corolla engine swap
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Welcome to the forums. Most people go for the 4A-GE 20v. It's very high revving and has a lot of potential. It uses the same engine and transmission mounts as the 4A-FE and requires minimal changes to get up and running (such as the loom and ECU etc). There's actually a tutorial about installing one on these forums. Click here to read it. If you're after a lot of power however, then go for either the 4A-GZE (supercharged) or the 3S-GTE (turbocharged) engine. Both require custom work to get it to fit though so it depends on how deep your pockets are and how much power you actually want. There are quite a lot of threads in regards to engine swaps, so I'd recommend doing a bit of a search for more info :thumbsup:
No worries. Out of the three I mentioned, the 3S-GTE pushes out the most power. Both the 4A-GE 20v and 4A-GZE have 165hp whereas the 3S-GTE has 260hp. The 3S-GTE swap has been done a few times in the past and is certainly worth it in terms of the power gain over the 4A-FE
I'm not entirely sure which transmission you could use as the original 3S-GTE gearbox is AWD. You'd have to use a FWD gearbox. There's a guy on YouTube who has a video of the swap in his Corolla so perhaps you could contact him and find out what he used. As for the mods, there are a lot of possibilities with the 3S-GTE. It's going to be hard getting traction with the standard power, lol, but if you want even more power then you'd start by upgrading the exhaust, headers and turbo, cold air intake, cams or even a 2.2L stroker kit. You can also get a rare Mine's ECU for it which really transforms the whole way the car performs. My brother has a 3S-GTE in his Caldina GT-T with a Mine's ECU and it goes like a bat out of hell. It's amazing how much difference a simple re-map can do. There's a wide range of parts available for the 3S-GTE, but like I said earlier, it depends how deep your pockets are
Good question. You can't actually just go to a shop and buy one unfortunately. They were originally able to be bought through a custom order, where the buyer would choose which features they wanted enabled or disabled, but nowadays they're as rare as hens teeth to find. You just have to keep your eyes open on the net in case one pops up. That's how my brother found his. It came into the country from a wrecked car which had been imported from Japan. There is also a Mine's ECU for the 4A-GE 20v. There's nothing wrong with the original ECU in the meantime however, but you'll definitely notice the difference if you get your hands on a Mine's version. The lack of speed cut and fuel cut are very handy features too :naughty:
thats awesome ill keep my eyes open for that im just hoping to find the 260 hp engine out here in the U.S. things are differant out here you know but if you know any websites that can help me out looking for the things i need i would appreciate them. i was looking online for the enigne and the 260 hp engine doesnt seem to be sold over here.
The 260hp 3S-GTE only came out in the JDM Toyota Caldinas unfortunately, so to get one you'd have to visit a JDM engine importer. If you don't mind sacrificing a bit of power however, the Celica GT Four (know as an All-Trac over there) came with a 220hp 3S-GTE and should be a lot easier to find in the US. Perhaps you could try contacting JDM Engines Corp to see if they could get you a JDM version :thumbsup:
JDM = Japanese Domestic Market and USDM = United States Domestic Market. Different engines and cars were imported to different markets around the world. Japanese models were generally the most equipped, and imported to various countries around the world (such as New Zealand, Australia, Indonesia etc). They weren't imported to the states however as the US have their own market, which meant a lot of cars lacked in features and/or power compared to the JDM versions.
I'd recommend the JDM engine purely for the power aspect, but you may find it harder to get replacement parts for. For example, finding 4A-GE 20v parts would be a lot harder in the US as that particular engine never came standard on any of the vehicles made there. Sourcing parts offshore is always an option though and there are usually JDM importers with spare parts. The emissions system is also something to take into consideration as JDM engines don't usually have EGR systems etc.
As for the bodykit, there's not too much available for our cars. The best one I've seen is the Tom's bodykit, but that's even rarer than a Mine's ECU. There are bodykits you can get off eBay but they all look rather 'ricey' in my opinion. You could always try and get your hands on a JDM FX-GT front bumper. These came standard on the AE101 FX-GT and use the exact same mounts as your current bumper. Or look for a JDM SE Limited bumper like mine. You could use JDM BZ Touring sideskirts for the side, or standard USDM 8th Gen Corolla sideskirts will fit too. There's not a whole lot out there for the rear bumper, but you could consider getting a JDM rear bumper (which is shorter in length than the USDM bumper) and put a JDM BZ Touring rear lip on. With those sort of parts, the chances of you seeing another Corolla on the streets like it are very slim.
Here's a thread showing all of the JDM bumper variations you can fit to your Corolla with little to no modification needed:
http://www.toyotanation.com/forum/showthread.php?t=94098
bro thank you so much for all your help i really apreciate it all youve helped me out alot if you have anymore advice or websites you can send them to my email [email protected] once again thank you for the help
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the only reason i didn't do the 3sgte is because i needed to get something done. i've done alot of research, and the 3sgte will fit in your car. you would want a celica trans at minimum to bolt to the bellhousing. if you can find a V6 camry that is the same trans (internally) as the 3sgte trans. i will bolt up too.
as for 3sgte motors they come in 3 different flavors from celica
ST165 5th gen celica
ST185 6th gen celica alltrac
ST205 7th gen celica alltrac
the ST205 is the 260hp beast that i would have gone with. you can find them on ebay for $1800-2500. wiring there are people can can do it.
i have a friend here that wants to build a 400hp 3sgte, but after riding in my 20V i finally convinced him 260HP will be WAY MORE THAN ENOUGH for what he'll be doing.
i'm not too sure on the SW20 MR2 motors, but i think they are equivalent to the ST185
if i could do it all over again, i'd still do the 20V but when i gotta rebuild(which will probably be in hte next 2 yrs) i'll have to figure out where i'm geting parts. the 3sgte is something you can get parts for at the local dealership. my 20V is kind of a hodgepodge of things. ignitor and coil from a 94 4 runner, dizzy plug from celica, cam cover spark plug gaskets from lexus yeah it's fun.
as for 3sgte motors they come in 3 different flavors from celica
ST165 5th gen celica
ST185 6th gen celica alltrac
ST205 7th gen celica alltrac
the ST205 is the 260hp beast that i would have gone with. you can find them on ebay for $1800-2500. wiring there are people can can do it.
i have a friend here that wants to build a 400hp 3sgte, but after riding in my 20V i finally convinced him 260HP will be WAY MORE THAN ENOUGH for what he'll be doing.
i'm not too sure on the SW20 MR2 motors, but i think they are equivalent to the ST185
if i could do it all over again, i'd still do the 20V but when i gotta rebuild(which will probably be in hte next 2 yrs) i'll have to figure out where i'm geting parts. the 3sgte is something you can get parts for at the local dealership. my 20V is kind of a hodgepodge of things. ignitor and coil from a 94 4 runner, dizzy plug from celica, cam cover spark plug gaskets from lexus yeah it's fun.
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