3SGTE Swap Writeup

3sgte Swap Write up

There are a couple of questions you need to ask yourself before you put yourself out there trying to swap your motor.


1.What are my options for more power, and how much do I want to make?
5sfte – Is your stock motor, with a turbo thrown on it, upgraded injectors something to control air/fuel, upgraded fuel pump (*is a must)
3sgte – Is the best bang for your buck, depending on the generation of 3sgte that you get.
3sge – Not worth the money. You will get an extra 20 to 30 hp, unless it’s a Beams 3sge very rare but very powerful N/A.


2.How much money do I have to spend?
This is a very important question how much money do you have to spend on this project. What ever you estimate your cost to be, double it, and then ask yourself what else you might need. Most people spend on average of $5000 to have there motor swapped. That’s them doing it them selves, for some of the harder swaps I’ve heard of cost in the $8000 when paying a mechanic to do it


3.Do I have the tools & knowledge to do it myself/ or have access to the tools & knowledge to do it myself, and how hard is this swap?
You have to be able to answer that one for yourself, how comfortable are you changing your pads, rotors, axles, hubs, changing your clutch, following wiring diagrams, and could you pull & replace your stock motor if needed. If you don’t feel comfortable with ¾ of that list then you need to take it to a mechanic and pay them to do it. Even with no knowledge the info can be found online with a quick search.



4.Will I lose reliable after the swap?
Easy answer yes & no. You are now running a car with much more horsepower than it was intended to handle, coming off of the assembly line. Some have a lot of problems; some people have little to no problems. All the motors come from one Toyota car or another, with proper maintenance they will last, or better yet with regular maintenance it will last.


5.Will I pass Emissions with the swap?
Some people do pass, others don’t. If you have a JDM engine it will not come with all the EGR stuff, so you might have to put it there to pass the visual (if required, check with your state). Make sure you have a good catalytic converter, new plugs & wires are some of the things to start with, a motor in good running condition is a lot more likely to pass.


6.Which Tranny can I use, and should I convert my car to all wheel drive since I got the tranny with the front clip.
The tranny used to perform the swap would be your stock 5sfe tranny with an upgraded clutch, the V6 Camry tranny with the 3sgte pressure plate, with the v6 flywheel or the 3sgte flywheel, and a clutch disk with the correct number of spines for the tranny(I believe it has the same number as the 5sfe)
You can not use the Alltrac/GT4 tranny. It is not ment to be used to run in fwd mode all the time. It Will Blow
The holy grail of trannys would be an mr2 tranny with LSD, very expensive, but very much worth the money if your looking to make big power, and keep all that power incontact with the ground.

E-153 mr2 turbo tranny = GT shifter cables
3sgte disk
3sgte pressure plate
3sgte flywheel
Alltrac outer half shafts, m2 inner shafts.

GT tranny or 3SGE = GT shifter cables
5sfe/3sge disk (or a custom made 3sgte disk, with the splines for the 5sfe tranny)
5sfe/3sge throwout bearing
5sfe/3sge alignment tool
3sgte pressure plate
3sgte flywheel
5sfe Axels

1mzfe Solara Tranny = ST205 Cables (GT4)
V6 Camry tranny
1mzfe disk
1mzfe throwout bearing
1mzfe alignment tool
3sgte pressure plate
3sgte flywheel
Not sure about the axels needed to run this tranny


7.Were do I buy a front clip or motor, and which should I get?
Always go with the front clip if you can. If you just buy a motor you will end up spending more time looking for all the sensors, parts, and misc. crap that you will need, to get it running. If you think you have the time and you don’t plan on swapping your motor for another year, save and buy a front clip. You will save your self time & money in most case going that route. Local engine importers will sell you a front clip for anywhere from $1500 to $3700 depending if you get body panels & what generation of 3sgte that you have purchased.



Tools Need to do the Swap
1 - breaker bar
2 - good socket sets(3/4" drive, 1/2" drive, 3/8" drive(for the little & hard to reach spots)
2 - extentions(3/4" & 3/8" medium sized ones)
2 - rolls of the shop towels
2 - bottles of hand cleaner
4 - cans of engine degreaser
Couple of pliers small, & medium
1 - Soidering iron
1 - bottle of cv grease(if your not replacing your axels)
1 - 4.4L bottle of Oil
1 - 4.4L bottle of Gear oil
1 - wire cutter
1 - engine hoist
2 - jack stands
1 - SST puller to remove the crank seal
1 - Impact gun(yes, an electric one will work) or see first item on the list
1 - set of open ended wrenches 10mm to 19mm
1 - deep 20mm socket
1 - deep 22mm socket
1 - deep 32mm socket - for removing your axels
1 - 3sgte ecu wiring diagram(make sure you get the right year pinout)
1 - 5sfe ecu wiring diagram

Parts Need to do the Swap
If you buy a front Front Clip skip this part as you will have everything you need. If you don't and you've decided to just buy a motor. Some of the things you will need to make sure you have are.
1 - 3sgte/3sge Motor
1 - Tranny 5sfe/v6 Camry, or MR2 with or without LSD
1 - Map Sensor
1 - Coil
1 - Ignition Resistor Pack
1 - Fuel Injector Resistor Pack
1 - Fuel Pump Relay
1 - Air Flow Meter Sensor
1 - 3rd ecu plug(alot of times it does not come with your motor)
1 - 3sgte/3sge ecu
1 - 3sgte/3sge engine bay UNCUT wiring harness(can't stress enough how important this is)
1 - timing belt/water pump
1 - 3sgte/walbro/supra fuel pump(why take the chance of running lean when you've put that much money in already
1 - boost gauge
1 - Exaust Gas Temperature gauge(very valuable investment even at $170)
1 - Top mounted IC, or front mount with custom piping
1 - Alltrac hood needed if your sticking with your top mounted IC
1 - set of spark plug wires(be very sure of what year engine you have)

Hang Up/Stumbling Steps
-Wiring, I don't need to say much more about this, if you can't understand the diagrams ask someone.

-The stock rad is not sufficent for all the heat you will be now creating, look at some alternatives. If you decide to run your stock rad with your stock rad fan. The fans cover gets in the way of the turbo, and you will need to cut out a piece of the cover to allow it to fit.

-Did I say wiring

-Be sure of which year you have cuse they are different between the 90 - 91 and the 92 - 93, not sure of the differences between the other years.

-You will need to cut and extend each wire from the engine bay wiring harness 33" so that it will fit, or cut a hole in your firewall, and drop the wires in there. make sure you cover up the old hole if you go that route.

-The motor will drop in from the top with a little effort, or if you have a big hoist you can lift the car up push the motor under the car, and lower the car over top of it.

More to follow....