DIY YACT: Engine Swap?

[yhelothar]

Yeah if you guy's read my last thread about me driving with an empty radiator, it does seem like my head gasket is blown. I'm getting water vapor out of the exhuast, and I see small bubbles inside the motor oil.

It seems like I can get a fairly new(40k miles) 4AGE 20valve twin cam engine from ebay with a 5speed tranny for $390+shipping. I would imagine doing an engine swap is less work than taking the engine apart to replace the headgasket.

I thought maybe I can go to an autoparts store, and borrow the tools I need to do the engine swap, and do it myself. Or is it really complicated, and it's not something I can do by just reading a short guide on the internet? I'm thinking it's just a few hoses to unplug, and a few screws to remove. I can probably do it on a weekend.
I can save myself some money, get a faster engine, a lower mileage, fix any problems, and increase my car's resale value.
So basically by doing this, I'd kill 5 birds with one stone.

So the question is, is it feasible for me to do it, given that I'm not too well versed in fixing cars, and it took me 2 hrs to change a radiator hose(I spent 20 minutes looking for the damn hose clamp )

If not, how much would the labor cost to do an engine swap?

And anyone know any guides that teaches you how to do it, or a book that's available.

Lastly, would the 4AGE engine even fit without modifications where my 4AFE has been?

 

[nboy22]

As far as I know, just replacing the head gasket is a better idea than a whole new engine swap, and probably a lot cheaper as well.

 

[jlee]

A 4AGE should bolt right in, but you'll have to do some wiring harness / ECU transplanting. An engine swap is significantly more than a few screws and a few hoses, especially when you involve custom wiring.

You probably won't increase resale value over stock, since most people don't really care if the car will rev to 7500rpm rather than 6000. Though it would be more fun to drive.

Stop by VVT-i.net - there are a few people there who would be more than happy to point you in the right direction.

 

[Stumps]

replacing the head gasket will be a lot cheaper and easier for you....unless when you pull of the head, you discover that it has been cracked..then it could get expensive

 

[Koing]

Me and my dad swapped out the engine for another one. He has worked in a garage for 10yrs though and we borrowed this little crane thing to take the engine out. Seemed easy enough at the time but my dad knows cars fairly well, but I wouldn't have done it on my own!

Headgasket would be easier to do.

Koing

 

[Eli]

:laugh:

 

[Cdubneeddeal]

The bad thing is, since you ran it dry, there could be more damage than just the headgasket. You might just pulled the head off and realize that more parts are shot.

 

[yhelothar]

Originally posted by: Eli
:laugh:

Yeah.. it was a constly and time consuming lesson for me.
But I learned a lot more about cars in result.
I think I'm just going to drive this car until it completely dies until I can save up enough for another car, and not bother to fix this one.

Or I can maybe sell it for $500 and state the issues I have with it.
It's still worth $1300 blue book.

 

[vegetation]

Not the best idea to do an engine swap all by yourself if you have zero experience. Many things can go wrong and you'll have an awful mess at the end. Don't even ask about labor charges at a shop -- you're looking at book values exceeding 2k. If you can find a cheap mechanic you can probably get it done a lot cheaper, but make sure they don't run off in the middle of the job.

 

[Atheus]

I love the 4AGE - it was great little engine. The 20-valve is even better.

did you say what car you have? i didn't see the other thread...

 

[nakedfrog]

Originally posted by: virtualgames0
It seems like I can get a fairly new(40k miles) 4AGE 20valve twin cam engine from ebay with a 5speed tranny for $390+shipping. I would imagine doing an engine swap is less work than taking the engine apart to replace the headgasket.

Why would you imagine that? Do you know what a gasket is?

I thought maybe I can go to an autoparts store, and borrow the tools I need to do the engine swap, and do it myself. Or is it really complicated, and it's not something I can do by just reading a short guide on the internet? I'm thinking it's just a few hoses to unplug, and a few screws to remove. I can probably do it on a weekend.

:laugh:

So the question is, is it feasible for me to do it, given that I'm not too well versed in fixing cars, and it took me 2 hrs to change a radiator hose(I spent 20 minutes looking for the damn hose clamp )

If it took you 2 hours to change a radiator hose, you WON'T be doing an engine transplant by yourself any time soon. Even when I knew NOTHING about cars, that took me 20-30 minutes.

 

[yhelothar]

Originally posted by: nakedfrog

Originally posted by: virtualgames0
It seems like I can get a fairly new(40k miles) 4AGE 20valve twin cam engine from ebay with a 5speed tranny for $390+shipping. I would imagine doing an engine swap is less work than taking the engine apart to replace the headgasket.

