[Gouky]

*edit* the parts to help install a 2GR-FE motor in your MR2 have been updated a bit and are available for purchase at FrankensteinMotorworks.com Thanks! *end edit*

Alright guys, I?ve now bought ten 2GR-FE motors from all sorts of different vehicles and I have a bunch of information that is probably good to people looking to buy one for their 2GR-FE swap.

This should do pretty good in answering the questions that I?ve been getting over PMs in the last several months.

This guide is mostly USA centric, but lots of it will apply to other parts of the world.

2005+ Toyota Avalon
2006+ Toyota RAV4
2007+ Toyota Camry
2007+ Toyota Sienna
2007+ Lexus ES 350
2007+ Lexus RX 350
2008+ Toyota Highlander
2009+ Toyota Venza

Of these, I haven?t bought a motor from a Venza or an RX350.

Let?s start with the ?Extras? that come with some of the motors:

The Oil Cooler
This is available in the Highlander and the Sienna if the vehicle came with a tow package. And as far as I know, the oil cooler is standard on all Australian 2GR-FEs.

*note* the equal length headers I sell do clear the oil cooler without issues or modifications.

The Oil Level Sensor
As far as I can tell, this option is mutually exclusive to the oil cooler option. The electrical interface is compatible with the MKII guage cluster. This option is on all ES350 motors.

Next we come to accelerator pedals:
There are three types of pedals. Let?s label these 1 2 3 from left to right.

Number 1 is from the Avalon and ES350.
Number 2 is from the Camry
Number 3 is from the Hilander and Sienna

Rav4's may be number 2 or number 3. either they changed between 06 and 07 or one of the junkyards had a pedal mis-labeled.

All three are electrically compatible, but only the Number 1 works with the pedal adapter that I sell for the MKII conversion.

 

[Gouky]

Next is ECU types:
There are two types of ECUs that can control the 2GR-FE. as far as I can tell, there are no differences in horsepower regardless of which vehicle you pull them from. Some throw different ECU codes, but none limp with just the engine connected and no ancilliaries

The one on the right is used in the Avalon and in the Highlander. It is designed for mounting on the inside of the cabin. The one on the left is in all the other vehicles and is designed for mounting in the engine bay.

Currently I only provide a mounting solution for the 5-plug ECU:

The 2-plug ECU is trivial to mount since all the threaded holes are in the proper direction. A few spacers and a couple bolts are all that is needed.


Engine Harnesses:
There are MANY variations on the engine harness. It seems like every vehicle has it?s own harness. But there are three major differences:

The first style is in all vehicles I?ve seen except the Rav4:

Note that the main harness connection point is on the left. It moves around a bit depending on the model, all of them lead to a fairly clean engine bay but they place the connector on the wrong side. With the 2-plug ECU this means you can place the ECU near where the intercooler used to be mounted. If you get the Avalon version of this harness with the 5-plug connector you?ll have to put a new hole in the trunk to mount the ECU or you?ll have to extend most of the wires.

The other variation is the Rav4 harness:

This harness is the same as the Australian TRD aurion. It?s a bit more ?busy? but it?s very conducive to being mounted in the MKII. This is a 2-plug ECU harness.

Both ECUs types are available without immobilizers. The 5-plug non immobilizer comes from the highlander. The 2-plug non immobilizer comes from the Rav-4. but if you?re buying a new ECU just get a Rav4 or a highlander without immobilizer.

*edit*
you can buy modified ECUs from me right here.
2-plug: http://frankensteinmotorworks.squarespace.com/shop/modified-2-plug-2gr-fe-ecu-2010-and-earlier-rav4
5-plug: http://frankensteinmotorworks.squarespace.com/shop/7ggctx2d3nouxvosfq5676nqfb0vew

If you'd prefer buying a stock ECU from the dealer, use the following VINs:
if you want a 5-plug ECU without immobilizer, just ask for an ECU for this VIN: jteds41a882066320
if you want a 2-plug ECU without immobilizer, use this VIN: JTMBK32VX75020394 *end edit*

 

[Gouky]

Stock exhaust Manifolds:
There is no good solution here. There are 3 different rear manifold types and 2 different front manifold types. Both fronts types hit the clutch slave cylinder when installed and two of the rear types put the output squarely in the trunk. If you intend on keeping the stock manifolds because you live in California or something similar your option is a rear manifold from the Camry or Avalon. This will bolt right in on the rear and fit in all MR2 chassis. For the front you can use any of the front options and modify them by cutting and welding between where the manifold comes together and the cat. Or if you aren?t using an oil cooler or an air conditioner you can fit the same rear manifold from the Camry or Avalon in the front. All of these options require you to have a custom y-pipe.

The other option is to buy the exhaust Headers that I make. These fit regardless of which options you have on your motor. Oil cooler and A/C included:

There will be a Y-pipe being manufactured soon to connect those directly to a Berk dual 3? tailpipe section.

belt routing:
to run the motor without the power steering pump you need a 61.5" belt
to run the motor without power steering and A/C you need a 57.8" belt (thanks USPSPRO)

 

[Gouky]

Air conditioning:
All the compressors can be reused, but custom work is needed for everything to fit just right.

