V6 tC 3.3L VVTi
05-08-2010, 11:06 PM
#1
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Thread Starter
Join Date: May 2010
Location: Elk Grove, CA
Posts: 24
V6 tC 3.3L VVTi
Check out these pics of my V6 tC. It has been running for about 3K miles. I have some small things left to finish, but it's 98% complete.
My Scion tC by Kevin Myose | Photobucket
For those that care,
I finally had a chance to get a video posted. It's my first video and it's a little rough...
Here is a list of answers for questions that people ask most often...
The swap took about 9 months, but I had to work on it off and on. Probably about three months if I had every weekend and some weeknights available. The exhaust took some time since I'm a crappy stainless welder (and old and blind), but installing it in the chassis was very straightforward, the RH mount and axle retainer were easy fabs. The amount of time spent researching wiring diagrams, pin outs, and harness locations was extremely time consuming. I saved a spreadsheet of the wiring matchup between the two if anyone else wants to try it... but they are more of a starting point.
Just swap stuff? Engine & ECM, Cats ($$), Alt, P/S pump, A/C, flywheel, coolant hoses, crap lying around my garage. Some metal. About $2500... If a person found a whole Camry, Solara, or ES300, now for a good deal, you could avoid the Cats, Alt, etc.. I bought this engine in Jan 2008, it was $1400 incl the ECM. So you could do this real cheap now. Using the Camry exhaust alone would probably save lots of fabbing, because I had to make my own, it's a little ugly. Either way, the Camry pipes would need massaging to fit the tC chassis. So what I'm saying is other than the engine & related, all you really need a is an aluminum Camry flywheel (Fidanza Part #: 130881) and some mad skills...
The reason the 3.3l was installed is that its a 2006 engine as well. The e-throttle and many other electricals are similar due to the generation. I could have used a 2006 1MZ, but hey 0.3 liters are 0.3 liters and it's the same amount of work. I wouldn't consider an earlier one before VVTi because too many changes are needed and passing SMOG would be out. The question is for those 2007 and up owners that can drop a 3.5 GR motor in theirs... If a person used the Lexus version of this motor that would be real scary. Or maybe transplant an IS250 AWD drivetrain into a tC. I'd bet this swap would work in a 2nd gen xB as well.
It has a Toyota ECU for a Sienna- less BS than a Camry, Solara, or ES330... I still need to work on ECT codes, but the cruise , e-throttle, and A/C work great. I fabbed a circuit for the temp gauge signal but I have to install it. There were some tricks to using that ECU in the Scion chassis. I wish Toyota used the 3MZ with a stick...
It has the trans that came with the tC- the E350 manual. I used a Fidanza flywheel for a Solara and the clutch from the tC. It's an Exedy clutch. When I had the S/C, I installed a TRD/Quaife, so getting rid the manual was not an option. I knew the tC tranny would fit the 3MZ and I like to shift. There was an article in an old SCC that went over a 1MZ conversion in an MR2. It has good info on that.
These engines use the trans as the major portion of the engine mount. In this swap, the tC trans was retained, along with its mountings; just the RH was needed. The Camry trans uses a mount system that's based on a subframe that has a full cross member in front, unlike the tC. You would have to fab a mount for that or try to use the tC auto. The bolt patterns are different between the two engines, but there are other holes that line up. If you could fit a Camry trans or more interesting- a Sienna 4WD trans and make a 4WD tC. I bet there is a away to use the rear axle from the Sienna as well. I'm sure the rest of you tC fans have noticed that the rear hub has a big cap that covers the bearing, imagine putting a splined hub from the front- and voila- we're all set with the current suspension... The exhaust would be hell.
There isn't much room there, if someone wanted to race one, you could cut out the a/c area and put in a S/C. Like it is, it's cramped. I want to put the K&N CAI back on it after I get it smogged. Also that TRD exhaust looks a little small now. Needs bigger pipe. It was loud with the 2AZ S/C, but it's quiet now. I really want this thing to be registerable here in Cal, it's close.
I know this will sound typical, but my house was broken into and the camera I had taken pictures with was stolen. Sorry, I do have a spreadsheet and some other notes, but most of the info came from http://techinfo.toyota.com... You can purchase subscriptions by the day or month or year, well worth the investment...
What's up with the turbo thing? I'm old school, the bad experience with S/C left me running back to my old ways of just adding cubes. I'm an old GM guy that switched over to Toyota in 2001. I've had my share of the General's crap (Vette, T/A, GTO), and as a past ASE master tech I dislike Hondas. BTW, are turbos and other forced induction, that are not a BAR kit like an Edelbrock or TRD, smogable in Cali? That is my real issue with that. I like to register and drive my cars on the street, so that is a BIG factor for me. I don't have much time to prep and race a car. For those that are fortunate to live in those states that can boost on the street, I think that is SO cool. I would buy the biggest turbo I could...
