Fitting A Is300 Engine In A Is200

[skhell]

Hi guys!

Its been a long time I haven't been here. I was a regular user on the forum when I was looking to buy a used IS200, but it turned out I wasn't able to buy one, since the ones there were available in Portugal had too many miles or were way too expensive, so I went to the competition and I bought a year 2000, 1.8, Honda Accord.

Still, I have not yet forgotten the IS200, I guess its one of my favourite cars :)

I am thinking on the future to buy one, but there is a problem, I want bit more power than the IS200 provides. I guess that a IS300 would be ok.

Here is the real problem, they are even more rare then the IS200 in Portugal... so, my thought was to buy a IS200 then swap its engine with one from a IS300. This poses a few questions, such as:

- How difficult will this be?

- What do I have to swap? Just the engine and ECM? How about the gearbox, differential, brakes, drive-shafts, suspension and so on?

- Will be there a significant visual difference under the bonnet? Are there big visual differences between those engines?

- How much would it cost the parts to perform this swap?

I could always fit a turbo to it, but I would have lots of legal problems, as it would be impossible to pass a MOT with it fitted on the car, or even if the cops ordered me to stop the car in a regular traffic stop, if they went and look under the bonnet and see a turbo under there, I would probably have lots of problems...

This is still a long-shot, but I am thinking about all possible alternatives to when I buy my next car.

[deckie77]

Dont want to sound defeatist, but that sounds like way too much bother mate, i would say wait your time and find the right IS300, Have you thought of, or can you import a 300 from elsewhere????

[skhell]

Yes, import is an option, the problem is that Portugal taxes are way too high on importing used cars. You can easily pay about 5000€ of taxes for importing a car to Portugal. In this case it will have higher costs, as it has a 3000cc and the taxes are calculated having in mind the engine displacement and CO emissions. Besides that, I would have to pay about 500€ of taxes annually for a IS300 instead of 150€ for a Portuguese used IS200, as it would be considered a new car, and as such it would pay according to the new legislation, which is much worse in terms of the annual tax...

[griderjn]

the cure for your ailment is the BMW 3 series.

like deckie77 said, sounds like way too much.

there are plenty of threads on here for engine swaps and such...

you should read some of them and look at what some of those swaps encountered.

if you can find a dude on here monster-mat, he put a 2JZ-GTE into an IS200.

engine swapping takes quite a bit of dedication.

and it will nickel and dime you to death,

especially if you want the outcome to be a dependable daily driver.

good luck though, don't be discouraged, just be aware.

eagerness can be defined as a condition often cured by the realization of what is actually required for completion of a task

[deckie77]

eagerness can be defined as a condition often cured by the realization of what is actually required for completion of a task

I like the saying, think i'll use that in the future if you dont mind griderjn

[deckie77]

skhell mate, i'm not trying to tell you not to go ahead with your plan, not my place, i now understand that importing will prob cost as much as engine swap, but saying that if you were to swap a 200 engine, the 300 would probably be your easiest option as its fitted to the same engine bay, it will still come with it's own problems i would imagine, but you would not have to engineer out things that the likes of Stav had to with a engine coming from a totaly different car / engine bay.

Another option may be find a good 200, then wait your time till a supercharger comes up (because there is always one comes round every now and again) and fit this, going by Ormi's recent addition this is a very easy install in comparison to engine swap. would this be an option or would it be a non - starter like you said the turbo would be???

[skhell]

Humm, I see its not as easy as I would expect to be. I will look for that topic for some hints.

The series 3 BMW are also great cars, but in my really love the looks of the IS200/300 :)

Maybe its more reasonable to import one, although at the moment I am only studying and thinking about it :)

Thanks for the quick replies and clarifications :)

[skhell]

Well, the problem with superchargers or turbos, is that the car will not pass a MOT with it installed... So I would have to remove it to pass the annual MOT, which would be a pretty bad :duh:

[Bazza]

Well, the problem with superchargers or turbos, is that the car will not pass a MOT with it installed... So I would have to remove it to pass the annual MOT, which would be a pretty bad :duh:

why would it not pass ?

[Dodgydave]

I assume your car wouldn't pass an MOT because of the restrictions on modifications from the manufacturers standard spec; I know this is the case in some other countries.

If this is the case then wouldn't swapping the engine also fail this test, unless you plan on not declaring the modification.

