Topic: Engine swap in California?

[douglasvb]

I recently moved to the Monterey, CA area from Oregon.  Before that, I was in Colorado.  My 1986 4runner (https://www.instagram.com/albinorhino4x4/) is a dream on the trails but I'm finding it a real struggle to keep up with traffic on the freeways between Salinas and Fresno.  I don't even want to think about trying to get down to the desert this fall.  My top speed is about 65mph on flat ground with a tail wind with the pedal mashed into the floor.  The little 22RE has served me very well but it is pretty tired and is going to need some significant work in the near future (especially to pass smog -- probably needs a new cat, needs a new muffler, might need new headers, has lots of leaks, blah blah blah.  Will need a new timing chain soon-ish.  At least the injectors are newer so I have that going for me, which is nice.).

I'm engine swap-curious.  Thinking about either a 3.4l or 2.7l swap.  I do have the 21 spline setup in my Marlin Crawler-supplied dual T-cases which I understand that I would have to upgrade to 23 splines to handle more horsepower/torque.

My main stumbling blocks are 1) understanding how to make an engine swap legal in California and 2) finding a shop that can do it.  While I used to do all of my own work, I no longer can because I have no garage or off-street parking.

I found a bunch of older posts on the forum here and other forums about engine swaps in California but I've come up empty finding anyone who has successfully done it in the last couple years.

So here are my n00b questions:

• Should I swap my 22RE to something different or fix my 22RE?
• Can I swap engines in California and comply with CARB?
• Has anyone done a swap successfully recently and is there a thread on here discussing it?
• What engine should I swap to?
• Are there any other things I should be thinking about?  Maybe sell the 4runner and get a Taco to build?  (I Know Big Mike did it but how practical is it to put 35" or larger tires on a Taco and be able to do the Dusy trail w/o significant breakage?  Dusy is my benchmark because my mother wants me to take her on it in the next year or two.)

Thanks a bunch for answering my n00b questions! 

[redneckcustoms13]

If you go with a 3rz you dont need to mess with the cases. Just put the 3rz bellhousing on your existing transmission. Tons of people have done 2/3rz swaps in California. Search the forum a little.

[douglasvb [OP]]

If you go with a 3rz you dont need to mess with the cases. Just put the 3rz bellhousing on your existing transmission. Tons of people have done 2/3rz swaps in California. Search the forum a little.

I've tried searching but my google-fu.  I haven't found anything from the last couple years of someone being successful with getting CARB to sign off on it.  It looks like up until about 2014 it was pretty common to do but I haven't seen much since then in my searches.

[mudmaster]

http://board.marlincrawler.com/index.php?topic=100581.0

[emsvitil]

How many miles on engine?

Have you ever changed the timing chain?

It's possible with worn out timing chains for the chain to advance 2 teeth on the sprocket, advancing the cam and then you get a BIG loss of power (been there done that)

[bigarms23]

I have a 4.3 v6 that's ca legal this is what you need to know 1 the donor motor has to be the same year or newer 2 youll need all the smog equipment off the donor motor 3 the easiest is find out who your local referee is and tell that person what you want to swap in and he or she will give you all the info for what they are going to look for 4 once you know that whatever shop you decide on hand them that info 5 have fun

[T-Revv]

