I am looking into doing an ecotec swap into my 97 cavalier and was wondering if anybody has any advice on the process like is it a easy swap and all the necessary parts that i would need. Also if anybody has already performed the swap how do u like your car now? Any advice would ne helpful. Thank you
You should have searched this I believe its been brought up numerous times before and there is even an article on the actual swap itself. So don't be upset if you get flammed for asking because you should have searched.
Buy a donor car - easiest/fastest method. You need basicly everything - gas tank/lines, wiring harness, trans, cluster, dash (you could probably skip on this one, but it would be nice to have one w/o a crack in it, right?), etc
best advice i can give you is to search..
its asked mutliply times a day. and there is at least 3 good write up's about it on this site.
Evan Stryker wrote:I'm in month 6 of this swap.. its not fun what so ever. Wiring hell...
OMG !!!!!!!!!!!!
the last one we did in my shop a friend and myself did it in 4 days . and we went from a auto to man trans
Good luck with your swap man; get a donor car and swap everything, the Eco is a good engine.
But...swap in the Subaru Impreza motor and drivetrain...and happiness will follow. lolz
Just kidding about that last part.
yea i am pretty sure me and my buddies would be able to knock it out in a good week. After i rebuild that baby first.
Here's a general break down of it all. I piece this all together some time ago for doing some research on the project itself. Credit for the info goes from the .Org FAQ, Craig Jones, John Higgins, John Lenko, and several others.. sorry if i didnt put your name.
Search is a godly tool. Knowledge = Power. If you take the time to read most or all this, it will help you out in the future and help you know what you're getting yourself into. It wont be a walk in the park but at the same time it wont be impossible.
How do I swap an Ecotec engine into my 95-99 J-body?
Basically, you gut the entire car down to the frame and swap everything over. Did I say everything? Yes, and I meant it.
One of the problems in crossing the 99 to 00 BARUnit of pressure. 1 bar = 1 atmosphere, or approximately 14.5 Pounds per Square Inch (PSI).rier, is that everything in the car (electronics-wise) changed between 1999 and 2000 model years. Sure, the cars might look similar, but most of the stuff inside it changed. Here's a short summary:
- 95-99 cars have a "convenience center" which controls some of the body functions, a cluster which controls the Passlock anti-theft system, and a receiver module (if applicable) which controls the keyless entry system. 00-05 cars have a "body control module" (or BCM) which replaces all those three modules (and more).
- 95-99 cars use switched 12 volt lines for most signalling within the car. The BCM speaks "Class 2 protocols" to everything in the car, from the PCM, to the cluster, to the radio. You can't install a BCM in a 95-99 car without swapping every single wire in the car, right down to the taillights.
- 95-99 cars have a different ABS system than 00-05 cars. The module changed, and there are external proportioning valves on the 00-05 brake lines. You can't swap them easily either. In fact, ABS isn't even standard on the 03-05 cars, so you might not even have ABS.
- 95-99 cars use different airbag modules than the 00-05 cars. Same with the airbags themselves. Swapping car wiring includes these parts, which are stupidly-expensive. Check Ebay for prices if you don't believe me.
- 95-99 cars use a larger metal fuel tank. 00-05 cars use a smaller plastic tank. Oh yeah, the fuel pumps and sender units are different too.
So, the difficult stuff aside... here's just some of the things you'll have to consider:
- Gutting the car
- Swapping the dash, or making the different size cluster fit
- Swapping the fuel tank
- Swapping airbags
- Changing or rebending the brake lines to fit the module
- Rewiring the front lights
- Welding in new transmission mounts to work with the Getrag transmission (assuming it's a 5 speed and you swap the trans as well).
So, haven't scared you off yet? Good. The swap is worthwhile, but it's no walk in the park. There isn't a how-to, but if you understand the challenge and you haven't been put off it reading this, you can probably figure it all out. Just make sure you have the donor car nearby, you'll need it!
95-99 Ecotec Swap FAQ
You all wanted to know how to do it, Here you go.
** Disclaimer ** Anyone attempting this swap should be Mechanically Inclined, I am not responsible for any damage you cause to your vehicle as a result of this swap. This is only a help guide to show others what all is involved in swapping out a 95-99 Cavalier to an 02-04 Ecotec Motor. Use this FAQ at your own Risk.
It is strongly recommended that you have a wrecked vehicle that you are pulling the parts off handy. I picked mine up for $900.00, They are inexpensive and will save you making trips to an auto parts store or dealership looking for the parts you need.
