Auto tranny: it might just hold up if you take it easy on the throttle. A140E is not known for it's strength though. The bigger issue you'll have is controlling it, as gear changes are controlled by the engine ECU. This brings us to your OBD2 requirement - a computer that you're after does not exist. JDM ECU's use different protocol and will not talk to US State emissions computers. Not happening.

You'll either need to find a shop in the shady part of town that can hook you up, or come up with a convoluted multi-ecu solution to control A140E, 3SGTE, and talk to US emissions.

How do I know? I'm in the same boat with my '99 3SGTE Celica (originally 5SFE). I'm leaning towards running 1ZZ ECU (w/ no boost) to pass emissions, and then swap over to a standalone for everyday use. Yes, that means swapping ECU's every year for inspection. Another potential solution is to keep 5SFE ECU to control AC, dash, everything else, and have a standalone to control ignition, fuel, and boost. As you can imagine, neither solution is easy or simple. And, I have a manual so don't need to worry about the tranny.

If you find a better solution, I would LOVE to hear about it.

 

Do you think you could use an ECU out of an OBD2 car that uses the 3S-FE, I'm thinking about the RAV-4, and then just control the boost manually?

 

Makes no difference whether you use a 3SFE or 5SFE ECU. Both are going to have the same problems - the maps that control fuel under boost are not there (the stock MAP sensor doesn't even have the range to read it), so at a minimum you'll need a piggy-back ECU to add more fuel. The OBD2 computer will fight the piggy back with fuel trims and eventually start either running like crap or throwing CEL for lean or rich condition. You'll be re-setting the ECU or re-tunning the piggy back on regular basis.

You'll be facing the same problems everyone with 5SFTE always has - wrong fuel mixture leading to premature engine death. There isn't a single 5SFTE build that I know of that has reached the reliability levels of OEM 3SGTE. (there may be 1 guy, but he's only running low boost and like 180hp, afaik).

 

3S-GTE with an automatic is a tragedy.

 

Hello I'm new to the forum. My daughter just purchased a 1997 Toyota Caldina GT-T with the 2.0 Turbo 3S-GTE engine. We want to have the timing belt replaced and we are having a hard time finding the timing belt tensioner. The local JDM shop says it is discontinued. Is there a place that really specializes in imported Toyota in the US? THANK YOU ahead of time for your help.