Lots of guys still do engine swaps.  My cousin just did a 2rz swap in his 1st gen 4 runner 2 months ago and got it to smog.  The smog ref in fresno has a reputation for being the hardest in the state to deal with, but he was still able to get it to pass.  To answer your questions:
1. the 22re is a great reliable motor, but pretty lacking in power compared to new motors. Swap is a good upgrade.
2. You definitly can swap engines and comply with CARB, their rules are online.  but for the most part like everybody said, same year or newer engine, use all the smog equipment and computer from the donor motor. 
3. There are many threads on here worth looking at for swaps, CARB hasn't changed their rules much.  If you're planning a 3rz swap, Id check out Big Mikes Official 3RZ Swap Thread.  There is a lot of good info in there.  If you decide to do a 3.4 swap, you will have to modify your passenger header for the driveline, but wait until after the smog ref passes it before you do, just take it to the ref with no front driveline in. Once it passes the ref, no smog tech is going to look close enough or care that you rebent your manifold to accommodate the drive line. 
4. 3RZ is a great engine, easy to swap, fun and lots of torque.  The 3.4 has a lot more horsepower, and is a very desirable swap.
5. A Straight Axle swap on a tacoma is very nice.  Of course Mike kept his IFS, but to do an IFS like his is a loooooottttt of time and trail and error.  But doable.  Putting a straight axle under a tacoma would be the best way to go if you can do it.  I wouldnt suggest a 3rd gen tacoma or anything that expensive, but maybe a decent 1st or 2nd gen tacoma.  Modern amenities in rock crawler always makes it nice.

[Gnarly4X]

... My main stumbling blocks are 1) understanding how to make an engine swap legal in California and 2) finding a shop that can do it.  While I used to do all of my own work, I no longer can because I have no garage or off-street parking.

.... Thanks a bunch for answering my n00b questions! 

Hey douglasvb,

Excellent intro to your questions.

Obviously some really great information shared here.

I’ll add my 2 cents worth….  I have very limited engine swap experience, however, I know someone who does it for a living.  If you decide to go the engine swap route, I would be very careful to do your homework on every aspect of your project.

You mentioned finding a shop that will do the swap.

In addition to the quality of the donor and parts…… finding a shop that is fanatical about doing it right will be a key factor in your successful swap.  Then… be prepared to go over your estimated budget.  Based upon the swap experts I’ve had conversations with, and the swaps documented on the internet – it is often the “little things” in a swap that will quickly add to the cost.

Gnarls.

[T-Revv]

I’ll add my 2 cents worth….  I have very limited engine swap experience, however, I know someone who does it for a living.  If you decide to go the engine swap route, I would be very careful to do your homework on every aspect of your project.

You mentioned finding a shop that will do the swap.

In addition to the quality of the donor and parts…… finding a shop that is fanatical about doing it right will be a key factor in your successful swap.  Then… be prepared to go over your estimated budget.  Based upon the swap experts I’ve had conversations with, and the swaps documented on the internet – it is often the “little things” in a swap that will quickly add to the cost.

Gnarls.

Gnarls is spot on.  I would try getting a hold of Mike at Offroad Solutions and talk to him.  He will have all the info on swaps, he will have quality parts, and may even be able to do the swap for you.  Offroad Solutions a very good and reputable shop, especially when it comes to swaps.   

[clange]

Just for information, I have had a motor swap (3.0 to 3.4) and was able to get mine through CARB. (Southern California). They wanted to make sure I had a new CAT to match the motor and that the O2 sensors were moved to proper position for the new motor set up. Exhaust siding did not matter (passenger side vs. driver side). Got the sticker and all is good. Toyonlyswaps in Oregon is the best place in my opinion to get your 3.0 to 3.4 swap done. It looked very professional and still runs great.

[Tallchevy]

I just bought a 97 4Runner 2wd with a 3rz to swap in my 87 4Runner. Does anyone know if swapping from a 2wd to 4wd will be an issue? I heard that the ECU must be 4wd if it's going into a 4wd is something that has recently changed.

[spuds015]

I just bought a 97 4Runner 2wd with a 3rz to swap in my 87 4Runner. Does anyone know if swapping from a 2wd to 4wd will be an issue? I heard that the ECU must be 4wd if it's going into a 4wd is something that has recently changed.

According to the referee I spoke to, it does not. I'm using a 2wd t100 for my swap. However I would recommend speaking to your local referee since they have the final say and the swap guidelines are kind of open to interpretation.

Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk

[Sn12Hilux]

It really does depend on the ref. Over here a buddy of mine had everything swapped correctly, and the ref told him the transmission has to be used from the vehicle where the swap came from. Which I didn’t expect at all. But other places haven’t had to do that