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  1. #1

    Corax's 1UZ swap

    After 12 years of running a 7MGE swap in my 1st gen 4runner, it's time for a change. The 7M is a great engine and has never let me down - not a single head gasket issue after putting ARP head bolts in it and has towed my trailer from coast to coast several times. But, it does lack a bit of giddy-up when towing my racecar or when flat-towing rally cars off stage. This swap has been done several times in different configurations, so this isn't anything new or ground-breaking, just a collection of what I find (hopefully) works.
    tip of the hat to Cebby's thread

    My 4runner originally had a 22RE in it, so here are some numbers to compare
    22RE, 2.4L, 112 HP@4600, 142 lb·ft@3400, iron block/alum head, weighs ~320 lbs
    7M-GE, 3.0L, 199 HP@6000, 188 lb·ft@3600, iron block/alum head, weighs ~460 lbs
    1UZ non-VVTi (89-97), 256 HP@5400, 260 lb·ft@4400, alum block/alum heads, weighs ~360 lbs
    1UZ VVTi (98-99), 300hp@6000, 310 lb·ft@4000, alum block/alum heads, weighs ~360 lbs
    2UZ VVTi, 230-270HP@4800, 315 lb·ft@3400, iron block/alum heads, weighs ~540 lbs
    3UZ VVTi, 300HP@5600, 325 lb·ft@3400, alum block/alum heads, weighs ~385 lbs

    A lot of info on the engine can be found HERE or elsewhere in the Lextreme forums
    This engine was voted to the Ward's 10 Best Engines list for 1998 through 2000 and is based on Toyota’s CART/IRL race engine.

    I've been researching this swap for several months, and recently started collecting parts. the 1UZ never came with a manual trans behind it. Inchworm makes an adapter to bolt a gear drive transfer case to the back of the original auto trans (http://www.lowrangeoffroad.com/toyot...hwormgear.html), but I wanted to keep the truck manual.

    Manual trans adapters are available for a variety of different manufacturer transmissions. Since this is going into a Toyota, I only have to worry about deciding between the W or R series transmission. With correct differential gearing and sensible driving habits, the W trans should be able to hold 300hp somewhat reliably - keeping the W trans would make a non-VVTi swap easier. I plan on using the VVTi version of the 1UZ which will be right on the edge of reliability for the W trans, so I opted to use the R150f instead. This is the transmission found behind the V6 4runners and pickups and has been known to hold up to 400 ft/lbs of torque reliably. The transfer case is chain driven with a planetary reduction instead of the gear drive reduction unit behind the W trans - as long as you're not planning on severe duty/abuse, there is nothing wrong with the chain drive transfer case, besides, it's also geared lower (you can always get an adapter to mount the gear drive transfer behind the R trans if you want more low range gearing options).

    Here are some more numbers:
    Gear ratios: 1st - 2nd - 3rd - 4th - 5th - Rev
    W56: 3.954:1 - 2.141:1 - 1.384:1 - 1.00:1 - 0.85:1 - 4.091:1
    R150F: 3.830:1 - 2.062:1 - 1.436:1 - 1.00:1 - 0.838:1 - 4.22:1
    Transfer case low range ratio:
    Gear drive 21 spline RF1A: 2.28:1
    Chain drive/planetary 23 spline VF1A : 2.57:1

    There are 2 different adapter kits for the R150f -- pre- and post-'96. Pre-'96 the input shaft length is about 6.25" from the face of the input bearing retainer, after that it changed to about 7.5". The R150f used a cable driven speedometer up to '93ish, afterwards it changed to an electronic speedo (good to know if you plan on keeping the stock cluster). In '96 they also went to multi-cone synchros for 2nd and 3rd gears for better shifting, as well as a synchronized reverse gear to prevent grinding the idler gear when shifting to reverse.

    There are adapter bell housings available to keep the clutch slave external, but I've heard they can be poor quality and require more work (for example, you have to mill the clutch slave boss to the height you want and then drill/tap the bolt holes, many of those kits include a flywheel but you need to cut the ring gear off the flexplate and weld it onto the supplied flywheel). Some kits also come with 3VZ or 3SGTE (MR2 turbo) flywheels which have had their bolt holes elongated to match the 1UZ bolt pattern - originally, I thought that was inviting balance problems, but then I realized that the flywheel is kept concentric with the crank via a centerbore, so shouldn't be an issue (though I think some of them may require you to use the thin flexplate spacer between the flywheel and crank).
    Xcessive Manufacturing offers some products for the 1UZ swap, but nothing specifically for Toyota trucks
    Northwest Toys has a number of products specifically for Toyota truck swaps

    For the manual trans adapter, I'm planning on using the kit from http://www.1uzfeswapkit.com/. It's a bit pricey (about as much as a JDM 1UZ complete), but comes with everything I should need - adapter plate, flywheel & flywheel bolts, hydraulic release bearing, hoses, pilot bearing. The 1uzfeswapkit flywheel allows the use of a clutch and pressure plate from either a '90 4runner or '94 Turbo MR2 (both use a 9.25" diameter clutch disc), so plenty of options are available. I think I'll be using a Spec Clutch Stage 2+ (rated to 450 ft/lbs) or Stage 3+ pressure plate and disc (rated to 500 ft/lbs), which will hopefully, keep nice street manners.