First thing I did was pull out my motor and transmission from my 97 Cavalier. I removed the radiator, Axles & steering knuckles. There are quite a few parts that you can keep on the car that will also work with the 02-04 engine. You will also need to remove your Brake Master cylinder because the 95-99 version is different than the 02-04 version. You dont need to swap out your coolant resvoir but I did for the simple fact of making mine actually look like a 03 when it is completed.
Moving onto the wiring section, Since I had a wrecked car that I purchased to do this. I took apart the whole interior of my car and set it aside. I did leave the steering column in since you dont need to swap that out, only if you want to. Make sure you keep the bolts in a plastic bag or something and label it as to where it goes. It will make your life alot easier in the long run. After you have your interior gutted, pull out all the wiring through out the whole car, including the engine bay all the way to the tail lamps. (If you dont have a salvage car then this wiring assy. will be very expensive.) You can get rid of your stock 3 speed shifter and shifter cables, if you have an automatic or 4speed if you have the Z version of this. I havent done this on a 5 speed so your on your own. As for the brake pedal, gas pedal and HVAC you can keep that all in the vehicle those havent changed. I do recommend that you pull the throttle cable off the gas pedal and swap it with the one from the donor car to work with your new ecotec motor, If i remember correctly I think they were different lengths. Also on your brake pedal you have 1 sensor already. with the 00+ vehicles there are 2 sensors which you can snatch it off your wrecked car. The HVAC unit hasnt changed what so ever. If you are swapping your dash to the new 00+ style it will still fit in the lower spot without changing it over to the new. Also I will note this, The door sensors that you have that allows your dome light to pop on when the door opens they are different from the new ones. I just removed mine completely but you can cut the wires a decent length from your old 95-99 harness and wire them into the new harness.
The most noticeable change that has happened from 95-99 would be the fuel system. You will have to swap out your old metal tank for the new plastic tank. You also need to remove your two fuel lines and evap. canister line from the system too and get the ones off of the 00+ donor car. You can keep your old brake lines unless you feel the need to replace them also. Your evap canister that is located in the passenger side fender of your 95-99 has also been moved from the front to right in front of your rear axle beam bolted to the frame. Make sure you grab the mounting bracket from your donor car. I did notice that on the 00+ vehicle that the fuel pump wiring and evap sys. wiring was mounted in a different spot than your 95-99 but it shouldnt pose a proble to just use the same spot like i did. Make sure you grab all of the components from the new gas tank. Like the fuel filler tube and hose, they are completely different than 95-99. The older style is bigger and wont fit on the new gas tank.
At this Point your car should be just about completely bare with almost nothing in it. Now would be a great time to slap in that new fuel tank and run your fuel & evap lines, along with putting your new filler tube in & bolting up your evap canister to the frame. Moving along to the interior, if you grabbed the wiring harness out of your Donor vehicle, You can now put that in the inside of the vehicle and connect it to your fuel pump, evap system, rear brakes, tail lamps, and power trunk release if you snagged that off your wrecked car. The harness should mount exactly like your 95-99 harness. If you have the 95-99 pull handle for the trunk release you can go ahead and remove that cause you should have a power trunk button. Go ahead and mount the BCM at the drivers side foot well and run your wires into the doors for your power windows / locks and mirrors if needed. Once you get all your interior harness' plugged in and your new shifter and shifter cables routed you can put your interior back together and call it done. Your about 75% done with the swap as it is now.
Moving along now to your engine bay, now would be a great time to pull your harness from the interior of the car to your engine bay. While you are also right there, Disconnect your Power Steering lines that should be just hanging there because you will need to use them off of the new Ecotec P/S Pump since it is mounted in a different location. At this point the only thing you should see in your engine bay is the ground. If you have A/C you should still have the A/C canister mounted on the firewall, and Coolant resvoir if you left that in. At this moment, I ordered RK Sports lower dogbone mount and their Upper Ecotec Mount, You will not be able to use your stock upper mount from your 95-99 so might as well forget about it. If your modding up your ecotec now would be a good time to do it since it is out of the car and not installed yet. If not go ahead and lower your engine and transmission into the engine bay. If your ecotec is an automatic, Dispell all myths now because it will bolt directly up to your stock location as your 95-99 Auto. For a 5 speed you will need to check with C24NA as he has successfully mounted a getrag 5 speed in a 95-99 body. bolt your lower engine mount and tranny in. If you have the Ecotec upper mount you can bolt that in also.
