the v6 swap information thread, UPDATED 3/1/07 Options

[stephen_lee]

Quoted $7500 from the Doc.
a little more than the 3s. but i think it'll be worth it?

[My2Celi]

My input would be

You need:
Motor: 3vzfe, 4vzfe, 5vzfe, 1mzfe, 3mzfe
Transmission: V6 Camry, V6 Solora, Turbo Mr2, ES300 (E153 or auto)
Motor mounts: altrac mounts on all side except for front GT motor mount ill work, passenger side will need to have an adapter plate
ECU: best to use a Camry, Solara, or ES300 ECU or use a EMS
Engine harness
Misc: Custom Y pipe as said already on the thread, metal HG for 3vz users,
Axle: ??? <-- havent got there yet.

I know i'm missing more stuff but I will keep updated with my project.

[stephen_lee]

My input would be

You need:
Motor: 3vzfe, 4vzfe, 5vzfe, 1mzfe, 3mzfe
Transmission: V6 Camry, V6 Solora, Turbo Mr2, ES300 (E153 or auto)
Motor mounts: altrac mounts on all side except for front GT motor mount ill work, passenger side will need to have an adapter plate
ECU: best to use a Camry, Solara, or ES300 ECU or use a EMS
Engine harness
Misc: Custom Y pipe as said already on the thread, metal HG for 3vz users,
Axle: ??? <-- havent got there yet.

I know i'm missing more stuff but I will keep updated with my project.

i have an AT200, would the alltrac mounts work w/ the 3VZ still?

[My2Celi]

yup. Who else on here is doing the swap or planning to?

[stephen_lee]

i really think the swaps are worth it.
yes 4cyl are fun and sporty, but so are the right V6s
make sure they have a decent redline (3VZ !! )
and they'll have a much smoother feel,
a lot more power,
much more rewarding to mods,
all in all, the celica should come w/ one.
but then it'd be a supra

edit: i know supras are I6

This post has been edited by stephen_lee: Jun 4, 2007 - 12:10 PM

[Jeremiah]

As long as the total cost of the project is under a couple grand I think it's worth it. If it's too costly, I'll just buy a sportier car to begin with.

[praetor]

My input would be

You need:
Motor: 3vzfe, 4vzfe, 5vzfe, 1mzfe, 3mzfe
Transmission: V6 Camry, V6 Solora, Turbo Mr2, ES300 (E153 or auto)
Motor mounts: altrac mounts on all side except for front GT motor mount ill work, passenger side will need to have an adapter plate
ECU: best to use a Camry, Solara, or ES300 ECU or use a EMS
Engine harness
Misc: Custom Y pipe as said already on the thread, metal HG for 3vz users,
Axle: ??? <-- havent got there yet.

I know i'm missing more stuff but I will keep updated with my project.

i have an AT200, would the alltrac mounts work w/ the 3VZ still?

I'm also going to do this conversion... probably early next year the way things are looking at the moment

all this talk of different engines is confusing... im sure i'll work it out slowly

questions -

Is there a reason you have to use GT4 mounts? Or is just because they are stronger?
Does the stock gearbox mount up? I know it's going to be weaker, just wondering if it would fit at all
Any word on what needs to be done with axle's?
People are saying that ODBCII is harder to wire, but wouldn't all the sensors come with the engine? What extra stuff does it have that is so hard to wire?
How does drive by wire work? I'm assuming you need different pedals that wire into the ECU?

[6strngs]

So, if you got a 1mzfe from a 94-97camry, it'll bolt up to the stock tranny and you can use stock axles, right? Then you just need an ECU from a manual transmission, a harness, and one ST205/185 engine mount, and the cutom y-pipe thing, right? other than that, it would go in with no problems?

I know the S54 isn't optimal, but that's what people say about using it with a 3sgte, and people still do it. I would get an E-153 down the road, but to cut cost substantially so I could have it done sooner, an S54 could still be used, right?

This post has been edited by 6strngs: Aug 12, 2008 - 1:48 AM

[Legit94GT]

So buying the v6 is way cheaper than doing a 3s...hmmmm ($1,200 -1,800 3MZFE or $3,500 -4,000 3SGTE)

I know there is a lot more modification to do which is a but if the shop will do the v6 swap for less than the 3s swap then a v6 swap will do it for me, i just want more power:)

I hate not have a garage or tools:(

Great topic, nicely done with lots of info!!

[3SGTE-auto]

I have a Celica and it was a 2.2L Automatic when I bought it in 2004. It was so good for the first year of driving it. One day I was driving up a hill and I don't know how I did it, but i reved it past 8000 (it is an auto, so how did that happen>?) and ... boom clunk clunk... piston came right through the bottom of the engine!

I bought a 3S-GTE engine and mated it to the FWD auto trans, with an electronic trans controller, and been LOVING the car SOO much ever since!

I was seriously contemplating the purchase of a 6 speed auto trans (U660E). Will it fit? I can confirm that the bell housing will mate to the 3SGTE, so yes, i reckon it's a way to go. Gotta try it....

But now.... I'm considering a new V6 option: If I purchased a 3.5L V6 engine and trans, and wiring harness, would THAT all fit into the Celica? I can get the whole lot for about $5K... Thoughts anyone?

Also, how do you guys change the spark plugs on your V6 Celicas? aren't they hard to get to?

Cheers,

Damian

[palooke]

I have a Celica and it was a 2.2L Automatic when I bought it in 2004. It was so good for the first year of driving it. One day I was driving up a hill and I don't know how I did it, but i reved it past 8000 (it is an auto, so how did that happen>?) and ... boom clunk clunk... piston came right through the bottom of the engine!

