Engine Rebuild....what is really involved? - Toyota Nation Forum : Toyota Car and Truck Forums

DLo · 12-06-2005, 03:43 PM

Okay, so this is an odd question...but treat me like a newbie.

What does it intale....a engine rebuild and what is the benifit.

Say this....I want to strip down and rebuild my engine as an option for my 2.2 V4 in my Camry>?

What is involved to making it run better as for parts and what am I looking at for guides for a person willing to learn, but NOT haveing the know how?

Thanks all.

92_Gen3_5SFE_LE · 12-06-2005, 04:08 PM

Just to prevent anyone from flaming you in subsequent replies, our cars have i4s or inline fours

all of the pistons are aligned in one bank

not two as in the case of a V6 where there are two banks

javolin13 · 12-06-2005, 04:34 PM

Anyways going on to what you asked. You could always bore your head out and get larger pistons... you could always get bigger/better fuel injectors, cleaning out your engine alone after 100+k miles will bring back the spunk of your motor. The extras are just perks for added ponies. You should search around... im guessing you have the 5sfe so just search around the forum here for mods as well as engine enhancements and you should find what you're looking for.

Cyorke · 12-06-2005, 04:39 PM

Well first you need to determine why you want to rebuild your engine. is it burning oil, not leaking because that can be fixed without rebuilding. Does it ahve low compression due to bad rings or bad valve seats. is it knocking due to a bad bearing, etc etc.

As for waht is involved in jsut doing a rebuild. You will obviously have to remove the engine. once you ahve done this you are going to disassemble the engine completely. At this point you will probably want to send the cylinder head to a machine shop to have it cleaned and le thtem doa valve job on it. They will also be able to resurface the mounting surface of the head if for some reason it is not perfectly flat. in the valve job they will replace all valve stem seals, nad grind the valve seats for getting the best valve to head seal.

While the cylinder head is at the machine shop you can strip the cylinder block. you will ahve to remove the pistons and the crank and remove the oil pump assembly also. you will need to have someone that knows what they are doing to be abel to inspect all bearing surfaces to determine if you ahve a problem with the bearings and what that problem could be. If the crank is scored in any way then it is a good idea to ahve it sent to the machine shop also to be reground. When this happens you will need to go to a larger bearing thickness to account for the metal that will be removed from the crank. You will want to inspect the cylinder walls to make sure they are not out of round. If they are then they need to bored and at this point you will ned oversized pistons also. WHielyou are at it you can have the block sent to the machine shop to have it checked for hairline cracks and also have the cylinder head mounting surface machined to insure it is flat also. Once you ahve done all of thsi you are pretty much ready to begin assembly. You will need a complete gasket kit, replace all tune up parts, timing belt, water pump, tensioners, idlers and so on. You will need to have a repair manual that awill give you torque specs for all bolts. It will also tell you in waht order certain things have to be put on and waht steps are taken to tighten some bolts as there is a pattern for tightening some bolts.

This is a very brief overview of things taht need to be done when rebuilding an engine and in no way meant to be the end all be all of it. There are some things that you may or may not have to do and there are some things that you may need to have done that I have not mentioned. For something like engine rebuilding it is probably best to elave it up to someone that has done it several times. As they will know what problem areas to look for. They will also know what steps may not be necessary depending on the condition of your particular engine.

By the way you have an inline 4 cylinder and not a v4.

DLo · 12-06-2005, 04:40 PM

Thanks.

I used the wrong termanoligy, and am kool with that. Only learn once you try or said somthing wrong.

And as far as the Camry, was trying to weight out doing a swap with a 3sfe or jus tear down and rebuild of the current 2.2.

I have heard the 3sfe is a lil beast for a 2.0....maybe I am wrong. But I am looking to learn, and this site is soooo full of knowledge that I could not pass up the wealth of what it has to offer.

Thanks again.

javolin13 · 12-06-2005, 04:47 PM

Another thing it might be easier on your pocket to either do a switch or buy a "pre-rebuilt" engine to replace your old one. Unless indeed you do want engine mods, or just a clean brand new engine.

Cyorke · 12-06-2005, 05:01 PM

yeah ou can get low mileage engines from many different sources or you can purchase a rebuilt engine from many different places also. The one that seeems to be the favorite around here and I have used them before is ATK engines. They ahve a great reputation adngood warranty. If you are looking for performance then the rebuild is not the way to go necessarily if there is nothing wrong with your current engine. I dont know about going backwards either. If you have the 5SFE I dont think I would want to go back to the 3SFE. you will need more than just the engine as the wiring harness and the ECU are different. ANd it is not really the 3SFE taht is the beast it is the 3SGTE that is.

DLo · 12-06-2005, 05:15 PM

Okay, I should have said the reason for the rebuild is my engine is in good running order, but is jus a lil on the doggie side and a lil tired. I would like to give it a lil more life back, and this was what I THOUGHT would be the easy route. I also am wanting to learn as I go. I would rather not swap anything out, due to lack of knowlege to do so on my own. The rebuild I could grab a few of my local friends. They are more used to working on DSM's but they would have way more the know how then I would.

I am jus looking to put a lil more pep back in my step as far as my Camry goes.

I know it is not going to be a high proformance car (could be with a huge amount of work) but I jus want a lil more then current.

Thanks all for the help and info, it does make a diffrence to what I am going to try to tackle.

Cyorke · 12-06-2005, 05:19 PM

well unfortunately there is not much aftermarket support for Camrys in general. You can do some searches on here for upgrades. You can do CAI exhaust and the like to try and eek out a little bit more power but you arent going to get a whole lot. There are several people taht have gone turbo on theirs, shich is another option. The I4 5SFE is not known for lots of power. Like i said search around on here for some ideas and waht has and ahs not worked for people.

javolin13 · 12-06-2005, 05:23 PM

seafoam is your answer for more purkiness out of your engine... after awhile your engine gets build ups and starts to slow down and lagg due to old age and mileage and lots of carbon/other buildups in the engine. My best suggestion would be rather than "RE-building" it do a major cleanning of it... get a FULL tune up, and seafoam your engine, and get minor performance parts, maybe an intake, or simply adjust your throttle body to get better response. A little goes a long way for bringing your engine back without spending MASSIVE ammounts of money.

Gary_602Z · 12-06-2005, 05:32 PM

Have you checked compression and done a leak down test? That wi;; tellyou a lot of the mechanical condition .

Gary

keylogger · 12-07-2005, 05:39 PM

I think your thinking about the 3sgte not the 3sfe. the t stands for TURBO. VRMMMMMM

gaak · 12-07-2005, 11:08 PM

ahh yes, this is a question i have been debating for quite some time while i await funds... options as i see it are as follows:
1. get a tune up and extensive engine flush/cleaning.
2. get the engine rebuilt
3. get the engine swapped for a redone/ new engine of the same type but lower mileage
4. do a performance rebuild and go nuts turning the 5sfe into a beast/semi beast
5. just throw on a turbo/ supercharger and wait for the engine to die and start over.
6. do a hybrid swap....5sgte
7. swap in a 3sgte

still deciding myself, but those are what i've been considering as options....

Slow-yota · 12-09-2005, 04:32 PM

Right now im Rebuilding a 5s fe for my camry. so far including the cost of the motor ive spend about $1200 and thats a compleatly stock rebuild. ive gotten a copleat gasget set, new piston rings, new main and rod berings, and new valve springs, and new oil and water pumps. I also took the block to the machine shop to be honed out. It im porting and polishing my head myself to save money.. plus i want expireance just because this is my first rebuild