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CJ Flis

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Discussion starter · #1 ·
Hello all,
I would like to start by saying that I'm only a teenager and have very little car knowledge, but am willing to learn. And also this is my first post.

My mum has a 1997 4Dr that is virtually falling apart and i considered it a dead case until stumbling across rav4world and seeing that people have done various engine swaps into the 4.1.

I would like to know how hard this is and how much it will cost, but most importantly, what is possible. I have seen that the 3vz-fe is a good swap however there does not seem to be huge availability and it does not seem to be that powerful (excuse me if I am wrong).

I have purchased a 4wding magazine and they list some good engines for engine swaps, and in particular the "Chevrolet EFI V8 LS1", "Ford Turbo Inline 6" the "1UZ-FE Quad Cam V8" appeal to me as they are readily available and powerful. I was wondering if any of these would be possible to put in the Rav or if they would even fit! (The Chevy appeals to me especially)

I would like to keep this as a 4wd to do some light off-roading and preferably have it manual (the manual tranny that's in there needs replacing), and it would be nice if it could also get up and go on the street aswell.

Thanks in advance!!
 
#2 ·
If it's falling apart, forget about repairing it, that will be more costly then replacing it with another RAV4. They really aren't that expensive.

For occasionally light off road use the standard 3S-FE engine works brilliantly. It was meant to be mostly on the tarmac and do some light offroading on occasion.

Inserting a V8 into a V4 engine is not going to work. They simply will not fit because of many differences. Beside you will need a drivetrain capable of supporting the 4 wheel drive, which not all cars actually have.

If you persist in wanting to replace the engine, that will not go easy on your wallet. Consider it an investment of 2500 - 3500 australian dollar, if you are capable of doing most yourself, and you rent the special equipment or are capable of lending it from somebody you know, as well as that you can find a fairly well priced engine block with little need for alterations.

It will be 50 to 100 hours of work, also mainly depending on your own level of expertise and dedication as well as preperation. With little knowledge and/ or bad preparation, you can easily triple the amount of time needed.

As i said already: Better buy another second hand car and drive it. The RAV4 however is a great car to drive.
Greetz

Pim
 
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#3 ·
CJ Flis said:
Hello all,
I would like to start by saying that I'm only a teenager and have very little car knowledge, but am willing to learn. And also this is my first post.

My mum has a 1997 4Dr that is virtually falling apart and i considered it a dead case until stumbling across rav4world and seeing that people have done various engine swaps into the 4.1.

I would like to know how hard this is and how much it will cost, but most importantly, what is possible. I have seen that the 3vz-fe is a good swap however there does not seem to be huge availability and it does not seem to be that powerful (excuse me if I am wrong).

I have purchased a 4wding magazine and they list some good engines for engine swaps, and in particular the "Chevrolet EFI V8 LS1", "Ford Turbo Inline 6" the "1UZ-FE Quad Cam V8" appeal to me as they are readily available and powerful. I was wondering if any of these would be possible to put in the Rav or if they would even fit! (The Chevy appeals to me especially)

I would like to keep this as a 4wd to do some light off-roading and preferably have it manual (the manual tranny that's in there needs replacing), and it would be nice if it could also get up and go on the street aswell.

Thanks in advance!!
Click to expand...

First thing to learn is that you can do almost EVERYTHING with money.

So if you have enough money, you can fix your car and swap in ANY engine.

I do personally know a Oz guy that swapped an 1UZ-FE V8, and then added twin turbo and a compressor, and put it in a Celica ST185... and WE know that the Celica with 3SGTE has almost the same engine bay than the Rav4.1 with 3SFE engine.

This said, the fastest and cheapest way to get safe & reliable 280bhp, is to install a 3SGTE in the Rav4.1, free flow exhaust and an EBC with boost pressure raised to 1.1 bar.

Good luck!
 
Discussion starter · #4 ·
Thankyou for a reply! :)

I am serious about this and have got a job and lots of time on my hands as I just finished school. At a tool store near me they have engine cranes for fairly cheap so I was thinking of getting one and gradually working on the motor while is hoisted.

