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1mzfe vs. 3mzfe, which one is a better swap?

59K views 20 replies 14 participants last post by  Nick M  
#1 ·
I'm planning to drop a V6 into my 1988 Corolla GTS and I'm doing research into which one would be the best candidate.

I've eliminated the 3vzfe because of weight and age.

The 1mzfe would be a great choice for many reasons:
1. I have one in the garage, in my wife's car.
2. Older technology is less expensive.
3. It was available from the factory mated to a 5 speed.
4. Good power and economy.
5. Should fit under the hood (I still have to verify this).
6. I have all of the technical manuals for it already.
7. Standard throttle cable.
8. Can be supercharged (I even have the supercharger).

Some potential problems with it are:
1. They are getting old now and I would be swapping one old motor for another.
2. Possible sludge issues (do the new ones have this too?)
3. Power, while good, could be better.

The 3mzfe has one huge advantage in my opinion.
1. I could get one in a wrecked car that has less than say 50K miles on the odometer.
2. Also, more displacement means more horsepower and torque.

The disadvantage is:
1. I don't really know this engine. Is it basically the same size as the 1mzfe? I think the two are very similar, aren't they? I would need to verify that it would fit under my hood.
2. I've heard that the throttle-by-wire is calibrated for economy and not performance. I don't think I would care as long as it was still fast enough. I would need to know to what degree, this thing is scaled back.
3. Also, I would need to know if there were other things about the engine that I would need. For instance, to use the stock ECU on the 1mzfe (and the OBDII setup), I would need the charcoal canister. Does the 3mzfe have more extra components like that?

So that's a lot to digest, but it really comes down to the basic question of which engine is the right choice. I have a higher level of confidence swapping a 1mzfe from a Solara for instance, but it's hard to resist the calling of a newer engine. If I can't find a 1mzfe with a 5 speed, I would have figure out how mate one up anyway, so what's the difference in doing that with a 3.0 liter or a 3.3 liter (I already know that the E153 transmission will bolt up to both engines).

Let's hear your opinion on this.

Thanks for hanging in there on such a long winded question.
 
#2 ·
so you're trying to swap in a bulky v6 into a tiny corolla engine bay? have you checked out dimensions to verify fitment? not to even mention that you'd need to custom fabricate the engine mounts, and the mounting points in the corolla are probably WAY different.

pardon my bluntness, but i think you're wasting time.
 
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#3 ·
On the contrary.

The 4agze engine that is in the Corolla now is an iron block engine, while the 1mzfe is all alloy. There is a chance the car might actually loose weight. Fully dressed the engine and transmission in my car weighs 462 lbs. I don't know how much the 1mzfe weighs. I found a reference online that mentioned 400 lbs, but I don't know if that included the transmission or not. If so it probably doesn't weigh more than about 110 lbs, which would mean a weight gain of only about 50 lbs. I think that is a worthwhile trade for 10 or 20 extra horsepower and like 60 ft-lbs or torque, not to mention the improved gas mileage.

Also, the 1mzfe swap is very popular right now with first generation MR2 owners. The MR2 has the same engine my car came with (a 4age) and it is a much smaller car. So right now, I'm basing my assumption that the engine will fit in the engine compartment based on that. But verifying that is easy enough. All I have to do is walk into the garage with a tape measure and start measuring my wife's engine and my engine bay. I'm planning just such an activity for tomorrow, after stringing Christmas lights.

As I mentioned, my wife's 5 speed Solara has more power, more torque and gets better gas mileage than my supercharged 4 cylinder. So it only stands to reason that dropping it into a car that weighs 500 lbs less, would only help that situation.

Plus I would get an engine that was actually sold in the US vs the JDM engine I have now and can't get parts for. The swap would be legal if Florida adopts California laws (like our governor wants to do), while the current 4agze engine would not be legal.

Finally, if I needed to replace the engine I can get a much newer engine. My current engine went out of production in about 1991. The 1mzfe was in production, I think until 2003 or so.

You are completely right about having to fabricate motor mounts. I don't have a problem with that, otherwise I never would have considered this.

Not such a waste of time anymore. . . do you think?
 
