Swapping car engines

[oscaryu1]

Soes how hard can it be? Just wondering. Have a seized 88' camry in the garage. Thinking of swapping the engine with a $500 low mileage one (25k-35k approx)...

With basic tools and no help :roflol:

[kibble]

Have an engine hoist?

[ironman]

its not bad but at you age your going to need help its heavy need motor host jack, jack stands and i think you got the basic hand tools.take you time and don't loose any bolts .take one day to pull it out and the next to put it back in the car and the third to hook it all back up. and you'll be fine. i hope its not a clutch.

[ed1380]

not too bad. you should be able to get it in and hook up in a day. and remember. leftover parts are proof you made it better

[Kenny_McCormic]

What seized it? I have helped with swaps before, its a 2-3 day thing, take you time and make good notes, if the donor engine was pulled from a running car with all parts intact you shouldn't need special tools.

[AutoMX]

yea its technically fairly simple if the engine is the same, the electronics are identical, the years match up and no changes were made to the engine, and you don't need to mess with the tranny because it's all one piece you're swapping.

practically it can be pretty challenging, time consuming, and dangerous if improperly done. the engine hoist, jack stands, etc will need to be secured and if they move, you're gonna be in trouble.

also, if the new engine is JDM there could be emissions stuff to swap which is anywhere from easy to really bad. my MR2 for example has an air flow meter while the JDM motors used MAP sensors, so different intake setup, different electronics, and not using the USDM intake setup = fail to pass smog.

in other words check everything. it's not like swapping a B&S for a HF blue.

[redcali]

at the end of the day, its an 88 camry.

ask yourself, is it even worth $5 and three days work?

id much rather spend the time and money on fixing/working on something far more worthwhile

[oscaryu1]

Nope no engine hoist... I'll be getting one soon though haha!

Dad drove it 50 miles with virtually no oil (oil leak, one reason why everything on the right hand side was so easy to remove)... He called us, complaining about it knocking all of a sudden... we brought over some oil, filled her up, ran great. 5 miles later, knocking came back and was as loud as hell.

He became impatient and decided not to wait for the AAA tow truck, and just drove it back home. Got it back home, still loud and knocking. We tried pulling the plugs one by one, and it seized the second time we tried to start it.

Everything worked before it seized. (Except AC, compressor was removed because it was deemed dead).

It may not be worth fixing, correct, but the experience you get and the proudness when you finally finish it will be all worth it. Another reason is because it's carrying a $500 rebuilt alternator (less than 500 miles before it seized), almost new tires, and a rebuilt starter. Shame to sell that to the junkyard for $150 eh?

EDIT - Nope, it's a automatic. Transmission shifted fine in all gears, even overdrive! :eek:

PS - 265,000 miles. Japan import. Ran 265k miles on the original tranny fluid, fuel filter, tranny filter...

[oscaryu1]

And since I'm that type of guy who makes this thread after I start working on it.... here's what I've done:

Removed hood and windshield sprayer thingies
Removed front 2 tires, and jacked it up.
Drained oil and coolant
Removed radiator and both fans
Removed caliper, bracket, disc
Removed both driveaxles (one had a torn CV joint)
Disconnected brake booster line, and the fuse box/connections (labeled!)

Working on getting some more jacks to support the transaxle, and looking up where to find the tranny and engine mounts. I have 2 in the front... looking up where the rear engine & tranny mount is... And probably have to cut off the exhaust manifold, the bolts stripped after one day of PB Blaster, Liquid Wrench, and Freeze-Off penetrants. Better get that saw.

