Swapping The ENGINE In The $800 Toyota Camry Flip In 3 HOURS?

I bought this 2004 Toyota Camry LE with a very broken 2.4L 4 cylinder for $800 and used the Audi e-tron to pull it home! J&J Auto Wrecking found me an engine with 50,000 less miles and had it in my hands days later. Please check them out at www.jandjautowrecking.com/
We wanted to finish the entire flip in one day on this Camry so I called Thomas at Thill Auto Detailing and he showed up with the crew to detail the car while we swapped the engine. / thillautodetail
A few hours (with a few union mandated Taco Bell breaks) after we started working on this Camry it was running again, ready to deliver another 200,000 miles of reliable driving!
Once the car was started we head over to the Hoovie's Garage "Car Issues with Tyler Hoover" TV Premier. That was one amazing party.
Huge thanks to everyone that showed up while this was going on! Gabe, Josh, Thomas, Zack, Jared, Eric
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Common Questions:
What motorcycle do I ride? A few. Ducati 1198, Honda Fury, Honda Grom, Honda Ruckus
What do I do for a living? Make KZbin videos and work in enterprise data storage.
Can you wheelie? No, I suck.
Are you fast? Sort of. I suck mostly though.
Where can I keep up with you off the bike?
Instagram: WatchJRGo
Facebook: WatchJRGo (or JRGo, FB hates my branding)
Do you go to school? College, for 2 classes.
Why do you ride so dangerously? What do mean? I was doing 25.
Do you go to the track? Of course, hopefully there will be videos in the future.
Do you play video games? No, but I might stream N64 Goldeneye at some point. Twitch: WatchJRGo
Are you afraid the police will watch your videos and arrest you? Something something evidence something something warrants and due process of law
#ToyotaCamry #EngineSwap #CarFlip

[@MiguelRPD]

I have this Camry. 5 years later and 6 road trips I've only had to replace 3 wheel bearings a radiator. Awesome car.

[@kevingarcia-alvarado3766]

@David Justice also have a 04 camry that I've owned for 5 years now.

[@CityLifeinAmerica]

Best Camry ever

[@palillo2006]

I don't know why but Toyota puts some cheap wheel bearings. I've had 3 Toyotas and they all have had at least 1 wheel bearing go bad which is weird because I've never had to replace them in any other car that I have owned.

[@vicda5941]

Gave my daughter this car last two years ago and she failed to check the engine oil. Blew up an engine with only 150,00p miles in it. Getting ready to replace it with an engine I found at a local junk yard for 800.. .

[@tjplace]

@redsoxfan Just picked one up with 30,000 miles on it. And I've got an '05 Tundra closing in on 250k.

[@drivedb7]

3 hours?! To swap an engine? Scotty Kilmer can do it in 2 minutes!

[@WatchJRGo]

Right? It was our union mandated food breaks 😂

[@herbiehusker1889]

Scotty Kilmer is a hack.

[@landykid]

all jokin aside you just need to go back and look at Scotty's old videos compared to his new ones. I think his i think his health is degrading just look at the way he carries his hands now compared to he used.... on a side note on his channel the clickbait O the clickbait

[@drivedb7]

landy kid - I’ve been watching Scotty for over ten years - long before all the clickbait BS. Sad to say it, but he’s definitely slowing down. You can hear it in his speech. Still, I hope I’m half as sharp as he is when I reach my mid-60s.

[@ericbeltrami2718]

"51 yeeears as a mechanic!"

[@billnalder1017]

If you turn the radio up full blast, that pesky rod knock noise would go away!!!..just sayin'

[@mikeluther60]

bill nalder pull off the exhaust also👍

[@ryans413]

bill nalder Screw everyone outside if I can’t hear it in the car it’s all good

[@olgrizz_____5373]

LMAO

[@drippingwax]

For how long?!

[@drippingwax]

@@driverman9528 There are zero Camries on OfferUp in the metropolitan Phoenix area with a bad engine or transmission.

[@curry1227]

My first car I ever paid off on my own was a 2006 Toyota Camry and now I own a 2014 Camry they have a special place in my heart...great cars ...I love them

[@photilal1960]

First car was a 96 Camry with 236k miles for $400 from my uncle who kept it meticulous, loved that car then I got a 99 Lexus ES super smooth V6 in it

[@Wannabecowboy004]

Had a 2013 Camry 4cyl loved that car put 160k hard miles of delivery on it in the 2yrs I had it not one problem regret selling it

[@ridrigoiscool123]

My first car is an 03 Camry planning to get a 2014 Camry as my next one

[@AZrakoon]

Camrys are awesome.

