1uz-fe or sc 5vz-fe
 

Ok I'm saving up for a swap right now and I'm trying to decide which engine to get. Can everyone just list the pros and cons that they know of about each of these two engines? Like mpg, reliability, etc. They both seem pretty good but I just want some opinions.

That's a pretty tall order, have you searched? There's tons of info on both, although most of the 3rd gen owners around here are partial to the 3.4

Yes I have done a bit of reading up on both. I just would like to know peoples opinions. I'm kinda partial to the 3.4 atm just because it would be easier and I can keep my same tranny. But the 1uz is just niceee...

Depends on how much fab work you're willing/capable of doing. For coolness, the V8, but you need to make custom exhaust, mounts...well, just about everything...

The 3.4 needs a lot less work and has more documented swaps.

ahh come on .. the v8 is a better motor, not just because its cool .it is that but its a better motor .

3.4 would be better for sure than the 3.0
1uz would be better than the 3.4

3.4 would be easier than the 1uz..

Haha yeah and you can always throw a blower on the 1uz too....hhmm...lol. I like the idea of getting decent mpg's a lot. I'm getting like 200-240 miles per tank right now. From what I've heard the 3.4's with the sc's get about 20 mpg.

More like 15-17

Yeah that's not too bad but I would deff like the 1uz for the better mileage.

Like RMA said. 3.4 is better then the 3.0. And its pretty easy. The 4.0 is an amazing engine and very strong plus the horse power is nice. Depends on if you want to custom build most your parts. You will need new engine mounts and other custom fab work. Check out Lexusextremes.com

And some of those guys turbo/ supercharger those engines. Talk about HP!

Im dying to find a source for the adapters and mounts for this swap- anyone got a line on them?

The only adapters I know of are out of Australia. Someone here was going to do the bellhousings, but as far as I know, never go around to it.

But don't take my word. Lextreme is probably your best bet.

Also Google Cebby's 4.0 liter swap.

Yeah, there ARE 1UZ bellhousings for your transmission, but they're in AUS, and they're close to 2 grand to get them here.


My vote is SC 1UZ.


Or if you want something more off the wall, 2JZ. It'll bolt up to the transmission.

if this is your first swap then i vote 5vzfe, the only "hard" part about the 5vz is the wiring harness work but thats a lot easier and cheaper than custom fab mounts/exhaust and bellhousing adapter.

first, find all the build threads on the 1UZ. there's a website dedicated to this in fact, so google search 1UZ swap or 1uz-fe swap.

once you have an idea of the extent of customization to do this, THEN ask yourself the question you've asked us here.

the amount of customization is so much more work than a 3vz to 5vz swap. sooo much more.

however, IF you can afford the additional expense, time, and customization, i will most certainly recommend a 1UZ-FE.

i bought a '90 LS400 in '03 after a cycle wreck left me pretty bandaged up. the car had 165k on it. everything worked perfectly. i think i paid like $6k

in '07 i sold it for $4k. it had 235k on it. in that time, i think i replaced a low pressure power steering hose, the alternator (cuz p.s. fluid went in it), the bearing behind the fan, (which included r+r of t-belt and water pump); and i did a tune up.

THAT'S IT. i drove that car all over the east coast, from SC to NJ. that motor is an example of what Toyota can do when it wants to humiliate Mercedes, which they did.

i sold it cuz i refused to put less than premium in it, and i couldn't afford premium in '07 anymore. that's when i got my 88 runner.

the 1uz-fe is an awesome motor, and it never did anything but purr like a kitten...until you floored it. i wish i could afford to own one again, but the economy has reduced me to a 4-cylinder man. (ha)

good luck with your decision and pending swap.

Thanks for the reply. I have been looking at all of the threads on lextreme and I'm deff gonna put in the extra work and go with the 1uzfe. Its a great engine and would be awesome to have in my truck.

What is you budget? How much are you willing to spend to get this done in a timely manner? What level of mechanical ability do you have, no offense, but the v8, will require fabbing, and possible unforseen obstacles. And if you don't have the tools to fab then you have to pay someone to do it, which would suck.

What are you power goals?

I think the v8 would be awsome to have, i read nothing but good things about them. However price plays a big part in the things i do. So i chose the 3.4, basic bolt in, no bellhousing adapter, ect.

If i was you i would make an excell spreadsheet with prices of both engines, and what ever additional parts each might need, bellhousing, custom mounts, powersteering lines ect. See if that helps. I think either engine would be a great choice.

I don't really have a budget. It will just take me a little longer to save the money up if I get the 1uz. And if you look at the mpg gains over my 3vz its gonna save some money in the long run. As far as power I would like to have 250 - 300. So if I got the 5vz I would be getting a supercharger for it also which adds a bit to the cost. As far as experience I don't have a whole lot but I'm not too worried cause I'm a very fast learner and am very mechanically inclined. I just need to learn how to weld..but if I had to I wouldn't mind paying for some mounts to be made. I need to add up the costs and compare them like you said.

there you go man, commit to that 1uz swap. there is so much info covering the customization needed, it's not like you'll be going into it blind. if you can work on it at your own pace, you'll get it done. and you can get a 90-94 ls400 complete running car for $2k easily, if not less. you'll have everything you need for the swap with a complete vehicle, and just part out the rest of it on fleabay. it should pay for itself if you part it out well.

looking forward to seeing a build thread!

Yeah I just get to get out of my apartment and into a house now. Then I need to buy a junker to drive to work while I work on my swap.