i have had my car for about a year now and i think its time for some work on it. i have an 87 sr5 and one cylinder dead. it still runs but extremely rich. i would like to start pricing a swap together but idk what it is that i will need. i would really love to stay in the toyota family when it comes to what engine i want. i had read that there are various 4AGE swaps and some might be too complicated for the beginner. what i do want is a reliable swap because my car is a DD. so my questions are, what engine would be the easiest 4AGE to swap? what other parts would i need in the engine bay? can i use my transmission with the swap? is it necessary to get a gts gas tank? and if anyone can give me more info i would really appreciate it. thank you guys a lot. BTW first time post so idk if i'm doing this correctly.

Can you give us a better idea of what beginner means to you?
I would consider a 4A swap to be relatively simple but some people get overwhelmed by changing spark plugs or a door handle so it's pretty relative.
Technically going 4AGE means going EFI but if you do that you can get a harness made which IMO would be the most overwhelming part.
Some people choose to put carbs on the 4AG but I'm not a big fan of carbs personally. If you suck it up and get the EFI working you will spend much less time mucking with it in the long run and it will get better gas mileage, more power and lower emissions over the range of conditions it will see.
Since the 20 valves are a little more work to swap into the 86 I'd probably recommend a smallport if you can find one.
I'm more of an AW11 guy so I'll leave the other questions up to those who know more.

Hello and welcome to club4AG

As you haven't mentioned drifting in your first post, I am going to give you
the best advice I can... find another 4AC engine and get it rebuilt.

Talk to your local machine shop and see if they mind you pulling it down
yourself, just so you can see whats inside. If you find an engine that
hasn't been abused and isn't totally worn out, you may be able to get
away with new bearings, rebore to first oversize, pistons, rings, a cut
off the head and a valve job. New seals and gaskets all round, and maybe
if you can find one for not much money, a lumpy cam Get the machine
shop to put it together, as they have the tools and measuring gear.

Get a rebuild kit for the carb and a new set of spark plugs. Then you will
be ready to tackle the job of unbolting the old engine and bolting the new
engine in its place. With a friend to give you a hand and some kind of
an engine hoist, you should be able to do the swap in a weekend. No
electrical work, no cutting or welding, no problems. Add oil and water
and you are back on the road.

If you want to do a 4AGE swap, leave that for later, when you have
another car as a DD.

Cheers... jondee86

i did not mention drifting because 'tis not an everyday thing to me but i have messed around with it in the rain but theres only so much you can do with a 4ac. thats how i shot my 1st cylinder to begin with :/ i do want a 4age because it will be better power than the 4ac and at least i will be able to mess around with it when it's not raining it won't be a drift missile but that does not mean i can't have some fun with my DD. with that being said thank you @yoshimitsuspeed i think i might look into that EFI to put into my car. I am a beginner as in i do not know internals of the engine and what the purpose is for each part. but i can catch on to things really quick and i have a common sense so that might help me a little.
mr jondee86 thanks for your advice but i do not really want to be stuck in the same position. i would like to take the next step forward while still learning more about the 86s.
question off topic but does anyone know if it will be good to import an engine from japan? is the quality good for the price you're paying? thanks again for everyone who responds to this, any little info helps me out. take care.

If you go 16 valve there is no advantage to getting a JDM engine.
Even a 16v is pretty expensive if imported and the condition is always up in the air till you get it.
Honestly I would find a cheap motor from a junk yard or something and plan a full rebuild. Fortunately this part you can do while still driving your car.
Even if a machine shop does most of the internal work you probably won't greatly exceed the cost of a JDM or other motor shipped to your doorstep. Only this way you have a fully rebuilt motor. For about $1000 more you could do some high comp pistons and cams and pick up some easy HP.
Or you could go with a little lower compression on the pistons and turbo it down the road if you still want more.

I second what jondee86 said. If it's your DD, find another 4AC and rebuild it. If you don't know what piston rings do or what EFI is, you really don't want to be messing around with any kind of swap. My first big engine project was a 16v 4AGE rebuild. You'll be amazed at how much you learn over the course of the project.

How much do you think the project is going to cost? Multiply that by three.
How long (weeks / days) do you think the project is going to take? Multiply that by three.

thank you guys so much. great help. i think i am going to find and engine and rebuild it. this way i learn a bit more. you see i am only 19 years young and this is my first car ever. a wonderful choice in my opinion but i want to learn my car inside and out. i want to know what each smell, sound, and vibration in my car. so now its off to the junk yard to see what i can find is there any tips on distinguishing the engine i would want to find or if it's a bare block they are selling on craigslist? is there numbers on them i can identify it with? and should i keep my eye open for any other parts at the junk yard that will contribute later with the swap? thanks again guys.

corollin'thecorolla wrote:...have an 87 sr5 and one cylinder dead. ...so idk if i'm doing this correctly.

What does 'one cylinder dead' mean and are you sure?

As in I can take off the 1st spark plug cable and it makes no difference in the engine while it's running. The cable is good because it gave me a couple of good shocks hahaha and o replaced the spark plug with a new one and also no difference

does it sound like a harley when you drive it? Check the valve lash for #1 cylinder? Does it backfire out the intake?

hahaha yes it does sound kind of choppy and i have been running it like this for quite some time now. now here comes my "beginner" i don't know what a valve lash would be. nor do i know what my intake would be.

corollin'thecorolla wrote:hahaha yes it does sound kind of choppy and i have been running it like this for quite some time now. now here comes my "beginner" i don't know what a valve lash would be. nor do i know what my intake would be.

You need to get a manual for the 4ac.
Valve lash is the clearance between the lifter and the cam, too tight and the valve is always open, too loose, valve doesn't open fully.
Intake, what the carb is bolted to.

A quick google search brought this...
http://www.ae86drivingclub.com.au/forums/showthread.php/5108-4AC-valve-clearance

Google can be your homeboy.
Sounds like its time to do some maintenance and some learning. Have fun and good luck.

Do a compression test too. If it's low do a leakdown test to figure out where the air is going. Just because a plug wire shocked you does not mean it's working properly. In fact as they get old and deteriorate they will be more likely to shock you and that also means it could be arcing somewhere else instead of going to the plug.

thanks guys. i'll get that done asap just to keep her alive a little longer 222k miles is not enough.
would the FMS have info on the 4ac?

yoshimitsuspeed wrote:Just because a plug wire shocked you does not mean it's working properly. In fact as they get old and deteriorate they will be more likely to shock you and that also means it could be arcing somewhere else instead of going to the plug.

^^ this.. Take the plug out for number 1, Put the #1 plug wire on it.. now the fun part, Lay the plug on a screwdriver or something so you can get the tip of the electrode close to something metal on the engine. Crank the engine for a few seconds, you should see a nice spark at the end of the plug. I have had plug wires that would shock the crap out of you if you touched them, engine was running, i turned off the lights at night. Looked like electrical spider webs all over the wires. LOL. replaced them that night and she ran hella better.