Used Japanese Engines - non NSX

[lemansnsx]

I'm sure we've all seen the ads and heard about the supposedly low mileage used engines removed from cars in Japan and shipped to the US for sale. Does anyone have any experiences to relate good or bad with going this route to fix up a beater? Car in question is a '97 Camry 4cyl - which, if it can be done economically, I would like to keep for commuting.

 

[jgtcnsx]

there are not many toyota engines that are popular from japan for the camry the main ones are the supra and the mk2 mr2 engine but if you find one for the camry it will probably be the same as the one you have if it is not a perormance car. one thing about japanese engine is that their emissions are different then ours. they are not as restrictive as ours so you could possibly have some problems with that. i hope i answered your question right

 

[lemansnsx]

if you find one for the camry it will probably be the same as the one you have if it is not a perormance car.

The whole point of the operation was replacing the motor with the exact same boring stock motor.

 

[jgtcnsx]

so whats the point of getting it from japan?

 

[lemansnsx]

so whats the point of getting it from japan?

For years now there have been outfits in the US advertising used supposedly low-mileage engines that are removed from cars in Japan due to strict inspection laws. Whether this is true or not I have no idea and that was partly the point of the original post - to find out if anyone knew if this "story" is legitimate or not. Here's a link to one such vendor:
http://www.usedengine.com/doctor.asp
One website gives an average price for the inspection, repairs, and liability insurance as being over $1100 - which might be enough to have someone junk an old car prior to inspection.

 

[dave22]

I got a JDM H22 for my Prelude a couple of years back because it was the cheapest route I could find. I got my swap from www.osakajdmmotors.com in Canada and it was pretty dirty but in good shape otherwise. Nobody tried to guess the mileage because unless you have an entire front clip it's basically impossible. Overall I was happy with the results. The engine was much stronger than the stock US engine until the day I sold it and the car is still running strong now. I just saw it two days ago

 

[satan_srv]

jdm h22a's have a higher CR than the ones here..more power

 

[NSXGOLF]

I've dealt with a couple of JDM motors used in swaps on smaller Hondas. Judging by how the internals look after being opened up, I would have to agree with them being low mileage. It may be a little harder to find in the case of Toyota Camry, but you may be in luck of that motor is used in other models.