Lexus IS200 as a engine donor?

[datman]

IS200 seems to have a nice little 6 pot and theres a few mot failure cars about for a few hundred quid, are these engines / boxes (incl auto) decent? Anyone used one in anything else? any dramas fitting? is the wiring a nightmare? any other alternative engines, were they all 2.0? what cars had a 3.0 , GS 300? I am thinking of what would be a cool engine to put in a Bedford CF, doesn't have to smoke the tyres but just be quiet, reliable and relatively economical.

[Phil2600s]

I always thought it would be a good swap into a 6 cylinder SD1. 6 speed manual, reliable, and with a supercharger kit fitted you're knocking on the door of 200BHP, same as the V8 cars.

[nickwheeler]

We were saying the same thing about using it in Triumphs; a £500 donor will give 170hp, 6 speed gearbox and retain the six-cylinder feel of the car. It's a real world upgrade of the expensive, weak and underpowered Triumph lump

[ballbagbagins]

I've had both the is200 and gs300. Both lovely and smooth engines.

Yep, the is200 is two litre. They did an is300 which has the same engine as the gs300.

Manual box in the is200 had a very nice feel to the change. The autobox in the gs300 was again very good.

I have nothing but good to say about both.

[datman]

Anyone wired one up?

[zeberdee]

mat88 might be the person to ask about wiring one up ?

[mat88]

I've never wired one up.. only ever ripped them out haha. There probably ok in summat a bit older/lighter.. but in standard trim in an is200 there painfully slow..

Phoenix engine management (there on FB) can probably point you in right direction or make you a very nice loom..

If you want one. There's an engine in my garage for the cost of a crate of beer..

And if anyone breaks an is200. Fire me a message I'm always after bits

[datman]

maybe GS300 would be better

[mat88]

Very early gs300 came with a 2jz or a 1uz.. the 2jz isn't a bad lump. But non turbo it's a bit wet power wise. and If it's owt like the 1gfe that comes in the is200. There not light either.

Personally I'd be looking down the line of J 4 cylinder stuff. Even the 1.8 mx5 is 140bhp or so and be a lump lighter/smaller than an is200 engine..

Unless you want to go proper and go 1uz V8 then I'm all ears haha

[nickwheeler]

Oct 30, 2020 13:45:48 GMT mat88 said:

I've never wired one up.. only ever ripped them out haha. There probably ok in summat a bit older/lighter.. but in standard trim in an is200 there painfully slow..

Phoenix engine management (there on FB) can probably point you in right direction or make you a very nice loom..

If you want one. There's an engine in my garage for the cost of a crate of beer..

And if anyone breaks an is200. Fire me a message I'm always after bits

Consider that a Triumph 2000 is 200kg lighter, has 90hp if you're lucky and a four speed gearbox. Plus they're expensive to rebuild and weak.....

[mat88]

If your not wanting to set world alight then fair enough. The standard 1gfe is a heavy old lump tho.

Since it's not a readily done swap (most people go the other way and get rid of them) I'd have no idea on how much information is readily available regard wiring diagrams and the such tho.

[mat88]

They do make a lovely noise and will go forever assuming you show em some oil and a bit of water tho

[nickwheeler]

Oct 30, 2020 17:55:01 GMT mat88 said:

If your not wanting to set world alight then fair enough. The standard 1gfe is a heavy old lump tho. 

A quick google suggests it's about 10kg lighter than the Triumph, whose best feature is that it sounds like a straight six

[mat88]

But a 1uz is about 10kg lighter again, and it sounds like a V8 haha

[datman]

Ok the CF currently has a 6 pot Nissan diesel in it, its laggy , loud (intake noise mostly) and lacks torque at idle , it has a tall diff installed, making manouvering a chore. An auto box would solve this with oodles of torque for pulling away, and a 3.0 efi should have enough oomph and be quiet and refined and fairly fit and forget. I would use nissan stuff but I think it is harder to get and more expensive, as only really Skylines that had that style of engine (RB25 etc) A Lexus v8 would be nice but they are quite big and I think the wrong shape for the engine hole, unless anyone can convince me otherwise. I fitted a Nissan V6 into a CF once and it really was not happy fitting.

[vitesseefi]

The Triumph straight 6 is also small...... as is the 2000 engine bay. I did consider the Lexus lump when I had a PI saloon with a sick engine. Not saying it’s impossible but certainly not easy. And there is the 2500, which isn’t that hard to get 150bhp out of. That’s a torquey 150 bhp. Unlike the IS lump.

Granted, the Triumph ‘box isn’t that great, and a rotty IS200 costs slot less than a decent Triumph engine rebuild but.....

Nick

[datman]

I absolutely do NOT want some old triumph engine in it, I am trying to uprgrade from what's in there. I want modern EFI / OBD2 with 4 speed autobox / lockup converter, I even want to run catalytic converter.

Other option is full EV conversion.

[vitesseefi]

Oct 30, 2020 23:35:08 GMT datman said:

I absolutely do NOT want some old triumph engine in it, I am trying to uprgrade from what's in there. I want modern EFI / OBD2 with 4 speed autobox / lockup converter, I even want to run catalytic converter.

Other option is full EV conversion.

Wasn’t suggesting the Triumph lump for your application, just saying that the Lexus lump isn’t ideal for the Triumph....

Vauxhall Omega 2.5? Must still be a few left?

Nick

[welshpug]

lots of BMW's about and auto boxes.

[datman]

are their petrol engines good? i wouldn't have a clue what engines are in what, or what they are called or what they are like to wire in.