BTW, weight wise, I can't see this thing weighing much more than a 2AZ w/S/C, that thing is heavy. It doesn't sit much lower now, maybe 3-4mm...
No Dyno numbers, but I've been considering calling my buddy that has one. My friend has a Pontiac Grand Prix GXP and he has a real hard time keeping up. I've surprised some S/C tC owners... I'm thinking this motor is probably making 240-250 hp since it spanks my buddy's GXP GP. That makes 303, but weighs 3800. We have a Dyno at work, I could try to use it, is it really necessary to strap it down?
Also, first gear lasts less than a second at WOT and you have to watch hitting the rev limiter in 1st and 2nd, which is a miserable 6200 rpm. The rev limiter kills the potential HP, since it won't spin as high as it can. I think that this and exhaust design are what's different between a Sienna and Camry engine
These V6s are meant for mom & pop and they have a rev limter just over 6K, if this engine was able to spin to 7K+, I think the HP #s would be higher. I have a 00 Sienna that has more mods than most rice boys I see (BTW I'm Japanese), just changing to an Injen short ram & a Magnaflow I installed made a huge difference. I think if I can uncork this engine, and get more RRRs then maybe some respectable #s can be had. Maybe send some heads to extrude hone... How much is one of those turbo setups?
Its not the HP that's the kick with this swap it's the torque, 1st gear is almost useless with the V6, not so with the S/C motor. I had 2 before the swap, Toyota replaced the 1st one + S/C, then S/C took crap, then no compression on #1 for the second time, I don't think the 2.4 is up to it, TRD's BAD. Can turbocharging this dog be any better? I didn't get over 15K miles out of either S/C motor. Maybe using the K&N cold air was a factor, but it was way faster with it. I haven't installed that on the V6 yet. I'm sure it will be way scarier. I'll need a new final gear to make 1st gear useful.
I agree, it's quiet. When you see how that nice Megan pipe joins into that small TRD inlet, there is definitely room for improvement. Also the MAF inlet from the stock 2.4 is still on the TRD S/C air cleaner. I have an Injen short ram for a Camry and a K&N CAI that I had attached to the S/C, so there's some more to be had there. The K&N on the S/C engine made a huge difference, so I expect the same with the V6. I want to get this thing past smog, so I'm waiting to change the intake. I haven't decided on a muffler yet. I have a Magnaflow on my Sienna and it sounds pretty good. I need to find one with a decent diameter for the 6. Any suggestions? I liked the TRD one because it's chambered, some are almost straight through- too loud for an old guy like me.
Toyota 3.3l VVTi. TRD Springs, Struts, Rear Sway, Shifter & ****, Rad cap, Muffler, TRD/Quaife LSD. Megan Racing mid pipe. Exedy stage one clutch. Fidanza Solara/ES300 flywheel. Stoptech rotors. Akebono pads. Energy Suspension hyper flex master kit & motor mounts. Hotchkis strut bar. Eibach rear upper control arms. Scion Security, dash lights, fog lamps, doorsills, steering wheel, Sub, Sat Radio, rearview mirror, and mats. Seibon VSII CF hood. HP Evo 18x8. Kumho AST 235/40-18. 3M tint back 5.
*Insert OP's YouTube Video by Administrator
My Scion tC by Kevin Myose | Photobucket
For those that care,
I finally had a chance to get a video posted. It's my first video and it's a little rough...
Here is a list of answers for questions that people ask most often...
The swap took about 9 months, but I had to work on it off and on. Probably about three months if I had every weekend and some weeknights available. The exhaust took some time since I'm a crappy stainless welder (and old and blind), but installing it in the chassis was very straightforward, the RH mount and axle retainer were easy fabs. The amount of time spent researching wiring diagrams, pin outs, and harness locations was extremely time consuming. I saved a spreadsheet of the wiring matchup between the two if anyone else wants to try it... but they are more of a starting point.
Just swap stuff? Engine & ECM, Cats ($$), Alt, P/S pump, A/C, flywheel, coolant hoses, crap lying around my garage. Some metal. About $2500... If a person found a whole Camry, Solara, or ES300, now for a good deal, you could avoid the Cats, Alt, etc.. I bought this engine in Jan 2008, it was $1400 incl the ECM. So you could do this real cheap now. Using the Camry exhaust alone would probably save lots of fabbing, because I had to make my own, it's a little ugly. Either way, the Camry pipes would need massaging to fit the tC chassis. So what I'm saying is other than the engine & related, all you really need a is an aluminum Camry flywheel (Fidanza Part #: 130881) and some mad skills...
