Some of your might remember I sold my 94 sc300 5speed to a former roommate last year. She called me last night saying she thinks she blew the head gasket. She shut the car off before the temp gauge came up too much. Took a look at it this morning and the oil is milkshaked.

Talked to a local engine importer and they can get me a jdm engine for $450. This is a way better deal than replacing the head gasket, so we're persuing this route.

Just wondering if anyone had gone down this road before. Need to know if anything is different between the engines. I.e. Water pump, or cam pickup sensors, etc.

Just went down this road with my 92-x -> Sti swap. The actual swap took less than a weekend, but tracking down all the little parts and waiting for them to ship drew it out over a month.

 

found a thread here a while back about swapping a jdm ge engine

https://www.clublexus.com/forums/sc-...6k-no-way.html

looks like the oil pans were different....

 

oil pan can be different depending on which car it came from (aristo needs pan swap). also the JDM uses a map sensor plus IAT setup instead of the Maf sensor. you could just use the USDM electronics though and keep the maf installed. additionally there is no EGR on the JDM models.
If you want to keep the EGR for emissions it would be easier to find a USDM engine, and drop that in. they are the same price or even cheaper in most cases for the GE engine.

 

pull the head out yourself and take it to a machine shop. I don't know about the block without pulling that out.

 

Yeah, its not too hard to change the H/G but its not that easy either. I would go JDM since they are low mileage.

 

I agree but I think he is in CA where "smog check" is an evil word.

 

Cool. I'll probably swap all the stuff (manifolds, harnesses, etc) over from the old engine. Does the EGR come off the head, or the exhaust manifold? In case it comes off the head is the JDM one just blocked off, or is the casting not even there?

Exactly. For all the trouble I'd have to go through to pull the head, pull the block, get them decked, etc I'd rather just install a complete longblock. Not to mention the 180k+ this engine has on it , and the fact it leaks oil from every single hole.

Thanks for the link on the other GE->GE swap!

 

egr comes off the head. there may be an embossement for it, but it is not drilled out on the JDM head. there was a member a while back on supraforum who drilled it out but it was a little involved, most people would not go that far to comply with emissions. a simple jdm swap can turn nasty when the smog people fail you after all your hard work.
thats why i said you would be better off getting a USDM engine, they are the same price you should just get the JDM idea out of your head unless you are going for a GTE.