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daily 3sgte rav4?

5K views 15 replies 6 participants last post by  anarchyracing 
#1 ·
so ive picked up a gen2 (st185) 3sgte, with the intention of swapping it into my rav4, but the more i read the less i want to do it as it sounds like reliability and fuel consumption are just absolute garbage with this swap.

i drive about 45 miles round trip on a mixture of highway and gravel roads every day for work, and where i live temperatures range from 35c in the summer to -45 in the winter, and i need my rav4 for getting to work and back every day. if i go through with this swap, is it going to remain daily driveable or am i going to go broke putting fuel in it, and fixing it?
 
#2 ·
I guess it depends on how much you are willing to $pend and how good are you installing. Paying special attention to the details, and especially addressing the problems you mentioned.

The reliability is in the details. electrical system and fuses. How well you adapt the engine to its electrical capacity that will work in harmony with the RAV4 electrical system.

Regarding temperature, that can be work installing oil coolers, larger radiator (if needed). Having a good Air/Fuel Ratio regulator system. These engine (piggy backs or better) always come with a Turbo setting. From there on, it all depends on your style of driving. If you have a heavy foot (like I have) your wallet will notice it. :wink With the Apexi, you can tune it for daily driving (economy), or Rock and Roll (Rally staging:D).
Installing oil coolers will give your trans-axle long life, add to that Amsoil or Royal Purple. you will feel like your car is running on ball bearings, believe me, it helps a great deal.

To help mileage, put your RAV4 on a diet. Fiberglass or carbon fiber takes out about 40 to 50 pounds. Remove your back seats and you take out about 40 pounds, also help aerodynamics. I've done these with the 3SFE and it isn't a neck breaking power. But man, it runs well. I've done a lot of home made parts for the suspension and THAT is a real plus on rural areas. Then again, it does eat up a set of tires, so drive conscientiously. Do the Polyurethane bushing setup. Its very cheap and it solidifies the suspension. Hope this helps.
 
#3 ·
Just did a 3sgte conversion from an ST215 and have been very pleased with the results. Fuel Consumption is a bit more but is really worth it. If you have a gentle foot, you can get close to the original mpg. Close but not the same. Oh but what fun it is now! :)
 
#6 ·
The biggest enemies of reliability on a turbo engine are overheating, pinging/pinking, weak mixture and using cheap Dino (mineral) oil.
So use a quality 100% synthetic oil and I've heard good things about Megasquirt, even better if it comes set up with base maps.

Get the injectors ultrasonic cleaned before it goes in. Maybe fit a wideband Lambda gauge also.

I hope all goes easy and well.
 
#8 ·
Anarchyracing, If you plan to go with the ST185 motor then I would agree that a standalone is the best way to go. In my case, using the engine from the ST215, I use the factory ecu instead. Base hp is more than adequate. In fact a bit much for our chassis, brakes, and suspension. This is why those are the next items on my to-do list. The factory ecu makes the engine perform as reliably as it did right out of the factory. I actually have a Haltech Platinum standalone but it is unnecessary for now unless I intend to push more boost and pump more fuel in. Presently, I have installed a Devil's Own water-meth unit and it works well with the stock system. I am only pushing a factory max setting of 16 lbs of boost and it is all the fun I need for now. Good luck on your project.
 
#9 ·
thanks! as it is, anything i own that runs has royal purple in it, religiously. overheating shouldnt be a problem, rav4 rad is more than enough and ive cut a few big holes in the car to let more heat out and fresh air circulate, so hoping ive got that covered.

i was wrong on the engine, guy i bought it from gave me bad info and once i got it home and looked at it more (which was after i poted this) i discovered its in fact a gen1, which at first i thought was a bad thing, but having done more research it turns out its the best one to have for what i want it to do and what i want to do with it, like a forged crank and rods right from factory, as well as an indestructible block. the turbo has been changed out from the factory gen1 turbo to a gen2 turbo i beleive, so it will push a tiny bit more boost than stock. the megasquirt standalone is supposedly the best one to go with, and it should be self-learning as well if my understanding of megasquirt ecu's is correct.

what i really want out of this thing is reliability, with the option to have some fun when i want to and take in some local rally cross events. it has to withstand extreme cold and moderate heat throughout the year, and the occasional romp, ill be happy if the port matched and p&p head, plus the upgraded turbo, and a standalone efi system will grant me around 215hp (stock for that engine is 195) plus obviously since i have to fab up an exhaust and intake, i can make sure those flow well too, possibly even a header and some adjustable cam gears further down the road. from conversations ive had with experienced friends, ive learned that an open atmo bov is not a good idea for this engine as it will effect fuel mixture and idling as well as boost consistency with such a low boost threshold, which actually kinda really sucks hahaha i wanted the PSHHHH noise. oh well.

side note: i love this forum lol. so much info. all the time.
 
#13 ·
random footnote here: i have the st165 5spd transmission that goes with the gen1 3sgte, is that going to be a better trans than the 5spd thats in my rav now? one problem my rav has is that it doesnt like to downshift into 1st gear until youre basically stopped, i have learned if youre doing any racing (rallycross and stage rally) not having access to 1st gear is a serious pain in the ass lol
 
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