[@ferndog1461]

Alas, the 4th gen Camry, 96-01, was the last acceptable Camry. The 5th gen , Kentucky built, was injected with lots of planned obsolescence. Water pump dies every two years. Head bolts would strip off threads leading to stealth coolant leaks by the firewall by 100K. Bad piston rings , because of stupid smaller oil channels ( toyota did fix it for free ). 5th gen Camry's are just on level with domestic Gm or Ford. level car. A used lexus, built in Japan, is the next car I buy. Peace.

[@dlinemusic]

My man got STOOD UP with that screwdriver at 6:32!! 😭😂

[@random13627]

Lmao i noticed that too

[@Bavryzz]

😂😂😂😂😂😂😭😭😭😭😭

[@oserratos]

😂😂😂😂😂

[@rogergoodman8665]

Hooray!!!! 🎆. You finally got jackstands! Your viewers thank you! Most of us did not want to see a hospital run video.

[@Buc_Stops_Here]

Exactly, awesome that he finally did something about it. No one wanted to see anyone get hurt without a simple safety device!

[@taelorwatson9822]

Some of us wanted to see a 3-hour kidney transplant

[@Atonement-]

@@taelorwatson9822 ... that video is on Chinese KZbin

[@davecrupel2817]

Or an obituary. :(

[@drippingwax]

I offered to buy him some when his were under the R8.

[@jonathanmaxwell326]

You guys looked like a team of surgeons doing a complicated transplant.....legendary!

[@Gabe-ABNCW3]

Well oiled machine! Cheers😉🍻

[@thedragon2299]

Very nice job! My first 1.7 swap in a civic took me 2 days by myself, so this is definitely impressive! Flipping for profit is one of my favorite past times!

[@curtthacker43]

Jack stands we are now proud of you 💯

[@Gabe-ABNCW3]

Curt Thacker : we all are!

[@stivesyy]

I was most excited for the headlights to be restored and it never happened :c

[@pod9363]

Yea someone coulda pulled them off and made em shine :O

[@aidanrobinson6013]

stivesyy same lol

[@Gabe-ABNCW3]

stivesyy : later video.

[@chiquinarco55]

Yeah I wanted to know the secret hahahaha

[@michaelsj8084]

You have amazing content that changes all the time. Underrated channel!!

[@thegiantfinds]

BTW I definitely admire your hard work and passion. It shows through every video.

[@timothyharrison8953]

Tyler puts on a pretty good spread at his folks place. Great job on the Camry repair!

[@evan937]

As I am both a Toyota lover and fan of the channel, I am amazed that I missed this upload! Great Job and please do more Toyota flip videos!

[@dannysautorepair]

I have an 03 camry XLE and its the best car on the planet 177,000 miles and runs like new. Definitely a keeper

[@obxtarheel9191]

the best part about these vids is all of his friends they seem like a group of cool people, love it

[@_BAD_MERC_]

Days like these with your buddies, best times ever!!! It's not even work when you're enjoying yourself. I think my brother and I (with his brother in law) did a '95 Neon about 15 years ago in 5 hours start to finish. Ahem, under a lean-to, in a sand carport. We had cardboard and moving blankets.

[@rodpasichnyk9140]

Man you got some champ buddies!

[@WatchJRGo]

That's for sure 💪

[@redmonk2149]

What else these chumps got to do.

[@Rolexor]

I was thinking the same thing. He’s truly blessed.

[@-g.k.4389]

How do you make friends like that?

[@mrteee65]

No Doubt!!! Good crew -That's what friends are for...Blessing to have friends like family!!!

[@Beatle4]

Nice video JR. What got me was the VW Beetle in a couple of shots. Back in the early 60's, my Dad had a grey Beetle that I helped him paint almost the same colour as yours. It was called Peacock Blue. My Dad passed away 2 years ago and seeing the bug in your video reminded me of him and what we did together. Thank you.

[@Gabe-ABNCW3]

Beatle4 : Glad you enjoy the channel! You have a wonderful story. My oldest daughter is currently restoring this one with a little help from me. Perhaps we will see more of it in the future? Stay tuned!

[@truthseekerdanny]

Awesome how everybody piched in JR. You are blessed. Love these vids brother.

[@sneaks01]

I love your channel!! But will give Eric O the most props for real repairs and techniques!

[@dhennessey1970]

You guys have mad skills. Love the music. You are getting better at editing & producing videos.

[@Robsav-yx6vi]

David , I noticed that as well . Easy to watch hey .

[@hermyherm365]

Love this channel man !

