Engine 2001 1ZZ-FE -- Rebuild or Reman ?

2001 1ZZ-FE -- Rebuild or Reman ?

So, this is nothing new to the most of you guys, but oh well, here it is again. I have this 2001 Prizm with excessive oil consumption issue and 142K miles on it. There are a couple of threads in the Defects and Solutions forum here with the same problem even at under 100K miles for the same year 1ZZ. However, I couldn't find a good solution to fix it. Like me, others have reported seeing no leaks or oil burning smoke out the exhaust, but still, it guzzles 1 quart every 150 miles for me and others have numbers that are close to this. My mechanic recommended getting a remanufactured engine for around $4500 with a 3 year 75K miles warranty. The other option is to rebuild it which according to his quote goes for around $3500 with a 1 year 12K miles warranty.

Now I know its not too much of a dilemma, and it is not a very bad idea to go with a reman with the better warranty, BUT, my question is, will rebuilding the 1ZZ fix the oil consumption issue? There was a guy on carcomplaints.com who said he rebuilt it himself and it did not work. That's the only reason I'm inclined to go with a reman, BUT, who knows if he knew what he was doing. And what would be better? Rebuilding 1ZZ with cool stuff from MonkeyWrenchRacing (maybe not all their kits, but most parts) or just going with the warranty of a reman? I would rather rebuild it for less, IFF I'm convinced that the oil problem will disappear, atleast for the next 75-100K miles.

If I use the heavy duty forged stuff from MWR and do not go turbo or street ricing, I'm guessing it will give me a looooooooooong engine life. I don't know if anyone has rebuilt a 1ZZ before, but if someone has, please post a list of all the parts needed for a good OEM spec rebuild. Digging a little deeper, does anyone know what is causing the oil to disappear? Is it just the rings or is it the oil seals and what not. Please share your expertise in this matter.

I wouldn't even consider upgrading internals until you have the leak fixed first. The one thing that comes to mind is bad piston rings. You can upgrade the pistons and rods at the same time, but I wouldn't do any heavy engine work until you're absolutely sure it's running well. Now let's end this topic. It's been run into the ground.

what's kind of oil are you putting?

If you are leaking oil, I suggest you go with a thicker viscosity, say 10w30.

10w30 would make a difference, even if it were a slight one. 5w30 is too thin if you have a leak. It's just making it leak even faster. Try 20w50.

try molasses

LOL34 Natural or synthetic? hahahaha

i heard as your engine gets older, the higher the weight of the oil. i know that around 75,000 miles, i switched out of 5w to 10w.

If you maintain your car very well, you can still run 5w30 no problem. You could even run 0w30. I'm still using it and I have over 115k miles on the car. I don't even have the slightest leak or burn of oil. Running a higher viscosity than the 5w30 rated on the motor will expose the internal parts to unnecessary wear and tear.

Yeah Jon, are you leaking?

Anyways, I'd still like to know what all will be needed for a complete rebuild so that I can get an estimate on parts.

no leaks.

there are no leaks. the oil burns off a little each month. i always put in a new bottle each month.

i had a new engine installed in 2004 that came with 65,000 miles. it's got over 100,000 miles for sure by now.