SPONSORED LINKS

Piston swap

Tiny
BENJAMIN YOUNG
  • MEMBER
  • 2003 PONTIAC VIBE
  • 1.8L
  • 4 CYL
  • MANUAL
  • 90,000 MILES
I have the car listed above it is the GT model. Two of the four piston are busted. Since the car is built on a Toyota engine I would like to know if I can use piston from another Toyota engine that is not a Pontiac vehicle and if so what vehicle because it is extremely difficult to find another one even or scrap where I live? Thanks
SPONSORED LINKS
Thursday, September 28th, 2017 AT 11:06 AM

12 Replies

Tiny
STEVE W.
  • MECHANIC
  • 13,465 POSTS
You would be better off getting an entire engine to swap in. That is because the pistons, con-rods and crankshaft are balanced as a unit. You cannot just swap them with a different set because the balance difference will do damage. Also, if the pistons were broke there is a good chance the block and crank were damaged.

Where are you located? There are a lot of salvage yards that ship parts and even complete engines.
SPONSORED LINKS
Was this
answer
helpful?
Yes
No
+1
Thursday, September 28th, 2017 AT 11:15 AM
Tiny
BENJAMIN YOUNG
  • MEMBER
  • 7 POSTS
That is really good to know. I am unfortunately not located in the U.S. I live in Belize, Central America. Can you recommend any good salvage yards that do international shipping?
Was this
answer
helpful?
Yes
No
Thursday, September 28th, 2017 AT 11:22 AM
Tiny
STEVE W.
  • MECHANIC
  • 13,465 POSTS
That could be a problem. The Vibe is basically a Matrix, but they did change some of the external engine items and the heat/AC system. The 1.8 GT engine itself is not Toyota, it is built by Yamaha. It was used in the 2003 Vibe and Matrix and the 2000-2003 Celica.

Shipping would probably double the cost of the engine. Looking at RockAuto. Com. They show two versions of that engine. They do ship to Belize but a quick check shows that a long block alone would be close to $5,000.00! By the time it was shipped.

You might try going to car-part. Com and searching around Texas or Louisiana and see if any of the yards ship to Belize.
You might try a dealer if there is one in country, they might be able to get a better price.
Was this
answer
helpful?
Yes
No
+1
Thursday, September 28th, 2017 AT 12:02 PM
Tiny
BENJAMIN YOUNG
  • MEMBER
  • 7 POSTS
$5,000.00 is almost the price I payed for the car. I will keep my hopes up around here and see if anything comes around. Thanks for your help. I will also try your suggestions.
Was this
answer
helpful?
Yes
No
Thursday, September 28th, 2017 AT 2:29 PM
Tiny
KEN L
  • MASTER CERTIFIED MECHANIC
  • 47,643 POSTS
Please let us know what you find.

Cheers, Ken
SPONSORED LINKS
Was this
answer
helpful?
Yes
No
Friday, September 29th, 2017 AT 9:56 AM
Tiny
STEVE W.
  • MECHANIC
  • 13,465 POSTS
That is what I expected. I would hunt around and see what you can find. Good luck. I am not sure how difficult it would be to import a complete car.
Was this
answer
helpful?
Yes
No
Friday, September 29th, 2017 AT 9:58 AM
Tiny
BENJAMIN YOUNG
  • MEMBER
  • 7 POSTS
Unfortunately when I search on car-parts. Com nothing would come up. I search the areas you recommended as well. What I need now is just a single piston for my vehicle because the connecting rod were damaged. I got a good one the other day from scrap which just leaves one more.
Was this
answer
helpful?
Yes
No
Saturday, September 30th, 2017 AT 4:02 PM
Tiny
BENJAMIN YOUNG
  • MEMBER
  • 7 POSTS
This is what I actually need. The rings of two pistons were damaged. I like I mentioned I got a good one the other from scrap with only leaves on piston left and im good to go but the problem is finding a matching one in the country. Sorry for all the back and forth guys.
Image (Click to make bigger)
Thumb
Was this
answer
helpful?
Yes
No
Saturday, September 30th, 2017 AT 4:08 PM
Tiny
KEN L
  • MASTER CERTIFIED MECHANIC
  • 47,643 POSTS
No problem, you cannot get just a rod cap because they are matched to one another, even if you find one it wont work because the cap will be off from the rod. If I am understanding you correctly.

Please let us know.

Cheers, Ken
Was this
answer
helpful?
Yes
No
Saturday, September 30th, 2017 AT 4:43 PM
Tiny
BENJAMIN YOUNG
  • MEMBER
  • 7 POSTS
Good to know. So then I will need to get the entire piston and not just the rod. Thanks
Was this
answer
helpful?
Yes
No
Sunday, October 1st, 2017 AT 10:58 AM
Tiny
KEN L
  • MASTER CERTIFIED MECHANIC
  • 47,643 POSTS
Please use 2CarPros anytime, we are here to help. Please tell a friend.

Cheers, Ken
Was this
answer
helpful?
Yes
No
Sunday, October 1st, 2017 AT 5:52 PM
Tiny
BENJAMIN YOUNG
  • MEMBER
  • 7 POSTS
Definitely will. You guys are awesome!
SPONSORED LINKS
Was this
answer
helpful?
Yes
No
Tuesday, October 3rd, 2017 AT 9:14 AM

Please login or register to post a reply.

Related Piston Content

Replacing the Pistons and Rings
VIDEO
Replacing the Pistons and Rings
Instructional repair video
Piston Ring Replacement
GUIDE
Piston Ring Replacement
An engine's piston rings are used to seal the piston to the cylinder wall during the compression stroke. When a combustion event occurs these rings are forced against the...

Sponsored links