    Here's the R150f I found on CL for $100. I bought it from a guy who does does a fair number of Toyota part-outs and offroad builds, he has a garage and a reputation to maintain, so I'm satisfied with a hand-shake guarantee that there's nothing wrong with it


    after some time in the hot tank at work (the input shaft bearing retainer needs to be modified for the hydraulic clutch release bearing & I want to "de-pin" the transfer case for twin sticks while I have it out)


    At one of the local PickNPull junkyards, I dropped the trans out of an LS400 so I could snag the bell housing. Many of the 1UZ's on ebay come with a transmission (which could be sold off if you only want it for the bell housing), but a few hundred can be saved buying the engine by itself. Note the “U1” cast into the bellhousing, supposedly, there is also a U2 cast but you are not likely to see it in this country – the U2 cast has a slightly different offset and may not work with existing manual trans adapters.
    Keith '88 4runner SR5 Garage Thread

  2. #2
    Back to the engine side of things, it seems the LS400 front sump oil pan is the preferred piece for IFS trucks and only requires shaving the steering stabilizer off of the drag link (already did that with my 7M swap). Engine mounts can be custom or bought - Northwest Toys offers a pre-made mount kit, I've also seen a mount on ebay - for the money, I'll make my own using the stock 22RE rubber mounts (can direct-swap/upgrade to GM polyurethane trans mounts in the future if I want). Supposedly the VVTi engine is a bit of an easier fit at the firewall due to redesigned valve covers, the non-VVTi engine driver side valve cover may interfere with the e-brake bracket (relocate to inside the cab? thought I read that somewhere).
    The oil filter adapter from the LS400 will hit the power steering gear box, supposedly the SC400 oil filter adapter will not - both bolt to the block in the same manner and use a figure-8 o-ring to seal to the block
    (SC400 on the left, LS400 on the right - neither are available to purchase new)


    So I got this adapter instead. It uses -8AN JIC fittings, so I can make my own hoses with reusable hose ends and put the oil filter wherever I want (I will be doing the same with the PS pump hose)


    The non-VVTi engine is supposed to be easier to wire, though I don’t put much stock in that assertion. Both use a kind of “modular” wiring where all but one or 2 of the ECU connectors are pre-wired to the engine. The remaining 2 connectors only need a few wires connected to run – things like auto trans control (integrated into the engine control module) and ABS can be ignored without detriment.
    The biggest issue with the VVTi version lies with the immobilizer. All VVTi 1UZs have an immobilizer built into the ECU which disables the injectors if it doesn’t detect the correct key transponder code. The wiring for the immobilizer is easy though. Power (W wire), ground, (W-B wire) and 3 wires to the ECU.

    The complication is from the fact that on Toy/Lex ECUs before ’03, if you lost all the keys, you could NOT program a new key to the ECU – you needed at least 1 “master” key to program new keys to the ECU, or you needed to buy a new ECU which was in a “virgin” unprogrammed state. There are a few work arounds. You can try to find an ECU which has had the immobilizer removed/hard-wired out of the equation similar to this. Another option is to directly connect to the IC900 EEPROM inside the ECU and play around with the hexadecimal code a bit – Instructable, as well as a good description of the immobilizer, are here. Luckily, we have a tool at work which can put the ECU into “virgin” or programmable mode. ’98 ECUs seem to be a bit less stable to this hack than ’99 ECUs, if given the choice, try to get a ’99 ECU. Even better, get the keys which are already matched to whatever ECU you buy and don’t worry about hacking into the EEPROM. It’ll be nice to have the peace of mind knowing the truck will be harder to steal after I get this all done.
    I “borrowed” this pic from the Instructable linked above, it shows the parts of the immobilizer system. It took less than ½ hr in the junkyard to pull the antenna and immobilizer amplifier – any 98-05 immobilizer amplifier and antenna should operate the same (GS/LS/SC400, GS/SC300, etc)