Your engine should now be mounted in and looking pretty in your engine bay. Here is another myth that will be resolved right now. You cannot use your old driver side axle from your 95-99 2.2 OHV, You will need your Driver side axle from the getrag trans. Go ahead and bolt up your spindle and shock up cause your drivers side is almost done. Onto the passenger side, You **CAN** use your 95-99 axle it will slide right in, bolt up your spindle and strut and that side is just about done. Now look for that wiring harness you pulled thru the firewall. Connect the other half of that box and screw it together. You may now begin to plug in all your wiring into the engine and transmission. If you have it all routed good job. Take your ECM and mount it to the passenger side strut tower using your strut bolts. Run the wiring to that and plug it in. You may also want to hook up your new power steering lines to the new P/S Pump if you havent done so already, It is a Pain to get to underneith the car so I would do that now. Go to your donor car and now grab your master cylinder from it. You can now bolt that onto the vehicle and hook up your brake lines and connectors into it. Make sure you dont have your battery connected though. As for exhaust system. I purchased a catback exhaust and a high flow cat, You can use the ecotec stock exhaust manifold or from what i heard Weapon-R headers fit very well in the 95-99 engine bay without rubbing anything on the new ecotec.
Right now you should have Your engine mounted, all accessories plugged in, P/S pump hooked up, Brake Master Cyl plugged in and connected. Engine bay should look pretty damn full. Minus your Radiator and fan. Which you can now reinstall, plug in the connectors and rubber hoses. Here is where the fun comes in. At this point in time you have 3 options. You can now install 00-02 headlights and keep your stock hood, install 03-04 headlights and get a new hood, or keep your 95-99 headlights and just rewire them in. I personally wanted to go with 03-04 headlights since I purchased an 03-04 Urethane drift kit from ECC Motorsports. The 97 needed to be severely updated on its looks so I figured new engine new body kit new looks..
Now Reconnect your battery, turn your key to the on Position but do not start the vehicle. Your theft light should be on. (We do this all the time at work) so leave your key in the on position without starting for 20 Minutes. Your theft light should then be off after then. Now turn your key to the off position but do not take your key out of the ignition. You can proceed to start the vehicle and it should run if everything was done correctly. Congratulations. You have now joined me and a slight few others of having a 95-99 Jbody with an ecotec. Enjoy yourself
Re: 99 eco swap.. Quote Reply
John Higgins
Thursday, June 01, 2006 10:03 AM
[quote=DrÃkÉ]john you said you have done this. so what all parts are involved? and how long does it usually take down time to swap?
Well a few things matter first. Year of the car it is going into, and if it is a auto or not. Also does it have A/C or do you want A/C.
If doing it on a pre 2000 car you will need everything from the ecotec car. Motor, Tranny, Axles, engine bay wiring, Radiator (some people have made the older radiators work). Hoses, upper motor mount (you can use a older motor mount, but the motor will not be level, but works). You also need inside wiring (you need wiring front to back on the Ecotec). BCM, gauge cluster, also the ignition switch (this depends on year, some plug into the cluster, some do not). If the one on your car does not plug into the cluster you should be good. Fuel tank, fuel lines. There is a extra fuel line that is for the evap system which is now in the rear of the car, so you will need the evap system as well. Exhaust, down pipe is different (the bolt pattern looks the same for a 2.4 and Ecotec but are not). The wiring is a plug and play on this swap except for the headlights (which depends on what you plan to do for headlights). What I mean is the pre 2000 cars had 2 bulbs for headlight 2000+ have 1 for both. You either have to swap to the newer headlights, or wiring the 2000+ wiring harness to the pre 2000 headlights. This can be done. The 2000+ headlights have 3 wires 2 grounds 1 power. We have done this and it works. This would be the hardest of the wiring issues. For the air bags the control module is a little different and mounted in different locations on the different years, also the bags are different starting in 2003. 2000+ bags look the same as pre 2000, but have a different connector. You can swap the connector from the 2000+ bag to your pre 2000 bag and it will work fine. You could swap sterring wheel (if it is a 2003+), but then you have to swap the sterring column as well (the shaft the wheel mounts too is different (smaller I believe). A.C systems have changed. Manily the controls. The A/C compressor from a pre 2000 car will not work with a Ecotec. Hard lines hook up to the fire wall the same. The parts inside the dash for the A/C are different. Some years A/C is all controlled by vacum hoses, and some are controled by vacum and cable. SO for a pre 2000 car you will need the stuff from under the dash as well. Only 3 bolts holding that on comes out as 1 whole unit.
Also the brake booster it's self is the same, the brake master cylinder might/could be different depending on it your car has ABS and the new set-up does or does not. Depending on what the Ecotec powered car had will depend on if you should change brake boosters. Axles will slide in all J-Body hubs with no problems.
