How I did my V6 swap... A Stock 2001 1MZ set-up. [Archive] - Toyota MR2 Message Board

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DaveMush09-06-2005, 09:32 AM>>

>>
USE YOUR COMMON SENSE TO KEEP YOURSELF AND YOUR CAR SAFE!!!
>>

OK, so...
A little background as to why I chose to get the V6 in my Mr2 to begin with. Last year, about the time that the snow really started to come down (mid to late November) My car started to be really twitchy. If it got too much snow on the engine lid, the car wouldn't start easily. It would crank & crank... Then maybe start.
Then If I could put a halogen light under the engine lid, the car would start up well, but would die as soon as the engine lid got wet and I either came to a stop sign, or went around a sharp corner.

It did this to me for the months of Nov, Dec, Jan, & Feb before I gave up and started looking for a new engine.
A 5s-fe was easy, but not what I wanted.
A 3s-gte was nicer, but would take a few months yet to get the clip for the swap.
A 1mz-fe was interesting. Not many people had done it. A few People were, at the time, currently working on it. So there was info flying about. And people to talk to about probs and issues. AND to share info.

My buddy Dan Cech was also interested in the swap. He didn't own an Mr2, but was a member on the boards for about 6 months to a yr longer than I was. Back then, he was a member of the boards, before the boards, before the current boards. :bpuking:
He wanted to know what the car would perform like w/ a V6 and followed Brad Bedell's project fairly closely.
We both hounded him for info and opinions. (Thanks for putting up w/ us.) Did our research, and started pricing out the project.

Even w/ a few unknowns as far as what would really be necessary for the swap, we estimated $4K for the project. Assuming that we could catch the great buys at the right time.

As some read in the V6 thread, I actually spent about $4600 for the swap. The lowest cost that we seem to be aware of for a completed swap.


Before you Go any further. Decide what you want to do with your car:
V6 Tranny? or Mr2 Turbo? or Mr2 Turbo w/ LSD? OR hybrid tranny (Mr2T casing w/ V6 internals.)

From what Mitch has figured, the 93+ Mr2 bell housing will get you 360 deg of bolts. Obviously, so will the V6 bell housing.


If you want to do the Hybrid route, as I did, then I suggest you START LOOKING for a decent tranny shop that won't take your money for the hell of it. It took me a while to find a place that would do the work of swapping internals w/o rebuilding the whole gosh dammmn thing.

ALSO, start looking for a machine shop to machine the Mr2T axles to fit the V6 carrier bearing specs.

START NOW, SAVE YOURSELF TIME LATER! DaveMush09-06-2005, 09:33 AMBeing that my car was a 1991 N/a, My parts list was a little longer than if I had started w/ an Mr2 Turbo.

Here yah go:
Solara Parts List...
-1999+ 1MZ-FE 3.0L V6 engine. COMPLETE w/ all sensors.
(99+ was available w/ a manual tranny in the Solara.)
-Solara manual transmission.
(First assumed to be an E351 tranny due to its different final gear ratio, But ACTUALLY a new version of the E153. The same as the Mr2 Turbo.)
-Solara electronic speedo sensor.
-Solara E153 Bell Housing.
-Solara axles for E153 tranny.
(INCLUDING the carrier bearing and bracket on the intermediate shaft.)
-Stock ECU from a 99+ 1mz w/ MANUAL tranny.
(Later found out to be the same as an Automatic ECU but w/ different grounds in the wiring diagrams.- per Adrian)
-Engine harness from a manual.
(Don't think that really matters, manual vs. auto.)
-Alternator for V6 Solara.
-A/c compressor for the Solara.
(Yet I nixed this, and yanked my A/c systems.)
-EVERY part of the Immobilizer systems in the Solara.
(Different models available 99+ w/ the 1mz were hit or miss as far as being immobilizer equipped. I chose not to risk it and started looking for ways to counteract it. Found Brook on eBay.)
-OBDII port.
-EVAP canister.
(WITH sensors.)
-Stock airbox w/ all sensors.
(Used to figure out the arrangement of the vacuum lines and such in the EVAP, and ERG systems.)