[@mikephillips4541]

Looks like live action King of the Hill, minus the Alamo beer. Which one is Boomhauer?

[@hassanbeydoun2460]

Dang ol' engine swap man

[@100PercentJake]

I don't understand... Jackstands? Am I watching the same channel? Love the music choice. Very soothing vs the regular dubsteppy KZbinr stuff. Moar retrowave pls.

[@roylehew3164]

Bullshift: They were working under a car & NO JACK STANDS & the internet "talked" to him .

[@esteemedenergy]

Damn,I wish I had that many buddies come over to help with my cars.

[@joedogmckeel]

Hey WatchJRGo, About time. Having lost a friend to a car falling on him, seeing you work under one with just the floor jack was very hard to do. Please get a set for the house.

[@abstractapproach634]

@Sean M he acknowledged that. He's saying JR should use them more often.

[@drippingwax]

@@abstractapproach634 He only had enough for the R8.

[@johnwesley3885]

Sorry about your friend😔

[@c21hustle]

I got a 2002 Toyota Camry 4cyl, automatic with 277k and counting. I bought the car in 2006 with 90k on it and was in an accident (didn't know at the time) and it has been so reliable, never left me stranded anywhere. Just change the oil every 3k, transmission oil with toyota fluid every 50k and coolant every 100k. It is easy to work on and parts are cheap.

[@RichieRouge206]

The missing bonnet (sorry, hood) is genious! We would get shot here in the UK. Love this channel

[@briancbk]

you're safe. there are no guns there.

[@davidbrownell698]

Great video, good job. THANK YOU for not killing it by blasting overly loud death metal music(as many do) Gives me hope for my 280,000 mile 1995 Camry LE 4cyl. Love the car and want to keep it.

[@ToxicMisfitsYt]

The video Scotty Kilmer doesn’t want you to see

[@UnorthodoxMasterOfGames]

Bipolar Gamers Scotty would say having to engine swap any Toyota is a downright conspiracy

[@northernwarrior6319]

Rev up your engine's!!!!!!!!!😆😆😆😆😆😆😆😆

[@N12Gautam]

Bipolar Gamers i don’t understand why he didn’t fix the engine, I mean it drove but just had noise, so...

[@willowandluka5302]

N G Yea the engine could have been fixed and for way cheaper. But I guess it’s easier to drop in a new engine than to rebuild one.

[@coniccinoc]

Really enjoy this channel. That is one massive driveway, looks more like a small parking lot.

[@Gabe-ABNCW3]

Venture B. : thanks! We really like it too!

[@kathleeng8184]

Wow -- watch JR go, and Gabe and Josh, and Thomas, Zack, Jared, and Eric. Great friends! Jack stands!!! :)

[@CarswithNash]

Good work John, another good family sedan revived, I’m sure your cars are really appreciated by those that buy them.

[@mattizie91]

Thank your for your service. If there one thing we need more of on the road, it's definitively early 2000's Toyota Camries.

[@davidrabenius726]

I am amazed at the number of the early 2000's Camrys still on the road I bought a 2001 and it is SO smooth running & has the peppy V6. It has 140K and STILL has that plus ahead.

[@willowandluka5302]

There’s as many 1992-2001 Camry’s as there are 2000’s Camry’s on the road still; which is crazy. Every now and then I see some 2nd gen Camry’s, my mom had a 1989 for the longest time. I’ve even seen a few 1st gen Camry’s. They look like shit, but people keep them going lol. Toyota is great.

[@sell]

Engine swap in driveway, that’s awesome 👏🏾

[@shawnelsts7256]

As much as I hate You Tube ads I always watch the ones on your channel just so you get paid. Keep up the good work JR. I enjoy your videos

[@dylanbenker2043]

Doesn't pay more unless you click on it

[@ItsaRomethingeveryday]

Good Job on this, pretty decent car

[@antrinh5525]

all hands on deck, even the little baby girl helping out, that's cool!

[@Gabe-ABNCW3]

An Trinh : she’s turning wrenches every chance she gets.

[@mikerinck8523]

Maybe I am too picky, but I would have done a full service on that engine while it was out on the pallet. (timing kit, water pump, oil seals, etc)

[@CrankDatPikachu93]

I'm sure he would have too if he wasn't trying to make a quick buck on it. Missed opportunity to change a rear main seal too.

