Imported engine swap 5S-FE Options

[gts4]

Found out my water pump and head gasket are bad. I was quoted less to buy an engine than to take my chances on the repairs, $700 + $300 labour. I'm going to replace the engine with an imported one at (hopefully) around 70k. Any tips on ensuring the longevity of this one? I put on 50k per year.

Thanks!










This post has been edited by gts4: Jun 26, 2012 - 4:06 PM

[hjesse11]

If you dont know how to change the plug wires, cap, and rotor, then i wouldnt even attempt the thermostat.

[Smaay]

its really not that difficult. 2 screws hold the cap on, 2 screws hold the rotor on. the plug wires are a no brainer. the thermostat is another story. is this a 5S or 7A?

[gts4]

If you dont know how to change the plug wires, cap, and rotor, then i wouldnt even attempt the thermostat.

More like if you don't have anything useful to say, don't bother posting. It's called learning. Try it sometime.

[gts4]

its really not that difficult. 2 screws hold the cap on, 2 screws hold the rotor on. the plug wires are a no brainer. the thermostat is another story. is this a 5S or 7A?

Am I draining coolant in order to work on the thermostat? It's a 5s, 2.2.

[richee3]

Thermostat is easy. Where the lower radiator hose fits on the motor, that's the thermostat housing. Two 10 mm bolts hold it on and as I recall, you'll need a long extension. I can't remember if the dipstick tube is bolted to the thermostat housing or not. It's all pretty self explanatory once you see it.

[Smaay]

^^^ i think you have to move the alternator out of the way. im not 100% sure. its been a while

[199celica]

you don't have to move the alternator i just performed this last month because mine was leaking, make sure the car is cold and has no pressure in the system on the very bottom of the radiator is going to be a white little plug you turn that counter clock wise make sure to have a bucket or something that you could use to dispose of the coolant, wait for it to drain for a little while i just did a coolant flush while i was doing this but if you don't want to then just do it enough to fill the bottom of a nice sized bucket take off the hose clamps which i believe richee3 was speaking of you will spill a little bit of coolant but if it keeps spewing out drain a little more out of the bottom use a long extension and a swivel head socket its a pain to get these nuts off because of there position and becareful not to strip them because if you do its a pain to get vice grips in there, once you pull the thermostat housing off it sits in the block pull it out put your new one in, make sure you have the rubber gasket that goes around the new one my retarded friend said i didn't need it and the coolant leaked everywhere once you have it back in i suggest a little bit of fipg around the mating area of the thermostat housing and the block but don't use to much just a little film, put it all back together in backwards steps close everything back up fill the radiator back up leave the radiator cap off start the car let it get warm and wait for it to burp the little air bubbles add coolant as needed and then put the radiator cap back on and enjoy your new thermostat. sorry if it was lengthy just trying to help.

[gts4]

you don't have to move the alternator i just performed this last month because mine was leaking, make sure the car is cold and has no pressure in the system on the very bottom of the radiator is going to be a white little plug you turn that counter clock wise make sure to have a bucket or something that you could use to dispose of the coolant, wait for it to drain for a little while i just did a coolant flush while i was doing this but if you don't want to then just do it enough to fill the bottom of a nice sized bucket take off the hose clamps which i believe richee3 was speaking of you will spill a little bit of coolant but if it keeps spewing out drain a little more out of the bottom use a long extension and a swivel head socket its a pain to get these nuts off because of there position and becareful not to strip them because if you do its a pain to get vice grips in there, once you pull the thermostat housing off it sits in the block pull it out put your new one in, make sure you have the rubber gasket that goes around the new one my retarded friend said i didn't need it and the coolant leaked everywhere once you have it back in i suggest a little bit of fipg around the mating area of the thermostat housing and the block but don't use to much just a little film, put it all back together in backwards steps close everything back up fill the radiator back up leave the radiator cap off start the car let it get warm and wait for it to burp the little air bubbles add coolant as needed and then put the radiator cap back on and enjoy your new thermostat. sorry if it was lengthy just trying to help.

