Opinions on v6 swapped mr2

I have been looking for a replacement for my c5 corvette. I have lost faith in it after two track day failures.

I have been searching for a gen 4 swapped mr2. During my search I came across a nice 1zmfe v6 swapped car local to me. The swap was well done by a toyota technician.

It dynoed at 204 whp with a simular torque figure. It has working A/c and is a clean car. Should I hold out for a gen 4 or pull the trigger on the v6?

I know based on grm that the v6 has oil starvation issues but I have this little jewel in my garage + the engine is allegedly low mileage.

I am meeting the seller Saturday morning.

Car in question...

Oil starvation savior...

What does the hive say?

Doesn't JG own one of these?

He has a gen 4 swapped one. The article he wrote is what prompted me to look for one.

Gen 4 is the MRS? I always preferred the styling of these ones

I built a 1MZ MR2 and I had a Gen3 swapped Turbo that put 292hp to the wheels. The V6 was a better car in every way.

I did install an Accusump and oil pressure gauge. The donor Avalon had 230k miles and I didn't even open it. No problems.

Here is its inaugural trip to AMP, a couple weeks after I built it.

1MZ MR2 at AMP

In reply to Tyler H:

Did you have any oil starvation issues, or is that just the internet blowing it out of proportion?

Anything in particular to look for? Why was the v6 a better car?

In full disclosure I used to club race an 85 mr2 in ITA, I owned a 1993 turbo briefly, I had a beams swapped 1991 and i have owned 2 3rd gens...

Jaynen wrote: Gen 4 is the MRS? I always preferred the styling of these ones

Nope, a gen 4 3sgte in a second gen mr2 or sw20 as they are referred to.

pimpm3 wrote: In reply to Tyler H: Did you have any oil starvation issues, or is that just the internet blowing it out of proportion? Anything in particular to look for? Why was the v6 a better car? In full disclosure I used to club race an 85 mr2 in ITA, I owned a 1993 turbo briefly, I had a beams swapped 1991 and i have owned 2 3rd gens...

Zero oil starvation issues, however there were times I could tell the Accusump was dong it's thing on track.

Things the Turbo did better: whooshy noises right behind your head on demand. Watching all your friends spin out when they drive your car at autox. ~5 second 0-60.

Things the V6 did better. Sounds...glorious sounds. Just enough buttery torque, everywhere Avalon-sized AC meant frosty cabin all the time. Much better for performance driving because it was predictable vs turbo lag and heat soak. I'd guess the turbo varied by up to 30-40hp with heat soak. About 40 lbs lighter than the 3SGTE. Lightly wrecked Avalon donor only cost $600 before part out.

I love the Turbo for its character and the history it represents, but the lighter, simpler torquey V6 was a match made in heaven.

I've owned 14 MR2s now, including the Gen3 swap car and a Gen2 Mk1.5. I built the V6 because a really nice Turbo chassis fell in my lap for $1200 with a new 3S engine. I did that project as an exercise in cheapness by reselling bits from the donors, but ended up loving the car. I only got rid of it to help finance a 356 purchase.

Edit: the thing to look at is the wiring. I built a patch harness so none of the stock body harness was altered and the V6 engine harness just plugged in, it also meant you could swap the engine without messing with wires...just unplug it. I documented and proved a wiring diagram with the car and wrote my email address on the ECU in case future owners had questions. All of my emissions gear was there, even though it didn't need to be in my state. Evap, charcoal canister, o2 sensors, etc. Obd2 port. No codes or CEL. Used a 98 Camry 5spd ECU so no immobilizer or AT error codes. You're buying someone else's swap, so leave no page unturned.

I recently picked up a super cheap solara with a 1MZ. Any other fun cars one would easily swap into? MK1 MR2?

Nitroracer wrote: I recently picked up a super cheap solara with a 1MZ. Any other fun cars one would easily swap into? MK1 MR2?

3 of 4 of the engine mounts connect to the transmission on the Toyota, so you only have to fab the passenger mount for a Mk2. The Mk1 is a different architecture, so you have to drill out the spot welds and chisel the mounting ears off the chassis and fab/weld new ones. Like putting a K or J swap in a Honda without Hasport to fall back on.

The next coolest cars that the Solara drivetrain "easily" mates with are FWD Celicas, Camrys, and RAV4....although a wicked Gen4 RAV4 Turbo would be fun.

Edit: to clarify, the MZ V6s bolt to the E153 (Turbo) or S54 (NA) transmission of the MR2, which is located by 3 engine mounts and solves most* of the geometry and axle issues.

*E153 passenger inboard axle needs a ~5mm spacer and a new circlip groove machined for the carrier bearing, which is offset on the MZ block.

The Solara manual is the E351, which is similar to the Turbo box, but front shift and different ratios. The rear shift casting from the MR2 is still present on the Solara and Camry manuals and can be drilled to just flip the shift linkage around to convert them to rear shift for MR2.

Like Big Boy Legos.