So their is no chance of a v8? Which i guess means there is no chance of a straight six either? I would really like this engine swap to be fairly unique, but i would also like the parts for the engine to be readily available. So what motor is fairly common and powerful that hasn't been put into a rav4 often and will fit?
Thanks
CJ
 
Discussion starter · #5 ·
Oh sorry I did not realize two people had replied!

So the 1uz is possible??
I don't mind doing a bit of modifying but i need it to be legal, so will it still be approved by engineers?
Thanks :)
 
#6 ·
so here is the thing the best and easiest and most readily available is the redtop beams swap member batman recently just made, he also put a list of parts and headaches and others stuff that is fairly well detailed probably the most direct and stratightforward swap as far as getting a different engine would be that redtop beams, a UK member that does racing celicas? i think, recently did a v6 swap with great results and he could probably get you all the custom parts you would need,since he is out there, i think he mentioned a custom engine mount and headers, there are threads around here somewhere look around some and you will find them, good luck
 
#7 ·
I haven't read all the post regarding what you want to do. But it looks like you just need some guidance. One thing's for sure here, opinions are free. Experience, well some guys know what they are talking about because they've been there, and they have done it for themselves. I'm talking about what I have done and I'm planning to do in the next year or so.

First of all you must have a solid RAV4.1. What Pim say is true. A solid foundation will help a great deal. Especially if you are going to place your RAV4 under great stress. Solidifying the chassis is a must.

The 3SFe engine is the only weak part of this car. BUT, it can make descent power so it can briskly move you through traffic. Anndd, it can also surprise some mini SUVs. Problem is you get two or three victories under your belt and then you get greedy.

Then you want more power. When you get in the Tom Cruise: "I have the need for speed" mood, all hell breaks loose. But at the same time, you have already have two or three scary moments. Here is where you realize that you need speed, but you also have to control speed. Toyota has great brakes, but for a modified Toyota, you need even better brakes. Aerodynamics also help a great deal. Even though it doesn't look like it but if you can do it. It help a great deal, especially on the freeway. Remember, the center of gravity of the RAV4 is a little high. Here, unless you are going mountain racing, lowering it will also help its stability.

Installing the 3SGTE engine is cool. There are quite a few of those here in the forum. But like I said, if you really want the "need for speed", V6 is the way to go.

Keep looking in this forum, their are tons of information. Also check Toyotanation.com.



http://www.rav4world.com/forums/94-...s/94-4-1-d-i-y-modifications/82641-6cyl-engine-conversion-swap-1996-rav4-3.html


 
Discussion starter · #8 ·
Hey mensa did woodsport ever get around to building those mounts for you for the 3vz-fe?? They look quite interesting...

I would also like to know whether the 1uz is possible as a legal swap, anyone got any info on that?

Also whats the deal with new disk brakes for the rav? Ive had a look but all of the ones I can find arent very big in terms of surface area :/

Thanks guys youve been a big help so far :)
 
#10 ·
If you are young and want to truly learn, I would start by fixing the ole RAV up. There is a LOT to learn in simple R&R work. I would not dump a bunch of money into a engine swap, etc. Not having a good base of knowledge and going headfirst into a engine/trans, etc. swap is a recipe for trouble. The car becomes a huge money pit at that point. Save your hard earned money, buy some tools, surround yourself with people who are interested in the same, and you will learn a great deal. IMO, the best learning experience is to take car that is not running and put it back on the road.
 
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#11 ·
Discussion starter · #12 ·
Hey arries, I know what your saying about tinkering with the car is smart and logical, but the car is in use so the great part of the engine swap is that I can tinker with the new engine (on the hoist) while the old one is still in use. I was even hoping I could bolt the tranny on to the motor while it was hoisted, and then lower the whole assembly into the car (or bring it up from beneath).

And wolf i thought the v6 was faster but after a quick google apparently the 3sgte 3rd gen has 241hp where as the 3vz has 185hp, is this just because the 3gt comes turbo wheres the 3vz is not??
 