This is good, thanks. I only got around to changing it today. I was wondering about using a sealant between the thermo gasket and thermo housing (metal part with two bolts). My old gasket looked sealed - what should I use? I cleaned all the old sealant with a flathead screwdriver but I'm not sure what I should apply on it now. Ideas? I don't have FIPG, I wanted to know if you know of a replacement I can use. Thanks.

This post has been edited by gts4: Jun 24, 2012 - 10:40 AM

[199celica]

really any black silicone from say autozone or pepboys. my procedure is using a razor blade to clean the surfaces because you don't want to scratch the block up to much. oh and another thing for the gasket that goes around the thermostat use a grease or what i used was vaseline basically any petroleum product helps.

[Syaoran]

I didn't use anything when I did mine. With the thermostat seal correctly in place you shouldn't have any leaks. The ring has an indentation in it that should be wrapped around the big plate around the end that goes facing the housing. Put that in correctly and tighten down the nuts by hand. Fill with coolant and check for leaks. You should be good to go.


I did my thermostat with a small (1/4") ratchet and 10mm socket, and 10mm small wrench. I removed the oil filter to do so, then put it back on when I was finished.

[gts4]

I didn't use anything when I did mine. With the thermostat seal correctly in place you shouldn't have any leaks. The ring has an indentation in it that should be wrapped around the big plate around the end that goes facing the housing. Put that in correctly and tighten down the nuts by hand. Fill with coolant and check for leaks. You should be good to go.


I did my thermostat with a small (1/4") ratchet and 10mm socket, and 10mm small wrench. I removed the oil filter to do so, then put it back on when I was finished.

This is exactly how I did it, it was easy to access. I had removed the rad though, because I had a blown rad hose and the coolant evaporated. For the left bolt, the 1/4" 10mm socket worked with a small extension though. The right was a 10mm wrench with the oil filter off. I fit the gasket on the indentation around the thermo no problem, but is it supposed to be sealed on the side to the housing? Mine was stuck to the housing when I took out the old one. But now, it seems like it'd just fall out or get stuck to the other part left on the block (for lack of a better term) if I unbolted it again. Thanks for everyone's input.

[Syaoran]

Yeah, I also used a 3" extension I think it was, as well. Yes, it is supposed to seal like that, just like the valve cover seals in a similar fashion. Sure, you can go ahead and use some additional silicone, just like the valve cover, but I didn't need to on mine. No leaks as of yet.

[gts4]

Yeah, I also used a 3" extension I think it was, as well. Yes, it is supposed to seal like that, just like the valve cover seals in a similar fashion. Sure, you can go ahead and use some additional silicone, just like the valve cover, but I didn't need to on mine. No leaks as of yet.

Thanks. Check out the pics in the original post. Where can I find the heater core? I was reading that it might be a good idea to replace it also.

[Galcobar]

On the valve cover, Toyota calls for use of form-in-place gasket at specific points. There is no call for sealant on the thermostat, and if there's one system where I'd be worried about tiny little bits of vulanzied rubber breaking off and getting stuck somewhere, it's the cooling system. Of course, you should replace the gasket at the same time as replacing your thermostat.

Do NOT use any petroleum grease on the thermostat gasket -- Vaseline is a petroleum derivative. Many petroleum distillates degrade synthetic rubber, and Vaseline contains rubber-damaging distillates (which is why you don't lubricate condoms with Vaseline).

The thermostat can be changed without moving the alternator out of the way. However, the AC can be a problem if you have it. You will have to replace the coolant lost when you undo the hose, and then properly bleed the system.

You mention replacing the radiator and an upper hose, but not bleeding the system to get air out. This will lead to issue with cooling.

Heater core is behind the glove box. If you get hot air from the HVAC then replacing the heater core would be pointless.

