Is it stupid to supercharge an old engine? - Toyota Nation Forum : Toyota Car and Truck Forums

iovaykind · 04-25-2011, 10:01 AM

I need more power.. I don't have time for a v6 swap or a few months at GLP for a 3sgte swap.. there's a rippmods supercharger for sale for the i4.. would bring me up to v6 power, which is about what i'm looking for. problem.. my car's past 200k miles.. am i stupid? am i looking for a death wish?

***Mister_Perkins*** · 04-25-2011, 10:09 AM

I wouldn't supercharge a motor with 200k .. if its at low boost you shouldn't have a problem .. like 4-6psi. Anything above that I could see a problem.

***N/A Camry Sleeper*** · 04-25-2011, 10:40 AM

Nothing ventured, nothing gained in my opinion. My only concern would be the rod bolts - if you could change over to 3SGTE rods and slap some new bearings in there I would say go for it!

iovaykind · 04-25-2011, 11:37 AM

It seems like a one day job in order to get the power of a V6 with a 5psi pulley. My only concern is that I'd want the engine to last.. don't want any explosions or whatnot. Its such a compromise between having more power at the foot, or having reliability. If I could boost without losing reliability I'd do it, but I'm not so sure what the repercussions of boosting such an old engine would be.. seems like most people wouldn't boost anything even over 100k..

xpeed · 04-25-2011, 11:43 AM

It's all in the matter of rebuilding up your old engine with new parts, inspecting the block and whatnot. But still, wouldn't be recommended with such a high mileage engine. My dad offered to turbo or supercharge my camry and I looked at him funny. The car barely reached 129k.

Chris Crash · 04-25-2011, 11:44 AM

Low PSI boosting won't compromise reliability. But I would say prep the motor first. Bearing and rod bolts for sure. While you're at it, rings. Gaskets everywhere. I believe a metal head gasket will lower the compression (which is what you should be trying to do).

I say, for the thousands you're about to spend on an auto I4 making it V6 fast, just swap a V6 in. It'll be easier and probably cheaper. Just my two cents.

iovaykind · 04-25-2011, 02:30 PM

Problem with the V6 swap is that it should take longer than I have time to afford with this being a DD. Would really want to swap a V6 in if it was possible in a day or two and even then.. the engine swap would be easy but all the ECU and wiring would need to be changed too which is the annoying part

Chris Crash · 04-25-2011, 02:34 PM

Then keep your DD and find a cheap v6 on craigslist to tinker with. That's what I've done! Hopefully yours wont be in terrible condition though....

***LynchburgCSI*** · 04-25-2011, 04:20 PM

+1 on buying another camry.

carsrus · 04-25-2011, 06:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by iovaykind

Problem with the V6 swap is that it should take longer than I have time to afford with this being a DD. Would really want to swap a V6 in if it was possible in a day or two and even then.. the engine swap would be easy but all the ECU and wiring would need to be changed too which is the annoying part

If you find a complete v6 thats been rear ended and not touched in the front id do it. With everything from the donor car it wont be to hard, but it might be easier to find a v6. There are good deals out there.

iovaykind · 04-25-2011, 06:47 PM

Maybe a V6 parts car is in the works.. time to look through craigslist. Would still like a supercharged 5sfe for the uniqueness.. guess depends on how much work I want to put into this. I love my I4 though, wouldn't wanna give up the body for another v6 camry. it may lack power but the mods I have on it are mostly not able to be switched over to another car. anyway, onward to craigslist!

RichieRichJP · 04-25-2011, 10:36 PM

If you want to mod a car, I would do as others suggested and buy another car and keep the Camry as a DD.
But I'll let you know now, I regret ever modding my Camry.
Do yourself a favor and buy yourself a REAL performance car to mod.

gogopuertorican · 04-26-2011, 12:00 AM

just out of curiosity how much is the supercharger kit??

is there a link to view online??

Chris Crash · 04-26-2011, 12:12 AM

They're not available anymore. There's ONE for sale in this board for $4,000.

EEngineer · 04-26-2011, 01:55 AM

first of all, rippmod s/c sucks.
they are all used and probably beat up. they cost quite a bit and give you maybe 40whp with the condition of running lots of supporting mods and the hp gain are all top end where you usually won't hit.

you are better off turboing the 5S with a 5speed tranny swap, or a v6 5spd swap...but then it costs quite a bit, it takes a lot of dedication and patience.