Never underestimate kids! :arf:

[redcali]

It may not be worth fixing, correct, but the experience you get and the proudness when you finally finish it will be all worth it. Another reason is because it's carrying a $500 rebuilt alternator (less than 500 miles before it seized), almost new tires, and a rebuilt starter. Shame to sell that to the junkyard for $150 eh?

i agree with you totally, i just reckon, if it were me id go to a wrecker or a used car auction/auction where the 'written off' or insurance job cars go and restore one of those. many of them are written off because expense of repair outweighs the value but for someone interested in DIY they are great bargains to be had





PS - 265,000 miles. Japan import. Ran 265k miles on the original tranny fluid, fuel filter, tranny filter...

this is just gross negligence!


on another note, work out if you actually need an engine hoist. you most likely do but some cars do not require them as the engine can be dropped ou tthe bottom

to remove the engine in my car, you disconnect the front wheels put the jack on the front of the car below the radiator and lift the front of the car off the engine.
the engine is best removed from beneath!

[ed1380]

with my car we dropped it but putting it back we did it from the top :biggrin5:


i agree w/ redcali

[oscaryu1]

Well the Haynes Manual shows it being lifted out, so ah well :D

Still searching for that last motor mount...

What are the main vaccun lines I need to disconnect?

[gocartkid]

I have a lot of experience on this subject. See, my dad and I build custom v8 s10's together, so it's just a big engine swap. I have swapped engines in 95* weather, 15* weather (I'm SO glad that the garage now has heat), and under many different circumstances (I know everything by heart and have done a few with minimal help). If you have any questions just ask. I'm glad that the car is not a stick, I've broken a few "fingers" off of a clutch that the engine was not fully free from (not a cheap part, let me tell you). If you aren't good with wiring or don't have a diagram then label all connectors. And TAKE PICTURES!!! Not only to show off what you did, but to look back on if you can't figure out how something goes back in (I've done it and it came in handy). Another one is PAY ATTENTION!!! I have dropped engines before, and it wouldn't take much to drop a few hundred pound chunk of metal on yourself. The car would then be the least of your problems. :thumbsup:



Restin' between a swap (excuse the mess)
http://i241.photobucket.com/albums/ff93/htrdon/100_0919.jpg

[oscaryu1]

Mmm.... shiny...

Well first off, I recently stripped one of the nuts holding the exhaust manifold together. 3 types of penetrant didn't do squat (:()

So since it's 1) Old and rusted, and 2) 21 years old, I'm thinking of either making a custom exhaust (stock headers)... So I'm planning on using a jigsaw with a metal-cutting blade to cut off the thin part after the manifold (not the cast iron part).

Good or bad idea? I pretty much don't have much more to go on...

And what lines am I needing to really disconnect? Is it safe to slightly lift the engine, and disconnect any others needed?

I labeled the fuse box and any other things that were connecting the engine to the frame...

Do you happen to know where the rear engine mount is located at?

What's the average weight of a engine? (To determine what type of.. eh... pulley system I'll need)...

Thanks man! If everything goes right... well we'll just see :D

[ed1380]

lifting it to see stuff shouldnt be required. but an inch or 2 shouldnt hurt anything

[oscaryu1]

Do any of yall know where the rear engine mount is? This is pretty much the hardest step, next to removing the driveaxles.

[ed1380]

the rear mount on my car was on the tranny. climb under the car and look

[oscaryu1]

Hmm... can't find it... dammit.. I'll look again tomorrow... I don't even know what to look for... Just a bracket connecting the rear of the engine to the car frame??

[Pandemoniac]

If you're determined keep plugging away at it, it's a great learning experience at least. I've pulled out and put engines in about 6 different cars by now, both FWD and RWD. No matter how good you get it will take longer than you think and there will always be bolts or brackets that you won't remember where they came from!

On my turbo dodge the rear mount was attatched to the transmission, but every car is different, just keep an eye out for any rubber thing with a bolt or two going through it.