1MZ-FE Gasket kit For the upper engine.
(Order the whole kit from Toyota. It includes everything for the upper parts of the engine. EGR, Exhaust, Intake, Valve covers, Head gaskets (metal replacements) Spring seals, Fuel injector seals, everything.) DaveMush09-06-2005, 09:35 AMMr2 Turbo Parts List... [/B]

-Turbo E153 Transmission.
(93+ is best as you will gain an LSD. But this is used to transfer the rear-shifting V6 E153 tranny internals into the front-shifting Mr2T E153 casing.)
-93+ turbo speedometer.
-Turbo 6-bolt type axles from a MANUAL tranny.
-Turbo tranny & engine mounts.
-Turbo manual shift cables.
-Turbo rear hubs.
-Turbo stock radiator.
(Not absolutely necessary, But worth it now while the car is torn apart.)


These all were best found in a parts car. Otherwise the parts totaled much more individually. DaveMush09-06-2005, 09:36 AM-Speedsource brass shift bushings.
-NEW Solara carrier bearing.

-255L/hr High-pressure fuel pump.
The following are part #'s from summit racing.
-Aeromotive Adj FPR.
aei-13109 Aeromotive FPR, -6 an outlets w/ gauge port and 1:1 boost port
(capable of at least 50psi.)
-Stainless steel braided fuel line.
sum-230610 10ft length, -6 an stainless braided fuel line
New Mr2 Turbo fuel filter
-Various hose ends and 6-an fittings.
ear-985006 -6 an female to -6 an 9/16-18 adapter (to go into the FPR and allow for hose end connections)
rus-661020 Tee connection (-6 an all the way around, Used to split incoming fuel supply to each of the rails.)
rus-610020 -6 an female straight hose ends
-12mm-1.25 x 6-an adapter for "tapping the fuel rail."
-12mm-1.25 tap.
-Fuel pressure gauge.
sum-800199 0-100psi fuel gauge for FPR
-Assembly lube & seal.
rus-671570 Assembly lube/ sealant

There are two other fittings that I dont have the part #'s for...
-You need a 45deg hose end for one of the rails (the one that interferes w/ the filler spout)
-And a 90 deg -6 an female to -4 an hose end (to connect to the return line from the bottom of the FPR.)

Fuel system was routed as follows:
From the MR2's fuel filter, we went to a tee connection on the passenger side of the engine, from tee to each fuel rail, from each rail to each side of the FPR, from the FPR's bottom side to the return line in the MR2...



-replacement coolant hoses.
( (2)new hoses pipe-radiator, (2) pipe-pipe under the car, (1) pipe-pipe in engine bay driver's side, and (1) pipe to pipe passenger side.)
-Coolant hoses.
( (2) engine-pipe both sides part #71704.)
-Heater Hoses.
( (2) engine-heater pipe - Part #80403 for N/a shell.
Part #80413 for turbo shell.)

-Alternator belt.

-Toyota red coolant.
-DOT-5 hydraulic/brake fluid.
(For the clutch line.)
-5qts GL-4 or GL-5 tranny oil.

-Materials for passenger-side engine mount. DaveMush09-06-2005, 09:37 AMDownloaded the BGB for my car from here:
http://mr2oc.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=76

Used the Toyota site found here:
http://techinfo.toyota.com/
To download and compile the Solara repair manual...
AND electrical diagrams for the Engine, ECU, and pertinent Body harness plugs.

All the necessary info from the manuals can be found here:
http://mr2.phpwerx.net/Manuals/
Courtesy of Dan Cech. (Dcech83)

If you want all the info that I have compiled on a CD, email me.
DaveMush@twcny.rr.com



Additional info from other's on the board can be found here:
http://mr2oc.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=120
Kept as streamlined as possible by Brad Bedell. (OverboostVR4)

Brad's Website w/ valuable pictures:
http://bedellracing.home.comcast.net/

Brad's V6 FAQ sheet:
http://bedellracing.home.comcast.net/v6/V6FAQ.html DaveMush09-06-2005, 09:37 AMFirst off.
Find yourself a level and dry place to perform the swap and store your car till the swap is complete.
1 to 2 to 3 months is quite possible depending on how much time you can put in at any one time.

You will also need:
-A cherry-picker style engine lift.
-An engine stand.
-A good jack.
-(2) or (4) decent jack stands.
-Some strong chain.

-A couple car blankets, or crappy towels.
(To cover the rear deck and fenders while you are working on the car.)

-(4) heavy duty smart casters.
-A couple 2x4's for making an engine trolley.
My engine didn't have one of the lift hooks on the front of it. Should not come with the engine per the Solara repair manual. It has an SST part # or you can make one out of plate steel.

