91na 1mz swap

[Jevans1137]

i need some help, i have a blown motor, so i am looking at upgrading
from the 5s, is a 95 1mz obd1 or and will i need an ecu from a m/t
car or can you still use the auto ecu, i want to get bar'd whatever
i am going to do,

any other info would be great, like clutch setup, can you use the 5s
flywheel on the imz, i know its a downgrade but i have new parts and
am on a budget,

has any had a 1mz bar'd, if so can you list the smog equipment that
i will need on it.

any help would be great help, thanks,

[Davis]

It's OBDII. You won't be able to legally swap in a 95 1MZ, they never came with a manual transmission. You'll have to look for a 97'-00' 1MZ.

[Jevans1137]

can i just use a 97-01 ecu or does it need to match the year of the motor
and is there any differences between ca and fed that can't be changed.

[Mark_Dorman]

They'll look at the year of the engine and the ecu for ODBII. All 1mz engines came ODBII. The BAR regulations for ODBII swaps are much more strict than ODBI swaps. The distance of the Cat or Cats (depending what year you use*) is important as well as having a Manual Tranny ECU**. The year of the ECU doesn't have to match but it'll make life easier if it does because it's one less thing for them for them to scrutinize over. I would stay away from the VVT-i versions because they didn't come with a manual option and throw a lot more codes from what I've heard/read.

* The 97 1MZ only had one Cat...98 and up had Three .
**You can find one at Car-Part.com pretty easily.

[Jevans1137]

i called bar and talked to the local ref, both said that the 94-95 1mz were obd1,
but that i would have to swap the auto trans if there was no option for a manual,
if this turns out to be more of a hassel than i am whilling to take on i will look at
a 3s-gte, witch i cant believe is easier than the 1mz,

is there a huge down side to a 2vz over 3vz, i have found a few earlier camry's
around my area, but the 95 with a bad tranie for 400 is hard to pass up.

[Mark_Dorman]

Main downside people find with the 3vz (don't use a 2vz) is the weight and heavy internals. It's a strong bullet proof motor but like anything it has its flaws. I just picked up an 92 V6 camry for $600. Motor runs great too...so they're plenty of deals out there. The 3vz is really easy to wire up (I think is something like 4-5 wires) and it had the manual option, and is ODBI for sure.

The 3vz weighs about 400 lbs...which is ~50 lbs heavier than the 350 lbs 1mz. But one thing to think about is the turbo motor alone weighs 380 lbs so you're really not looking at a motor that's much heavier and puts out the same power with a better torque curve.

I'm a big fan of the 1mz because of its light weight and tuning potential but the 3vz has a lot of bottled up power. I've seen dyno sheet of 235hp to the wheels with a port and polish, cams, and shaved deck (for increased compression). The 3vz can get cylinder wall distortion because of it's heavy internals though.

Honestly the 50 difference is something most people wouldn't notice and if you're gonna add weight it might as well be over the rear wheels. Getting custom headers after you pass bar will save some weight. I believe you can also use the late model 1mz upper ABS Plastic intake manifold (heard they're interchangeable) and mate it to the 3vz lower saving around 10 lbs. So all in all it's just up to you.

The 3vz sounds mean though...

You Tube

You Tube

Oh...did I mention the 3vz can rev up to 7000rpm without any ecu tuning?

[Jevans1137]

the more i read about the 3vz the easier it sounds, what is the problem
with 2vz, and can my trans handel the 3vz,

[Mark_Dorman]

First you'd have to find a 91 V6 camry to make it legal. Plus it's kinda pointless to put a 159 hp/lb.ft V6 that weighs just as much as the 3vz in the MR2 when it's just as easy/cheap to do the 3vz.

Your tranny will hold up just fine...

[Jevans1137]

thanks thats what i needed to know

[Jevans1137]

how hard would a 98 imz swap be, can you use the auto trans computer
with a stick, i know that the wiring would be a pain, but the more i get thinking
about where i want to go with the car the better imz with its aluminum block
sound, and is there any potential with any of the newer aluminum 4 cylinders
like the 2az

[JimKing]

* The 97-01 1MZ swap can be done legally since the Camry/Solara was available with a manual tranny
* Any 97-01 ECU can be used since the auto/manual "gender" is controlled by grounding (or not) a pin in the ECU
* 97-98 is easiest year to swap since the evap setup is simpler than 99+.
* 97-01 Manual tranny 1MZs did not have pre-cats, but the documentation that BAR referees use is in error, and they think that ALL 98+ Calif-spec 1MZs (manual or auto) require pre-cats. So you need to smog it as a 97 if you want to avoid pre-cats.
* 97-01 1MZ has a CARB-legal TRD supercharger, but they were discontinued years ago and are hard and expensive (~$2000) to find used.
* 2AZ would have all the problems of 1MZ as far as BAR cert. is concerned, with much less payoff = not worth it. And it'd still sound like a 4 banger.

[Jevans1137]

i am going to check out a 98 1mz with 90k on it tomorrow, the guy said 550 for
engine and all smog, wiring, sensors, and he would pull it, he wants to use the
body from the car, is there any thing that i need to make sure i get to make
my life easier.

[JimKing]

There's one connector that plugs into the ECU that is part of the dash harness, not the engine harness. You will need that. Cut it off the dash harness.

Get the ACIS vacuum reservoir off the firewall (black plastic tank about the size of a soda can). Has 2 vacuum lines going to it from the engine.

Get the EVAP box and its mounting bracket. It's near the brake booster. Label which lines go where before you pull it. Having the mounting bracket will make it easier to mount the box in your MR2 somewhere.

The alternator and A/C compressor connectors come off the "front" harness by the headlights. Cut those off with enough wire for splicing.

If you care about A/C, and I bet you do if you live in Modesto, then you need at least the half of the A/C lines that bolt to the compressor. The other end of the Camry lines aren't compatible with the MR2, AFAIK, so you will have to get new "hybrid" lines made up using your original MR2 chassis side fittings.

[Jevans1137]

thank you all, looks like i will be joining the v6 engine stand club, hopefully for
not to long,

[Mark_Dorman]

That's a dangerous place to hang out...a lot of people get stuck there

I'm sure you'll get'er done...

[Jason.MZW20]

Originally Posted by JimKing

* 97-01 Manual tranny 1MZs did not have pre-cats, but the documentation that BAR referees use is in error, and they think that ALL 98+ Calif-spec 1MZs (manual or auto) require pre-cats. So you need to smog it as a 97 if you want to avoid pre-cats.

This bothers me more than anything I think. I mean, if they want to enforce the laws, they should at least have the right information. The law states that you can neither add nor subtract the amount of cats that the car came with from the factory. The manual 1MZs always had 1 cat, while the 98-00 CA spec models and 01+ Federal models w/ an automatic had 3.

Therefore, it's technically illegal to use the pre-cats on a manual 1MZ. Even my Haynes manual for a 2000 Camry denotes the differences between the manual and CA-spec automatic. The use of planar A/F ratio sensors vs narrow band heated O2 sensors, the pre-cats, and injector differences.

[Mark_Dorman]

That is kind of annoying. Is there anyway to prove that their information is wrong and have them update it?

[Jason.MZW20]

Originally Posted by Mark_Dorman

That is kind of annoying. Is there anyway to prove that their information is wrong and have them update it?

Yeah. The factory service manual is your best bet on that.