As far as tiem to do it well everyone willbe different. Our very first swap took about a month to get everything swapped over and then we had clutch issues. The second swap we did in 2 full weekends and 1 extra day. The car was running in 2 full weekends, and we had to finish the headlights. We also was converting from a 2200 3 speed auto to a Ecotec 5 speed.
How do I swap my auto to a manual?
This is a fairly common question on the JBO forums. The actual swap is fairly straightforward, but it's all the little pieces and things that add up that can make it difficult.
For third gen cars, there were really only four transmission options.
1. 3 speed automatic (3T40)
2. 4 speed automatic (4T40E)
3. 5 speed manual, 95-99 (Isuzu-designed)
4. 5 speed manual, 00-05 (Getrag)
The Isuzu and Getrag use different parts.. from the transmission mounts all the way to the shifter assembly. Both have similar upgrades available, and can handle similar amounts of power when built up. Most people won't break the transmission from power, but from bad shifting... so if you're worried about which one is better - don't.
The hardest part of switching from auto to manual (or vice-versa) is swapping over all the parts. The transmission assembly, including the mounts, axles, shift cables, wiring, pedals, etc takes a fair bit of time. You will have to weld in new transmission mount brackets for this swap. You will also have to reflash your existing PCM, or get a manual PCM and replace the automatic PCM.
Here is a list of the parts you'll need for the swap:
- Complete transmission (duh)
- Clutch
- Flywheel
- Clutch pedal assembly
- Gas/brake pedal assembly (from a manual; smaller brake pedal, unless you don't care about the wider brake pedal)
- Clutch master cylinder
- Slave cylinder/throw-out bearing assembly
- Shifter assembly w/ cables
- Axles
- Manual PCM (or reflash)
It is important to note, that because the bellhousing is different between the 2.2L (pushrod) or 2200 engine, the 2.4L Twin Cam (LD9) engine, and the 2.2L Ecotec - the transmission MUST come from the same motor. You cannot use a 2.4L transmission on a 2.2L, unless you swap the bellhousing (which requires the transmission to be disassembled). Get the right transmission to start with, and it's a much easier job.
The easiest way to do this swap is to drop the existing engine and transmission out of your car together. Once they're out, you can separate the transmission from the engine and start putting the manual transmission together. There is plenty of other work to do to the car while the powertrain is out.
The 3- and 4-speed auto transmissions use the same transmission mounting plate. There are four bolts through it. You need to grind off the bottom plate to clear the new transmission. Do this now, while the engine and transmission are out of the car, because it's really hard to do later on when you realize that it doesn't fit properly (learn from MY mistakes!).
Once you drop the engine, take off the starter motor. Turn the crank and undo the three bolts from the flexplate (accessible thru the starter hole) to the Torque ConverterThe automatic tranny equivilent of a clutch (damn I'm oversimplifying).. Once these are out, you can take out the large bolts that hold the transmission to the engine block, and separate the two. The flex plate comes off the crank (six bolts). You need longer bolts for the flywheel, because it is thicker than the flexplate. Once the flywheel is on, you can put the clutch plate, cover, etc together and bolt the manual transmission to the engine.
The next step is to weld in the transmission mount brackets. The rear getrag bracket is available new from GM, and is relatively cheap. The front getrag mount is available from Turbo Tech Racing and is also inexpensive. If you want, you could torch off a set of mounts from a wrecking yard. I do not know if the Isuzu mounts are available from GM anymore. If there's only one thing you get from this FAQ article.. hopefully this is it: MEASURE MEASURE MEASURE. Make sure the mounts are EXACTLY where they need to be. Clamp it, then measure again. Tack weld it, then measure again. Do a test fit, then measure again. Once you're absolutely positive that they're in the right spot, weld them up nice and sturdy.
There's lots of work to do in the interior. Take out the centre console, remove the automatic shifter assembly. Disconnect the park/brake interlock cable. Install the new shifter and feed the cables through the firewall.
The pedals are a special challenge upon themselves. If you want to make it easier on yourself, remove the whole dash. I will not go into those details in this write-up. If you want the smaller brake pedal, you need to remove the stock gas/brake pedals (they're one assembly) and replace them with the manual ones. Then install the clutch pedal. There is a spot above the steering column for the top bolt, but there isn't a hole in the firewall for the clutch master cylinder, so you'll have to drill that. There's a big hole in the middle for the plunger, and two on either side for the bolts. As before, MEASURE MEASURE MEASURE. It doesn't have to be perfect, but it does have to be close. There is a notch in the sheet metal on the engine side if you look closely, that's where you're working. Compare with a friend's car or a wrecked car if you can.
