Mods for a 3S-FE

I have a 3S-FE engine that needs rebuilding. What mods can I perform to gain more power, and is it worth the cost?

Car is a convertible, and Turbo is out of the question since there is no roof support.

Should I simply order a JDM and add a cold air intake?

Thank you in advance for your comments and suggestions, Tripp

 

I have done all the mods you suggested, without any significant gain. I am running JDM header with 2.25" exhaust throughout without a cat, and K&N panel filter with a 3" feeder pipe from behind the right headlight. Its all fun, but don't expect much.

 

Thanks for the quick response dude. Tripp

 

Well, Toyota never built a Celica Convertible. They built the coupe and sent it to American Sunroof Corp (ASC) where it was converted. Believe me, it is the same body as the rest only without the roof support.

You cannot even open the door when you put a jack under her, and besides, I like the fact that I can just park and turn off the engine. My other car is a Saab 9-5 Aero, and I love it, but the “turbo cool downâ€

 

Over there? :shock: Of course we don’t have Turbo Timers here. Only thing that we have here in South Carolina is the BMW Research and Development Department, which is located at the only BMW Z4 production plant in the world.

Why on earth would you think that we would have Turbo Timers or any other automotive innovation? :roll:

Honestly, I really don’t want to put that much stress on the body of this car. I really feel that 200+HP would provide too much stress to the body. To be quite honest with you the car can go from 0 to 60MPH in about 6.5 seconds, which is not bad for a 3S-FE. Of course, the car is very light and much of the area here is actually below sea level, which means that the air is really dense.

The one thing that seems to slow me is the T-VIS. I can really feel a huge difference when the second valve opens. Perhaps I should just find a way to remove that stupid thing. Anyone know of a way to remove it and what happens when one does?

Thanks for the comment, dude. The Turbo Timer is a great suggestion, and the sarcasm brought me a good laugh. :lol:

Tripp

 

First i was not aware that the 3sfe had t-vis ....
Second , my 3sge wont do 0-60 in 6.5 sec i dont think ....
:roll: whats goin on here ?

 

I had an 88 All-Trac, and I guess that I got confused with the T-vis. I really miss that car; someone smacked me in the back right after I restored her, and, of course, the repairs were more than the value of the car even thought the damage wasn’t that bad (trunk and a side panel). Lucky for me, the insurance company, State Farm, did pay extra because I was able to prove through receipts that I had new equipment installed on her.

Honestly, the car I have now can do 0 – 60 in 6.5 seconds. She is sluggish at start, and then once the revs get up she takes off. I can understand why your 3S-GE will not do that in San Fernando, California. First, you are 1000 feet or so above sea level, which means that the air is not as dense as it is here because I am actually below sea level in this part of Charleston. Second, you have more emission control stuff on your car than I do. We have no automobile inspections in South Carolina, and I am sure you understand that my Catalytic Converter just might :wink: have a big hole in the center, and I am missing weight from the roof, back window, etc.

I actually was thinking about the ST165 as I agree that 190hp would be just fine and that it would be the best solution to gain what I want; however, replacement parts are now hard to find. It was a real pain when I restored mine, and I had to replace wires by hand rather than just being able to purchasing a new harness. Cost of a Turbo conversion is another question since I have already been down that road with an insurance company.

I'm afraid that I am ignorant of the sw20 engine, but I will look online for the specs.

Hey, thanks for the input. Thanks to your comments I have realized that the 3S-FE must go, and I must check to see if I can get parts and/or repair manuals for either the 2nd gen 3S-GE (170hp NA) or the first gen 3S-GTE (190hp-Turbo). It has been 3 years since I checked, but last time I did I found a JMD ST165 engine for $1100, and I don't have to worry about an EGR valve here.

Tripp

 

With it being Christmas time aren't you feeling generous? If you send it to me, then you will have good feeling the year long. :lol:

Tripp

 

The funny thing is ...now im not bashing
I own a 99 mustang gt , which is considerably faster than my gts .
You say you do 0-60 in 6.5 seconds in a (at-most) bolt-on 3s-fe.
The mustang ...Verified is about 5.2-3 if i drive great to about 5.5-6 secs
It weighs 3200lbs ..
Have you seen my celica ?? hehe
Its fully gutted,no cat,header,6pt cage,5 speed , 3sge w/t-vis
Now im gonna have to go time myself tonight ...Just to see
It weighs 26xx lbs verified on a public scale
You do have 1000 feet ...but in my experience from racing out at palmdale which is about 2600 ft i believe ...A car thats faster at 2600 ft will be faster at 10 ft .....When should we race ?
I like to think i know what im talking about ....
Have you weighed the celica ?
Is it a coupe or liftback ?
What other cars have you raced ?
Oh yea ..and i dont have Egr either ....No emissions equipment :twisted:

 

Well, I don’t race this Celica as she is a sports car and not a race car. She is a rag top. Soft top on a race car, no way.

I’ve only raced American Muscle cars. There was a 74 Buick Le Sabre with a 455, an Olds Cutlas 442, Mercury Cugar and Montego both with a 351 Cleveland, etc.

More horsepower doesn’t always get you better times. The Corvette has 400hp while the Mustang GT5000 (Shelby) has 500hp, but I would rather have the Corvette as it has better track times. No offense to you either, but I’ll take on your Mustang in my 2003 Saab 9-5 Aero with only a 2.3L 4 cylinder High Pressure Boost Turbocharged Engine. You want to see the track times for the 2001 which had 20hp less than the 2003?

http://www.dragtimes.com/Saab-9-5-Timeslip-10436.html

I have never had times as great as theses; mine will get to 30MPH in a couple of seconds, but takes more like 4-5 to get to 60; I’ve never timed her officially. I’ll tell you this, if you ever need an executive car for clients, etc., then you would love the Saab 9-5 Aero. She will not corner like a Celica, but she has awesome power with the high boost (sports mode), and there is no noticeable turbo lag. The new 9-3 with the modified Holden motor measures 0 turbo lag.

Perhaps you should bring your Mustang to the South Carolina coast; I think that you would be very happy with how much more power you will have here.

I understand that it is hard to believe, but I know what I have seen and timed several times. I am only unhappy with the 3S-FE because she feels sluggish for the first 2-3 seconds or so, but then she kicks in at the higher RPM’s and really takes off in second gear.

Merry Christmas folks,

Tripp

 

Then why talk about how fast it is ?
And if you dont race ??? whats up with the next quote ?

:lol:

Your opinion ...IMO id own the mustang ...

Was this supposed to make me aware of a Re-bodied Wrx?
15.9xx @ 88.xx mph is not too impressive IMO
FYI the stang runs easily about 2 seconds faster without trying ...

I have driven them ...and They are nice cars !!

Hope you had a good one !

 

If you want to avoid a turbo and just have horses in a N/A engine then why not opt for a beams engine, you would get good power out of it and if you wanted a little bit more you could swap in a lightweight flywheel, a good clutch and while the motor is out of the car you could pull the head and get it ported or do it yourself, all it takes is being careful and practice, after that you can just play with timing and add a header, performance exhaust and cold air intake to the mix.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/JDM-4TH- ... enameZWDVW

 

Cause its the same price ...Why not run a turbo ?

To each their own...