1995 3 Door Rav 4.1 Engine Upgrade

[Worlds End Stu]

Hi All,

Well the 4.1 which originally started out a few years ago as the missus "run around" has morphed into my "have a laff" car and it's got to that age where stuff is starting to wear out and it will need a few quid spending so it was decision time. Cut my losses and move on, or throw cash at it and turn it into something quite interesting.

I've decided on the latter :)

Searching through the forum I see a few posts about engine swaps and it seems to me the 3SGTE conversion seems popular (though someone has managed to shoehorn a V6 in one car!).

I'm not looking to go drag racing, just a bit more "oomph" away from the lights would be nice without ruining the way it drives.

Have many people (other than Bothy :D ) tried an engine upgrade and is it worth the effort?

In an ideal world i'd like to do the work myself as I actually enjoy that kind of thing but the reality is that I just don't have the time so any engine swap, brake & suspension upgrades i'd have to get a shop to do.

Can anyone recommend someone (preferably in the Midlands) who's done this kind of upgrade before?

Any comments, observations or words of advice most welcome.

Cheers!

[Big Kev]

Good on ya WES.......great that it will be kept gaun rather than die. Bothy's garage really is good with knowledgable folks, so get yer engine, remove back seats, put engine in rear and drive to Motherwell. Get train home. Collection of vehicle is reverse of delivery......sounds like a Haynes Manual, eh.......?

Good luck with project regardlessful. Sure Bothy will drop in, having found ye an engine that James T. Kirk used before........aye.......William Shatner, so she never went out with him again.........

[firemac]

Good on ya WES.......great that it will be kept gaun rather than die. Bothy's garage really is good with knowledgable folks, so get yer engine, remove back seats, put engine in rear and drive to Motherwell. Get train home. Collection of vehicle is reverse of delivery......sounds like a Haynes Manual, eh.......?

Good luck with project regardlessful. Sure Bothy will drop in, having found ye an engine that James T. Kirk used before........aye.......William Shatner, so she never went out with him again.........

When's the BK Authorised Joke Book coming out?

[silly sausage]

Good on ya WES.......great that it will be kept gaun rather than die. Bothy's garage really is good with knowledgable folks, so get yer engine, remove back seats, put engine in rear and drive to Motherwell. Get train home. Collection of vehicle is reverse of delivery......sounds like a Haynes Manual, eh.......?

Good luck with project regardlessful. Sure Bothy will drop in, having found ye an engine that James T. Kirk used before........aye.......William Shatner, so she never went out with him again.........

When's the BK Authorised Joke Book coming out?

It's currently being translated in to the English Language....... :bookworm:

[firemac]

Good on ya WES.......great that it will be kept gaun rather than die. Bothy's garage really is good with knowledgable folks, so get yer engine, remove back seats, put engine in rear and drive to Motherwell. Get train home. Collection of vehicle is reverse of delivery......sounds like a Haynes Manual, eh.......?

Good luck with project regardlessful. Sure Bothy will drop in, having found ye an engine that James T. Kirk used before........aye.......William Shatner, so she never went out with him again.........

When's the BK Authorised Joke Book coming out?

It's currently being translated in to the English Language....... :bookworm:

That'll sort of kill the effect, n'est-ce pas??

[bothwell_buyer]

Good on ya WES.......great that it will be kept gaun rather than die. Bothy's garage really is good with knowledgable folks, so get yer engine, remove back seats, put engine in rear and drive to Motherwell. Get train home. Collection of vehicle is reverse of delivery......sounds like a Haynes Manual, eh.......?

Good luck with project regardlessful. Sure Bothy will drop in, having found ye an engine that James T. Kirk used before........aye.......William Shatner, so she never went out with him again.........

When's the BK Authorised Joke Book coming out?

It's currently being translated in to the English Language....... :bookworm:

That'll sort of kill the effect, n'est-ce pas??

n'est-ce pas -whits aw that aboot? If yuv problems wi yer bowels, visit yer GP! Constipulation can be a hell uva thing!

[bothwell_buyer]

On the engine swap, the cheapest way for a 3SGTE route is to buy a turbo engined (3SGTE) MR2 which some young chap has kindly driven through a wall. The front end will be smashed up but you don't want that do you? Its the rear end with the engine, sensors, and wiring loom that you need, together with the ecu and various other wee bits. The drive pulley comes from the RAV as the MR2 thankfully doesn't have power steering - hence the front end smashes.

Buying a 3SGTE engine itself will mean having to buy the other bits too. A wrecked MR2 means you can get your money back by selling the carcass. Or selling bits like I did with one of the cars I bought.

The V6 mod was done by a company based around Newcastle i think. But then its more money.

The guys in Motherwell are good cos they work on the 3SGTE engines all the time, and of course they have done the practice on my two. Just got number 1 RAV back after some changes and tweaks and having to get used to it again......its a bit frightening how fast it does go now! And the cornering is much enhanced, even better if the roads dried up!