Why would you imagine that? Do you know what a gasket is?

I thought maybe I can go to an autoparts store, and borrow the tools I need to do the engine swap, and do it myself. Or is it really complicated, and it's not something I can do by just reading a short guide on the internet? I'm thinking it's just a few hoses to unplug, and a few screws to remove. I can probably do it on a weekend.

:laugh:

So the question is, is it feasible for me to do it, given that I'm not too well versed in fixing cars, and it took me 2 hrs to change a radiator hose(I spent 20 minutes looking for the damn hose clamp )

If it took you 2 hours to change a radiator hose, you WON'T be doing an engine transplant by yourself any time soon. Even when I knew NOTHING about cars, that took me 20-30 minutes.

It took me so long to replace the hose because the space was so small. I spent an hour looking for things that can screw the clamp tight because the screwdriver wouldnt' fit in that small space. I tried everything from a hair clip, to a wrench, to a cookie cutter. Finally the butter knife was perfect for the job. Also the hose was too long, so I had to spend time sawing the hose, and then I found out that the end of those hose was slightly bigger so it's easier to fit into the neck. So then the tube became too small to fit. It was like trying to shove a beer bottle up a cornhole. But with enough force, it finally went in.

 

[yhelothar]

Originally posted by: Atheus
I love the 4AGE - it was great little engine. The 20-valve is even better.

did you say what car you have? i didn't see the other thread...

92 corolla 4dr sedan.
It has the 4AFE in there now.

 

[nakedfrog]

I actually had a 92 Geo Prizm which was basically the same car. Those engines will take a LOT of abuse. The seats were murder for my back on long trips, though.

 

[NutBucket]

Ha. You'll never get it smogged for one thing. I thought you hated the rest of the car? Why on earth would spend extra money for a swap that's guaranteed to be nothing but a headache?

Additionally, swapping a 20V motor into that pile WILL NOT increase its value. Trust me, it just doesn't happen that way. Fix the stock motor or get a stock replacement. Best bet.

 

[jlee]

Originally posted by: NutBucket
Ha. You'll never get it smogged for one thing. I thought you hated the rest of the car? Why on earth would spend extra money for a swap that's guaranteed to be nothing but a headache?

Same engine that's in my MR2..it also came stock in some early 90s Corollas - why would it fail smog?

 

[NutBucket]

Originally posted by: CadetLee

Originally posted by: NutBucket
Ha. You'll never get it smogged for one thing. I thought you hated the rest of the car? Why on earth would spend extra money for a swap that's guaranteed to be nothing but a headache?

Same engine that's in my MR2..it also came stock in some early 90s Corollas - why would it fail smog?

20V version?

 

[jlee]

Originally posted by: NutBucket

Originally posted by: CadetLee

Originally posted by: NutBucket
Ha. You'll never get it smogged for one thing. I thought you hated the rest of the car? Why on earth would spend extra money for a swap that's guaranteed to be nothing but a headache?

Same engine that's in my MR2..it also came stock in some early 90s Corollas - why would it fail smog?

20V version?

Ah..I was thinking 16v.

 

[yhelothar]

Originally posted by: NutBucket
Ha. You'll never get it smogged for one thing. I thought you hated the rest of the car? Why on earth would spend extra money for a swap that's guaranteed to be nothing but a headache?

Additionally, swapping a 20V motor into that pile WILL NOT increase its value. Trust me, it just doesn't happen that way. Fix the stock motor or get a stock replacement. Best bet.

OK thanks for the advice.
I thought I could get it done in a weekend for $400. I've never thought about smog, good point.
I guess I'm just going to leave it as is, and save all the money I can towards my next car.

 

[jlee]

Originally posted by: virtualgames0

Originally posted by: NutBucket
Ha. You'll never get it smogged for one thing. I thought you hated the rest of the car? Why on earth would spend extra money for a swap that's guaranteed to be nothing but a headache?

Additionally, swapping a 20V motor into that pile WILL NOT increase its value. Trust me, it just doesn't happen that way. Fix the stock motor or get a stock replacement. Best bet.

OK thanks for the advice.
I thought I could get it done in a weekend for $400. I've never thought about smog, good point.
I guess I'm just going to leave it as is, and save all the money I can towards my next car.

Good call. :thumbsup:

 

[iamaelephant]

Very good call - replacing an engine is a heck of a lot more work than a head gasket. I can do a head gasket in a couple of hours, less if I know the engine. Swapping a motor is at least a full days work if you have a limited selection of tools and nobody to help you.