#4 ·
Just found it on the Celica website. The 1mzfe weighs 346 lbs and the 3mzfe weighs 352 lbs wet. I assume this does not include the transmission, so I'll add a reasonable 110 lbs for that to get 456 lbs and 462 lbs respectively. So even if this weight doesn't include things like A/C compressor and alternator and such, I'm clearly not gaining that much weight, assuming it fits under the hood.
 
#7 ·
I'm planning to drop a V6 into my 1988 Corolla GTS and I'm doing research into which one would be the best candidate.

I've eliminated the 3vzfe because of weight and age.

The 1mzfe would be a great choice for many reasons:
1. I have one in the garage, in my wife's car.
2. Older technology is less expensive.
3. It was available from the factory mated to a 5 speed.
4. Good power and economy.
5. Should fit under the hood (I still have to verify this).
6. I have all of the technical manuals for it already.
7. Standard throttle cable.
8. Can be supercharged (I even have the supercharger).

Some potential problems with it are:
1. They are getting old now and I would be swapping one old motor for another.
2. Possible sludge issues (do the new ones have this too?)
3. Power, while good, could be better.

The 3mzfe has one huge advantage in my opinion.
1. I could get one in a wrecked car that has less than say 50K miles on the odometer.
2. Also, more displacement means more horsepower and torque.

The disadvantage is:
1. I don't really know this engine. Is it basically the same size as the 1mzfe? I think the two are very similar, aren't they? I would need to verify that it would fit under my hood.
2. I've heard that the throttle-by-wire is calibrated for economy and not performance. I don't think I would care as long as it was still fast enough. I would need to know to what degree, this thing is scaled back.
3. Also, I would need to know if there were other things about the engine that I would need. For instance, to use the stock ECU on the 1mzfe (and the OBDII setup), I would need the charcoal canister. Does the 3mzfe have more extra components like that?

So that's a lot to digest, but it really comes down to the basic question of which engine is the right choice. I have a higher level of confidence swapping a 1mzfe from a Solara for instance, but it's hard to resist the calling of a newer engine. If I can't find a 1mzfe with a 5 speed, I would have figure out how mate one up anyway, so what's the difference in doing that with a 3.0 liter or a 3.3 liter (I already know that the E153 transmission will bolt up to both engines).

Let's hear your opinion on this.

Thanks for hanging in there on such a long winded question.
the 3vz was mated to a factory 5speed as well (E53) and despite its weight it is a better platform then the 1mz. back to the subject though make a hybrid from the 1/3mz out of a 3mz block and 1mz heads. you get extra displacement and power.
 
#8 ·
thats a very interesting idea, but is it possible. These are not hondas, and while you can get away with putting a 3S-GTE head on a 5S-FE block (with mods) a 2ZZ-GE head will not go on a 1ZZ-FE. will the 1MZ head easily mate to the 3MZ block? if so i might have found the engine im looking for.
 
#9 ·
I have custom MP90 and M112 Superchargers Kits for the 1mz-fe and 3mz-fe intercooled and non intercooled versions capable of up to 600whp. Contact me for more info guys.
 
#13 ·
I gotta watch this... It isn't as crazy as my planned swap for a 3S-GTE into my AWD Camry...

Besides, folks, I've seen people put a GM 350ci V8 into a Suzuki Samurai, a vehicle that ships with a 1.3l (less than 90ci!) engine. Very neat. Admittedly, that also involved Dana 44 axles front and rear... But they did it. Was awesome.

I'm subscribing to this if I can figure out how.
 
#14 ·
supposedly the only difference between the 1mz block and 3mz blk is just the bore. and since there is no readily availiable tuners for the vvti engines. people chasing power numbers are using the non vvti heads(early 1mz')

the "best" bolt together hybrid is. 3mz shortblock, with 1mz heads(containing 2mz intake cams and 3mz exhaust cams)(slightly more lift i think for exhaust and duration, and the intake gains duration)
 
#17 ·
#19 ·
It's been a while since I was on this forum, but I saw that about a year ago I was asked if the swap was successful. The answer is yes and no. My website, although not updated recently is still accurate. The engine is in, but I am still working on the project, even after all of these years. The Corolla is my forever car and I will not stop. That said a lot happened in my life in the last couple of years that kept me from working on it. However, I recently retired early and now it will be moved back to the front burner, so there will be a lot of updates coming soon, but really ramping up in January.

Thank you for your interest.

ozone