5sfe rebuild?, 5sfte/3sgte guys please chime in.. Options

[samir0189]

Before i start, let me say that i ran a search and found alot of info about this, and yes it has been discussed before, but my hearts not content with what i've found.

My celi is getting pretty up there in mileage and i read horror stories all the time, so before my 5s catastrophically craps out on me, i wanna either rebuild it or figure out if i should just save for a swap.

basically all i want to ask is if i decide to rebuild the 5s, is there anything i should do now while someone will be in there that will assist with a future turbo setup? I don't have the money for a turbo now, so thats out of the question at the moment, but id love to prepare the bottom end for boost. Pistons? rods? any suggestions? is stock better? mainly, how much will this cost me? average with parts and labor, and what are the costs of pistons?

Ive also read not to even think about a 3s swap unless ive got 6k lying around, which i don't. Is this really true? 6k? i see 3sgtes selling for 800 sometimes on ebay, do they require rebuilding? what moves this figure to 6k?

I have about 2k, i don't really want to spend it all on this rebuild (or drop 6k on a swap), but i just want to be one step ahead of this engine.

Please give me some advice guys, i see alot of happy 5sfte-ers on this site that run reliably and with power comparable to that of a 3s, and i just dont want to spend my money only to regret it or wish i had done the opposite of what i already did, if that makes sense.

sorry this is so long.

[bccentaur3]

My suggestion to you, do a compression test. If it good, you have nothing to be worried about. Now if you really want power just do the swap. Its not worth to build motor with that many miles. Think about all the wear and tear on that baby. If you want to stay 5s with a turbo get a newer 5s. 98+ camry, you'll have the metal head gasket and a higher flowing oil pump. But then again those motors go for a little over a grand plus your turbo parts. The beauty of boosting the 5s, is the fact that you can buy parts here and there and then when you're ready you can put it all together. Now with the 3s, you have to drop a lot all at once.