I really like the idea of the v6-swapped MR2s. The problem i keep running into (mentally) is that you have to do a really good job keeping costs down or you end up pretty close to what i spent for my 996 (same weight, better power, etc). There's even a running 6spd 996 for $7900 on my local CL. For a track toy only, it's probably less of a problem because you dont need to start with a nice car. But nice 2g MR2s are starting to be VERY hard to find 'cheap'.

But, arguments of value and logic are clearly secondary here because it's almost certainly going to be slower and less reliable than the c5 it's replacing. It'll still be cool as hell.

I had an MZ swapped SW20 hardtop with an aftermarket clutch-type LSD; it was the perfect road car until I ruined it by trying to turn it into a rallycross car. Just enough power, incredible noise with equal length headers and a proper Y-pipe, great road manners... some day I'll have another. GET IT!

That said, it had oiling issues at rallycross- you will need to do something to keep it from oil starving in track use.

1MZ swaps are cool, but I wouldn't plan to get more than stock power out of it unless you want to get into a serious motor build. Based on the experience of a friend who's worked around quite a few boosted 1MZs (and owned a few), apparently 4 psi is the practical limit. Above that, you get a pretty short lifespan before the rings are gone and it burns a crapload of oil.

That said, someone I know is polishing up a 2nd gen MR2 with a 1MZ and a blower...

I thought I was reading about 2GR swaps whats the difference?

2GR is 3.5. it has more power and was the replacement of the MZ series. But it is also drive by wire. 1mz is 3.0; 3mz is 3.3. the MZ swap is almost bolt in. By the way 2gr is also used by lotus.

When I looked into that swap years ago the consensus was that the 2gr was a more complicated swap.

The compromise I think is a 3mz with a 1mz throttle body(?) Since the 3mz is also drive by wire I think.

Look into what Bill Strong of MR2OC did to make his work in whatever racing series he is competing in.

In reply to Tyler H:

Any chance you have any of the wiring diagrams still available? This is relevant to my interests, as I have a '91 non-turbo hardtop (no sunroof even!) that needs a more interesting engine.

Tyler H wrote: The next coolest cars that the Solara drivetrain "easily" mates with are FWD Celicas, Camrys, and RAV4....although a wicked Gen4 RAV4 Turbo would be fun.

Yeah.

What PSI were you running the 4th gen at to get 300 HP?

A 1gen MR2 is still on my all-time want list. The depth of knowledge here is amazing.

Jaynen wrote: I thought I was reading about 2GR swaps whats the difference?

The 2GR will reasonably bolt to the MR2 transmission. You may need to tap a dowel hole, dowel a threaded hole, or drill blind hole, but the bell housing works.

The electrics are a little tricker because you have to convert to DBW throttle pedal, canbus, etc. It seemed like black magic 10 years ago when people started doing this, but it's how all new swaps are now. Pull the transponder ring out of the donor car and ziptie the chip key to it, wired up somewhere in the trunk. 2GR is definitely the way to go if you don't mind spending (and wiring) a little more.

Benswen wrote: In reply to Tyler H: Any chance you have any of the wiring diagrams still available? This is relevant to my interests, as I have a '91 non-turbo hardtop (no sunroof even!) that needs a more interesting engine.

I do still have my documentation and happy to share, but it won't be applicable because my chassis was a 91 Turbo. The body harness colors and connectors are different. Even the identical 1MZ power plant has totally different wire colors between years and trim levels in the Avalon donor. Toyota TechInfo online was an excellent resource. I bought a 24 hour pass and downloaded all of the EWD PDFs for the MR2, Avalon, and Camry.

Dr. Hess wrote:

Tyler H wrote: The next coolest cars that the Solara drivetrain "easily" mates with are FWD Celicas, Camrys, and RAV4....although a wicked Gen4 RAV4 Turbo would be fun.

Yeah. What PSI were you running the 4th gen at to get 300 HP?

Cool! I was running a Gen3 from 1997 GT-S halfcut I got with 26k km on it. Intake and Turbo back exhaust. Stock boost on the CT20b. Car was much stronger than the 245ps that it was rated at.

Best day for that car was when I got an FTD at autocross then drove across the paddock to the drag strip and ran 12.9 @107mph in the quarter with my Hoosier A7s on the back, aired down to 15psi. My wife was codriving and sharing my helmet so everyone thought it was her, which was awesome.

I bought the v6 mr2. Thanks to photobucket I can't post any pictures...

More to come when I get home in 2 hours...

$6500

That looks really nice. I had that exact same Walmart cupholder in my AE92 Rolla.

What's the published HP output on that motor?

Sweet! The cruise control actuator is still there. Does the CC work? Looks like a clean swap.

Nice to see the correct emissions controls in place.

In reply to Vigo:

I saw that car lol. Its a cab and really high miles. But, looks taken cared of.

142k on the car. Haven't tried the cruise. Everything else has worked so far.

I have the dyno sheet. 195 hp at the wheels and 203 ft lbs of torque.

New Yokohama tires 215 fronts and 245 rears.

It is a clean car and looks well cared for. Seller is buying an evo which is why he was selling it.

He had it a year and bought it from a toyota tech in Tampa who did the swap. Car is originally from Kentucky.