Current laws on engine swaps

YotaOFFroad27

YotaOFFroad27

Active Member
Joined
Nov 20, 2009
Location
Oxford
I need info from people who know, on OBD II engine swaps. What needs to happen to make it legit. ECM will match engine and engine harness. The engine harness will splice into the dash harness of the swap vehicle. I would plan for the ECM to function properly, display codes, and sore codes in a factory manner. My goal is to be able to plug a scan tool into the OBDII port and everything funtion correctly.

My potential swap is a 2004 2uz-fe 4.7L Tundra engine into a 1999 Toyota Tacoma. I understand the practicality of the swap, and most of what is involved in the swap. My main concerns are what sort of red tape is out there?

When an inspection is being performed on an OBDII vehicle, what info is put into the computer? Will the inspecting computer be able to tell, or care that the ECM it is looking at does not match the vehicle it is plugged into?
 
They say the new ecm's have vin info in them so the dmv can monitor this kinda stuff. i know for a fact that 2000 and below we did engine and ecu swaps in hondas and inspection machines didnt throw up red flags. we had all the emission componets hooked up as well with no CEL's. The newer hondas we had to save the ecu data to a honda tablet and flash the new computer that we were putting in . maybe a toyota tech wil chime in and tell if they have flash vin info to the ecus for that year .
 
As long as you have the ability to write the VIN to the computer, you should be alright. I'll be swapping a GM 4.8 in an 04 TJ Rubicon and putting the Jeep VIN in the GM computer.
 
What kind of programs would you use to write the Jeep VIN in the GM computer?
 
khwrx said:
They say the new ecm's have vin info in them so the dmv can monitor this kinda stuff. i know for a fact that 2000 and below we did engine and ecu swaps in hondas and inspection machines didnt throw up red flags. we had all the emission componets hooked up as well with no CEL's. The newer hondas we had to save the ecu data to a honda tablet and flash the new computer that we were putting in . maybe a toyota tech wil chime in and tell if they have flash vin info to the ecus for that year .
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I have been all over google, and in a few threads i have read that Toyota did not have VIN info in the ECMs untill 05, but I have not been able to verify that.

2 years ago, I swapped a manual transmission into my 99 Tacoma and had to change ECMs. I just bought the correct ECM off of Car-Part dot com and went to town. I have had my truck inspected twice now by TOYOTA since then and never once has it even been brought up. However, a manual transmission IS an option for a 99 Tacoma, a v8 was NOT.


Croatan_Kid said:
As long as you have the ability to write the VIN to the computer, you should be alright. I'll be swapping a GM 4.8 in an 04 TJ Rubicon and putting the Jeep VIN in the GM computer.
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What years are you working with? I assume Toyota would be the only way to over write an ECM program??
 
Vin are in all ob2 cars. Its one of the req items...
 
YotaOFFroad27 said:
I have been all over google, and in a few threads i have read that Toyota did not have VIN info in the ECMs untill 05, but I have not been able to verify that.

2 years ago, I swapped a manual transmission into my 99 Tacoma and had to change ECMs. I just bought the correct ECM off of Car-Part dot com and went to town. I have had my truck inspected twice now by TOYOTA since then and never once has it even been brought up. However, a manual transmission IS an option for a 99 Tacoma, a v8 was NOT.




What years are you working with? I assume Toyota would be the only way to over write an ECM program??
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Jims performance can do it on GM ecmd.
 
It had a vin maybe not the one it matched to your truck. The big deal now as far as vins go and the dmv is clean scanning. Basicaly they hook up to the same car over and over to get by having check eng lights...
 
snappy said:
The big deal now as far as vins go and the dmv is clean scanning. Basicaly they hook up to the same car over and over to get by having check eng lights...
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Maybe im slow, but I dont understand what you are saying.. Barny style it for me???
 
What he is saying is that a VIN number is registered with the ECM so that when someone comes in with a car with CEL light on, they don't just plug in a similar vehicle that does pass just to get a clear inspection.
 
You can rewrite the VIN with HP Tuners if you know the work around or, from what I've heard, EFI Live will so it more readily. I recently had this problem with my Silverado during tuning. I sent my ECM back to have it unlocked and the tuner wrote in the wrong VIN and OS (operating system) and I eventually had to fine a tune file to match my VIN and copy/paste the tune parameters to the stock ECM.

All of that pertained to a GM platform though.
 
sqrl$$ said:
What he is saying is that a VIN number is registered with the ECM so that when someone comes in with a car with CEL light on, they don't just plug in a similar vehicle that does pass just to get a clear inspection.
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Ok now I understand, but now I have a question... How does my Tacoma pass with a different ECM in it? I never had my trucks VIN put in the new (to me) ECM??

I have a buddy that is a Tech for Toyota and he says that Toyota didnt start storing VIN's in ECMs till 2004.
 
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YotaOFFroad27 said:
Ok now I understand, but now I have a question... How does my Tacoma pass with a different ECM in it? I never had my trucks VIN put in the new (to me) ECM??

I have a buddy that is a Tech for Toyota and he says that Toyota didnt start storing VIN's in ECMs till 2004.
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it prob will never be an issue on your end for an inspection. The issue would be for the inspection shop....
 
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