Found out rings are stuffed in my 88 st coupe, it has the 3sfe no tvis, can anyone help with a solid replacement or know of any reputable 2nd engine places (I.e where I'm most likely to get a good 1) in qld? I'm open to options on other engines
Have you got a quote to rebuild the exisiting engine yet? Keep in mind the last cars to be sold here with the 3SFE were the Camrys and Rav4s of the early 90s, if you put in a used motor the last thing you'll want is another 30 year old problem to replace the one you've already got. That said, any transverse S motor will (more or less) bolt straight in, so if you're up for a swap your options are 3SGE (look for a 3rd or 4th gen if the budget will stretch), 5SFE (you should be able to walk into any wrecking yard in the country and trip over a pile of them), or 3SGTE (I wouldn't count on finding a "good" used one, but at least there is plenty of aftermarket support and parts for them) Stig is in QLD at the moment, try shooting him a PM, he may be able to assist further.
Thanks man, definitely thought of rebuilding as I would like to know its solid, gonna ring round today for rough quotes..less time off the road the better tho..gen 4 the better one or easier to swap? that apply to 5s as well ?
Which one is "better" is entirely subjective. The 4th gen puts out the most power but are harder to find and more expensive as none of the Aus-spec models came with them. We got the MR2 with the Gen 3, and a lot of people swapped them out for a GTE, so they're not too difficult to find. 5S motors are cheap and found everywhere you look due to being the only motor available in the Camry and Celica for ~10 years, but don't make much more power than what you've already got.
