I been noticing people talking about engine swaps and stuff like that, and i'm wondering the difference between the 4afe, 4age, and 4agze, and also the "redtop", "blacktop", and "silvertop" motors... what's the difference between all these motors?? what do you have to change with each one as far as electrical and things like that??
also wondering since i'm pretty sure the motor in the corolla i drive isn't gonna last much longer, even though it's running fine, it has 310,000 and has an oil leak now, leaking from under the front of the motor (left-side if facing the car) from around where the water pump is, making you think it's got a water pump leak... I'm wondering what would be the best motor for it as far as fuel efficiency (4afe in it is original and gets about 36-40mpg on the highway doin the speed limit, and an average of 28-32 off each tank between city and highway)...
So what i'm lookin for is a motor later on to put in, which has more power than the 4afe, but also pretty good gas mileage... I heard from a cousin that down in Modesto, CA (not far from me), i can get motors that are imported from Japan for about $500-$1000 that only have about 30,000 miles on them... is this true?? where else can i get a cheap motor in california that's also dependable??
Last edited by 1991corolla; 12-29-2008 at 08:10 PM.
The 4A-FE in your car is probably the best engine suited to you and your goals. Is there any reason you think the engine on your car is going out soon? Any smoke out the tailpipe? Bad knocking noises? If not, fix the oil leak and be done with it. The 4A-FE was designed for response and fuel efficiency; paired with a 5-speed swap, you will gain both speed and fuel economy, at far less expense than an engine swap.
The other engines you mentioned will increase your performance, but will also increase 1) your installation costs, 2) fuel cost, and 3) maintenance costs, especially if you go with a 20V engine (black/silvertop), since you can't get many of the parts Stateside. You will need to get a motor and tranny set (unless you're gonna stick with your stock tranny), ECU, wiring harness, ignitor, and associated sensors. Plus you have to make sure the engine swap you buy from House of JDM is working to begin with, or expect to pay even more to fix it. If you must swap in a different engine (other than a 4A-GE), you will need to budget at least $1500 for the engine and tranny alone. Make sure they have a warranty on the engine/tranny. Since it doesn't sound like you will be doing the work yourself, expect to pay at least another grand for installation. Maybe two. Then look at your total estimate and add another 50%, because cost overruns have a funny way of happening.
Then ask yourself if it would have been cheaper to stick with the 4A-FE, and spend $500 on a 5-speed swap.
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"Crush enemies, see them driven before you, and hear the lamentation of the women!" - Conan the Barbarian, on what is good in life
i just figured with 310,000 miles on the motor that it wouldn't be worth rebuilding... and actually, the work would be done by me and some cousins...
I'm thinkin maybe i could do a rebuild on it, checkin everything out really good, and maybe replace some of the internals with performance parts and put on a turbo... i could find the turbo exhaust manifold and turbo, and also get a 5-speed... How much would the MPG of the car change if i went this route??
The MPG would go down. As far as an actual figure, can't say. On stock internals with stock compression, you'll suck gas every time you boost. Maybe low 20s? Gotta pay to play, as always. Really would not advise going turbo on a 4A-FE, especially one that old. The -GE engines have stronger internals. Might as well swap in a 4A-GE and turbo that. Or go GZE and be done with it. It's only money, lol.
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"Crush enemies, see them driven before you, and hear the lamentation of the women!" - Conan the Barbarian, on what is good in life
It depends on what you want to do with the car..... your 310,000 mile 4afe is probably tired... a low mileage or newer version should have increased power due to not being as worn...... it would probably yield better gas mileage as well.
If you want the car to keep going then it depends on how much you want to spend. To bring it up (since that is quite a number of miles) to speed, you should probably do quite a bit of work to the car as well -- including radiator, hoses, filters, etc even if you go with a straight 4afe swap (and for the engine, even low mileage, it's good to get new plugs, wires, cap/rotor, filters, timing belt) etc......
doing a swap isn't all that much more costly than doing a straight 4afe to 4afe and doing that correctly.
So, again it depends on what you plan to do with the car. If it's merely a DD then just think about a new motor or rebuild yours, and then do tune up items. If you want it as a DD with some track time then you should consider a swap, as long as you don't mind changing class (if you race in any sort of class system)
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1) 2004 IS300 Manual/LSD/Sportdesign 2) 2010 Corolla S 5 speed 3) 1986 MR2 "MK1.22" 5sfe/s54 swap 3) 1995 Ford Explorer 4x4, TT/AAL/custom shackle lift, 31"s
*looks at the new CRX Fel-pro valve cover gasket set in my closet*
Check the fel pro box to see where each gasket/seal is made and you will know. For example most of them will probably be made in taiwan.
But then again I bought a valve cover set for my wifes 02 hyundai accent and the valve stem seals and valve cover gasket were made in korea which would make it as close to oem as it can get.
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