The reason the 3.3l was installed is that its a 2006 engine as well. The e-throttle and many other electricals are similar due to the generation. I could have used a 2006 1MZ, but hey 0.3 liters are 0.3 liters and it's the same amount of work. I wouldn't consider an earlier one before VVTi because too many changes are needed and passing SMOG would be out. The question is for those 2007 and up owners that can drop a 3.5 GR motor in theirs... If a person used the Lexus version of this motor that would be real scary. Or maybe transplant an IS250 AWD drivetrain into a tC. I'd bet this swap would work in a 2nd gen xB as well.
It has a Toyota ECU for a Sienna- less BS than a Camry, Solara, or ES330... I still need to work on ECT codes, but the cruise , e-throttle, and A/C work great. I fabbed a circuit for the temp gauge signal but I have to install it. There were some tricks to using that ECU in the Scion chassis. I wish Toyota used the 3MZ with a stick...
It has the trans that came with the tC- the E350 manual. I used a Fidanza flywheel for a Solara and the clutch from the tC. It's an Exedy clutch. When I had the S/C, I installed a TRD/Quaife, so getting rid the manual was not an option. I knew the tC tranny would fit the 3MZ and I like to shift. There was an article in an old SCC that went over a 1MZ conversion in an MR2. It has good info on that.
These engines use the trans as the major portion of the engine mount. In this swap, the tC trans was retained, along with its mountings; just the RH was needed. The Camry trans uses a mount system that's based on a subframe that has a full cross member in front, unlike the tC. You would have to fab a mount for that or try to use the tC auto. The bolt patterns are different between the two engines, but there are other holes that line up. If you could fit a Camry trans or more interesting- a Sienna 4WD trans and make a 4WD tC. I bet there is a away to use the rear axle from the Sienna as well. I'm sure the rest of you tC fans have noticed that the rear hub has a big cap that covers the bearing, imagine putting a splined hub from the front- and voila- we're all set with the current suspension... The exhaust would be hell.
There isn't much room there, if someone wanted to race one, you could cut out the a/c area and put in a S/C. Like it is, it's cramped. I want to put the K&N CAI back on it after I get it smogged. Also that TRD exhaust looks a little small now. Needs bigger pipe. It was loud with the 2AZ S/C, but it's quiet now. I really want this thing to be registerable here in Cal, it's close.
I know this will sound typical, but my house was broken into and the camera I had taken pictures with was stolen. Sorry, I do have a spreadsheet and some other notes, but most of the info came from http://techinfo.toyota.com... You can purchase subscriptions by the day or month or year, well worth the investment...
What's up with the turbo thing? I'm old school, the bad experience with S/C left me running back to my old ways of just adding cubes. I'm an old GM guy that switched over to Toyota in 2001. I've had my share of the General's crap (Vette, T/A, GTO), and as a past ASE master tech I dislike Hondas. BTW, are turbos and other forced induction, that are not a BAR kit like an Edelbrock or TRD, smogable in Cali? That is my real issue with that. I like to register and drive my cars on the street, so that is a BIG factor for me. I don't have much time to prep and race a car. For those that are fortunate to live in those states that can boost on the street, I think that is SO cool. I would buy the biggest turbo I could...
BTW, weight wise, I can't see this thing weighing much more than a 2AZ w/S/C, that thing is heavy. It doesn't sit much lower now, maybe 3-4mm...
No Dyno numbers, but I've been considering calling my buddy that has one. My friend has a Pontiac Grand Prix GXP and he has a real hard time keeping up. I've surprised some S/C tC owners... I'm thinking this motor is probably making 240-250 hp since it spanks my buddy's GXP GP. That makes 303, but weighs 3800. We have a Dyno at work, I could try to use it, is it really necessary to strap it down?
Also, first gear lasts less than a second at WOT and you have to watch hitting the rev limiter in 1st and 2nd, which is a miserable 6200 rpm. The rev limiter kills the potential HP, since it won't spin as high as it can. I think that this and exhaust design are what's different between a Sienna and Camry engine
These V6s are meant for mom & pop and they have a rev limter just over 6K, if this engine was able to spin to 7K+, I think the HP #s would be higher. I have a 00 Sienna that has more mods than most rice boys I see (BTW I'm Japanese), just changing to an Injen short ram & a Magnaflow I installed made a huge difference. I think if I can uncork this engine, and get more RRRs then maybe some respectable #s can be had. Maybe send some heads to extrude hone... How much is one of those turbo setups?
