Gen 2.5 3.8 Swap
- Thread starter Atrais
- Start date
jeep-N-montero
Expedition Leader
I believe the biggest hurdle is throttle cable vs drive by wire setup.
Toasty
Looking for that thing i just had in my hand...
Oldcolt put the 3.8 block under the 3.5 DOHC heads so i would think there's really not much to this swap other than some top end stuff. The later (black box ECU) trucks should be able to relearn the 3.8 fuel and timing nonsense. You shouldn't need to drill and tap anything unless you buy a 3.8 from a FWD car and at that point i hope you swap in the MIVEC 3.8, go ahead pioneer that swap so i can do mine all easy. 
BEG
Adventurer
This guy did it. He mentions having to drill and tap two extra bolt holes in the block for the oil pan, modding the oil pickup and doing some work to the engine mounts, plus a few other things here and there.
http://www2.pajeroclub.com.au/forum/showthread.php?t=40816
*edit: I just reread the thread and the guy sourced his engine from a "380" which I thought was just slang for a 3.8, but apparently it's an Australian Mitsu model, similar to a Galant. One from a gen III might just bolt in as easily as Toasty says.
http://www2.pajeroclub.com.au/forum/showthread.php?t=40816
*edit: I just reread the thread and the guy sourced his engine from a "380" which I thought was just slang for a 3.8, but apparently it's an Australian Mitsu model, similar to a Galant. One from a gen III might just bolt in as easily as Toasty says.
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Oldcolt put the 3.8 block under the 3.5 DOHC heads so i would think there's really not much to this swap other than some top end stuff. The later (black box ECU) trucks should be able to relearn the 3.8 fuel and timing nonsense. You shouldn't need to drill and tap anything unless you buy a 3.8 from a FWD car and at that point i hope you swap in the MIVEC 3.8, go ahead pioneer that swap so i can do mine all easy.
Does the stock ECU really have enough trim in fuel/timing to compensate (or if not, is it at least accessible with 3rd party software)? Not so much because I'm afraid it would run lean/knock but more to see if timing could be bumped up as I'd assume the 3.8 with its head design could run more timing than what the 3.5 can.
Lol, I'd love to have a MIVEC 3.8, but that's a whole other ballgame in terms of a "swap".
*EDIT: Looks like I can use EvoScan to access the ECU, I may try it when I go to work tomorrow.
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Toasty
Looking for that thing i just had in my hand...
Does the stock ECU really have enough trim in fuel/timing to compensate (or if not, is it at least accessible with 3rd party software)? Not so much because I'm afraid it would run lean/knock but more to see if timing could be bumped up as I'd assume the 3.8 with its head design could run more timing than what the 3.5 can.
Lol, I'd love to have a MIVEC 3.8, but that's a whole other ballgame in terms of a "swap".
*EDIT: Looks like I can use EvoScan to access the ECU, I may try it when I go to work tomorrow.
YUP! worst case EVOSCAN! otherwise it should work after you unplug the ECU for a while.
jeep-N-montero
Expedition Leader
Does the stock ECU really have enough trim in fuel/timing to compensate (or if not, is it at least accessible with 3rd party software)? Not so much because I'm afraid it would run lean/knock but more to see if timing could be bumped up as I'd assume the 3.8 with its head design could run more timing than what the 3.5 can.
Lol, I'd love to have a MIVEC 3.8, but that's a whole other ballgame in terms of a "swap".
*EDIT: Looks like I can use EvoScan to access the ECU, I may try it when I go to work tomorrow.
On most fuel injected cars you have about 10-20% extra fuel you can play with using the stock fueling, with an adjustable FPR you can play with it even more.