Ugh... so much wrong in what you've said.
mk1spyder":3us2xgnb said:
The wiring is much more complex, and the transmission doesn't work with cable driven speedos.
So what is the wiring is a little more complex. You set it up once and never touch it again. Its worth it for the far better ECU the ST215 runs.
Of course the trans does work with cable driven speedos. Just use the speedo drive off your old trans. There is one single bolt that needs to be undone to move it over.
The 215 trans is identical to the 185 trans in every other way.
Blocks and pistons failing are all related to bad tunes usually, rods snapping are not lol.
No.
Blocks cracking is caused by defects, and weak areas in the block. You cant tune that out other than by reducing power.
Rods breaking in gen4's is rare, and is linked to bad tunes and accidental overboosting.
The exhaust manifold flange is a different pattern and size from all the other 3sgte's...
No! Its the same as the gen3.
And it has a higher compression ratio leaving less room for error.
Its only a little higher, so unless you are running a 20yr old ECU (ie, Microtech) or have an incompetent tuner, its no problem.
On top of that i'm pretty sure you're stuck with the stock intake cam.
Gen3 cams fit the gen4, with a small easy mod (ive done it).
The ST215 was 2 steps forward 3 steps back due to Toyota starting to puss out and care only about making money.
The ST215 is a mid-luxury wagon. Its not a sports car.
The engine was built to suit it. The rods are big part of that (lower rotational mass = less horrible 4cyl vibrations).
Remember, stock, it still is more powerful than a stock 205 engine, even when winding up the boost to boost-cut.