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7mgte swap FAQ

170K views 279 replies 79 participants last post by  MDCsupra1 
#1 ·
This is by NO MEANS done,needs blanks filled and finished etc.But,hopefully this will help.I'll work on it more later.

7MGTE General MKII Swap.

This write-up is the way I learned to do the swap.There are many differing opinions on several aspects of this swap.I'm not going into those details,just writing what I know personaly.This will basicaly be for a stock swap,with some performance talked about.

1st off,you need a complete 7mgte,with all of it's sensors intact.Must have....Intact engine harness,preferably with any plugs and all small electrics,that plug into it.Air Flow meter,ECU,HAC sensor if 87-8.Included should be the PS pump,and brackets,and A/C pump and bracket.The more complete the better,a running donor car is obviously best.

My basic list,in no particular order.

1.7mge clutch kit,preferably a performance unit.

2.ARP head stud kit. P/N 203-4202

3.Oil filter relocation kit. ford 5.0 PN depends on brand.

4.4 90* AN - 8,and 4 -8 AN adapter fittings. 8 ft 300psi hydrolic line.

5.Toyota T100 heat shield p/n 58151-34011

6.7mgte gasket set.

7.HKS or similar metal head gasket.

8.MKIII intercooler and all plumbing,or custom,either will work.

9.Custom A/C lines to mate MKII to 7mgte a/c compressor.

10.MSD tach adapter.P/N 8920

11.85 or newer 5mge oil pan,and new 85+ oil pump.

I usualy tear the engine down to a short block,inspect cylinder walls,and check bearing clearances.Basic short block is repair as needed.Pistons and rings,only if needed,or forged units are being installed.Bearings,very seldom do they need mains,I usualy replace rod bearings as they are cheap.
Block/head mating suface.Personaly,I clean it well,check it with a straight edge,and don't worry about too much,unless it's noticably in bad shape...ie...warped or pitted.In that case,that block gets set aside for a major build up,or just tossed.

Cylinder head.Pressure tested,and a light "dusting" surface job.I prefer to still be able to make out the old gasket marks,barely.Then,the valves get hand lapped in and new seals installed.I recomend for most,to just have the machine shop do a valve job.I just prefer to do my own work.

Some where about this time,I relocate the dipstick to the 5m location.Starting with a small pilot hole,then drill to size of DS."have to get size" Then plugging the old hole with an allen type pipe plug.

Next would be the rear aluminum timing cover "frt of engine" and all related seals.Then time for the Oil Pump.Rotate the crank a few times,or until it touches the pump housing,or banjo portion of the tube.Some touch,some don't.Remove,and grind as necesary,until crak clears everything.Put the pan on and flip it over.

Whether using a MHG or a stocker,I spray the gasket with Permatex copper gasket spray.This helps out with the block/head surface imperfections,and has yet to fail me in 30years of building various engines.

Cylinder head instalation.Personaly,I use a metal gasket,usualy 1.2mm by HKS,along with ARP head studs.1st off,remove the cams if not already out,they just get in way.Next,istall the washers,in there respective spot,NOW.You'll thank me later.Make sure the washers go down the studs,with the head.It takes a bit of patience,but it's the only way they go in on most heads.Torque to ARP spec,IIRC 95ft#.
If usinf a stock HG ,torque to 65-70ft lbs,NOT the 58 suggested by the TSRM.For stock application/boost,this will last as long or longer than the rest of the engine.

The rest of the basic engine asembly,is covered in any Supra manual,so I not going into detail on that.

Oil filter adapter..........If using the stock 7mgte 90* housing,you will need to rotate it counter-clockwise,OFF it's dowel pin.Torqueing it down,Just to the left of the pin,will allow clearance foe the motor mounts.Check the BGB for torque spec on the bolt holding the 90.IIRC "book in the shop" it's 14 or 17ft lbs.THIS IS CRITICAL !!! If you over torque this bolt,you WILL crack the bung in the block "ask me how I know".
If deleting the stock 90,I have found it best to rob the oil filter "bolt" from the 5m,then add the 5.0 in/out adapter,and then position the AN fittings and oil lines.
Motor mounts...use the stock MKII units,holes are in the block,forward position.For the turbo brace,which now has no place to go,get an early MKIII pass mount,block portion.Angle cut the mount,so as to leave the hole for the turbo brace,bolt it behind the mkii mounts,at stock mkiii location.

While the engine is out of the car,time to clean things up a bit.Personaly,I lose the stock washer tank and pump set-up...don't use headlite washers anyway.I also toss the big friggin carbon canister the mkii comes with,and replace it with one from an 87-91 4 cyl camry.I also relocate it to where the Waher system was.The is 1 bolt hole,on thew inner fender,and a hole for the "breather" tube on the camry unit to go through.I usualky drill a hole for the second screw,a bit oversize,as I never seem to get the measurement dead on :p For W/S washer,I get a bag from the rear of an 84-9 4-runner,build an extension harness,and mount the bag on the drivers shock tower.
I also,in the past have mounted the oil filter relocation adapter,in the area of the washer tank,on the pass. shock tower.Makes getting the filter off a piece of cake.I'll be changing this on Ophir's car,and my own,as the larger turbos generate a bit more heat in that area,than I'm happy with :lol:
New loaction to be posted,when I find a spot I REALLY like.Probably similar to Helmsman's install,by the pass. head light.
 
