I have a 1990 with a 7mge with an amazing interior and virtually no body damage but the cars been sitting for a long time and has a seized engine. I've been looking around to see what the best bet would be and I've found that swapping a 2jz (or 1jz) is actually a pretty viable alternative since I have a 89+. I live in the fairly deep south (texas) and any 7MGE's ive found are just as much as a 2jz so I was wondering would I would need so I could stack my chips and see what option would be better?
1990 2JZ-GE swap
- Thread starter kurimis
- Start date
If rebuilding/repairing your current engine doesn't seem viable and you need to swap, a 2JZ-GE is a great option in my opinion. You'll need a bellhousing and probably a flywheel. Honestly most of the parts needed to swap it are pretty readily available from various vendors or Toyota themselves.
That's all from the mechanical side. On the electrical side, you'll either need to customize the harness to fit your car or find someone making a harness. Not sure what's easier to be honest.
If you're going standalone, it's pretty much all the same, but if you're going to try to use the stock ECU, a non-VVT-i engine is an easier swap electrically for sure (unless you can find an ECU without immobilizer or modify one, or have a full setup with key).
If it was my car and I was doing a GE swap, I'd probably do a VVT-i setup with a stock ECU and deal with what needs to be dealt with. 7M parts are getting harder to find these days to do a proper rebuild (specifically on the bottom end as it relates to oiling and so on).
Jeff
That's all from the mechanical side. On the electrical side, you'll either need to customize the harness to fit your car or find someone making a harness. Not sure what's easier to be honest.
If you're going standalone, it's pretty much all the same, but if you're going to try to use the stock ECU, a non-VVT-i engine is an easier swap electrically for sure (unless you can find an ECU without immobilizer or modify one, or have a full setup with key).
If it was my car and I was doing a GE swap, I'd probably do a VVT-i setup with a stock ECU and deal with what needs to be dealt with. 7M parts are getting harder to find these days to do a proper rebuild (specifically on the bottom end as it relates to oiling and so on).
Jeff
Is there a particular benefit to the vvti? Ive heard the non vvti engines tend to be more stout. Apart from the bell housing and the flywheel I also read I would need specific engine mounts, would I not need those since I have the 89+?
Thanks for your reply and help!
I had a 2JZ-GE in my '86.5 for over 6 years with a Tweak'd harness and the 2JZ 89661-14600 factory ECU (it was a JDM MAP engine, not MAF, non-VVTI). Extremely reliable and just a little bit peppier than the 7M. I wouldn't call it an "easy" swap. But the parts to do it are all available from one source or another, there's no welding (other than some exhaust work), there's no hammering on the firewall to make it fit, and most other bits and pieces are fairly easy to source (throttle cable, piping for intake, wiring for alternator, rad hoses, to name a few). Some folks have made it work with the mechanical radiator fan, other have gone electric fan. I went electric. The MAP sensor came with the engine, but I'm guessing the MAF (US) version of the engine would have better support, either from aftermarket or eBay.
You'll need the aftermarket engine mount brackets, regardless. The '86.5-'88 versions are obviously different than the '89+ versions.
I sat on the fence about it for about 6 months while the car sat with a BHG in the driveway. In the end, I'm glad I went that route. The 2JZ was absolutely trouble-free.
A VVTI version engine would be even peppier still I would imagine, but I'm not sure how much more work to get it to run properly would be involved.
You'll need the aftermarket engine mount brackets, regardless. The '86.5-'88 versions are obviously different than the '89+ versions.
I sat on the fence about it for about 6 months while the car sat with a BHG in the driveway. In the end, I'm glad I went that route. The 2JZ was absolutely trouble-free.
A VVTI version engine would be even peppier still I would imagine, but I'm not sure how much more work to get it to run properly would be involved.