Once you have the pedals installed, you can put the engine back in with the new transmission. Then it's a matter of hooking things up to the right places.
The electronics are another matter.. since the dash harness and engine harness are different between auto and manual cars, you'll either have to swap those or modify them to work. The automatic has a neutral safety switch on the transmission, the manual has a clutch safety switch on the top of the clutch pedal. If you change the entire dash harness (a bit of a pain, but safer to have the switch than to bypass it), then it's just a matter of plug and play. Same goes for the reverse light switch. On an automatic, it's next to the safety switch on the transmission case, but on a manual it's on the back of the case. Also the VSS wire, which is on the passenger side (output shaft) on the auto, but on the driver's side on the manual.
So, it's not exactly a walk in the park, but it's not impossible. Depending on where you get the parts from, it can range up to $2000 or so if you do your own labor, more if you have to pay someone to do it for you.
Obviously, this isn't meant as a "How To" guide.. there's a lot more that I've left out here. But it should give you an idea of what exactly is involved in the procedure.
Evan Stryker wrote:I'm in month 6 of this swap.. its not fun what so ever. Wiring hell...
Month 6? Shouldn't take more than 6 days, tops. It's not that hard.
There is good info in there, but I think we need to edit some of it out. I was reading through it and was going to comment on things, but then later come across parts that corrected those. Thing is someone might be looking for a quick answer and read the first part and not the last part. Over all good job putting that all together.
FU Tuning
Thanks man alot for the write up it will help me alot....but also John Higgins which parts did you see that were wrong because i am very serious about doing this swap and would like to learn everything i need to know. And johnny b thanks again man that write up was great.
David Lee wrote:Thanks man alot for the write up it will help me alot....but also John Higgins which parts did you see that were wrong because i am very serious about doing this swap and would like to learn everything i need to know. And johnny b thanks again man that write up was great.
What it is if you read
Quote:
- 95-99 cars use different airbag modules than the 00-05 cars. Same with the airbags themselves. Swapping car wiring includes these parts, which are stupidly-expensive. Check Ebay for prices if you don't believe me.
Now if you read further on down you will see where he qouted me as saying you can use the air bags from a 95-99 car and just swap the connections. Also to do with the HVAC, they are the same size, but the AC system, and controls are very different. Some are controlled by vacuum, and some buy hard lines. 2000+ is controlled by hard lines, pre 2000 by vacuum. Most of this info is in his post, but it is in there saying 2 different things. Just need to sort it out.
FU Tuning
One more quick question would it matter what year car i pulled the motor and everything from or will any cavy with an ecotec be just fine???? Thanks again for all the help
Your best bet would be from '03+ cavalier/sunfire. 02's have some problem with the fuel injectors, rail, lines, & fpr. You could still do the 02' swap but if you do more to the engine as in boost or nitrous you will need 03+ fuel components, since they apparently flow more volume and pressure, but im not certain on this, im still getting the info myself to make sure. Someone please give some input on this that knows about it.
Karo (Car Customs) wrote:Hi,
I finally got all the parts needed to make something work for the 2002 Ecotec Cavalier/Sunfire Owners. As you all know the 2002 Ecotec Injectors are different from the 2003-2005 Ecotec Injectors, infact the fuel rail, injectors, and fpr is all different. Well I finally got the parts to make all the 2003-2005 Rail, Lines, Injectors, and FPR to work on a 2002 Ecotec.
Just to clear some things up the 2002 Injectors are longer then the 2003-2005 Injectors. On the newer cars GM Used a spacer between the head and the actual injector to make up the size differance between the two injectors.
These are the four spacers which go into the head between the injector and the head it self. With these four spacers you will be able to use the 2003-2005 Fuel System (Rail, Lines, FPR, Injectors) on your 2002 Ecotec Car.
Why would you want to do such a thing? Simple, if your going for boosted application and or in need of bigger injectors with this setup now you can use almost any injectors out there. These would be the same Injectors being used on the 2000-2002 2.4L LD9 Engine and or RC Engineering Injectors as well.
thanks again everyone and it doesnt matter if i rip the engine off an auto tranny because so far at the junkyard that just about all i can find and the price at the junkyard would be 150 for the motor and i cant find anything to beat that price..
David Lee wrote:thanks again everyone and it doesnt matter if i rip the engine off an auto tranny because so far at the junkyard that just about all i can find and the price at the junkyard would be 150 for the motor and i cant find anything to beat that price..
Honestly your best bet is to find a wrecked J and get the complete car. Getting apart here and apart there you will go over a grand easy.
FU Tuning
