Overview
The story
A published reference describes the M family as Toyota's lengthwise inline six from the 1960s to the 1990s. It moved from a single chain-driven cam to twin cams driven by a belt after 1980. The 5M-GE made its US debut in the 1982 Celica Supra, and the 7M-GE and turbo 7M-GTE powered the 1986 to 1992 Supra. A published reference
The 7M-GTE was Toyota's top performance engine until the JZ engines replaced it. A published reference
Specs
Versions
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2.6L, single cam 4M-E A published reference
2,563 cc. 110 hp · 1978–1980
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2.8L, single cam 5M-E A published reference
2,759 cc. 116 hp in US form
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2.8L, twin cam 5M-GE A published reference
2,759 cc
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3.0L, twin cam 7M-GE A published reference
2,954 cc, 24 valves · 1986–1992
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3.0L turbo 7M-GTE A published reference
2,954 cc. 232 hp in most versions · 1986–1992
Figures
- Block and head: Cast-iron block, aluminum head A published reference
Watch out
Faults owners and the press report, and how to spot each one.
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Head gasket failure from low head bolt torque 7M-GTE
One source so far
Check: Look for oil in the coolant, coolant in the oil and smoke from the exhaust. Ask whether the head bolts were replaced and torqued higher.
PistonHeads says the 7M-GE is very reliable but the 7M-GTE has one prominent flaw: Toyota's original head bolt torque of around 58 lb-ft did not clamp the gasket properly. It advises new bolts torqued to 72 lb-ft. PistonHeads
Owning
Maintenance
Timing belt 7M-GE and 7M-GTE
Replace every 60,000 miles or 4 years PistonHeads
Ask the seller: Ask for records showing the timing belt was changed.
If it was skipped: PistonHeads says the belt should be changed every 60,000 miles or four years, and that the engines are non-interference, so should survive a broken belt.
What owners and buyers say
No source singles out a version yet, for good or bad.