Losen the lugs on all (4) wheels.
While you are at it... Losen the rear axel nuts. (the ones in the center of the rear hub.
You'll love me for it later.
Block the rear wheels so they don't roll. Play it safe!

Get yourself (8) 4x4x8 pressure treated lumber and (2) aluminum ramps, or (2) 2x10x8 boards. These will be used to put the front wheels up in the air. It allows the front of the car to roll front to back when you lift/lower the rear of the car to get over the engine.
It also allows you enough height to work under the car w/o being cramped.

You may have to lift it up in steps depending on how high your jack will get your car. I bought a new one from the Home Depot and it was almost tall enough to use everywhere. A few 2x4's, or a piece of timber will help fill in the gaps if its not tall enough.

You will need to jack up the rear of the car and place it on jack-stands at about the same height as the front of the car. Don't use anything small and weak. you may be leaving the car up like this for a couple months. Again, Play it safe!
Try to support the frame/body of the car as you will be removing the rear cross-member to drop the engine.

OK!, So the car is now in the air. DaveMush09-06-2005, 09:37 AMObviously, you need to remove something from the engine bay to fit more in there. At-least if what you are trying to get in there is as large as an engine.

Take a good look at your car before you take it apart.
OK, thats enough! Clean up the drool. (Remember how large the puddle is now. Take a picture it will last longer!)
You can bet it will be a lake next time around.

I suggest using the BGB to do the following:
Remove the engine lid.
Remove the trunk.
Remove the side moldings on the rear bumper cover.
Remove the rear bumper cover.
Remove the rear trunk liner to expose the ECU.


Now's the time for the blankets or towels. Cover the rear fenders, whats left of the spoiler (if any) and the rear window, 1/4 windows, and roof. You won't want any scratches on your performance vehicle when you're done.

If you care about the engine and tranny that you are about to remove... Follow the BGB closely.
If you DON'T give a rat's a$$, then listen to this...


Drain all the fluids from the car... Most can be recycled at your local car shop. (Goodyear?)

Pull the oil plug and drain the engine oil.

Pull the tranny oil plug. You guessed it, drain the tranny oil/fluid.

Release the bleeder valve on the clutch slave cylinder. Slip some clear hose over the valve and put the other end in a storage cannister.
Start pumping away on the clutch pedal to remove as much fluid from the clutch line as you can. It's prolly dirty as hell. You'll be replacing it later w/ DOT-5.

Release the bleeder valve on both rear calipers. Repeat the steps for the clutch and pump as much fluid out of the brake lines as you can.

Now for the coolant.
Lower the rear end of the car to the ground and put the blocks behind the wheels again. This puts the nose in the air.
Follow the steps in the BGB to remove/flush the coolant. Open the front service valves, and remove the plugs in the under body coolant lines. Recycle and keep away from animals and kids. DaveMush09-06-2005, 09:38 AMJack the rear of the car back up and support the car by the FRAME w/ the jack stands.

Now that all the fluids are removed...
Go change into crappy clothes that you don't mind getting all oily and covered in coolant. Lay some plastic from the front door of your house to your shower to collect drips. Or make sure you have a garden hose or super-soaker near by. You WILL want to shower.
There's more of it...
There's ALWAYS more of it...

You can either follow the BGB, or listen to this:
Removing the engine...

Start disconnecting everything that connects the engine to the firewall.
All ground wires, coolant/heater hoses (watch out!), separate all sensors, throttle cable, tranny/tach cable, cruise control, harness, clutch slave cylinder, shifter cables, charcoal canister, Airbox, ect...
Remove as much in the engine bay as you can from the engine so it comes out the bottom w/o any snags. removed the exhaust and the exhaust manifold so that I could rock the engine forward a bit, but it's not necessary to do that. I did it cuz I had it apart 2 weeks before that.

Support the engine from the oil pan, with some timbers, and the jack. Support it from the top with the cherry-picker and chain.
Lift the engine just a little to take the weight off the mounts.

Remove the front and rear tranny mounts first. Then the passenger and driver's side mounts next.

Although the engine is probobly well supported. The jack undernieth just keeps the whole measure of security.

Remove the rear wheels if you havn't already.
Remove the bolts from the top of the struts.
Separate the brake lines from the calipers. Shist, remove the rear calipers and paint them. Separate the e-brake cables from the calipers.
Loosen the cross-member bolts.
Remove the bolts from the suspension arm that leads to the front of the rear wheel wells. let it hang free.
Remove the cross-member bolts, and separate the cross-member from the car.

