New engine feedback needed

Dec 12, 2004 7 Replies
A

Continued from my previous post....



So I have made enough mistakes of my own. Now I would like to learn from others. I may drop a new/rebuilt engine in myself or have a shop that I trust do the work. Since I do not do this for a living, it would probably take me 2-4 weeks to rebuild my engine, and I'm not sure that I would not make any mistakes.



My truck is an '89 4cylinder, EFI, 4x4.



Should I consider putting in a 6 cylinder? I would like the boost in power. How much extra work would this cause? What do I need to consider if I do this besides a new exhaust manifold or header? Will the engine mounts match up? How about cooling hoses, electrical, EFI, gearing......?



The extra boost in power is what I would like most. The fuel economy is not important to me as my daily commute to work is 3 miles. A tank of gas lasts over a month for me.



TIA AG2


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W

None of the 4 cyl stuff will work with a yota 6 cylinder --- all has to be replaced (wiring, ECU, gauges). Cheaper route would be 3.8/4.3L GM V6 --- Cheaper to buy/rebuild, more power and better gas mileage. Check out DOA racing -- they have 22RE long blocks built up for more power. The yota V6 is only like 30 HP more than the 4 and few hundred pounds heavier.

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A

Forgot to mention. My original engine pooped out after 214,000 miles. So I feel I got my money's worth out of this engine and I'm not too hip on the idea of rebuilding it.

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P

Swapping to a 6 cyl would mean a lot of changes other than just engine- you'd have to swap out computer gadgets and some wiring, etc. (I haven't had any coffee yet, can you tell?) It might be easier/cheaper to stick with the same engine and do a straight swap rather than 'upgrade' to a larger one. With 214K miles and owner/mechanic fault the only tell-tale reason for it pooping out, sounds like a good bet. The same engine would be about as reliable and durable if not moreso now that the lesson's learned.

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J

Stick with the four cyl, if you want more HP check the WEB I'm sure you could find all kinds of options for more HP Super charger, turbo etc.

Get a good used engine from Japan, the Japanese government make them swap complete engines at low mileage so there are a lot available. One source I found, I am sure there are others:

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