Nope - the engine will turn over and start without a connection to a radiator or water in the block. What exactly is your engine doing - does it turn over when you crank the key, just doesn't fire up? Or does it nothing, no cranking, etc.? Need a bit more info.

A compression test would be top of my list - if you get fuel and fire, but the engine never catches - either the timing is completely off or there is no compression. You have verified spark, how about firing order? Possible that some varnish has clogged up the fuel pump - crank it for several seconds and see if the plugs get wet with fuel. If hard to tell - may have to disconnect the fuel line under the hood and see if any gas flow/pressure is getting through. Starting fluid should have gotten at least a cough from the engine - even having to travel down the long intake runners.

Did you have some previous knowledge of the donor engine - was it running before you swapped it into yours?

Also forgot to note - you can fire up the engine briefly to check operation, but shut it down right away. Running even less than a minute without coolant will ruin the waterpump.

Double check the compression after you shot in a small amount of oil into each cylinder. See how much the compression improves, if at all. But from the numbers, doesn't look very good. The 1ZZ-FE is spec'd to have 218 PSI for pressure. Minimum is 145 PSI with no more than 15 PSI variation between cylinders. That engine sounds like it was already on its way out when it got to the salvage yard. Could be anything from a burnt valve, to broken piston rings, to a heavily scored cylinder wall - any of those would cause an engine to run very poorly if at all. Of course the engine has to be warmed up to get the absolute compression figures - but since you are not able to get it to run, we'll have to look at the relative changes between the cylinder pressures.

You have fuel and fire - have you verified to make sure the timing is OK? Timing chain is still intact because you are reading pressures. But have to take the head off to verify that the valves are OK (could be bent, burned, valve seals chewed up, or valve seats are heavily pitted. ECM and/or wiring can be a possible culprit - but electricals are always a nightmare to diagnose - unless you have a lot of patience.

1ZZ-FE can be noisy - but the noise you have sounds very excessive, even for a high mileage 1ZZ-FE engine - probably sounds worse in person. Sounds like the timing chain is too loose and/or the valves are not operating correctly - could be the valvetrain starving for oil. If the noise doesn't get better once the engine warms up - you definitely have a potential problem on your hand.

Not sure how you can "unstick" valves by squirting in oil in through the sparkplug hole. You can temporarily increase compression or lube the valve guides in that manner, but that automatically means there is an oiling issue on hand, compression is bad.

This guys a regular mechanic or specializes with imports? The 1ZZ-FE has a few "quirks" that are easy to misdiagnose, unless they have experience with this family of engines.

To me, it sounds like a combination of a bum replacement engine + mechanic that is pulling your chain. But that's my opinion. Probably wouldn't be a bad idea to get a second opinion from either a good Toyota dealership or reputable import shop - especially ones that cater to Toyotas.

Your options might be limited - they guy probably gets threatens with suits all the time, so you might be beating a dead horse - so to speak. This also assumes how much time has pass from when he swapped the donor engine in to when you noticed the problem. Even if you take the person to court, the chance of recovering everything is pretty remote - best case might be to recover the cost of the original swap - parts and labor.

Low compression numbers are not a good sign - granted, not a fair test - as the engine should be brought up to operating temperatures to get an accurate reading. But squirting some oil in there will help temporarily seal the rings - so that would give you close to a best case reading. If the numbers are less than 145PSI (218PSI max) or vary more than 15PSI from cylinder to cylinder - you might be looking at some expensive repairs down the line. Each engine is a little different, some show low compression but will last several years, others will seeming start guzzling oil faster than it goes gasoline. Unfortunately, the 1ZZ-FE tends to lean toward the oil guzzling type.

If the engine was perfect when removed from the donor car - even if it sits for 6-months, be perfectly fine. Assuming that the appropriate precautions are taken - protecting the engine for the elements - at the very least, covering it with plastic. Not only do you have to keep moisture out as much as possible, but also keep animals and other debris from entering the various openings. I have several classic cars and my Corolla can see months of just sitting, as I'll be on travel. Zero issues with engine starting or running. Again, each situation is a little different, but it is safe to assume that a well running engine will continue to be a well running engine, even after a reasonable period of inactivity.

I have a feeling that this guy is trying to offload one of those infamous "oil burners" on you. Car will crank over and run - so passes most salvage yard "engine is working tests" - but if someone knows the peculiar ins and outs of the engine, they will know what other problem areas to check out before getting to far into the swap process. The fact that he assumes that your issue was not related to a mechanical problem with the engine (he stated himself that something was stuck, sounds like a mechanical issue to me).

A second opinion is in order here - will have to pay out of pocket for this, but will give you an additional piece of information to go with, especially if you are confronting the shop owner. See if the guy will take a look at no charge to you - as a sign of good faith. If he refuses and comes up with some excuse - drop this guy and contact an attorney to see what your options are. The sooner you address this, the greater chance you will get a resolution.

No problem. Keep us updated on how this turn out for you and good luck!

I'd see if they pick up the tab for a replacement tensioner. Sounds like this guy is trying to play off of semantics and what constitutes an "engine" component - not a good way to get repeat business or future business from others reading this. You paid for the engine as is, was told it was "perfectly" working - so you should expect to see a perfectly working engine. I know on reman engines with warranty - if you take parts from an existing engine and put them on the reman, and those parts cause problems, you will void the reman engine's warranty. The mechanic is suggesting you swap tensioners because he doesn't want to part with any of "his" money. If it was me, I'd tell him to man up and make this right - he performed a service, he needs to follow through with his work. A tensioner generally doesn't suddenly fail, unless the little shock/strut looking portions is leaking oil.

Alternative is to swap your exiting tensioner - but see if they will pick up the tab for labor and atleast a new belt. Not sure how much traction you will get with the mechanic, but be sure to stand your ground and keep swinging. I've been to a number of repair shops (body and paint) and independent and factory dealerships - if they can get away with something, they will.

Pretty hard to believe it was all with the tensioner, given the symptoms that you've had previously and the noise in the video. But until you get the car running, pretty hard to diagnose any further symptoms and see if the engine will have potential problems down the road. Have sat out in the elements probably didn't help matters, but the engine being mostly aluminum - should not be a deal breaking issue.