Once the mounts have been removed, and the cross-member separated from the car; Lower the engine a bit to see if you forgot to remove anything that attaches the engine to the car.
IF so, remove it. If not, then jack the engine back up from the top w/ the cherry-picker.
Lower the engine onto the trolley slowly. It will come down with the suspension and all. Block it w/ pieces of timber to keep it from falling over or off the trolley.

Ok, let it sit there like that for a bit, and release the chains from the engine & lift.

Now move the lift back a lil', and attach chains securely to the rear bumper mounts & to the lift. Start jackin' :banana

This will raise the rear of the car enough to wheel the trolley, cross-member, suspension, and engine out from under the car.

Now lower the car and support it again w/ the jack stands.
BY THE FRAME. DaveMush09-06-2005, 09:38 AMSeparate the cross member from the engine. Set the Cross member aside for later.

Discard or store the old engine to sell to someone else w/ a 5s-fte project.


I would suggest taking this opportunity to do some regular maintenance and upgrades to your car as well.

I upgraded to a Turbo radiator, put in Eibach sportline springs, KYB AGX struts, Mr2T front brake calipers, paint all (4) calipers, new brake pads, Mr2T tandem plate master cylinder, Pro-thane suspension bushings, 93T sway bars, new 255L/hr fuel pump, new coolant hoses & clamps (ALL of them), and removed all rust on the suspension arms for re-painting.

Since this is a write up on the engine swap, I'll leave you to figuring all of those upgrades out. I suggest the BGB. DaveMush09-06-2005, 09:39 AMSince the cross member and suspension are still attached... Do this next.
Separate them... Remove the axle nuts from the center of the hubs, and push the stub of the axle from the rear of the hub. DON'T LET THE AXLES DANGLE FREE! You need to support them. Otherwise it may damage the metal flange that the rubber boot attaches to.
You can leave the sway bar attached, and even leave the sway bar attached to the struts by way of the endlinks...(IF you don't replace the 13yr old struts.) But If you had an N/a to begin with, you will need to remove the hubs from the struts. Replace them with Mr2 Turbo hubs. I would suggest repacking the bearings in the Mr2T hubs at the least. (It would be better to replace the 13yr old bearings as well.)
If you chose to replace your springs with lowering springs, get crash bolts before you put the hubs back on. I would also suggest new bump stops since you have to remove the top nut on the strut to replace the springs anyways.

Keep the cross-member and suspension set aside for later. DaveMush09-06-2005, 09:40 AMOk, now that you have the new 1MZ-FE engine, ask yourself...
"Self, Do I really know the history of this engine?"
Ehh... no.

Replace the essentials BEFORE the engine goes into the car.
New NGK plugs.
New timing belt.
Open the valve covers to check for sludge.
Check the head gaskets for sign of failure.
Remove the intake manifold and center plentum to expose the intake valves.
Check for carbon buildup on top of the intake valves.
Check the inside of the intake runners for carbon/sludge if the the PCV system was bad.
Remove the exhaust manifolds to expose the valves.
Again, check for carbon build up ontop of the valves.
REPLACE ALL THE GASKETS that you have exposed. DON'T re-use any of them. If you didn't need to crack the heads off the block, keep the gaskets in stock for later.

Now put the dang thing back together. The Solara repair manual will be VERY useful in doing all this.

Plus it gives you the opportunity to paint the valve covers, or polish them, or whatever.
"Beautify your engine" DaveMush09-06-2005, 09:40 AMDepending on what you chose to use as a transmission, that is next in line.
If you chose to use the Mr2T tranny, w/ or w/o the LSD, than this is easy... Skip this step and go to the next part.

If you chose to use the V6 tranny, OR hybrid tranny... Than you have some work to do. Or have done.

Since the V6 tranny is for a front engine car, its selector shaft comes out the back of the tranny. (Toward the Driver) You need a tranny that has the selector shaft out the front of the tranny. Since the tranny and engine are behind you.
You have (2) options:
1.) Tap the case to get the shaft out the other side.. I don't know how to do this as I chose option 2. I'll check with Brad to get his input.
2.) Transplant all the internals of the V6 tranny into the Mr2 turbo tranny casing. Since they are both E153 transmissions, this should be easy for a transmission shop to complete. At this point, you can either use an aftermarket LSD, or the stock 93+ Mr2 Turbo LSD. It fits right in the casing. You are using an Mr2 casing, so naturally...
You should use the V6 bell housing if its available.


