My 2005 Chrysler Sebring apparently needs a new engine. I was just blabbing with my neighbor, who isn’t a mechanic, but is adept at fixing cars, was blabbing with me and he said that he could get me a Toyota engine for it pretty cheaply. I kept my gob shut, and told him I would look him up when I got the cash. Now, what I was curious about was whether or not the Toyota would fit, and also, how he knew it would?
To add more to this fantastical and spellbinding drama, with the true particulars, my brother took me for a drive last week, and we were blabbing about things and my car, and he said that John, his father in law, had asked about my car, and had mentioned that I ought to be able to drop a Toyota engine into it very easily.
OK. This isn’t funny. Way back in the day, 60s, actually, I could kind of tell what engines were interchangeable, just by rote. But now, when every Warsaw Pact (I know, I know…just trying to spice things up) and third-world nation are making quality vehicles, and exporting them here, how does one know what engines are compatible with others? Aren’t their setups completely different? And, let’s be real: two completely different car companies, Chrysler and Toyota, with interchangeable engines? It doesn’t make sense. Especially, when my neighbor, a city plant worker, and my bro’s FIL, an IT person, seem to know about it quite readily.
So, my question is: How do these guys know that these engines can be interchanged? I’m sure it wasn’t on TV, and I don’t see these guys looking at a lot of car mags. More importantly, how can I find out this info, without calling mechanics? I tried looking it up on google, but, no info.
Back before electronic control systems (computers), it was largely a matter of physically fitting things in and finding (or making) suitable mounts. Wiring, fuel piping, coolant hoses and such could be modified as needed relatively easily. Nowadays it’s much more of a challenge to get all the relevant stuff working together properly. Without any specific knowledge of Toyota-to-Chrysler engine swapping, my first thought is that it’s simply not feasible.
I know there are cases where within a manufacturer’s lines, some engines can be substituted with no fuss. For example (making up the details for illustration, these engines may not exist), a Lexus 3.0 V-6 might drop into a Toyota that came with a 2.8 V-6. Information about this can be found in the interchange books used by salvage yards. But I have never heard of interchangeability among different manufacturers. Now, I can’t say that I know it’s impossible – my expertise is fixing cars, not modifying them – but I regard it as extremely unlikely. Extremely.
Among the obstacles are motor mounts to physically place the engine, bolt patterns between the engine and transmission, wiring to the scads of actuators (e.g. fuel injectors) and sensors (e.g. coolant temp sensor), attachment of fuel lines, and perhaps most important the design and calibration of the main computer. Like you, I expect all of this stuff to be different and not easily dealt with.
Scanning the first few Google pages for toyota engine in chrysler I find only one obvious swap, and that’s a Chrysler engine into a 1985 Celica – which may not have gotten to the point where it actually ran.
The safe assumption for the overwhelming majority of modern cars is that you can’t swap engines among makes, and it’s questionable if you can swap within a make. As for the claims of your neighbor and brother’s father in law, until I see evidence to the contrary, I have to call bullshit.
The only other time something like this may work is with cars that cross makes, like the Toyota Matrix was also available as the Pontiac Vibe.
With so much depending on the computer and it’s associated sensors, I can’t possibly see a modern Toyota engine working in Chrysler. If you adapted the fuel and elecrics it may run in a sort of “failsafe” mode but you wouldn’t get much power or efficiency. I don’t even see how the engine and transmission would mate. Car parts between different makes and even within the same make are very non-standard for the most part.
Well, that was my exact thought; the only reason that I gave it any credence is that this was from two seperate sources, just about within a week from each other!
If nothing else, it would be an eerie coincidence, but, I don’t have time for the eerie right now.
To the excellent post by GaryT and control-z I would only add the obvious that if you’re willing to thrown enough money and brainpower at the project then you can put just about any engine you like in there. Does it make any kind of logical sense? No, of course not. It can be done though. I’ve seen jet engines installed in cars like this. At a car show one time I saw a Honda Civic with the vast majority of the passenger compartment filled with a Rolls-Royce Merlin engine. It’s probably more correct to say that they lowered a Civic shell onto the engine and custom built chassis. Terrible yet brilliant at the same time. I would have loved to have taken it out for a crash.
It’s possible an engine out of a mitsubishi may work. In 2005 chrysler had two different models of sebring. If the 11th digit of your vin is an “E” if is built on a mithsubshi platform. If you would like, pm me your vin and I can tell you for sure.
Junkyards use Hollanders manuals (now on CD) to confirm interchangeability. http://hollanderinterchange.net/
These things are awesome. You could call a junkyard and ask what engines from what cars fit yours. In my experience, they’ll tell you- particulary if you sound like you might buy an engine from them.
Weird. I just bought a 1977 Pontiac Sunbird today, stock engine was a little four cylinder. But for some reason, this car had a Chevy V-8… And it’s tons of fun!
My wife had a Geo Prism (really a Chevrolet)- those came with Toyota engines stock. Same car as the Corolla, really. I don’t know why.
I’ve also heard of later Saab’s that used Subaru engines.
There is suprisingly little stuff off-engine that’s actually needed. I have an Ariel Atom with a GM LSJ engine (normally used in a Cobalt SS). About the only things on the engine wiring that aren’t on the engine itself are the lines for the fuel pump and radiator fans, and those could easily bypass the engine computer, and the accelerator pedal (which is needed). The computer has 3 large connectors (60-pin or more) and very few wires actually connect to it in the Atom - one of them has something like 5 wires installed. The Atom’s dashboard instruments are completely independent of the engine computer and one will work fine without the other.
If you hook up a stock (as opposed to GM Racing) engine computer, the engine will shut down after 15 seconds or so with an error of the form “Where’s the rest of the car?” but you can use a variety of tuning software to tell the the computer it is Ok and then it will run fine.
Note that I’m talking about basic engine functionality - the engine management computers in modern cars typically either control or talk to another computer that controls things like power windows, climate control, and so on - getting that stuff working will be a lot more difficult.
Only the Saab 9-2, which was a rebadged Subaru Impreza/WRX with a Saab designed suspension and some interior mods. Saab has rebadged or shared platforms with a number of other auto companies over the years.
I had a 1977 Chev Monza with a factory 305. Your car has probably had the engine swapped. I would think it would be an easy process (compared to the above). Watch your frame. Mine broke at the front wheel…engine was too much weight for the car.
Boy…this brings back memories-I once had a Mitsubishi sedan-the same car was sold under the Chrysler name…but NOTHING was compatible-the alternator for the Chrysler version could not be mounted on the Mitsubishi engine!