[kyle56]

Hey guys, so my engine is finally approaching 200k and its startign to eat OIL, i been adding a quart of oil every 2 weeks to the engine.. even tho it doesnt leak and i dont see smoke coming from my exhaust. but its disappearing. so its time for my new project.. putting in a v6 into my 2002 I4 camry. does anybody know if
3MZFE engine would fit in my car? i believe its used in the highlander, camry solara, and i think teh 2005 v6 camrys.. so what are my concerns? price.. fitment?..

any help is appreciated.. thanks guys

 

[TRD VVTi]

The biggest concern is that it's not worth the time or money to do an engine swap.

Sell the car and buy a V6 if that's what you want. It would be much more cost effective.

 

[johnnyzee]

^^ SOOOOOOO TRUE!!

i was considering doing up the camry for more performance, thought of how much it would cost, then went out to infiniti and bought myself a g35x.

 

[geoff5093]

The biggest concern is that it's not worth the time or money to do an engine swap.

Sell the car and buy a V6 if that's what you want. It would be much more cost effective.

Well with 200K miles a 2002 Camry is not worth much at all, maybe a few grand.

 

[fdexclpl]

I would be concerned that the rest of the vehicle has 200k. How long is it going to last with a much lower mileage V6 in place of the tired 4-banger?

 

[TRD VVTi]

Well with 200K miles a 2002 Camry is not worth much at all, maybe a few grand.

Exactly.

 

[gdanaher]

You essentially can not put a V6 into an I4 chassis. The transmission is different. The springs are different. In summary, you would need to totally rebuild the car. Getting a junk yard I4 engine and installing it is more practical, but if nothing bad is wrong and it hasn't been overheated, rebuilding what you have is within range as well. I'd rather rebuild what I have than have a mystery motor. Hone the cylinders, pop in new rings, rod and main bearings, seals, water pump, and do a valve job on it. You just never know what you are getting. Me? I'd buy a new car. At 200k miles, you've got your money's worth out of it. The suspension has got to be loose if it hasn't been worked on and things are about ready to die. A friend of mine arrived at a meeting on Friday morning in a new 08 Camry. His old 04 had blown a head gasket earlier in the week, overheated, and pretty much destroyed itself. Had 206k miles. Enough is enough man.

 

[ekpolk]

Kyle:

I agree with the previous posters. The 3MZ would fit, at least in dimensional terms. Although most Gen-5 V-6 cars got the 1MZ, the SE V-6 Gen-5 cars got the 3MZ for the last two years of Gen-5 production.

Bottom line is that you'd spend many thousands more than the car is worth to pull this off, with a virtual guarantee that you'd spend significant time debugging the inevitable problems. And, if the car were totalled after the transformation, you would lose most of your "investment" in the transformation.

 

[kyle56]

hmm interesting replies guys.. what i should have mentioned is that I have a rebuilt tranny, with a torque converter and kevlar clutches which is 3 months old. whole new suspension. control arms and ball joints changed. suspension is all new. so besides hte engine, the car should last for another 100k hopefuly for sure. i would buy a new car, but buying anything less than an e46 m3 or a coupe g35 just isnt an option for me. and i can't afford to let myself do that yet. i guess engine rebuild would be the way :disappoin

 

[CharmCityES]

definitly a possibility to swap in a 1mz or 3mz V6 because it came in the camry to begin with so its a direct bolt in pretty much....however, its not parctical in terms of costs and youd be better off rebuilding your 2az or getting another camry with the V6
but since it sounds like youve already been dumping money into the camry it would be wiser to just get the engine rebuilt
200k on an 02? damn i only have 56k on my 03 and i thought i had alot of miles...