2002 Corolla - Engine Swap/Compatability Question

#1
Since the 98-02 motors have high oil consumption problems. Mine is an 02 and is going through a quart about every 1k miles. What year engines fit the 02 platform. Just curious since i want to way out my options. Its either have my motor rebuilt or buy a used motor. Buying a used motor is cheaper. I just want to know do 03 and up motor fit and are they the same? If you know comment below. Dont want to get another 98-02 motor that may have this same issue.
 
#3
Scott as much as i appriciate all the help and insite you have on alot of these posts. This doesnt answer the question. I am trying to weigh out my options and would like to know. I dont like the idea of having to add oil and pollute the world any more than we already are.
 
#4
Many vehicle manufacturers consider 1 quart per 1,000 miles normal.

How many miles are on the engine?

Have you checked for the typical valve cover gasket oil leak that occurs with older engines?

What viscosity of oil is being used and what brand? Petroleum or synthetic?

Maybe there are ways to reduce the oil consumption.
 
Last edited:
#5
The car has 146k right now. I am using standard petroleum oil 5w30 like the engine asks for. I am using what ever i can find on sale. Right now i bought a case of castrol 5w30 since it was like 3 dollar a quart on sale. I originally said 1k per quart and actually i am at 500 miles or so per quart. I bought the car not knowing this issue. After a week of driving i checked the oil and it was empty. Well on the dipstick anyway. So since then i just keep a few quarts of oil in the trunk. You ask about a valve cover leak. THere are no external leaks on the outside of the engine.
 
#7
Probably a 2003+.

Try calling your local Toyota dealers Parts Dept. and see if the part number for the 2002 engine is the same as the 2003 + engine.
 

Kev250R

This is my other car
#8
Cant believe being this is a Corolla forum that no one knows what year model engines would fit in an 02 corolla
No offense but it's probably because most people with a Corolla which gets to the age where an engine needs to be replaced just replace the car. It's not like this year Corolla is collectable or rare. I would imagine a running/driving '02 could be had for about what an engine swap would cost. :rolleyes:

Kevin
 
#9
Your Corolla probably has the 1ZZ-FE engine

2003 - 2008 used the 1ZZ-FE (or 2ZZ-GE for XRS).
2009+ use the 2ZR-FE (or 2AZ-FE for XRS).

So that would be your best bet for a direct swap - finding a non-XRS 2003 - 2008 Corolla engine.
 
Last edited:
#11
No offense but it's probably because most people with a Corolla which gets to the age where an engine needs to be replaced just replace the car. It's not like this year Corolla is collectable or rare. I would imagine a running/driving '02 could be had for about what an engine swap would cost. :rolleyes:

Kevin
Well the car could have some very big emotional value, i.e. it was inherited from a parent who passed away, or if their spouse passed away and this was their spouses car, etc. I've seen this a lot over the years. If a car has real emotional value, that can't be replaced with just any other car. It's not uncommon for older customers to come into my auto center with a car that is 20+ years old with low mileage and invariably the story behind it is the spouse that owned the car had passed away and the surviving spouse just couldn't bring themselves to sell the car because they had so many wonderful memories attached to it with their spouse.

I once had an older lady tell me exactly this about her car, that it was her husbands car, he had passed away and she wanted to keep the car. With tears in her eyes she said she didn't know a lot about cars and didn't know if she could afford to fix the car. I reassured her I would get that car repaired for her and it wouldn't cost a fortune. Her face lit up, she wiped the tears from her eyes and when her car was repaired and ready to go, the smile on her face was just priceless. :) She was a lovely lady.

I don't just get cars fixed. I help people and that to me is what life is all about. :thumbsup:
 
Last edited:
#12
nope no emotional connection with the car. i just cant see poluting the inviroment any more than it is already. i am putting a quart of oil in every 300 miles at this point. i have only had the car for a month and put 3k miles on it. already around 8 quarts of oil or so. i paid 2800 for the car, and i guess i got taken by the private seller because i wouldnt of bought it if i knew. i see used engines all the time on ebay from wreck yards and they sell for around 900 bucks. i figured if an 03 and up motor fits then maybe an option is to swap it out. Since i will be dropping $1500 in oil a year if i dont.

Ops my bad, added wrong. It's 150 a year
 
Last edited:
#14
Scott your right. My mistake, it's about 150 bucks a year. Ops added an extra zero, big difference. Figure around 40 quarts over a years time. Sorry, and thanks for catching that.

Hey do I need to do an oil change if I am adding 10 quarts every 3k miles?
 
#15
Seemed like government math going on there! :D

As for oil change intervals with your engines situation, it's hard to say, as it would just be a guess. The oil filter will still get plugged up with dirt and debris, which will cause the oil filter bypass valve to open, allowing oil to still flow, but it will be bypassing the oil filter filtration media which will have unfiltered oil flowing all throughout the engine and causing accelerated engine wear.

Also, the engine is consuming a high rate of oil because the oil holes in the piston rings are in a very high temperature area and the use of conventional petroleum oil allows the oil to create sludge, gum and varnish which together gradually start to plug up the oil holes. This restricts oil flow, reducing lubrication and cooling to that high temperature area, which causes the temperatures to increase even more, exacerbating the problem even more. It's a vicious circle. This also causes the piston rings to get gummed up and stuck, so they don't do their job of sealing very well anymore, allowing the oil to get passed the piston rings, up into the combustion chamber and burned to be sent out the exhaust as blue smoke. So the petroleum oil inside the engine is being subjected to very high temperatures, causing it to not perform it's intended job. A synthetic oil naturally resists the creation of sludge, varnish and gum.

A good synthetic oil along with an engine flush can possibly help to clean out the oil holes and free up the stuck piston rings, as a quality synthetic oil is naturally very detergent.

Have you done an oil change yet, along with the oil filter?
 
Last edited:
#16
so speaking of switching engines, i have a 2001 S with 237,000 miles on it. bought it new and has been amazing. My problem is the the body has out lived the engine. After a compression test of 120psi cap when normal is 190ish and the min is 142psi i think, plus running lean and blown cat fml. 10w 30 mobile1 has been in it since 140k. Is there another engine that would fit the car that is not toyota? i know the 9th gen engines fit for the most part but just wondering.
 
#17
You can put any engine you want in it. Depends on how much money and experience you have.

Obviously, the easiest swap is going to be the 1ZZ-FE, followed by the 2ZZ-GE
 
Top