Hey all. I know the generation is different from the '03 to the '04 and up. My TL just passed 262k and I've been biding my time trying to source a donor engine when she quits. There's a JDM-import '03 automatic for cheap ($550). Wondering how feasible this would be with my '05 6-speed manual. I've some seriously good contacts that will do the engine swap very reasonably priced.

 

do you change the oil regularly? if so, your engine wont just quit....so...you dont have to worry about changing engines

 

Definitely change oil regularly, but just recently took ownership at 260k. Carfax shows previous owner did regular maintenance, so I'll drive it until it quits. Just curious about swap feasibility.

 

lol it wont quit on you.
smaller mechanical things will quit way before the engine quits...
and no, for simplicity sake, stick with the same generation of engines...04-06 will work.

but it wont quit on you lol
this is how positive i am...i picked up a junk yard 05 engine with 100k+ miles and swapped it into my car because I broke my original engine.
Still going strong

 

Famous last words. I've been on this planet long enough to know that's BS. lol...

 

i picked up an 05 with 100k+ miles on it. i changed the oil and it is working flawlessly.
Engines dont just die.
what you think it's gonna reach 300k and all of a sudden die?
something has to cause the engine to die.... like not changing the oil...or starving it of oil...

in my case, I was an amature engine builder and forgot to install a little tiny pin.. which spun the crank out of position and seized the block

 

Not at all.
Yeah, blown head gasket, compression issues with a cylinder or two, ailing connecting rods, etc. I was more interested in the theoretical aspect of it, to be honest. If you had the opportunity to purchase a full motor assembly with low miles for extremely cheap, tell me you wouldn't jump at that chance...?

 

42 years old..

 

Your point?

 

you said you've been on this planet long enough..

but you're only 42 years old..

that's my point.

 

If I'd been 12 and had seen a car quit, would that be any different?

 

Yes, because your age has bearing on whether or not an engine will quit, the maintenance history on the car is what determines that. You threw that statement in as some sort of qualifier for your statement that is tangential at best to the issue at hand of an engine swap of a previous generation car to a newer one.

 

I think you might be missing the point here. All I originally wanted to know was how feasible it would be to perform an engine swap on a donor car that was a generation behind the current car. I don't get how that entails a line of responses that hold zero relevance to that question...

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acura_TL#2003


2003 TL had the J32A, J32A1, J32A2 engines,


your 05 has a J32A3 engine.

differences can be found here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acura_TL#2003

 

Appreciate the response. I've been to that page more than a few times and, unfortunately, that still doesn't answer the question. Looking at the actual engine, it does appear that most everything is "pert-near" accessible, but the wiring harness and engine mount specifics have me wondering. I've spent a little over an hour googling this and no one seems to have a clear answer. I realize it may sound dumb to folks that have extra money laying around (to buy an engine a couple of years behind the candidate), but I'm hardcore about getting out of debt at the moment and every extra dollar is under the microscope - at least for the next year. So if something catastrophic should happen that would be cost-prohibitive to have repaired vs $550 for another engine, I'd like to know, ahead of time, whether someone might've been successful with the swap.

 

I'm going to go with no it's not possible due to the following thought process:


When a 2G TL transmission dies, the manual swap always suggests going with a CL Type S 6 Speed manual tranny. Most ask about the 3G TL's transmission as a potential candidate and the answer has been a resounding no.

So with that logic, I don't think a 3G TL transmission will bolt up to the 2G engine without major ECU issues.

 

Ahh.. one of those overanalytical types


if money is that tight, why are you even considering spending $550 on an engine as a replacement that may or may not fail Why not just spend that money on properly maintaining that car so it doesn't get to that point?!

 

Awesome. Thanks for the info!

Because research and asking questions is free. It's one less thing to confirm when the inevitable happens. Seriously... This is like asking someone, "Why research a new computer?" "Don't you know you can just properly maintain it so it doesn't get to the point of needing replacing?" Ok, yeah, so I have no new computers, but hopefully you see my point.

 

So hypothetically, if it were to fit, you would have bought it and just had that $550 sitting in your garage until/if your current engine breaks down

 

Yep. People have bought entire cars from auction sites (dashub, ebay, local junkyards, etc.) because, when people "get it", they realize just how much money they can save by having a donor car vs paying for individual parts over the long term (RockAuto, Amazon, eBay, etc.). Same basic concept.

Hypothetically, let's say you own something you depend on being "up" with as little interruption as possible. This "something" has a tendency to cost lots of money for major part replacement for certain items. If you could save quite a bit of money on one of these items as a spare that would ensure your "uptime" was at a minimum, would you not jump at that chance? Perhaps not.

As an example, I work from home sometimes and having an Internet connection is of utmost importance. I have both mobile hotspot capability as well as a secondary cable modem in the event of a Comcast outage or a cable modem going bad, because customers still need assistance regardless of others' problems.

 

Your argument might make sense if the J32A3 was a rare engine like say, a Packard Twin Six from 1932, however, the J32A3 is plentiful and can be had quickly with relative ease. As for the J32A1 from the 2003 TL, it is not the same engine and would likely cause far more issues than it will solve.

Your best bet would be to hold off on buying a motor until your starts consuming oil and/or coolant, and/or starts having a compression issue, and then start shopping for a replacement mill.

 

Wow, all of this just to say No, it is not feasible.....LOL

Unless you do something really stupid this engine will not just die on you. If you drive reasonably and as said, do your maintenance, it will just keep going.

I over boosted and detonated the hell out of mine to the point that it cracked a ringland. Rods were fine, bearings were fine and I drove it for a few hundred miles observing more and more smoke coming out of my valve covers. When I broke the motor down, the piston fell out in several chunks but the cylinder walls were fine......

 

WOW man! Does the new setup have a turbo? If so, which did you go with and how did you manage to route the intercooler? OEM rods/pistons on the new build?

 

A turbo is my source of boost. Have gone with upgraded rods and pistons along with other goodies. Intercooler piping is routed through the same place that the CAI intakes are going.