With a fwd car like yours you will most likely have to separate the front suspension to get the axles out. It's a pain the 1st time they've been separated especially, and even harder to put it back together. You'll need a ball joint separator or "pickle fork" as some people call it, and probably a large socket for the nuts holding the axles to the hubs. If the brakes work well one person can hold the brakes as you jump on a big breaker bar to get the nuts loose, or if you have an air compressor and an impact wrench it's much easier.
Good luck and remember to have fun, and try not to bleed too much on the car. That seems to be my problem. :bannana:

[oscaryu1]

Ehh... I just jammed it with a extra torque wrench, and stood there. 5 seconds later, unloosened...

The other one wasn't even torqued on! I was just playing around with it, and it just popped off!

On the other hand... both ball joints were honestly stuck as hell. On both sides. In the end we just removed the 2 bolts holding the ball joints on, and just pulling the assembly off. We tried 3 types of penetrants, a 2 jaw puller, hammer, everything. It pretty much stripped the puller...

And YAY I found the last dang mount. I was just looking around under the car praying it wouldn't drop, and I noticed a oily looking circle. Jackpot. :) It's pretty well hidden. Hopefully I don't have to remove the crossmembers... :(

[jr dragster Tyler]

Sounds like its going good!

[ed1380]

i had to remove mine. its not that hard IIRC it was only 4 bolts.

you're supposed to wak the knuckle really hard and the ball joint just falls apart... sometimes

[oscaryu1]

Haha, I hit it, and my hammer pretty much was on the virge of breaking. There are dent marks in the METAL part!

Anywho... I'm leaving for our other house early tomorrow morning. Coming back next thursday. If I can remember, I'll bring my digital cam and adapter and snap a few pictures.

Yeah, 4 bolts... but then mine are stuck. I couldn't get them out, even with that $90 torque wrench haha! I'll have to try again!

[Pandemoniac]

If possible try to avoid using a torque wrench for busting off stuck bolts and stuff, they can get out of whack if yanked on a whole bunch. Just get a big cheap breaker bar.
How's it coming along at this point?

[oscaryu1]

Ehh... going back to work on it next Thursay. (Actually, this thursday).

I found another whole wireharness *DOH* and I'll need to get the 2 crossmembers down (impact wrench), get the rear mount off, then below the power steering hoses is another mount I have to get off...

Dang... I feel sorry for mechanics lol.

[Pandemoniac]

As fun as it sounds don't become a go kart mechanic at a concession kart track. (that's my job) You'll never get filthier than there and the pay is crap. Plus you need all your own tools, but that's most mechanics for ya.

[oscaryu1]

If you say so lol... whadda ya guys do there anyways?

[Pandemoniac]

About 10 go karts break every day out of the 75 or so we have so we're always busy. They're run as much as 16 hours a day so parts wear out quick, idiot kids won't stop spinning people out which breaks more things. The filth the go karts collect is mind boggling. Idiot kids also constantly try to "rev" the karts in the pit, even honda's 3-disc wet clutches can't handle that for long so they burn up, the 1st warning is when it melts the clutch dipstick right off.
Anyyways crap gets old quick there!

[oscaryu1]

Haha nice job! :D

Well some... OK news. 2 more bolts n' the engine is HOPEFULLY free.

Removed the shift linkage, then found 2 more hoses... then disconnected the TPS. When I 1/2 removed the tranny mount, the whole thing shifted downwards! :D

Good news for me. It's coming loose. Looking back, this wasn't so hard after all. Just majorly time consuming.

[gocartkid]

....Just majorly time consuming.

Yup, especialy your first time. How long did it take you do un-do the shifter linkage? I was taking a steering column out of an s10 on Sunday, what a PITA to get at! Rear of the engine compartment, behind the head, and down about 3 inches. Then it wouldn't come apart (nasty c-clip in there). WTF? It took me half an hour...:rolleyes3:

[oscaryu1]

It took me 5-10 minutes lol... 2 bolts. Right in the front of the engine. You don't even need to remove anything. Not even the radiator really. That's why I love Camrys :)

I found the fuel rail lol... Now I just need to buy 4 more sets of 1/2" drive extensions, and I can get that **** rear mount out haha!