Its not the HP that's the kick with this swap it's the torque, 1st gear is almost useless with the V6, not so with the S/C motor. I had 2 before the swap, Toyota replaced the 1st one + S/C, then S/C took crap, then no compression on #1 for the second time, I don't think the 2.4 is up to it, TRD's BAD. Can turbocharging this dog be any better? I didn't get over 15K miles out of either S/C motor. Maybe using the K&N cold air was a factor, but it was way faster with it. I haven't installed that on the V6 yet. I'm sure it will be way scarier. I'll need a new final gear to make 1st gear useful.
I agree, it's quiet. When you see how that nice Megan pipe joins into that small TRD inlet, there is definitely room for improvement. Also the MAF inlet from the stock 2.4 is still on the TRD S/C air cleaner. I have an Injen short ram for a Camry and a K&N CAI that I had attached to the S/C, so there's some more to be had there. The K&N on the S/C engine made a huge difference, so I expect the same with the V6. I want to get this thing past smog, so I'm waiting to change the intake. I haven't decided on a muffler yet. I have a Magnaflow on my Sienna and it sounds pretty good. I need to find one with a decent diameter for the 6. Any suggestions? I liked the TRD one because it's chambered, some are almost straight through- too loud for an old guy like me.
Toyota 3.3l VVTi. TRD Springs, Struts, Rear Sway, Shifter & ****, Rad cap, Muffler, TRD/Quaife LSD. Megan Racing mid pipe. Exedy stage one clutch. Fidanza Solara/ES300 flywheel. Stoptech rotors. Akebono pads. Energy Suspension hyper flex master kit & motor mounts. Hotchkis strut bar. Eibach rear upper control arms. Scion Security, dash lights, fog lamps, doorsills, steering wheel, Sub, Sat Radio, rearview mirror, and mats. Seibon VSII CF hood. HP Evo 18x8. Kumho AST 235/40-18. 3M tint back 5.
*Insert OP's YouTube Video by Administrator
Last edited by MR_LUV; 09-04-2021 at 10:05 AM. Reason: Insert OP's YouTube Video by Administrator
05-08-2010, 11:18 PM
#6
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: May 2010
Location: Elk Grove, CA
Posts: 24
No Dyno numbers, but I've been considering calling my buddy that has one. My friend has a Pontiac Grand Prix GXP and he has a real hard time keeping up. I've surprised some S/C tC owners...
BTW, it's a 3MZFE and shot on D90 and D5000, 10-24mm, 10.5mm fishy, 18-55mm
It has a Toyota ECU for a Sienna- less BS than a Camry, Solara, or ES330... I still need to work on ECT codes, but the cruise , e-throttle, and A/C work great. I fabbed a circuit for the temp gauge signal but I have to install it. There were some tricks to using that ECU in the Scion chassis. I wish Toyota used the 3MZ with a stick... I'll work on a vid...
BTW, it's a 3MZFE and shot on D90 and D5000, 10-24mm, 10.5mm fishy, 18-55mm
It has a Toyota ECU for a Sienna- less BS than a Camry, Solara, or ES330... I still need to work on ECT codes, but the cruise , e-throttle, and A/C work great. I fabbed a circuit for the temp gauge signal but I have to install it. There were some tricks to using that ECU in the Scion chassis. I wish Toyota used the 3MZ with a stick... I'll work on a vid...
Last edited by SquallLHeart; 05-13-2010 at 10:23 PM.
05-08-2010, 11:41 PM
#8
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: May 2010
Location: Elk Grove, CA
Posts: 24
It has the trans that came with the tC- the E350 manual. I used a Fidanza flywheel for a Solara and the clutch from the tC. It's an Exedy clutch. When I had the S/C, I installed a TRD/Quaife, so getting rid the manual was not an option. I knew the tC tranny would fit the 3MZ and I like to shift. There was an article in an old SCC that went over a 1MZ conversion in an MR2. It has good info on that. I need to deal with the ECT codes because the ECU is looking for an auto trans... I have a plan...
05-09-2010, 12:49 AM
#12
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: May 2010
Location: Elk Grove, CA
Posts: 24
The swap took about 9 months, but I had to work on it off and on. Probably about three months if I had every weekend and some weeknights available. The exhaust took some time since I'm a crappy stainless welder (and old and blind), but installing it in the chassis was very straightforward, the RH mount and axle retainer were easy fabs. The amount of time spent reseaching wiring diagrams, pin outs, and harness locations was extremely time consuming. I saved a spreadsheet of the wiring matchup between the two if anyone else wants to try it... but they are more of a starting point.
05-09-2010, 01:57 AM
#20
Senior Member
Scikotics
SL Member
Join Date: May 2006
Location: York, PA
Posts: 2,151
Great job!! I would so love to see the faces of the techs if you take it to a Toyota Dealer for an oil change.
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Last edited by MR_LUV; 09-04-2021 at 10:09 AM. Reason: Awarded 15 Yr Badge