2019 Engine into 2013 Chassis - Parts Change List

[Car Bloke]

Hi All
Just wanted to drop a list here of what I did to get a 2019 BRZ engine working in my 2013 chassis, as I found it very hard to find a simple list of what is required when researching this swap! It is a great way to get a fresh engine when the troublesome 2013 motor lets go. Though it is a bit of work and requires some decent wrenching skills.

This is just my personal experience, there maybe a 1-2 components that didn't need to be changed, that I did change, but this is how I did it and achieved no CELs.

2013 Engine parts that need to be swapped onto the 2017-2019 Engine are:
- Engine Wiring Harness
- Engine ECU
- Alternator
- Engine Crank Sensor and Timing Disc (located behind the flywheel)
- Cam Timing Discs (requires removal of entire front timing cover)
- Cam Timing Sensors
- Temp Sensors x2 (Timing Cover, Water Crossover Pipe)
- Direct Injection Rail (passenger side - it has a pressure sensor in it and the plug is different)
- Throttle Body
- Ignition Coils

In addition to the above, as they weren't supplied with my 2019 engine, I also used the 2013 AC compressor, Exhaust Manifolds (with O2 sensors) and Airflow sensor in the airbox. I can't speak to the compatibility of these items if you use 2019 parts.

2019 Engine parts that I didn't need to change:
- Timing Cover
- VVT Actuators
- Direct Injectors
- Red intake manifold and port fuel injectors
- Fuel Pump and steel cover
- ECU mounting bracket
- Oil Pressure Switch
- Knock Sensors x2

Key Challenges with this swap are:
- Remove and replace the timing cover, hard to lever off, hard to scrape off all the sealer and then requires really careful application of the new sealer. The poor application of sealer is suspected to be causing the broken engines after the valve spring recall on 2013 engines.... so be careful
- Getting the direct injector fuel rail swapped over. The shop manual says all the seals for these injectors are 1 time use. I managed to lever the rail off the top of the injectors without disturbing the injector seating in the engine. Then I just reseated the o-rings on the top of the injectors and pushed the rail on. Had no issues, but please use your own judgement here.

Result:
So far 500miles, no CEL, runs great, passed a CA smog inspection.

Open Questions:
- My 2013 engine had direct injectors graded as #2, the injectors that came in the 2019 were graded #3. As I used the 2019 injectors with the 2013 ECU, not sure if this creates a mismatch or it sorts itself out. But it runs well regardless.

Good Resources:
Valve Spring Recall Work Instructions: Shows how to apply the sealer to the timing cover correctly and many useful torque specs.
https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/rcl/201...8V772-1294.pdf

Series on doing this swap by Powersports: Many, many, many hours though, if you have the time and patience.

[Tcoat]

Very good

This question comes up very often and this will be perfect to pass on.

[FR-S2GT86]

Does this deserve a sticky?........

Is it "Sticky-Worthy"?

[soundman98]

Originally Posted by FR-S2GT86

Does this deserve a sticky?........

Is it "Sticky-Worthy"?

right to the point with the yea/nay lists, and easy enough for even me to understand. absolutely!

[finch1750]

does this fully apply to all MY17+ engines or just the MT?

[DarkPira7e]

Very nice. So in a roundabout way, this insinuates that you can swap 2017+ heads onto a 2013 and be good as long as you use your old coilpacks.

[Spuds]

Originally Posted by DarkPira7e

Very nice. So in a roundabout way, this insinuates that you can swap 2017+ heads onto a 2013 and be good as long as you use your old coilpacks.

Aren't the cam timing and direct injection rail on the head as well?


Also is all this because you have a 2013 harness and ecu? Wouldn't you just be able to run a 2019 ecu and harness or is there something else forcing you to have the 2013 ecu?

[DarkPira7e]

Originally Posted by Spuds

Aren't the cam timing and direct injection rail on the head as well?


Also is all this because you have a 2013 harness and ecu? Wouldn't you just be able to run a 2019 ecu and harness or is there something else forcing you to have the 2013 ecu?

Yes, the DI rails/ports are in the head, which is nice to be honest.

About the injector computer, I'm assuming the reason for not using the harness is to minimize compatibility issues with the car's main ECU. So the path of least resistance of changing as little as possible. Technically you could definitely just swap everything from a 2019 and be good, it's a matter of time, effort, and cost to do so though. Also, if you are using something like ECUtek, changing out your original ECU makes things tougher with licensing and updating the tune file to match the ROM it needs, etc.

[Car Bloke]

Not sure if I can answer any of the questions posed above completely, as my sole source of knowledge is swapping a 2019 MT engine into a 2013 MT chassis, via the method I outlined and it worked first shot, so I didn't do any mix and match troubleshooting.

But this is what I can say based on the various threads and information that I came across when I was researching:
1. I believe that this would fully apply to all 17MY+ engines regardless of AT or MT, the main point of difference being the fancy red manifold on the MT engine, but AFAIK the cam timing disc change applied to all engines from 17MY onwards, so should be the same steps.
2. If you only wanted to swap the 2017 heads and assuming your running 2013 harness, ECU etc from the original engine, you would still need to swap the cam timing discs, the direct injector fuel rail and coil pack components from the 2013 head assemblies. Not having done it though, this is my best guess, not a fact.
3. In terms of running the 2017+ engine ECU and harness, I don't really know the full level of issues, but the main reason I could find on other forums for not running them was compatibility with the rest of the 2013 vehicle. But again, I just followed the list and it all worked for me, so cant comment on what you might be able to do to make it work.