#13 ·
arries289 said:
If you are young and want to truly learn, I would start by fixing the ole RAV up. There is a LOT to learn in simple R&R work. I would not dump a bunch of money into a engine swap, etc. Not having a good base of knowledge and going headfirst into a engine/trans, etc. swap is a recipe for trouble. The car becomes a huge money pit at that point. Save your hard earned money, buy some tools, surround yourself with people who are interested in the same, and you will learn a great deal. IMO, the best learning experience is to take car that is not running and put it back on the road.
Click to expand...
Very true. :thumbs_up: Start with a basic well running RAV4. You have to baby step before you can walk, then run...then run faster. Get into good stock working order, then you start to build from there.
 
#15 ·
mensajero said:
Well, I look at it this way:

Image


See what I mean. ;):eek:
Click to expand...

Ah ok, so were talking about MODIFIED engines... not stock...

So if we are talking about modified engines, it ALL depends in the money involved.

And with a no limit budget, 3SGTE is still way more powerful than the 1MZ, as while there are 3SGTEs with 900 and more whp, the TRD charged 1MZ have 240 bhp like the normal 3SGTE 3rd gen, and I've never saw an 1MZ turbocharged with more than 500/600 whp.
 
#16 ·
CJ Flis said:
And wolf i thought the v6 was faster but after a quick google apparently the 3sgte 3rd gen has 241hp where as the 3vz has 185hp, is this just because the 3gt comes turbo wheres the 3vz is not??
Click to expand...
Sure...
 
#17 ·
Oh, when you are going on that path, dreaming is your way.

But if you are still using the RAV4, forget about wanting a modified engine inside it. That will take it out of use for some weeks while you are trying to make it fit in.

The price tag on modified engines is quite hefty too. Such an engine easily passes 5K US dollar. Stock 1mz-fe engines already require more then 4500 dollar to be fitted into your car (which needs quite some modding). I don't know about you, but there are nicer race cars for less to buy second hand, which also are garanteed to be working.

And make sure you have a backup car to be able to drive throughout the country because you will need that to pick up parts which you forgot or screwed up and need replaced.
Greetz

Pim
 
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Discussion starter · #18 ·
Im sorry when I say it is falling apart i mean the mechanics side of it, the rest of the car is ok.

So if I work on the engine and do a rebuild Toyota 3.0L 3VZFE - Master Rebuild Kit 92-93 such as that and get it all ready outside of the car, how long would it take me to connect all the gear into the car (wiring loom, engine mounts etc)? Because I can borrow a car for up to 3 weeks if that would be long enough to do the swap??

Also you have confused me with all of these engine choices haha, which is best: 1mz-fe, 3sg-te, 3vz-fe?? Also are the 1gr-fe or 1uz-fe possibilities??

Sorry for so many questions! I realize this is a daunting task and I appreciate the help!
 
#19 ·
CJ Flis said:
Im sorry when I say it is falling apart i mean the mechanics side of it, the rest of the car is ok.

So if I work on the engine and do a rebuild Toyota 3.0L 3VZFE - Master Rebuild Kit 92-93 such as that and get it all ready outside of the car, how long would it take me to connect all the gear into the car (wiring loom, engine mounts etc)? Because I can borrow a car for up to 3 weeks if that would be long enough to do the swap??
Click to expand...

No... it'll take more time to complete it a V6 swap.
It would be WAY quicker a 3SGTE swap though.


Also you have confused me with all of these engine choices haha, which is best: 1mz-fe, 3sg-te, 3vz-fe?? Also are the 1gr-fe or 1uz-fe possibilities??

Sorry for so many questions! I realize this is a daunting task and I appreciate the help!
Click to expand...
Stll have to understand if you want to keep engines stock or not, anyway...
if you want to keep stock engine without modifying it:
the cheapest way is the 3SGTE
the most powerful way is the 3SGTE 3rd gen (280 bhp/350 Nm with boost raised)
the lightest way is the 3SGTE
the quickest way to swap is with 3SGTE

If you want to modify the swapped engine for maximum power and torque:
the most powerful way is the 3SGTE

If you want to run a unique swap with no money's limit:
up to you.
 
Discussion starter · #20 ·
I don't understand, i read on here there was no replacement for displacement? The v6 is 150% size of the 3sgte, so wouldn't it be easier to get higher hp from it? Sorry if this is a dumb question.

And also I may modify the engine depending on which one I chose.
 
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