help with my 87 corolla fx - Toyota Nation Forum : Toyota Car and Truck Forums

richard01 · 12-12-2010, 09:52 PM

i recently got a toyota corolla fx (1987) with a blown head gasket. so i thought i would be a lot faster to swap out the engine, but the only thing is, i dont know what engines im able to swap in there.

if you know what engines im able to throw in there, help me out. Thanks.

Donald · 12-12-2010, 10:45 PM

Go to the link below to see what is possible for the 6th Gen Corolla. Most of these will probably fit the FX also, but none will be easier than doing a head gasket.

Engine swaps for the AE92 Corolla

I believe that the easiest swap, will be the 4A-F, from the 88-89 Corolla, because that is also carburated.
It will be an improvement in performance, but not by much I think.

woodye85741 · 12-24-2010, 07:23 AM

Why not fix what ya got ? Seems simple

ayang951 · 01-18-2011, 08:58 PM

yea seriously the motor head gasket is like eating cake with milk then just eating cornbread... also when you do headgasket it lets u replace those old belts etc... on another note head gasket repairs costs you to do about $40 but motor swap = $300-450 depending on the motor, and sometimes it prolly wont happen to you but the motor you just bought might be in worst condition than yours was... so thats something to think about.

TheGreenMachine · 03-01-2011, 02:19 PM

Yeah, head gasket is much more simple to do than an engine swap. Unless you have a great deal of sentimental value for this car, fix the head gasket, DD the turtle (fx owner myself ^-^) and get yourself a weekend car to mess around with.

The money required to swap a new or rebuilt 4-ac will be at least 700 dollars, and doing a 4-ac power pack/4age/whatever swap into it will run you a lot of money than the performance you will get, unfortunately.

I recommend that you see if any local community colleges are looking for projects for their students. Schools will usually charge only for replacement parts, labor and other usual expenses are waived so that the students can get experience. Get your fx in, let them deal with the headaches, and while they are at it, they can do diagnostic procedures to check for any other problems that the poor car might have.