Jdm vs. US differences
03-25-2016, 08:23 PM
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Jdm vs. US differences
Hey guys, just getting ready to do the "ever so rare" 3.4 swap. I was about to pull the trigger on a jdm engine because is comes with an alternator, steering pump, and few other things I wouldn't have to search for later. My question is are their differences between the getting a Jdm engine and a US one? I searched the threads but couldn't find any clear information. Any help would be appreciated.
03-26-2016, 09:40 AM
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I'm in the process into my swap and found a cracked head on my donor motor. I picked up a JDM and just about all the front accessories are different including belts, pulleys, exhaust manifolds and throttle body throttle cable hook ups. I would do it again but plan on just using it as a long block instead of trying to use the JDM over a US motor.
03-27-2016, 09:51 PM
#3
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I'm just going to quote myself from another thread:
Since you're in Fresno and will have to pass a SMOG ref, you will have to convert the JDM motor to match something that was sold in the US; the exact application will be based on whichever ECU you decide to use. Oh and the ECU must be from a US application, a JDM ECU will never pass an inspection.
But at least you will have an alternator and power steering pump....
Whatever you do, DO NOT BUY JUST A MOTOR and think you're ahead of the game. You're going to need all the "accessories" (power steering pump, alternator, EVAP box and VSVs, ECU, engine harness, to name a few) and those will end up costing a lot more than you would imagine (junk yards have a way of nickle and diming).
Since you're in California, and will likely have to SMOG it, you're going to have to do things proper and "by the book" in order to pass the closed door inspection (yes, the SMOG ref will take your truck around back and do a full visual and sniffer test on it
The general advice is to buy a donor (typically from a wreck), pull out the parts you need then part-out or sell the rest; some have actually made money on their overall swap from parting out the donor. If you can't do that (I wasn't able to) find someone parting out a Tacoma or 4Runner and see if they still have everything. The other option would be to call around to local junk yards and see if they'll work out a "swap package" or something for you that could save you a few dollars over buying everything individually (unlikely, but worth asking).
The only other advice I would give, is to get in touch with a SMOG referee and talk to them about what is required of an "engine change" (in CA a "swap" is replacing a 3.0 with a 3.0, while a "change" is replacing a 3.0 with a 3.4), just to help prevent any surprises after you've dumped a bunch of time and money into the swap.
http://asktheref.org/
1-800-622-7733 (call, leave a message with an operator, and a ref will call you back within 3 days).
Since you're in California, and will likely have to SMOG it, you're going to have to do things proper and "by the book" in order to pass the closed door inspection (yes, the SMOG ref will take your truck around back and do a full visual and sniffer test on it
The general advice is to buy a donor (typically from a wreck), pull out the parts you need then part-out or sell the rest; some have actually made money on their overall swap from parting out the donor. If you can't do that (I wasn't able to) find someone parting out a Tacoma or 4Runner and see if they still have everything. The other option would be to call around to local junk yards and see if they'll work out a "swap package" or something for you that could save you a few dollars over buying everything individually (unlikely, but worth asking).
The only other advice I would give, is to get in touch with a SMOG referee and talk to them about what is required of an "engine change" (in CA a "swap" is replacing a 3.0 with a 3.0, while a "change" is replacing a 3.0 with a 3.4), just to help prevent any surprises after you've dumped a bunch of time and money into the swap.
http://asktheref.org/
1-800-622-7733 (call, leave a message with an operator, and a ref will call you back within 3 days).
But at least you will have an alternator and power steering pump....
03-28-2016, 07:32 AM
#4
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Hey guys, just getting ready to do the "ever so rare" 3.4 swap. I was about to pull the trigger on a jdm engine because is comes with an alternator, steering pump, and few other things I wouldn't have to search for later. My question is are their differences between the getting a Jdm engine and a US one? I searched the threads but couldn't find any clear information. Any help would be appreciated.
Even using the VIN to track down a CA emission truck in salvage might be a good idea.
03-29-2016, 03:16 PM
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I'm just going to quote myself from another thread:
Since you're in Fresno and will have to pass a SMOG ref, you will have to convert the JDM motor to match something that was sold in the US; the exact application will be based on whichever ECU you decide to use. Oh and the ECU must be from a US application, a JDM ECU will never pass an inspection.
But at least you will have an alternator and power steering pump....
Since you're in Fresno and will have to pass a SMOG ref, you will have to convert the JDM motor to match something that was sold in the US; the exact application will be based on whichever ECU you decide to use. Oh and the ECU must be from a US application, a JDM ECU will never pass an inspection.
But at least you will have an alternator and power steering pump....
03-29-2016, 03:37 PM
#6
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It was an A/T 4Runner, so I still had to go to the junk yard for a M/T ECU and throttle body (I was working with the assumption that I needed the dashpot on the M/T TB to keep the throttle from closing too quickly; I'm still unsure if I actually needed it or not).
03-29-2016, 06:43 PM
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I found my donor 4runner from pirate4x4.com but with a cracked head and 288K on the OD with not very good maintenance done, i wish i would had held out longer. I spent $800 on the donor and another $1050 on the JDM, just to give you an idea of cost. If i were to do it over, i would have just picked up a good running 3rd gen for 5-6K and done a SAS on it, would have been ahead time wise in the long run. Good Luck
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03-31-2016, 12:13 PM
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I'm looking at some salvage yard auctions. They've got a few rear ended vehicles with about 140k that still run and drive. I may go pick one up and part out after like you said
11-11-2016, 10:07 PM
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Any progress on this since the last post? I am looking at picking up a JDM engine, but it includes almost everything I wanted (Power steering, alternator, AC, fuel rails, intakes, exhast) for about 900 bucks.
11-17-2016, 08:58 AM
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Sorry I can't say. I ended up buying a doner rig that was In a wreck so I had everything in one place but if you get an engine with everything included I'd say go for it. I actually just worked on my truck this past weekend for the first time in months, now I'm just waiting on parts to come in. Good luck with your swap.
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