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#27 ·
5m starter on 7m

Will the 5m starter transfer to the 7mgte? I traded my 5m for a almost complete gte motor but didn't get everything needed for the swap. I have most of the bolt on accesories such as the alt, ps pump, and starter and such from the 5m. Know the ps, and the alt won't work though. The gte motor is missing the ps stuff, the alt, and a few other minor tidbits.
Thanks
Paul
 
#29 ·
since this recently came up and i also found out that the 82 ecu is totally different than any other year (83-91?[thanks toyota=/]) by my own trial and error, how exactly am i supposed to do the wiring on my 82 when dropping in an 88T? im sorry if this is a totally retarded question and has been answered before.

reffering to search yielded a 2 year old thread that didnt help me at all. let me make it clear that i thought you were supposed to use the stock 5m harness(with minor modification) that plugs into the 5m ecu for the 7mgte swap since all other years have the same plug style.
 
#30 ·
Almost every year ECU is different in Supras in some way. When you do the 7M swap you use the 7M ECU and harness for that year of 7M engine sensors. What you need to do is connect the relevant chassis connections to the 7M ECU. Most of these are various power, gauges, and fuel pump connections.
 
#33 ·
Not neccessarily, but it makes it much easier. The 85+ pan has a fitting for the stock Mk3 oil cooler return on it. It will also fit the 85 5M oil pump which will let you use that instead of having to mod the 7m oil pump pickup.
 
#35 ·
homestar said:
Well sorry if this has been asked and answered but can an 82 supra with a 7M-GTE swap be legal, and if so, will it pass smog tests in california? Thanks

:)
Yes,it can me made legal,look for charlesq IIRC done by 935 motorsports.There are several cali members with legal swap,his is just the most recent IIRC.
 
#39 ·
If you don't use the stock MKIII oil cooler, you can just put the Toyota oil
filter on the block without adapter, and no need for oil relocation kit that way
either. But you don't have the stock oil cooler. I was gonna say some pointers
but damn, you guys got a lot of them already said!

Oh, the best cooling I have found is a free flowing thermostat, and the
stock 7M-GTE engine fan (which needs to be trimmed not to hit the rad)

Also, the stock MKII guage reads higher than the MKIII guage, and a lot of
people think that the car is running hot, when it isn't. However, in warm
climates, the stock rad isn't enough, 7M or 5M.



Jeff
 
#40 ·
Jeff,anything you can add is appreciated.I sure as hell don't know it all,and all contributions are welcome.My goal was/has been to get as much info in one thread as possible.I know since I wrote this,the repeat questions slowed way down.
 
#41 ·
Aww heck man, I haven't done a swap in over 3 years, I've forgotten SO much.
I know if I do another it'll come back to me, but that's all I could remember from
memory. Sounds silly, but almost all the work I do on my car (since it is a 7M)
is 7M related, I sometimes forget these cars didn't COME with a 7M :cool:.

Jeff
 
#48 ·
well im gona ask it here since this is probaly most closely related..

i have an 84 celica gt coupe, and two mkiii supra's. naturaly swaping in a gte i have a spare ge block ,

i plan to rebuild this block and drop it into my celica,

i know i will need to w58 flywheel from a non turbo supra,and clutch componetes.

as i read above to use the 5mge motor mounts for the mkii, but will this work in a celica which had the 22re?
i also have 2 7mgte 5psd harness i need to repair, and a 7mgte 5spd & auto ecu, i also curious how close the wiring is between the celica and mkii, because im unsure where a good tsrm is ...

this is my next project so i hope you plan to see me around more often!.
 
#49 ·
as i read above to use the 5mge motor mounts for the mkii, but will this work in a celica which had the 22re?
No, you'll have to make your own mounts. You are going to find out that the wheel base of the Celica is shorter than the Mk2.
 
#50 ·
Actualy,IIRC,you still use the 5m mounts,and rework the x-member to get one in a celica or a truck.
 
#52 ·
As I stated it's IIRC "if I recall correctly".I'm going on 5 yo memory.The last non-Supra vehicles anyone local installed a 7mgte in,that I had any involvement in,was 5+ years ago.1. was a 4x2 truck,he used 5m mounts and a custom built x-member.The guy is/was a mechanical engineer,and was VERY anal about fitment.2. was a 74ish corona sw,and iirc again,he also used the 5m mounts and still had to use spacer plates to make it fit.I don't have acess to either vehicle,so I'm telling you what I remember.
How about ..... use search,find the guys in PA/VA or wherever that just did it last summer,and ask them directly what they used.Or,get a set of each mount,test fit yourself,tell us the final outcome.Or,bring me the car/engine etc. and a blank check book,I'll tell you what it takes when I'm done and your bank account is empty ;)
 
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