MA61 5MGE Conversion Help MX73 ECU

[LezSpaz]

Here's what's been going on. Bought an MA61 with a shitted out motor. So I decided to look for a 5MGE to buy, found a wrecker that was selling one for $350 on an exchange basis. Mum heard the news story from around here about someone getting crushed under their car while working on it, and absolutely freaked out.
So she told me to get it done at a shop, cause she didn't want her baby to die under her roof (I bought a brand spankin new engine crane, stands, tools and all kinds of crap the week before, they'll come in handy though). I asked the wrecker whether they'd do it for me, and I told them I had a Supra with a 5ME and wanted to swap it with the 5MGE motor. They said no problem.
Got the car towed there, and got a call from them that day saying that the motor was different (the guy forgot how I told him I had a 5MGE about 3 times ) So the guy said he'd put the motor together with the gearbox and all that jazz, and said I'd probably need an ECU off of an MX73. I said no worries.

Now the guy's called me up and told me there are some wires that just aren't connected anywhere and that there may be another computer to hook into them, and they don't know where those stray wires lead to. Also power steering lines won't fit, but I want to concentrate on the motor until I get that done.

So my question is, did all the MX73 Cressidas come out with the same ECU and Loom? What I'm thinking is the guy got the wrong ECU for the actual motor. Otherwise if its the right ECU and loom for the motor, the motor should be able to run, right? Or are there extra computer bits that are needed when I do the 5M-GE swap?

Please help me out, I'm quite a newbie on this kind of stuff, and I was really looking forward to doing all this myself using the guides that some blokes off here have written up to help me learn more about this kind of stuff.

I'll be heading over there on Saturday to check it out and maybe take pics of the plugs (and where they lead to) and the ecu in question.

Thanks - Les

[CrUZida]

AFAIK all MX73's had the same loom and ecu.

Its quite a different setup to the 5ME though, and will require a little bit of wiring (its far from plug and play).
Nothing else is needed besides the loom, ecu, afm, and ignitor, unless you are running auto?

My guess is he expected the wiring to be plug and play.
If all the mechanicals are done, get the car back off them, make sure you get the old 5ME loom, and make sure the 5MGE afm and ignitor are installed.
Then spend some time at home doing the wiring.
Hopefully they haven't cut anything.

[LezSpaz]

Hey Cruzida! Yeah I went there yesterday to check it out, and they didn't cut anything, and they're giving me my old ecu and loom back. I'm pretty sure I'll need to use the Cressida ECU (I think its the 5MGE TCCS) since mine, I think, isn't the TCCS but is instead the standard ECU for the 5ME. Anybody know which ECU to use? I've seen others use the 5ME ECU but I'm worried about the knock sensors and whatnot that they put into the later revisions of the 5MGE.

Thanks mate

[ivandude]

AFAIK all MX73's had the same loom and ecu.

Its quite a different setup to the 5ME though, and will require a little bit of wiring (its far from plug and play).
Nothing else is needed besides the loom, ecu, afm, and ignitor, unless you are running auto?

Keen to know for my future swap, whats different when doing it on an Auto swap?

[CrUZida]

Hey Cruzida! Yeah I went there yesterday to check it out, and they didn't cut anything, and they're giving me my old ecu and loom back. I'm pretty sure I'll need to use the Cressida ECU (I think its the 5MGE TCCS) since mine, I think, isn't the TCCS but is instead the standard ECU for the 5ME. Anybody know which ECU to use? I've seen others use the 5ME ECU but I'm worried about the knock sensors and whatnot that they put into the later revisions of the 5MGE.

Thanks mate

You only use the 5ME ecu if you don't want to do wiring mods (the 5MGE will run off the 5ME loom/ecu but you need to modify the dizzy - ie re-use the 5ME one).

Running the full 5MGE loom/ecu/etc is by far the best (and IMO the only) solution, but it's also the most time consuming (in regards to wiring).

[CrUZida]

Keen to know for my future swap, whats different when doing it on an Auto swap?

AFAIK the 5ME auto doesn't use any electronics that are important (someone with more experience may update this), but being >25 years old its on its last legs.

The 5MGE auto from a Cressida has its own ECT ECU, but it forms part of the BODY loom, and does not get removed when you pull the engine/loom/ecu out of a car.
You have to go back to the Cressida, pull the whole loom apart, and remove it.
Its pretty simple to wire back in to the new car, as I'm fairly sure the pinouts are available.

But its a huge hassle IMO, and converting to manual will save large headaches, and be eleventy billion times better.

[LezSpaz]

You only use the 5ME ecu if you don't want to do wiring mods (the 5MGE will run off the 5ME loom/ecu but you need to modify the dizzy - ie re-use the 5ME one).

Running the full 5MGE loom/ecu/etc is by far the best (and IMO the only) solution, but it's also the most time consuming (in regards to wiring).

Thanks heaps mate. I really wanted to use the 5MGE ECU and loom. I think the guys pulled out the whole loom, which is why they were saying that there's some cables that don't hook up to anything. (They must've not taken out the ECT, either way I don't need it. Once I get it tomorrow I'll have pics and whatnot to show )

Anybody got any ideas on trying to get a suitable power steering hose/line for it to fit? I've been on fleabay for a while trying to look for one off a supra (since overseas they came with 5MGEs)

[CrUZida]

The stock ones don't bolt up?

[LezSpaz]

The hoses are a bit too short. I'll head down to pick a part this weekend to check out whether a cressida PS hose will fit

[CrUZida]

You can get the hose modified at Enzed or Pirtek, probably around $100, depending on what they need to do.
Bit more expensive than pick-a-part, but much easier than eBayOS.