2001 6VE1 in a 1999 VX

[majork]

I was considering getting a remanned longblock 2001 6VE1 and putting it in my 99 VX....hoping thereby to catch any engine mods over those intervening years.....I am assuming that any engine swaps between VX years will be plug n play and not require a computer change or other mods...am I correct on this??

My current 200k mile engine has worked well, but recent lab tests of the oil have detected the presence of antifreeze..possibly indicating a compromised head gasket....rather than rebuilding the head, it may make more sense to go with a remanned engine...

thoughts??

[johnnyapollo]

If your cylinder compression is ok and you're not blowing any coolant hoses, you may only have a very small leak (most likely a head gasket). If the engine is running fine otherwise, why do the swap? The only advantage I can think of is that you'll be able to drive your VX while your doing tests and rebuilding the replacement engine. Otherwise it may be less expensive to do a top rebuild (new gaskets, etc).

The 99-01 VXes all had the same engine - although supposedly the later models had some slight modification to get more oil into #1 cylinder. The complete assemblies should swap right out though.

-- John

[Joe_Black]

Just replace the affected head gasket and take care of that simple repair rather than the chore of swapping the entire engine. As John mentions there isn't any difference in the 99 - 01 engines. The part numbers are the same for the block castings and the "modifications" are something of an urban legend.

But if you really want to go with the effort: Get a Direct Injection drivetrain and transplant into your VX. That'll knock your socks off!

[iamjacksadrenalgland]

... But if you really want to go with the effort: Get a Direct Injection drivetrain and transplant into your VX. That'll knock your socks off!

I really hope someone tries this and figures out the best way to integrate the new ECU, so that i could follow in his/her footsteps.

[majork]

Thanks for the sage advice.....

I guess rumors that later versions of the 6VE1 eliminated the oil consumption problem are basically myth then....that is, not #1 cylinder oil rings

I would love to eliminate that annoying issue once and for all...I have read also that the source of the problem is potentialy oil being sucked through the PCV valve during certain driving conditions....

Any reason the head gasket should start leaking at this point, or is it expected normal wear and tear...??

[rowhard]

Joe, being new to the Isuzu community, what is a Direct Injection drivetrain?

[Ldub]

I was considering getting a remanned longblock 2001 6VE1 and putting it in my 99 VX....hoping thereby to catch any engine mods over those intervening years.....I am assuming that any engine swaps between VX years will be plug n play and not require a computer change or other mods...am I correct on this??

My current 200k mile engine has worked well, but recent lab tests of the oil have detected the presence of antifreeze..possibly indicating a compromised head gasket....rather than rebuilding the head, it may make more sense to go with a remanned engine...

thoughts??

This is just me thinkin' out loud here...

You could have the heads done with new gaskets, timing belt, etc. & add a surercharger for about the $ame, or le$$, & end up with more power than the DI swap.
True, this doesn't address the potential oiling problem of the stock engine, and the mileage won't be as good, but would be far less involved than the analog (throttle cable) vs digital (drive by wire) ECU swap etc.

[majork]

I figure that a head gasket replace and recond will probably cost upwards of $1000.... if you throw in the supercharger, timing belt, etc that puts it near the cost of an engine

A remanned longblock is around $3500 (after core charge and not including labor for R&R)...

What are the part numbers, prices and sources for the DI mod.....??

[Joe_Black]

Not only is the extra horsepower, torque and fuel economy a big plus with the 3.5DI, but a much better transmission and selectable 2WD is sweet. But you'd be looking at trading out not only the engine and transmission, but both the ECU and TOD computer as they all work together. Yet it's still pretty plug-n-play, but far excessive for something as simple as a head gasket.

[Ldub]

I figure that a head gasket replace and recond will probably cost upwards of $1000.... if you throw in the supercharger, timing belt, etc that puts it near the cost of an engine

A remanned longblock is around $3500 (after core charge and not including labor for R&R)...

What are the part numbers, prices and sources for the DI mod.....??

The labor is where I was thinking the savings would be by just doing the top end.

[Tobert]

If I didn't have to dork around with the broken head bolt on mine, I probably could have done the head gaskets in a weekend. A good deal of my time was just cleaning the heads up. I highly recommend taking them in to a machine shop to be cleaned, checked, and new valve seals installed. This isn't terribly expensive and can save you a big headache if one of the heads has an invisible crack. They also come back shiny clean, which insures a better seal when you reinstall.

Now that I think about it, you should call some local machine shops/engine shops to see how much it would cost for them to go through your engine and rebuild it. It might be considerably less than $3500 and you know your engine is mostly good. At 200k, new rings and bearings wouldn't hurt at all. You can still save a big pile of money by doing the pull/install yourself.

A final note: the gaskets for around $90/set on ebay are not all that great. At least the intake gaskets are worthless and will disintegrate within a month. I just got done putting OEM intake gaskets on mine and will post pictures of the old gaskets someday soon.

[Nazrat]

If the 01 engine came from a Trooper you'll need to swap your old intake to the new engine. The Troopers went to drive by wire in 2000 and the VX did not. It's as simple as removing 4 bolts, 4 nuts and the egr pipe while the engine is out.

Personally I'd just change the head gasket.

-Tad

[majork]

Excellent advice all....no other site can you get such a concentrated level of knowledge and experience on the Vehicross

I would love to do the DI mod but dont think I can justify the level of cost at this time...

So I will have to be satisfied with a Head gasket replacement....

I just hope the Vehicross doesnt go the way of the Edsel and eventually become a minor footnote in auto history...

[majork]

After having the Isuzu Dealer check out the situation..decided to go with a remann engine

Can anyone recommend a reliable source for a remann or reconditioned 6VE1...preferably a 2001 edition

Interesting story behind the head gasket.....lab test shows antifreeze in oil....but there is no perceptible loss of coolant in the radiator...

Pressure test on engine was good at Dealer

BUT.......

mechanic did an interesting test where with engine running and radiator cap was off...he high revved engine causing coolant to geyser out of the radiator..

His claim was that this was compression gas being injected back into the cooling system from a leak in the head gasket.....this squirting would not be caused by the water pump...

Apparently the head gasket has enough integrity such that under cylinder pressure gas is forced out.....but coolant is not getting in to any great extent yet...but this a deteriorating situation...

Looking back now at the TSBs for the 6VE1...there were 2 that changed the spec for the torqing of the head bolts and intake manifold bolts....not being aware I never had these addressed....may have contributed to the head gasket deterioration over time....

[MrCrowley]

I wont disagree with the mechanic, but how many knowledgeable ones has anyone ever dealt with? Anyone can propose a hypothesis. Not many can prove them true with factual data. I have had too many run-ins with crystallized brake fluid, glazed rotors needing replaced, dealer oil is better, voided warranty for modifications, etc. than I care to think about.

I wont argue that what he says isn't happening... but wouldn't all of the fuel, air, carbon, fumes, oil, etc. be comressed into the cooling system also? The last time I checked there is more pressure in the cylinder chambers than in the cooling system. Can they check the coolant system for oil or fuel also?
Good Luck!

PHYSICS- IT'S THE LAW