Ok well I used to come to this site alot because I really like the toyota celica. As of right now I still own my first car, a mazda mx-3, well Im sick of it, its going to cost me mega $$ to get it where I want it. So Im going to get a celica for the fall and do a swap hopefully over the winter. So Ive searched trying to find some straight forward info on this swap and there really isnt.
So far all Ive gethered is you need a wiring harness, also and ecu and IM is on everyones list. Ill be ordering a complete engine which includes the ecu and hopefully the harness, Ill ask before I order. Do to ontario law i wont need the IM since my car can be classified as a hotrod and tested under 1980's emmision standards.
So heres my question, when I order this engine is that that? Will it drop right in and just adopt all my old parts, or will I need things to make it work? It comes from a awd car, correct? So what does this imply for a fwd car? So please all the info you could give me would be great, a shopping list of EVERY part needed or recomended would be great. I would also suggest adding a walk through of the swap to a faq section.
Thanks alot!
Timothy Dawson
Welcome to the site Tim - almost every question you'll ask can be answered in some fashion from the site or from someone on the site. Another good website to check out is celica.net. Its not as specific as its ALL celica's, but theres alot of good info there. But this is where the real deal is.
As Kwanza said, it depends on what model Celica u'll start with. Its more work and money doing the ST than the GT cuz of what was already listed. And when u think custom, think wow im going to have to figure something out custom. Problem solving is a must, im finishing my swap and right now im trying to figure out just the exhaust. Re-wiring the ecu and the relays is going to be the biggest b*tch of them all, and is really what takes the longest.
Other than that look around and use the search button cuz alot of questions have been asked and answered in the past and you might find what u are looking for in past posts. Good luck.
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Hey thanks alot guys, ya i know all about the search function, my eyes just got tired from reading post after post about wiring harnesses":) When I buy a Celica it WILL BE a GT I know all about the different engines and what not. It was the same deal with my MX-3, depending on the model you had different bolt in swaps to choose, either 4cyl or v6. So I guess I will read into the re-wiring more, since I have a guy from a shop I want to do it for me I really need to get him that info before he agrees to do it. I hope its nothing to extreme, any schematics around this page? But anyways I think I should worry more about getting the car first then the engine I want in it!":P The part Im excited about is the fact its going to be cheaper then the MX-3 (klze) swap.
So lets recap, We'll pretend I have a GT, That sucker bolts right in to my stuff, I need a new harness to adapt the new ecu? Then on top of that rewire the relays? Man i wish i knew more about cars":P Ill search around somemore. THanks again guys for the help, mush more receptive then the guys at mx-3.com.
One last thing, don't expect this project to be a SIMPLE bolt on... It WILL require a lot of effort on your part.
hey thanks for the additional info, this is just new territory for me so Im just trying to read and absorb as much as i can then ask questions about it, the thread is here now so i might aswell post my information progress.
from what ive been told above I wont need much to get it atleast running. i wont need any emmision mods so no USDM parts, I will buy new plugs, belts and so on, which I will address closer to the swap as too were i can get this stuff. Im just confused on the whole rewiring part. Sorry for the more questions I know they may be answered somewhere else, but lets say I get that new wiring harness, and its all plugged up, will the car drive atleast? would it be hard for a toyota technician to do the rest of the wiring? or will that cost me an arm and a leg? My problem is I dont know much about car electrical systems, is the harness to adapt the engine to the ecu, or the ecu to the car, or the engine to the car and ecu? ill just keep searching.
This post has been edited by Uppitycracker: Jul 12, 2003 - 6:19 PM
Dude I searched and the information is scetchy and not conclusive, one guy will say yes you need a new tranny, the next guy will say the stock tranny can take 400hp. One guy will say you can drop it right in, next guy you need new custom axles, you getting my point for a beginner in celiceas let alone cars this is very confusing, Im trying to learn but with all this contradictory information floating around its pretty hard, thats what faqs are good for!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Thanks for the help anyway, i know how it can be seeing the same topics over and over
This post has been edited by Uppitycracker: Jul 12, 2003 - 9:30 PM
If you dont want to use your GT tranny.
I would suggest using a tranny from a Curren or SS-III. They both have the 3S-GE engine and are both FWD. I hear that the tranny is just as strong as the AWD tranny but its just FWD.
You could probably get it from Jarco for around 400 american or so.
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>...but since I wanted it done professionally I sent off to ELP to get my wiring done...they took a few months but did a damn good job. The wiring looks stock.
> ...as long as you don't power shift your stock axles will handle the power...in other words squealing the tires with the stock axles is not a good idea...they go snap...my cv joint went bye bye...torqued it completely off right at the hub...so yah get stronger axles if you plan to race.