That is where you should have planned ahead and had a place lined up to do the work. It's also where you should have planned ahead and sent the tranny out to be worked on while you did all the engine maintenance. If you didn't, well then, you and I were in the same boat.

Same with the intermediate shaft. Is it out at the machine shop yet?

OK, so now the tranny is all set. DaveMush09-06-2005, 09:41 AMNow finish the job. Put the dang engine and tranny back together.

Mount the transmission to the engine. Make sure to check the condition of the clutch and flywheel. If they are bad, replace them. if you think you'll be making too much power in the future, replace them.

Work now while its out of the car is easier than taking the dammmn thing out again to do the work later.

I used a little RTV sealant on the surfaces between the engine and transmission.
Use as many bolts and pins as you can to secure the transmission to the block. The engine only has one mount to the car, and you have to build it on the passenger side. All the others mount to the transmission. Not the block.

Attach the tranny mounts to the transmission. You will need to attach them to the body when the engine is in the car. At that point, and when you see where the engine sits in the engine bay, You will need to take measurements and construct the passenger side mount. DaveMush09-06-2005, 09:42 AMNow that the engine and transmission are back together, hook up the engine harness to all the sensors.

One thing you will notice is that the engine harness on the 5s-fe engine went into the rear trunk from the driver's side. The 1MZ-FE engine harness will want to go into the trunk from the passenger side.
But the body harness relavant wires to the ECU will still want to come in from the driver's side.

SO, you need two holes to the trunk. Get a mouthpiece. Get a hole saw, I think about 1.5 "- 2", and drill a hole in the pass side of the trunk wall. The rubber gasket that should still be attached to the engine harness, will make the hole water tight. DaveMush09-06-2005, 09:42 AMDo the reverse of taking it out.

Place the new engine and tranny on the trolley and wheel it under the car. After raising the rear end of the car with the cherry-picker.

Lower the car down onto the jack stands once the engine is under the cavity that once had the 5s in it. Now attach the cherry-picker to the engine. Jack it up to where it "should" sit. Then attach the rear cross member from under the engine.
Now you can attach the 3 transmission mounts.
And attach them for crying out loud!!!

Once they are in, and can support the weight of the engine... Then release the tension on the chains from the cherry picker, and then wheel the lift outta the way.
Support the engine from the underside of the oil pan. Again with some timber and the floor jack.
Jack it up until the front and rear transmission mounts are about centered. They are intended to be torque stays... Not mounts.
Once the load is taken off the torque stays, take measurements on the passenger side for your engine mount.
Construct the mount using a welder, or have someone make it for you.

Once that is done, attach your "custom" mount, and remove the jack from under the oil pan.


Now its time to re-assemble the rear end. DaveMush09-06-2005, 09:43 AMNow that the rear cross-member is attached to the car again, and the engine is at least IN the car... You need to re-assemble the rear end.

Start with the driver's side because its easier.
Take the rear spindle (hub and strut together is called a spindle) and loosely attach it from the top w/ only 1 of the 3 nuts.

Now you will need the Mr2 Turbo axles.
Take the driver's side axle and press firmly into the transmission. W/o damaging anything or using a "technical adjuster" (large hammer.)
place the outer stub back into the hub.
Now either step on, or pry down the lower control arm so that you can get the lower ball-joint into place.
once its in place, bolt it from the bottom, tighten all 3 bots on top of the strut, and loosely fasten the axle nut to secure the axle to the hub.


Similar action on the passenger side.
Yet, this is where you needed to have the axle machined. The carrier bearing needed to be moved so that the intermediate shaft would be all the way into the transmission, and still be able to me mounted to the side of the block.
Slip the axle into the trans first, THEN attach the top of the spindle, slip the other end of the axle into the hub, and attach the lower ball joint.
Tighten the nuts.

Done for now w/ the mechanical side of things.
On to the electrical... DaveMush09-06-2005, 09:43 AM>>

Need time to think and re-group. DaveMush09-06-2005, 09:44 AMAfter all of this, The car was totaled in December. I'm putting the current engine and tranny up for sale as a plug & play swap for the mr2.
DaveMush2@twcny.rr.com if you have interest.

As far as the electrical section of this sticky, i will continue that when I do my second V6 swap... As soon as I can find another Mr2 donor car.



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