V6 & restoration project thread Options

[K-ESD]

so the v6 came out of a solara, now solaras have a digital mile counter and we dont have digital, was that a problem. where is mileage stored, in the digital display memory or the ecu...

It always puzzled my mind...

I can answer that one.
The mileage is stored on the cluster's display memory. Speedometer and odometer are one unit. The ECU has nothing to do with the odometer afaik.

[frisp]

Sweet thread, just about to get a V6 on mine

[snapshotgt]

so the v6 came out of a solara, now solaras have a digital mile counter and we dont have digital, was that a problem. where is mileage stored, in the digital display memory or the ecu...

It always puzzled my mind...

I can answer that one.
The mileage is stored on the cluster's display memory. Speedometer and odometer are one unit. The ECU has nothing to do with the odometer afaik.

Nick, what did you do for correct RPM calibration? Have you gotten your speedo working yet? Any links to MR2 V6 swap info on RPM calibration etc would be great.

Just as a side note, the other shop messed with our current speedo (so its reading 4k RPMs at idle), but luckily - we still have the original unmolested one to work with. I believe he did more than just take off the needle ...like something with the electronics - not sure yet.

[K-ESD]

I sent mine off to "Mitch" from the mr2oc forum. He calibrated mine for a very good price. Talk to him, he's an awesome guy to deal with.

My speedo works and for some reason my sensor craps out whenever it feels like it. One day it works, the next it doesn't. Probly just a defective sensor, you shouldn't have any problems with yours if its good.

[njccmd2002]

what years engine are you guys using?

cause the 3MZ-FE features VVT-i. right?

2004-2006 Toyota Camry SE V6
2004- Toyota Camry Solara
2004-2006 Toyota Sienna
2003-2007 Toyota Highlander

[NaderG]

i been following this thread , and just like any V6 swap it keeps giving me hope with my car , i want to do something to it and the only Legal swap is the V6 .... its a bit more work than a 3s swap and i dont think i can do it. SO , i have to ask u how much did this project cost you ? disregard variation , just give me a rough figure of how much it cost ... and GL with the car , cant wait to see the final product !

[K-ESD]

what years engine are you guys using?

mine is a 2004 Sienna

[snapshotgt]

Quick update:

The car is essentially done. It will be going in for an alignment and rotate/balance in the next couple days. Just sent in the tach and A/C stuff to Mitch for adjustment - he should have those back fairly quickly.

[j0e_p3t]

sweet. can't wait till its done. you must be pretty amped.

[snapshotgt]

you must be pretty amped.

No, i'm feeling pretty settled and not very excited. Are you kidding - OH YEAH BABY!

[jgreening]

Update please

(not that I know one is due or anything)

[snapshotgt]

Jay, you're up to no good! Esp when i PM you updates!!!

4/2/08 Update:

Picked up the car last Wednesday the 26th. Carl and the gang are cool guys. I then left the following day on my 1000 mile drive back. About 2.5 hrs into the trip, the drivers side axle popped off in St. Louis. This was strange because we had used the EXACT same axle setup as others with 3s + e153 trannys. Once i got it to a shop there, they could see no damage was done. Then, Carl machined a .55" spacer and sent on the next greyhound bus. It was lucky that this happened there because i have relatives located in St Louis, and it was one of the few "larger" cities i crossed. After the spacer was installed, i made it home just fine.
Anyway, about the car...

PROS: All i can say it that it's pretty darn quick. The engine feels amazingly strong while you glide through the gears - torque at every corner - all V6 with no boost lag. It also sounds awesome - again, pure V6. The tone is pretty tame and not too loud when cruising, but when start it, or step on it, it lets you know who is boss. The suspension is pretty stiff now with sway bars, bilstein struts, F&R strut braces etc. I will say i have yet to really take it out and enjoy it on a curving country road. Hopefully i will get some time soon for this. Mitch did a VERY good job on the tach calibration, as well as the AC inverter he built us.

CONS: These are somewhat temporary or "smaller" cons. Right now, the car shakes pretty heavily when at idle (800 RPMs). This is due to my one piece poly mounts. I have a few solutions... First, i will probably bump the idle up to 900, or 1000 RPMs. I talked to Carl, and this should be ok. The other solution is to change the mounts back to rubber stock ones. Most likely, i will go with bumping up the idle a little bit more for cost reasons atm. My check engine light is also on throwing codes for the EVAP emissions system. This is something that probably will not go away. Its tough, and Carl did not know how it would turn out. The Solara gas tank is TOTALLY different than ours - its plastic and has all of its own baffling for the crazy OBDII sensors... So, if the exact pressure value etc is not reached, it throws the code. I also sometimes have a bouncing idle. This looks like a Solara/Camry issue because i see people report this issue on their boards - it is not really a big issue though...according to Carl. I will nevertheless have this looked at by a long time toyota ...well now ex-toyota service mechanic.

Current stuff: Right now, i'm going through and un-installing/re-installing the interior to match OEM quality. Things were not fitting too well when Carl got the car from the other guy. I am also deep cleaning EVERYTHING i install. Even down to the insides of the vents. I'm also looking for interior parts to complete the re-install. I'm either missing some stuff, or the plastics were painted poorly by this other guys... or they have been abused with bad scratches. So, i am slowly trying to repair my life.

Here are a few pictures of interior fun:












...


.....


.......

Oh wait, where are the engine pics?
You're going to have to wait for those! Yes yes, videos too.
I will make sure to periodically post updates here with pics. Right now, i'm all about getting the car back to daily driver status after 1.5 years of pain and anger.

This post has been edited by snapshotgt: Apr 2, 2008 - 11:35 PM

[bccentaur3]

Sweet!!! I can only imagine the pain you went through. But nice to see that the car is in running condition. Can't wait for the Vids.

[jgreening]

Collin, glad you made it home safely. Can you give some more detail on your driving impressions? Explain the torque / power band and how it differs from the stock engine. What RPM are you reving to? Does it pull all the way through the power band? Does the car "feel" any faster? If so (I assume it does), can you quantify it? Also, are you breaking the tires loose with spirited driving? What tires are you running?

[playr158]

bouncing at idle I would look at your Idle air control valve (if you have one) as a source of the problem.

Glad to see you finally got the car back and running! enjoy it

[njccmd2002]

thats special treatment. I did that too, and everybody thought i was crazy at home.

Are you going to tell us the recipe so we can put it in the cookbook. Meaning i want to know if you can def post the parts you used like in a list or somthing .

Please, like how you did the axles, wiring, etcs. etc. You know everybody wants this... I want it

[K-ESD]

Finaly, it's been like 2 1/2 years since you took on this swap.

Congrats, you made the right choice not to give up !

bet you're happy now

[DEATH]

Bad ass man - enjoy her and treat her right and the 1MZ will treat you right back. I never had an issue with my Camry V6 XLE other than axles giving out at 150K - should have been rebuilt by that time anyway.
Side note: I have all the interior plastic components in doublicate or triplicate. PM me with the parts you need. A friend of mine needs a GT front tranny mount - maybe we can work something out for your old one?

This post has been edited by DEATH: Apr 4, 2008 - 1:10 PM

[lagos]

congrats on getting the car back!

[Shigexile]

woooo you made it!! congrats man