[@MyRcGoSlow]

Yeah he’s not keeping it selling it right away

[@tanner2852]

Yeah but you wanna make sure the car runs good and doesn't brake down months after you sell it to keep a good reputation for your clients 😉

[@mrdylanjoseph]

Done it. My old Camry's hood flew off. No, not up, but off! The hinges sheared and the hood flew off the car onto the road like GTA. It was fun seeing the 3.0 moving. Definitely needs mounts lol

[@flbartlett]

WatchJRGo to heaven when he doesn't use jack stands. (glad to see the jack stands)

[@paulechols]

Enjoyed the whole kabob, though my favoritest part was whomevers daughter running the engine hoist for y'all. Start em young and get em fixing stuff ♥️

[@Gabe-ABNCW3]

Paul Echols : Thank you Paul. She turns wrenches every chance she gets!

[@danrowley6934]

Ambergini directs another Masterpiece. Y'all did such a great job she was able to leave the whips & chains at home. 👍👍👍👍👍

[@ajustin614]

My buddy has a 2002 with the same engine, he just hit 295k on original

[@lifefanatic1115]

I just got to 207k!

[@wesleydecker5857]

Sweet! I just hit 240k

[@hashishsenju2015]

My dad hit 380k miles 2 weeks ago. Still going strong. Some minor oil consumption but still alive and kicking.

[@curtthacker43]

And it didn't even get dark you getting better my friend 😂

[@Gabe-ABNCW3]

Curt Thacker : LOL!

[@christianpablocobos]

Even that little girl helped!! Great work :)

[@Gabe-ABNCW3]

christianpablocobos : She loves turning wrenches.

[@steveohanna7544]

JR go! You got some skills. Are you trained as a mechanic? Or self taught? Like the channel

[@001dman]

gotta love how easy toyotas come apart just got a 2012 corolla with a blown engine today for $1300.. and a new 6400 mile engine is coming for $900... one day to throw it all together and it'll be quick money. (but im totally going to possibly use it to mock up a 2.7L swap since i have one of those laying around)

[@blasgonzalez3644]

I might be a little bit too late! Great job 👍👏

[@Fezzler61]

As a weekend wrencher, you work on so many cars. How do your remember how all that plastic, emission control, and electronics go back together? I have to bag, tag and photo every bolt and nut to be able to reassemble.

[@Gabe-ABNCW3]

Fezzler61: we use the same methods you mentioned but it mostly occurs off screen. Digital photos are an excellent way to quickly reference everything once reassembly begins.

[@69Phuket]

You have some great mates right there!

[@khimsophacarfixing]

Thanks for your sharing knowledge 👍!

[@XBOPEBOYZX]

I LOVE THESE VIDEOS

[@jasonpooler6811]

On subtitles when you turned it on with the rod knock motor it said applause 😂😂😂

[@dirtyboy8336]

It's nice and funny to see the little kid helping u guys out there

[@Hallahanify]

I was like where did the midget come from lol

[@jonsmith1259]

The cliffhanger for me is if it would be done before dark! Is Hoovies new show available somewhere on you tube?

[@husainisyed7792]

Good work fellas

[@infovideos7355]

great team work

[@snarlz]

Oh that 2AZ-FE I know it well. A couple things, like you should have tried for a gen 2 block. Vin 'E' as it has a lot of advances. Piston oil squirters, better compression. On either gen i would use scion injectors-no need to flash the ECU and they offer a modest power and efficiency bump. Also if that's not a JDM block you'll need to watch for floating heads as the non reusable screws can loosen over time. There is a class action suite over that... There are another set of bolts in the block by the bottom that can loosen because of the same issue they vibrate loose over time. Otherwise a nice little block, but I am on my third, no joke, and you can bet it's jdm this time-which can still have the issue just much less likely...but with just bolt ons and a flushable jet-chip I dynoed 180 at the block. Weapon R Intake manifold after market throttle and cold air, block to muffler obx exhaust-several other things like lightweight flywheel-ipgraded pullys. Camry that runs with OG civic Si lol...

[@scottcampbell2836]

JR you are an example of American Exceptionalism in action. Carry on

[@danielryan007]

Ultimate trust test: crawl under a car on jack stands while your buddy is up in the engine bay lol

[@Dirtyboxer1]

Nice job! Just need to get the front windshield repaired or replaced and it'll be a pretty sweet beater. By beater, I mean the old car you don't mind putting hard city miles on and won't have a heart attack if a cart bumps into it at the store.

[@super_populr]

JR you are amazing. You need your own TV show.

[@subaruamazon]

i do a little but the amount of work and connections is mind boggling to swap engines.

[@abel3619]

I found a $1,500 2002 Toyota camry xle v6 working perfectly.