    The VVTi 1UZ also introduced multiplex communication – 2 communication wires used to link different modules instead of 1 wire for each sensor input or ECU output. This isn’t much of an issue, except that there is no way (that I can discern) to get the ECU to operate the stock 4runner Check Engine Light – you can however pull ECU data and codes from the OBDs connector, which I think is more useful. There is a TACH wire from the ECU which should operate the stock tachometer (might have to “correct” the signal so the tach is accurate by adjusting the dashpot on the cluster board, or adding a variable resistor - fix is already documented elsewhere on the the interwebs). Instrument cluster gauges will need to use the sensors which were on the original engine in the vehicle (in my case, 22RE water temp and oil pressure sensors)

    There’s a theme going here - many things changed from ’97 to ’98 when VVTi was introduced. Another (minor) hurdle is the fuel system. The pre-98 1UZ used a return-style fuel system - pressurized hose from the fuel pump, pressure regulator on the engine fuel rail, return line to the tank to bleed off excess pressure. The VVTi uses a returnless system for improved evaporative emissions and to reduce fuel heating – the fuel pump & regulator are in-tank with only a single hose running up to the engine. An external fuel pressure regulator will fix that using the stock return line on the vehicle. I’ll also be installing a Denso 9500152 fuel pump to keep up with fuel demands – should be a direct fit replacement.

    For the exhaust, I’ve read that the LS400 stock manifolds will NOT work, they stick out too far and hit the frame rails. Luckily, all the 1UZ, 2UZ, and 3UZ exhaust manifold bolt patterns are the same, so I got a pair of free/take-off “log style” manifolds at work. There are also a number of stainless manifolds on eBay which may or may-not fit (I’ve had decent luck with OBX manifolds in the past – decent welds and nice thick manifold flanges). This guy got a pair to work on an early 1UZ with just a bit of modification to clear the steering column shaft



    That's about where I'm at. Most of the research has been done, I have a good idea of what it needs to be wired in and working, and I have a list of parts which I'm still collecting. I'm hoping to get everything I need within the next month or so. Then I'll drive it to work, take a few days off, and put everything in at the shop - hopefully I'll even be able to drive it home before my time off runs out
    Keith '88 4runner SR5 Garage Thread

  3. #3
    This is going to be great! It's awesome that you are putting in a vvti version too.

    I didn't realize anybody other than Dellow Conversion made 1uz to R150 adapters.

    I'm really looking forward to this thread!
    -Daniel2000 4Runner Sport | V6 | 5spd | 4x4 | Leather | 265/75-16 BFG AT/KO | OBA | BudBuilt front skid

    1990 4Runner SR5 | V6 | Auto | 2wd | 3.90 rear | Cobra CB | 265/65r17 Bridgestone Duelers H/Ts | '08 Tacoma 5 spoke rims | Has an 11:1 crawl ratio! SOLD

  4. #4
    Looks like it's going to be quite the project. I'm excited to see how it goes. Thanks for sharing.

  5. #5
    I will be watching this thread very closely, having the SC400 in the garage I keep getting different ideas of what to do...

    If I were to do a swap I would have to source a 97 engine to meet Delawares requirements for DMV but was holding off because I would like to keep a manual as well.

    Look forward to seeing the progress!

  6. #6
    Quote Originally Posted by DHC6twinotter View Post
    It's awesome that you are putting in a vvti version too.

    It just made sense - 250hp vs. 300hp for about the same price . . . besides, I'm looking forward to having an immobilizer in my truck for peace of mind

    Quote Originally Posted by 4x4mike View Post
    Looks like it's going to be quite the project. I'm excited to see how it goes. Thanks for sharing.
    I'm just hoping it goes as smoothly as the 7M swap did - a few months of research and gathering parts, 2 days of mechanical install, 1 day wiring, and drive it away (then a few months getting everything tidied up and properly sorted)

    Quote Originally Posted by YotaFun View Post
    Look forward to seeing the progress!
    I'm hoping to have most everything I need in a few more weeks, and aiming to get it done before New Years.
    Keith '88 4runner SR5 Garage Thread

  7. #7
    I love re-powers. I'll be following along.

  8. #8
    A bit more progress and parts are starting to ship - next will be the adapter kit and the engine will be last (warranty is usually 30 days to 6 months, I want to have as much of that time with the engine running as possible). Big purchase this week was a Spec Clutch Stage 2+ kit. Their stage 1 clutch is rated for 350 ft/lbs and has been used with the non-VVTi 1UZ, but since the version engine I'm going for is rated 300 ft/lbs, I wanted a bit more margin - stage 2+ is rated for 450 ft/lbs and is supposed to maintain nice pedal engagement. (note: there are some bad reviews of Spec Clutches online from about 8 years ago, I haven't found any bad reviews more recent than that + several people recommended Spec based on personal experience)

    One of the issues I noticed with the JDM VVTi engines is that they all seem to have used a hydraulic radiator fan. That is, there's a pump, separate from the power steering pump, which pressurizes fluid to run the radiator fan. The fan pump can't simply be removed because it's one of the timing cover pieces and is needed for routing the serpentine belt. Here it is (not my engine):


