Hi Guys...Excuse me for being a bit of a novice, but I just found out I need a new motor for our '95 TS V6 Auto Wagon (Low compression, rings worn). Can I put a TR motor in my TS? Found one in the trading post thats rebuilt and cheap. What about import motors? Are they worth it? I'm trying to find the cheapest way out of my problem, and being a real backyard hack mechanic, getting a good secondhand motor put in seems the easiest option. Any help would be much appreciated!!

Hi Guys...Excuse me for being a bit of a novice, but I just found out I need a new motor for our '95 TS V6 Auto Wagon (Low compression, rings worn). Can I put a TR motor in my TS? Found one in the trading post thats rebuilt and cheap. What about import motors? Are they worth it? I'm trying to find the cheapest way out of my problem, and being a real backyard hack mechanic, getting a good secondhand motor put in seems the easiest option. Any help would be much appreciated!!
As long as its the TR V6 it should fit without any hassles :).

are u selling the TS v6??? and if u are, how much for??

im pretty sure you have to get a engineers certificate for putting any older engine in a newer car; i'd read up on it

im pretty sure you have to get a engineers certificate for putting any older engine in a newer car; i'd read up on it
Oh yeh i heard in victoria anyway that it's illegal to put an older motor into a newer shell. Hmmmm that would suck.
Why not just reco your engine? surely would be alot cheaper than buying a new one?

Hi Guys...Excuse me for being a bit of a novice, but I just found out I need a new motor for our '95 TS V6 Auto Wagon (Low compression, rings worn). Can I put a TR motor in my TS? Found one in the trading post thats rebuilt and cheap. What about import motors? Are they worth it? I'm trying to find the cheapest way out of my problem, and being a real backyard hack mechanic, getting a good secondhand motor put in seems the easiest option. Any help would be much appreciated!!


I just purchased a TR V6 engine from Sandgate wreckers in sandgate Brisbane for just under $1400 with a 2 year parts and labour warranty, to stick into my TSV6.

Its in, and running well now, very cheap considering the options, and the warranty.

I looked at many wreckers, the cheapest was $800 with 1 mth warranty

My best advice is that you choose the best one after ringing around.


a fist full of calls are worth the chance that you will find a much better deal.

Thanks for the feedback guys,

I'm gonna try the secondhand motor option, hopefully find one with heaps of warranty and still heaps of life left in it. If all else fails I might sell the wagon, but I'm very reluctant as the rest of the TS is in top condition....Will keep ya posted,

thanks again,

butcherboy66

im pretty sure you have to get a engineers certificate for putting any older engine in a newer car; i'd read up on it

My belief of the federal transport act (overrides state/ territory transport law) is that that you are allowed to use an engine of the same specs, mounting etc, from an earlier model, providing it isnt altered in design, power, mounting etc.


I recently had no issues with registering my TSv6 with the TR donor engine, I even gave QLD transport the copy of the receipt, clearly showing the previous rego number of hte wreck, the VIN number, the engine number, as well as the make, model, and YEAR of that donor vehicle.

Yeah in QLD you can change parts between cars aslong as it was an option on that make, so you could throw a v12 in a tr if there was a tr that came out with a v12.

Yeah in QLD you can change parts between cars aslong as it was an option on that make, so you could throw a v12 in a tr if there was a tr that came out with a v12.


Nick, I do believe what you said is partially wrong.

You can change parts between cars aslong as it was an option on that MODEL, not that make.

An example, a HQ holden, they came with the 186, 202 6cyls and 253 and 308Ci V8's, and were produced from 1970 - 1974 and they came with an option of a 350 chev, and some of the later models of GM/h came with 350+ci and 400+ci engines, but you cant legally transfer them to a HQ without a mod tag.

You can however, under QLD law legally use a 1971 350ci V8 engine in a 1974 HQ that was originally 186Ci 6 cyl, providing the other components are upgraded to match the factory specs that were required with the engine option (disc front, larger radiator etc)



Same goes in the case of the TS Magna:
It is possible, and in fact completely legal to transplant the V6 from a 1992 TR magna into the 1995 TS 4 cyl, because the engines are of the same manufacturing specifications and was not altered between the models, and was an option within that model (both TS & TR).

But to transplant the TR V6 into the TS that was originaly 4cyl, you would also still need to transplant things like the brakes, radiator etc if they were bigger, better etc on the V6 from the factory.

Its common sense stuff really, just like workplace health and safety.