Personally, I just removed the muffler from the stock MR2 lines and TIG welded the aluminum back together to make my lines (this requires a very steady hand):

Lastly, if you?re still on the fence about which motor to get, here is a composite of Toyota?s HP charts for a few motors that have been swapped into MR2s in the past:

And the reality is, with the high flow headers, you?ll get even more than what Toyota advertizes:

so if you're asking which car should you use as a donor, here's what i'd say:
"Get a Highlander motor with the oil cooler, a Rav4 Harness and ECU without immobilizer and an accelerator from an Avalon or ES350"


Now, for the shameless plug:
I?ve mentioned in here a few things that I sell. Please contact me through a PM if you?re interested in buying a swap kit for the MKII MR2 for this motor.

The headers seen above are also for sale.

In the future, I?m looking to provide the following parts also:
- Y-pipe to connect to Berk Dual 3? tail section
- Bore Kit to bring displacement to 3.9L
- Rotrex C38 Supercharger Kit

and whatever else my crazy mind can come up with.

 

[Levi]

Great info, but I have a question. How can you tell if the ecu has an immobilzer or not? Checking the p/n? Thanks again for compiling this information all in one place. This swap is definitly in my future.

Edit: asked a better question

 

[Gouky]

Great info, but I have a question. What about the immobilizer? I remember reading that the Rav4 sport ecu didn't have an immobilizer so that would make it a good choice. Or have you found an easy way to bypass the immobilizer?

actually i did cover it:
*EDIT* this is actually incorrect, the camry ecu is immobilized also

Both ECUs types are available without immobilizers. The 5-plug non immobilizer comes from the highlander. The 2-plug non immobilizer comes from the Rav-4. but if you?re buying a new ECU just get a 2010 Camry 2-plug ECU. It?s 1/3 the cost of the others and will work without an immobilizer.

as far as i know. the sport can have an immobilizer also. you have to check the vehicle to see if it has it or does not.

I haven't found a good way to bypass it yet.

 

[chris93]

Thanks for all this data, it will come in handy.

 

[walka]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mPb6qt84fho

here is a cool vid to go with that info haha

thats really good info though, in that vid it has the cam's adjusting on the fly? is that what i saw? is that the way the vvti works on those?

 

[Gouky]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mPb6qt84fho

here is a cool vid to go with that info haha

thats really good info though, in that vid it has the cam's adjusting on the fly? is that what i saw? is that the way the vvti works on those?

yeah the 4 cams are fully individually adjustable by the ECU. it works quite well to make a motor that has great driveability and becomes a monster when you mash your foot down.

 

[Emenence]

All together, approximately how much would it cost to do this swap?

 

[jagibbs]

thanks, great summary!

 

[Epic|]

This is an amazing amount of effort and money you've put into this data. Everyone with even a hint of V6 interest owes you thanks.

God I want a 2GR.

 

[Gouky]

All together, approximately how much would it cost to do this swap?

well, there are a few ways to look at this. the first time i swapped mine, it cost me $4500 but that was me designing everything and building everything myself.

If you farm out as much work as possible:
Motor Price: $2500 (this should include everything if you negotiated properly with the junkyard)
Swap Kit: $980 (purchased from me)
Headers: $600 (purchased from me)
Y-Pipe: $400-$600 (purchased from me, haven't finished it yet, not 100% sure on price)
Berk Tailpipe: $600
Wiring: $550 (Phoeinix tuning) *edit*: phoenix tuning has failed to deliver on this promise to a few people. i suggest against contacting them on this.
clutch & flywheel: $700
odds and ends: $800

total: $7200

so the answer is somewhere between $4500 and $7200 depending on which parts you have already and how much you do yourself.

 

[DaveMush]

what about stock engine mount design?

The Rav-4 uses a different mount set-up than the rest.

 

[Gouky]

what about stock engine mount design?

The Rav-4 uses a different mount set-up than the rest.

you're right. it does and it is similar to the MR2 mount but it's about 10" too high for the MR2 chassis. i don't have a complete mount here to take a picture of unfortunately.

 

[chris93]

I think the hard part is finding the engine/donor car. Can you comment on 2GR-FE availability? They don't seem to be as common as the other MR2 compatible engines, but that should change in time...(8-10 years?) Since it was in the Camry, I guess this motor can officially be considered a valid replacement for us CA folks. Great stuff. This really is the ultimate V6.

 

[Levi]

I think the hard part is finding the engine/donor car. Can you comment on 2GR-FE availability? They don't seem to be as common as the other MR2 compatible engines, but that should change in time...(8-10 years?) Since it was in the Camry, I guess this motor can officially be considered a valid replacement for us CA folks. Great stuff. This really is the ultimate V6.

Check car-part.com, there are alot more 2grs available than you might think.

 

[Gouky]

the availability on the 2GRs is quite a bit less than the 1MZ and 3VZ which is why the price is still higher. but people are wrecking these things every day. most junkyards that carry late model cars will have at least one or two of these available.

over time the price will drop, but the mileage on the motors will also go up. right now it's hard to find a high mileage 2GR

 

[uspspro]

Excellent post!
Just FYI I have a Rav4 pedal, but it is your pedal number 2.

 

[Gouky]

Excellent post!
Just FYI I have a Rav4 pedal, but it is your pedal number 2.

very odd. any idea what year Rav4?

Also you're putting it in an MKIII so you still have to make a custom piece anyways. it doesn't change what you have to do. that pedal is the same electricaly.