[@thivakarsaravanamuthu4744]

Get it

[@chroma6625]

Bro this time-lapse was so pleasing to watch lhh

[@whomikejones32]

Damn no lie I'm high right now and this song during the time they are disconnecting the old engine was dozing me off lol

[@frostyclaws8007]

Very cool video! Thank you

[@kevinmccracken6241]

I bet your neighbors love you JR!

[@DougsCars]

Ok I want a Freddy’s truck!! Also, nice job on the Camry.

[@fluke1172]

I will have it ready for you this evening . I got 4 of my best guys on it right now.

[@MyLifeThai371]

Another great episode of WatchJR and Friends Go! JR did you have to re-flash the car's computer after you installed the new engine?

[@lauraf2743]

Nicely Done!!

[@fastfiatjamest6437]

Thanks for having me 😂

[@richardking3681]

Great vid!

[@Gabe-ABNCW3]

Richard King:😉👍🏼

[@bienhelado204]

I watch your channel almost every day. What did the engine cost ?

[@RJSoftware2000]

Same question, and are you going to rebuild the old one?

[@ljturner2009]

this reminds of the old days when i would help my buddies on their cars. start at night finish by the time bars where getting out.

[@biodrummindieseler]

I recently had a shop replace the serpentine belt tensioner on my 2005 4 cyl Camry. They had to lower the engine in order to get to the 14mm bolt that holds the tensioner. After the repair, the car feels like it's leaning to the left a little bit, as if they broke the seat or ruined the driver's side strut. I measured the distance between the hub spindle and the top of the wheel well on both sides and it's even. Any ideas what as to what the shop might have fucked up?

[@robs5579]

Good work!

[@jrr851]

Extreme Makeover Camry Edition. It reminds me of hordes of people descending on a house to remodel it.

[@xshanghu]

Great videos.

[@netkeeper061]

good job guys

[@mjmcomputers]

Nice job!

[@miguelare3]

Lmao😂😂😂 the moment you brought out the jack stands

[@drippingwax]

Someone posted a beautiful 2009 Camry with the same engine on Sunday--with rod knock. I couldn't get an engine shipped for less than $1,400 and the owner wanted $1,500. It just did not make sense to me, but someone bought it the next day.

[@billdougan4022]

What manifold and exhaust gaskets did you use? Did you change the timing belt and water pump? Nice video!

[@wcgold2]

Nice flip!

[@Emeraldant92]

Had a 2003 just like this one but tan! Wish I never sold it....

[@josephineoliver1507]

That's telling me something I brought an '04 and I'm thinking of selling it for a minivan but I'm the only 2nd owner and it runs beautifully! My friends are jealous of me with it.

[@72dodge340]

Whose Dippy cop car is that? Love it! And the Opel GT project too! Are these on other channels that I don't know about, or I just missed them?

[@Gabe-ABNCW3]

72dodge340 : perhaps they will appear in later segments.

[@Mr19853]

Those camrys are notorious for having engine problems there's quite a few of them are in my neighborhood with well under 200k and then have a lot of issues.

[@CheezeCracker]

Goman Ehh? Co worker has one with 298k, original engine/trans. Just swapped radiator for her last weekend, otherwise, all good.

[@Mr19853]

@@CheezeCracker He's the lucky one!

[@TempoMontages]

What about 99 Camry 2.2? They seem solid

[@ninaloftin5078]

Ya first time to hear this with Toyota camrys having notorious engine problems lmfao ya the people in your neighborhood must not be taking care of them the right way sounds pretty pathetic I still have a 2003 Toyota Camry to this day with well over 200k on it and nothing done to it but regular oil changes and the motor runs perfectly and smooth and is reliable all the time

[@dustinwilson1981]

good work to all

[@nickj6275]

why didn't you clean the engine while it was out of the car? would of been easier close all the holes wrap the wires. then you could clean the engine bay while you're at it

[@MrBigBoy4Life]

Don’t you guys hate those Monday morning quarterbacks? I know I do.

[@dj.ava_zpt]

You deserve so so many more subs lol

[@hawkie333]

Dude, those are some solid buddies! Hope you kicked some beer money their way. On another note, why not degrease engine before dropping it in.

[@bxpress6507]

Best thing about this car is it's a direct ignition system😉👍makes it more convenient to deal with..i did long block engine swap on my CA18DE engine which was a direct ignition system but is a interface motor😲good thing this car is not interference motor😎👍

[@marktate2683]

Love the jackstand comment 😂

[@MrJoebiz24]

Damnit! Hoping for a 3 hr video and the car starts after 14 mins. I feel cheated...lol

[@GravityKing22]

damn you guys know how to get shit done for real. good job

[@mikemontgomery7337]

I bet your neighborhood just loved you !