Considering Infamous JDM Engine Swap

Hey all,

I've had my Previa for almost 3 years now. Mine is a 1991 5 Speed. I like the van and all the utility it brings, but I think the head gasket could be about to go. The coolant reservoir is bubbling. The previous owner used straight up water instead of coolant, and there's tons of rust in the system. I would rather do an entire swap than just a HG repair, because the valvetrain is varnished heavily, leading me to think it wasn't maintained all that well. I am considering doing this swap, but I am intimidated by the difficulty. This leads me to my questions below.

1) Is E-bay a decent place to go for JDM engines? There are 2 available from companies that provide 6 Mo warranties. I like those alot. Can anyone recommend another source where I could find JDM previa engines?

2) Do you guys think I could actually do this job? I have replaced 2 timing belts, one on a v6 transverse engine and another on an inline 4 engine. I replaced a FWD axle, and steering rack. That is the extent of my mechanical projects.

3) Besides clutch components. Are there any other parts I should replace while the engine is out? I'm only talking about parts that require the engine to be out to be replaced. I will also do engine mounts, of course.

4) Should I just swap the HG instead? Will a JDM engine really not be in much better condition than a 190k engine?

did you ever get any answers to your q's ? I am considering the same swap.....

I bought an eBay jdm a few years ago. It runs perfect and I have put maybe 15,000 on it. I had it shipped to Alaska where I live and although it had a warranty, if I had a problem there's no sending it back. It was a big project but not as bad as I thought it would be. I used a modified version of a method I saw on here to remove it.

I was thinking of doing this originally when I first got my previa, but none of the shops that had the motor could verify or guarantee them... so I decided to build the engine out.

When I talked to the shop that did my motor about it, they said they would still test compression and change over what needs to be changed over (maybe some emission stuff).

My main thing was condition of the engine and replacing things while the motor was out.

If I would have bought the JDM engine, i would have wanted the head gasket changed out regardless since it was out of the van.

The only reason why I am iffy on JDM motors is because we used to believe the notion that Japan changes out engines all the time.. that is not true. While maint in Japan is leaps and bounds better than the US, I've see B16 and SR20det motors off the crate installed being in bad condition.

That is my experiences.

I spent tons of money rebuilding the previa motor I had and 4yrs later it still in great condition and the oil is clear (I change religiously).