[gts4]

On the valve cover, Toyota calls for use of form-in-place gasket at specific points. There is no call for sealant on the thermostat, and if there's one system where I'd be worried about tiny little bits of vulanzied rubber breaking off and getting stuck somewhere, it's the cooling system. Of course, you should replace the gasket at the same time as replacing your thermostat.

Do NOT use any petroleum grease on the thermostat gasket -- Vaseline is a petroleum derivative. Many petroleum distillates degrade synthetic rubber, and Vaseline contains rubber-damaging distillates (which is why you don't lubricate condoms with Vaseline).

The thermostat can be changed without moving the alternator out of the way. However, the AC can be a problem if you have it. You will have to replace the coolant lost when you undo the hose, and then properly bleed the system.

You mention replacing the radiator and an upper hose, but not bleeding the system to get air out. This will lead to issue with cooling.

Heater core is behind the glove box. If you get hot air from the HVAC then replacing the heater core would be pointless.

Great. I get hot air, so I won't replace the heater core. How do I properly bleed the system, without having coolant spray from the radiator cap once undone? What damage will I do when I drive with coolant and air? My coolant reservoir (where I normally add coolant) is full - should I still top up my radiator? I did not use a gasket sealant, just kept it in place with the thermostat housing bolted on top of it. Thanks!

[Galcobar]

Coolant reservoir -- full, or filled to the FULL line? Big difference.

You bleed the cooling system with the radiator cap off because without the cap, the system never pressurizes and thus does not spray.

Position the car with the front wheels elevated about six inches. I found a sloped driveway the easiest solution to this, though jack stands are an alternative method. Properly, you should fill the engine first, then the radiator -- it's not an absolute requirement since it's not an aluminum engine, but it's a good idea. Easiest way to do that is to slowly pour coolant down the upper hose into the engine (disconnect it from the radiator first, of course). Fill the overflow bottle to the proper FULL line.

Once everything is filled, set the car into Park with the parking brake engaged, then start the car and let it warm up. Set the HVAC to full heat, no recirculation with maximum fan. You can rev the engine to speed up the process, if you have someone available to sit in the cabin while you continue adding coolant to the radiator. Keep adding coolant to the radiator until it stops dropping. Then shut the engine off and install the radiator cap. Make sure the overflow bottle is properly connected so that the system pulls in coolant as the temperature drops rather than air.

[trdproven]

look for consistent flow in the coolant, not bubbling. heat on lower and upper hoses should be similar, one should not be significantly cooler than the other. if you are getting bubbling extremely, and fluid doesn't go down, thats a sign of a bad head gasket. but im sure this was not the problem prior to.

[gts4]

Coolant reservoir -- full, or filled to the FULL line? Big difference.

You bleed the cooling system with the radiator cap off because without the cap, the system never pressurizes and thus does not spray.

Position the car with the front wheels elevated about six inches. I found a sloped driveway the easiest solution to this, though jack stands are an alternative method. Properly, you should fill the engine first, then the radiator -- it's not an absolute requirement since it's not an aluminum engine, but it's a good idea. Easiest way to do that is to slowly pour coolant down the upper hose into the engine (disconnect it from the radiator first, of course). Fill the overflow bottle to the proper FULL line.

Once everything is filled, set the car into Park with the parking brake engaged, then start the car and let it warm up. Set the HVAC to full heat, no recirculation with maximum fan. You can rev the engine to speed up the process, if you have someone available to sit in the cabin while you continue adding coolant to the radiator. Keep adding coolant to the radiator until it stops dropping. Then shut the engine off and install the radiator cap. Make sure the overflow bottle is properly connected so that the system pulls in coolant as the temperature drops rather than air.

Thanks everyone. I actually bled it, but noticed coolant leaking to the left of the thermostat housing. Specifically, between the two metal plates that are to the left and perpendicular to and right behind the thermostat housing. Ideas?

[Galcobar]

Leaking water pump gasket if I understand your description correctly.