[ormi]

if mots are that tight i would buy a supercharger.......i fitted mine my self in my garage next to my house in 2hours 15mins.

patrik who is on her removes his charger for his cars mot and it only takes 18mins to deboost,his video is on you tube.....

their are a few chargers up for sale the now,oh and the noise is amazing!!!

the charger turns the is200 into a whole new car.....

[skhell]

It will not pass the MOT because you are changing the specifications of the car...

With a engine swap, if the bigger engine looks the same as the smaller one, there will be no problem, since they wouldn't know its a different engine, and, I would not declare the modification, possibly in Portugal it would be impossible...

Just that you know, in Portugal, if you want to put a tires that are not in the specifications of the car, you have to ask to the brand of the car to pass a declaration that the car can ride with that tire size, then go to the automotive legal department, and pay allot of money to turn that new measure legal to your car ...

If fitting a supercharger to a IS200 is that easy, thats a very good option :)

In round numbers, what kind of power gains are we talking when adding a supercharger to a IS200? And for how much, can these be found?

[ormi]

It will not pass the MOT because you are changing the specifications of the car...

With a engine swap, if the bigger engine looks the same as the smaller one, there will be no problem, since they wouldn't know its a different engine, and, I would not declare the modification, possibly in Portugal it would be impossible...

Just that you know, in Portugal, if you want to put a tires that are not in the specifications of the car, you have to ask to the brand of the car to pass a declaration that the car can ride with that tire size, then go to the automotive legal department, and pay allot of money to turn that new measure legal to your car ...

If fitting a supercharger to a IS200 is that easy, thats a very good option :)

In round numbers, what kind of power gains are we talking when adding a supercharger to a IS200? And for how much, can these be found?

£2000 for a charger mate and ups the power by 50bhp(approx 210 total) some peeps have had more...i,ve got the bigger intercooler and prolex manifold going to a rolling road soon....

[pablo200]

You dont mention if your after an auto or manual either as i think IS300 only came in auto (correct me if I'm wrong peeps :)).

If you want a manual then you'll also have to source a R154 box from a supra which are quite hard to find in good condition these days.

[ormi]

You dont mention if your after an auto or manual either as i think IS300 only came in auto (correct me if I'm wrong peeps :)).

If you want a manual then you'll also have to source a R154 box from a supra which are quite hard to find in good condition these days.

your correct matey...........is300 auto only...

[skhell]

Oh, yeah, the IS300 is only auto, and I don't want an auto gear box.... so I guess the engine swap is almost out of option...

210 in total is a good number, so I guess its the best option, after all :)

Will the engine/gearbox/transmission of the IS200 take care of that 50 horse power with out problems?

[deckie77]

Will the engine/gearbox/transmission of the IS200 take care of that 50 horse power with out problems?

Yep

[skhell]

Will the engine/gearbox/transmission of the IS200 take care of that 50 horse power with out problems?

Yep

Great :)

[jameshunter2010]

ority ppl

this is my first post ,i also wanted to fit the 300 into my 200 but with

extencive seartching i found out ins not as easy as i had pland so

it got dropd an i am now looking for the TTE superchargerkit .

if what u say is true about it not passing an mot with the charger in place

tthen y dont u get a fake mot its cheaper and u dn hav to remove the kit !! just a thaught

[Asi]

if you get a charger you wont need a fake mot meet.... mot would pass not a problem

[jameshunter2010]

sound m8 thanks

[Asi]

not a problem.

only problem is that its hard to find a supercharger kit. theres one on eBay that TDI are selling but its just a tad expensive mate

[jameshunter2010]

av bn looking for a while nw and all the prices r about £4500 ,£4000

just a bit to mutch .just need to keen looking and watching .the

ryt one will pop up one day :)

[ormi]

av bn looking for a while nw and all the prices r about £4500 ,£4000

just a bit to mutch .just need to keen looking and watching .the

ryt one will pop up one day :)

you will never need a fake mot for a supercharged is200!!!i am a tester and have never had to issue a dodgy mot.

i just bought a charger approx 3 weeks ago and fitted it in my garage at the side of my house in two hours fifteen mins!!!very easy fit!!nothing hard about it at all...

what are those prices??the charger its self will sell for £2000 theirs a few i know of for sale...

[Bazza]

the reason it would fail an MOT is because the poster lives in Portugal, where MOT's are a lot stricter than in the UK, to the point they insist a car is standard !

IS300 do come in a manual version, although rare and only available from the USA, but they are a lot cheaper out there and have the steering wheel on the wrong side to suit Portugal ! so might be worth trying to import one