7M GTE makes the list

Oct 11, 2005
3,815
13
38
Thousand Oaks, CA
Hard to believe they put the 7M in this list, its a 27 year old engine!

http://www.carthrottle.com/10-surprisingly-unreliable-cars/

It might be slightly unfair to categorize the 3rd generation Supra as entirely unreliable, but it does have one persistant, annoying problem: an insatiable hunger for head gaskets. Of course it also had other smaller less important issues, mostly related to complicated and impossible to repair electronic components, but it was blown head gaskets that plagued the MKIII Supra from beginning to end.
 

jonahs_supra

Active Member
May 17, 2011
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Lancaster, Ohio, United States
wow thats awesome
even though the BHG plague is there many people stick with the 7m(like myself)
never had any of my supra's break down on me on my long drives to work
for the motor being 20+ yrs old i cant complain with the reliability factor of the motor
 

jetjock

creepy-ass cracka
Jul 11, 2005
9,439
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Redacted per Title 18 USC Section 798
Meh, considering how long I drove it coupled with how few problems I had mine was the most reliable car I've owned up 'til now. And complicated and impossible to repair electronic components? They have NFI what they're talking about.
 

T3rril79

Member
Dec 10, 2010
246
0
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Huntsville Alabama
Out of the 2 years that I have owned my supra it has only failed to start once and it was out of gas in the yard then haha. I didn't rebuild my engine out of necessity but just for comfort of mine. Even now she purs like a kitten. I'm convinced that at least 70% of the issues with this engine discussed today are dude to owner error.
7m power for life! :D
 

T3rril79

Member
Dec 10, 2010
246
0
16
Huntsville Alabama
3p141592654;1879607 said:
Yeah, the electrical components comment was clueless on their part. In fact, in general the accessories on the mk3 are bulletproof.
I've since articles in "import turner" do the same type thing. I don't like it when someone's negative bias portrays a false image. It just makes it seems way worse than it really is.
 

Nick M

Black Rifles Matter
Sep 9, 2005
8,871
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48
U.S.
www.ebay.com
Toyota reported many instances of vehicles coming off lease at 40,000 miles with sludge issues… and the original oil filter still screwed onto the block. Hey, 40,000 miles without an oil and filter change will kill even the best of engines.

However, the issue is also a bit of a design flaw on Toyota’s part, although they’re reticent to admit it. The issue centers around the PCV (positive crankcase ventilation) system. If the car is only driven short distances, the oil never gets fully up to operating temperature, leaving a lot of moisture in the oil.

:nono:

As though not getting up to operating temp is the problem. That is why the oil and filter are changed. No change, then you have a problem.
 

radiod

Supramania Contributor
Dec 13, 2007
1,342
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Abbotsford, BC
I'd say the oil burning issues that the early 1zz engines have are way worse. For those who don't know, the 1zz is what powered the Corolla (starting in 98), the Celica (starting in 2000), and the Matrix. The issue that they had from 1998 until sometime in 2003 was the design of the rings and piston didn't let enough oil drain back fast enough so you would end up with oil getting caked up in that area and causing the engine to burn more and more oil over time. Doing regular oil changes with good oil would help a lot, but it's not uncommon for them start burning 1L of oil per 500 miles within the first 100,000 miles of the engine's life. And the fix is rebuilding with redesigned pistons/rings. WAY more expensive than a BHG. If you look at most engines you'll find some sort of a weak spot or flaw in it's design that you can nag on and point fingers at. Not finding one is an exception.
 

jonahs_supra

Active Member
May 17, 2011
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Lancaster, Ohio, United States
In the end and 20+ yrs later
The only common issues with a 7mgte(never played with a n/a) is BHG, stripped exhaust threads, cps wires, ball joint design and intermittent no crank/no starts due to factory alarm sensors behind door locks going bad

Well thats the basic issues i see and have had
 

MarkIII4Me

Project OVERKILL!!!
Apr 10, 2005
1,249
1
38
Charleston, SC
"APEX-i sells a 1.2mm metal head gasket for the 7M that’s a lot tougher than the Felpro or OEM gaskets."


Wait, Apexi makes a headgasket for the 7M?
 

radiod

Supramania Contributor
Dec 13, 2007
1,342
0
0
37
Abbotsford, BC
MarkIII4Me;1880116 said:
"APEX-i sells a 1.2mm metal head gasket for the 7M that’s a lot tougher than the Felpro or OEM gaskets."


Wait, Apexi makes a headgasket for the 7M?

They have some for the 1J and 2J, so the person who wrote the article probably just saw "Apexi Supra Head Gasket" and rolled with it.
 

ca91mkIII

New Member
May 23, 2012
126
0
0
Franklin
In the nearly six months I have owned my Supra, the only reason she has really been in my shop is because of my screw-ups or upgrading parts. I have the motor out now to fix a mysterious coolant leak and to build a high horsepower 7M. I'll have to let the writer of the article know how well she is still running in a few years with 500+ hp available at the push of a pedal. :)