I bought a 3S-GTE engine and mated it to the FWD auto trans, with an electronic trans controller, and been LOVING the car SOO much ever since!

I was seriously contemplating the purchase of a 6 speed auto trans (U660E). Will it fit? I can confirm that the bell housing will mate to the 3SGTE, so yes, i reckon it's a way to go. Gotta try it....

But now.... I'm considering a new V6 option: If I purchased a 3.5L V6 engine and trans, and wiring harness, would THAT all fit into the Celica? I can get the whole lot for about $5K... Thoughts anyone?

Also, how do you guys change the spark plugs on your V6 Celicas? aren't they hard to get to?

Cheers,

Damian

You actually have a fully functional auto 3sgte? Please give us some details on this setup. How long has it been operational?

[3SGTE-auto]

Dear Palooke,

I thought people on this forum might be interested. None of my friends find it interesting...

Well what do you want to know? I used the standard auto transmission, with the stock engine mounts on that side. I didn't have a flexplate for the transmission, so I had to obtain one with 8 bolt holes from the wreckers. Couldn't obtain one with large bolt holes, so I ended up having to drill them to be larger to fit the large 3SGTE bolts. Transmission controller uses some inputs such as speed and RPM to determine what shift points. The item that controls the trans was purchased from Transmission Control Solutions . They didn't have any maps for the transmission, so I had to create my own maps.

Yes, works just like it should! brilliant really. very powerful, changes gears reasonably fast. Unfortunately the 3SGTE is SO powerful that I had to set shift points at < 5500 RPM, because if you upshift beyond that RPM, it ... well it doesn't cope very well and takes longer than 1 second. That's why I was investigating the U660E.

I posted on this site because I was seriously considering buying a whole 3.5L V6 and trans. But maybe not a wise investment....

Keep in touch.

[palooke]

Dear Palooke,

I thought people on this forum might be interested. None of my friends find it interesting...

Well what do you want to know? I used the standard auto transmission, with the stock engine mounts on that side. I didn't have a flexplate for the transmission, so I had to obtain one with 8 bolt holes from the wreckers. Couldn't obtain one with large bolt holes, so I ended up having to drill them to be larger to fit the large 3SGTE bolts. Transmission controller uses some inputs such as speed and RPM to determine what shift points. The item that controls the trans was purchased from Transmission Control Solutions . They didn't have any maps for the transmission, so I had to create my own maps.

Yes, works just like it should! brilliant really. very powerful, changes gears reasonably fast. Unfortunately the 3SGTE is SO powerful that I had to set shift points at < 5500 RPM, because if you upshift beyond that RPM, it ... well it doesn't cope very well and takes longer than 1 second. That's why I was investigating the U660E.

I posted on this site because I was seriously considering buying a whole 3.5L V6 and trans. But maybe not a wise investment....

Keep in touch.

Truly impressive that you have it functional and the transmission hasn't died. The only other person who has had it work for a little while is Wannaee GT4, and his auto transmission died. If your is working and stable for so long, you should start a thread on mounting the 3sgte to an A140E, I myself would be interested, so would many others here.

[3SGTE-auto]

Dear Palooke,

Yes, I could start a thread on mounting the 3S-GTE to an A140E, but would there be much interest?

You are quite right, my transmission is an A140E. I actually utilised an A140E from a 2001 camry, and thus got a slightly larger differential! That's my little trick for the day.

Broken transmissions? tell me about it. I attempted to use the A140L (as this transmission doesn't require an electronic controller). Well don't bother. I swapped 3 of them in and out of my car one by one, as each one only lasted a month. Nope, I can't explain why the A140E works better than the L. Perhaps its because the throttle cable can be pulled all the way out constantly. Perhaps because it's electronic. or just perhaps I set my shift points at 5000RPM for Gear 1 - 2, and 5400 for both 2 - 3 and 3 - 4.

Well i swapped to the A140E in the start of 2005, and its now 2008, and i drive my car daily to work and stuff, so yes, it's been 3 years. I have to say that it's awesome to just touch the pedal and suddenly power forward... like as if the car is suddenly very light, like it weighs hardly anything. Really feels nice.

Anyway, I can't leave anything alone. I want to get a good look at this U660E bizzo.

Regards,

Damian

[BonzaiCelica]

is this not stickied?

[Smaay]

lots of mis information in this thread. I dont think it should be stickied. Im going to do another V6 swap really soon, as usual i will document everything and i think that thread should be the ultimate V6 sticky thread

[fatherof4]

lots of mis information in this thread. I dont think it should be stickied. Im going to do another V6 swap really soon, as usual i will document everything and i think that thread should be the ultimate V6 sticky thread

Please! I plan on doing a swap early next year and your 7afe build was a big help!

[kevin311]

I agree with Smaay. Just from what I've learned from Smaay and Kurt, and doing my own research, this thread has some misleading information. I'm looking to do this swap in the future for both the $$$ saved and parts readily available and easier to source (USDM=local=More logical to me). I'm looking forward to your next swap Smaay!

[Smaay]

i think im going to do it in parts.

Part I engine removal. this will be a sticky of its own and get referenced to

Part II V6 Install, this will start with setup, clutch requirements, wiring, ECU to use, SMOG requirements, etc.

Part III will be TBD

[CAcelica29]

i think im going to do it in parts.

Part I engine removal. this will be a sticky of its own and get referenced to

Part II V6 Install, this will start with setup, clutch requirements, wiring, ECU to use, SMOG requirements, etc.

Part III will be TBD

when is this happening Smaay? i