    Hydraulic fan pump on the left, simple idler pulley on the right


    Luckily, most of the US engines didn't have this so all I need was the simpler idler pulley which I got a junkyard using the interchange info below (it can also be purchased new, but I've NEVER seen one go bad yet)


    I had a bit of insight the other day regarding the immobilizer. I was going to try to retrofit my old ignition lock cylinder with a "laser cut" key cylinder (I have several at work with plenty of tumblers to be able to rekey them - see how the key is "side-cut" in the pic below? that's a laser cut key). That way, I could put the immobilizer antenna around the ignition and use a regular laser cut immobilizer key - immobilizer triggering solved. BUT, I don't want to have to use a separate key for the doors and tailgate. So, I remembered that Lexus had a flat, credit card sized emergency key available for their first gen immobilizers ('98 till about 05 on most models w/ immobilizer, card needs to match the generation of the immobilize system) . My plan now is to have the immobilizer antenna somewhere in the truck with this flat key next to it - when I don't want the engine to be able to start, I just move the flat key or take it with. It could be as simple as having it on one side of the glovebox, or in the sunvisor, or wherever I want to mount the immobilizer antenna coil. I got a used key card on ebay for less than $20


    I also started planning the electrical a bit more. This is the diagram for a US version '99 LS400, I'm not sure if the JDM harness and ECU pinouts will be similar or different - that basic architecture of the system should match even if the exact pins used does not (very WIDE pic, right click and "save as" or open in new tab if you want to zoom in for greater detail)


    All that spaghetti should only require a few powers, grounds and relays to make it work. A single Bussmann fuse relay block should be just the ticket, I'll supply constant B+ and switched ignition to the relay block from the ignition switch and let it handle all the heavy lifting. There's a good tutorial on these marvelous, cheap, weatherproof pieces here: http://www.bodenzord.com/archives/473 and Waytek has them for less that $30 (plus terminals and seals/plugs - IIRC, terminals are rated to 30 amps). This is the same fuse block I used in the Celica and I couldn't be happier with how they turned out. I'll probably use one for the engine to keep the whole affair as plug-and-play as possible and use another to tidy up the mess of wiring which has accumulated over the 10+ years I've owned this truck. This is how the engine fuse box will be wired (view from back side). Note I'll be using an LS400 fuel pump resistor so the ECU can control high/low fuel pump speed (less electrical strain when high fuel output isn't required), but others have been fine just running the fuel pump at a constant 12V without the resistor.
    Keith '88 4runner SR5 Garage Thread

  9. #9
    Funny you mention the fan bearing not going bad. Mine failed on the LX back in July/August. It was extra crunchy when I finally got it off. What a pain to replace!!!

    That hydraulic fan is bizarre. I don't think I have ever seen that.
    2005 Lexus LX470 - Stock for now...

    1998 Toyota 4Runner SR5 V6 4x4 + a bunch of goodies. Lifted, Locked, Illuminated and Armored. Winner,"Best Offroad Truck" - 2010 Pismo Jamboree. It's been upside down and still drives me to work.

  10. #10
    Quote Originally Posted by Seanz0rz View Post
    Funny you mention the fan bearing not going bad. Mine failed on the LX back in July/August. It was extra crunchy when I finally got it off. What a pain to replace!!!

    That hydraulic fan is bizarre. I don't think I have ever seen that.
    Hope I didn't jinx myself with that pulley

    Yes, the hydraulic fan is a bizarre idea, they didn't use it past the 90's and only on the cars (longitudinal and transverse engines). I don't really see what the benefit was over an electric fan, and never really cared enough to find out, but a quick search found this:
    "The system is always pumping, using it to drive a fan actually reduces overall losses, as the hydraulic system is considerably more efficient than an electric one. Even an electric fan is parasitic by nature- just through the alternator instead. Power is not free, no matter where it is sourced from. A hydraulic fan motor is a mechanical device, meaning that there are no energy state changes occurring on a large scale in a hydraulic motor, where an electric motor actually takes energy from mechanical, to electrical, and then back to mechanical during use, creating losses each time.

    That being said, the hydraulic fan was utilized because hydraulic motors size for size are capable of considerably more output power than an electric counterpart. The hydraulic fan is also considerably higher torque, allowing a more aggressive fan pitch to be used, greatly increasing airflow. Then couple this fact along with utilizing a PWM controlled continuously variable speed fan, it allows fan temp targets to be achieved on a near constant basis. This reduces the cyclic nature of engine temperatures, in turn keeping the engine more efficient at all times due to overall temp stability."
    Keith '88 4runner SR5 Garage Thread

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