might just bring my engine to you for the full rebuild and tune when I get to that point 200 hp would be nice for cruising around.
I like the 4ZE1 and I've never had any problems with mine. The 4.3 vortec isn't a fair comparison as it's one of the best V6's ever made. And those 4.3's don't last as long as the L31 5.7 vortec.
mja wrote: ↑Fri Nov 01, 2024 6:25 pm
This is excellent work. I might just bring my engine to you for the full rebuild and tune when I get to that point 200 hp would be nice for cruising around.
I like the 4ZE1 and I've never had any problems with mine. The 4.3 vortec isn't a fair comparison as it's one of the best V6's ever made. And those 4.3's don't last as long as the L31 5.7 vortec.
Best V6 ever built debate is never ending.
The 4.3L is a great engine despite is outdated 1950s era technology and mid 1980s TB fuel injection system. My pick for the best V6 is the Alfa Romeo "Busso" V6 & the Mitsubishi 6G series V6 engines.
When you are ready for your 200 HP 2.6L let me know.
I may have the new performance carbureted 2.6L engine ready by then. 250HP using 4 Zenith side draft SU type carburetors
The cyclone V6 is a good one. Without getting into too much about random engines, the last iterations of the SBC based 4.3 with MPFI in Silverados and Express vans are best (up to mid/late 00s) and the late Mercury marine 4.3's are even better with true fuel rails and proper port injection. They take supercharging and turbos better than their 5.7 counterpart.
A carbureted 250 hp 4ZE1 sounds like something to wait and see about
MerCruiser Alpha 1 stern drive with a 4.3L V6 with SMPI / M-iEFI behind it was a dam good combination. Man, how could i have forgotten about them?
The Isuzu 3.2L & 3.5L V6 used in 1992 and up Troopers and Rodero share the Cyclone engine block. Isuzu made the crankshafts for both themself, Mitsubishi & a few other manufactures. This winter I begin assembling the carb 250HP 2.6L
mja wrote: ↑Wed Nov 06, 2024 9:45 pm
Interesting... I didn't know that about the cyclone V6. Share pictures of the high hp 4ZE1! (250 HP is same as a stock L31 vortec SBC 350)
4ZE1 engine and its variants have reached up to 400HP. Although I don't believe that 400hp version lasted long. 250HP to 300HP-ish is the most common rating I have found throughout research. Many of the parts I am using for the 250HP version are shared with the 200HP version. For the 250HP version I currently only have a pile of parts. Some I have made, some are modified parts from other manufactures, some are 70 years old & require a complete rebuild. when i start assembling this engine I will make a new thread for it,
200 hp would be nice for cruising around.