Bought a 99 RX300 new, gave it to my parents and it's been passed down to my SIL... Recently it developed a knock at 100K and looks like it's got some metal in the oil, suspected spun bearing, bad rod, not sure since it's not disassembled.

Consensus is it needs either a new/reman/used engine, or maybe it can be rebuilt,

Anyone deal with this model, pretty sure it's a typical Toyota V6 engine, so wondered if one from a Camry, or any Lexus/Toyota with a similar engine would do, or perhaps buy a short block, then build it up with the stock heads, injectors, etc.

Ho f'n Ho LOL...

Maybe an LS

Heh, I’m not into cars but even I know the answer is an LS swap!

The first gen RX300's had a bad issue with oil sludging in the engine. The factory actually issued an extended powertrain warranty on the car because many motors went up in smoke due to oil starvation and such. I had a 2001 RX300 that started smoking on startup before I traded it in, found out that the motor let go shortly afterward. I don't think the extended warranty will help you out at this point but the takeaway is be careful about buying a used replacement engine as it could have suffered from similar sludging. At the least, find one that you can see run or check the oil pan for sludge.

I've found a long block out of El Eh California, 3 year warranty, $400 core and $1495 plus shipping, it looks brand new, clean fresh not a spot of grease,



Put a search in Ebay to see what pops up, so I can judge prices and a couple came up on Ebay search of complete engines from $999 to $1200, no core, I could drive over and get it across town from a salvage yard.... 81K on the complete engine...

DIY? It is very likely you will have to leave the powertrain on the subframe/crossmember, lift the body off and then separate the engine from the trans. In the case of a used engine, you really need to get one from the same make and model. Intake and exhaust systems and sensor configurations and locations (may prevent your hooking up the wiring harness) may be different.

You, she would have to really love that little car to embark on something like that. Obviously you have the ability. But still not sure why one would take on such a task on a vehicle of that age.

If it was a 1967 Camaro or 1972 El Camino by all means

Are you able to get a second opinion?

This message has been edited. Last edited by: OKCGene,

I would be worried about buying one from someone off off ebay. They can promise a lifetime warranty and when it craps out 3 weeks after you install it, they will be long gone, it's not like a SBC that can be rebuilt cheap and easy. I say sell the thing on craigslist and move on.

Have you looked at/for JDM (Japanese Domestic Market) engines? Seem to be a lot of them around these days.

A couple of examples (no idea if these are correct for your application):

http://jdmengineschicago.com/j...dm-1mz-fe-1mzfe.html

http://jdmengineschicago.com/j...e-jdm-1mzfe-1mz.html

This is a project I would strongly discourage but if you make the leap, take lots and lots of progress pictures. But seriously, walk away from this one.

I did a JDM swap for my son's 2005 Infiniti G35 and 15 months in, it is still running like a top. If you are near to Orlando, JDM Orlando (https://www.jdmorlandoinc.com/) is a place I have used and can recommend. It was about $1350 if I recall correctly.

I have only used them once, and maybe I was lucky, but they did do the job, and kept me informed along the way, which is better than most garages I have dealt with.

I did this for our 03 Odyssey in which I couldn't diagnose a severe oil leak. I did my research and found an 04 Pilot engine that would swap in. My only hang up was the need to install the Ody intake and stuff on the Pilot. Worked just fine. It's be 50K miles and not a single CEL.

That long block looks good, but it's hard to tell if it doesn't suffer from similar issues.

I hear LQK is a reputable used parts dealer.

quote:

https://www.jdmorlandoinc.com/

JDM has a correct engine for it, they want $1,299

There is a local salvage yard with 5 engines, correct for the 99 from $999 to $1295,

I do have a guy that can do the work, we're discussing selling it off vs replacing the engine, the rest of the car is in very good shape nothing wrong with it, never wrecked,

Shame the engine took a dive, not sure why since it's driven easily and serviced regular.