I am looking to swap a good engine from a bad car, to a bad engine from a good car.
Specifically, I need to go from a 93 with the 2.2L to a 88 with the 2.0L
What is involved?
Possibly quite a bit. You'll probably need to swap the intake and all off of the 2.0 onto the 2.2. The 93 has MPFI and the 88 has TBI. So you'll need to retain the TBI in order for the computer to work properly. Maybe also get a bit bigger injector as well.
Probably not worth it then from what I gather?
I'm sure it's quite possible. Just gonna be a little 'rough' to get things going. The difference in electronics between the 2 years is the biggest part.
So, whole engine and wiring harness.... not a big deal. How about the tranny, direct bolt-up?
You're asking about installing an 88 2.0 tbi into a car originally equipped with a 93 2.2 pfi engine?
I would do it this way:
1) cam from 93 into 88
2) cyl head from 93 into 88
3) keep PFI
4) Find and install knock sensor and ecm from 94 2.2
5) lower fuel pressure 2-5 psi (will need to be determined after vehicle is driven)
The pfi system is better, makes more power and torque, but the larger displacement of the 2.2 requires more fuel. Lowering the fuel pressure slightly will lean the system. The TBI cylinder head has "notches" in the intake ports which align with the pfi injectors to allow a clear spray of fuel to the valves. You can cut the notches in the 2.0 head, but the 2.2 head is, to the best of my knowledge, the same in terms of valve and chamber size and will bolt on so changing the head seems like the easiest route. The 93 cam is going to be the largest cam for the flat lifter OHV engines so you might as well install it. You could add 1.6 ratio rockers to try and increase airflow and power slightly to bring the 2.0 closer to the 2.2. The 94 ecm has more agressive timing than the 93 part so installing the later ecm might help to make up some of the power loss caused by using the smaller engine. The computer's fuel curve might not exactly match the engine's needs causing a few minor hiccups, but you might end up with a slightly stronger engine when you're done if you do it right. All accessories and transmission *should* bolt up without problems.
-->Slow
Wow... thanks for the info!
I almost feel bad for saying this... I am going the other way around.
The 93 2.2L is still in great shape, but the car is shot. The entire rear has been twisted so much that it is almost unsafe, even for the track.
The 88 2.0L has a body in perfect shape, but the engine is on it's last leg.
Slow, you would be a god if you can pull that off again but in reverse!
Aside from the TBI/PFI conversion (If you want to go that route), it'll be a straight drop-in swap! Since you have a pre-'98 LN2 you don't need to worry about the crazy crank-trigger reclocking they did in '98 to improve injector firing timing. Of course, you may want to swap on the TBI unit or injector from a 2.5L found in an '88-up S-10 to compensate for fuel requirements. After that, if you feel like it then have the fuel curve remapped to optimize it. Or not if you don't!
Go beyond the "bolt-on".
Are you kidding me? Is it really that easy? What about the wiring? Have you done this yourself?
Wiring is the same if you keep the TBI, so... Yes! It's that easy. Externally the 2.0L and the LN2 are the same so no one will be the wiser to it unless they know the block casting codes (Unlikely) or remember what the code cast on your 2.0L was (Just as unlikely). Plus IIRC when GM went to the Rochester 300-series TBI unit they used it on all 1-bbl TBI apps. And just in case you can't find a '88-up 2.5L, look for a '90-'91 2.2L for the TBI unit and the ECM which will do the job right outta box. The cam found in the '93 was as good as the flat tappet hydraulic got for this engine but had little difference between the '90 and it so remapping shouldn't be needed. The only area to worry about (But not really) was a water crossover that was used to heat the manifold found on the '87-'91 heads. This was done away with on the '92-up heads when the PFI was introduced since in was seen as not needed to obtain best economy like with TBI app, but if I'm right in thinking this will be in your race car, you won't need it with the TBI either. GM also supposedly used an engine metal temp sender on the 2.0Ls heads that's located above the #1 exhaust port that's 1/8" x 27 threaded. Chevy never used this port on the 2.2Ls so it must be plugged if it is drilled and tapped. But again, I don't see that as being found on the '93-'97 head so don't worry about it. The only worry would be the water outlet location which again shouldn't be a problem if it's in the same location on the head on both engines (On the back side!). So outside of those minor details I suggested, it's just a straight-forward swap! The only reason you might want to rewire would be if you wish to install a knock sensor, but that doesn't really seem necessary if you run at least 92 octane fuel. I've learned that with my '94 truck which has the 2.2L w/o the knock sensor.
Go beyond the "bolt-on".
Out of the box, the PFI equipped engine will make more peak torque and power than the TBI equipped engine. You will notice a loss in performance on the track if you choose to use the tbi intake. My information shows the 2.0 OHV TBI and 2.2 OHV TBI use the same injector so the easiest way to get factory like performance is to find a tbi ecm from a 91-92 Corsica / Berretta 2.2 TBI. The timing is mild on these engines and mid range torque can be improved if you have access to tuning tools. There's no need to run 92 octane fuel if you leave the engine management as all stock TBI. Between the relatively low compression of the engine and the restricted air intake through the TB you're not likely to have problems with excess cylinder pressure. However, this will change if you start making modifications. For example, you might want to look for a set of 1.6 ratio rockers to stuff under the valve cover. A cheapie set from someone who races an 8 cyl at your track would be great to experiment with. For a race car you should defnintely block the heater hoses if you haven't already to remove unwanted heat from the TBI intake. Be sure to drill a 1/8" to 1/4" hole in the stat to ensure warm water can circulate past the sensing element. If you have a water restrictor plate this isn't a concern, just block the hoses and call it a day. EGR won't be operational 99.9% of the time so you can leave it in place and not worry. Unfortunately I don't believe there are any GM TB's which bolt onto that intake with larger throttle plates so improving higher rpm airflow will take some work. An easier approach imo would be to look for low to mid range torque improvements. Advancing the cam 3-4 degrees will increase bottom end response slightly. Combine this with the larger rockers and it might cause you to need somewhat better fuel. If you want to be cheap at this point, use 87 octane and mix 2 ozs Xylene with every 10 gallons of fuel. Try it before shelling out the cash for the next better pump gas. Of course, the way prices change these days the xylene might work out to cost more than the better grade of fuel. <sigh>
Changing to the 93 pfi system would be fairly simple in terms of making everything fit since you have a car which can supply all the parts you need. Fuel lines, wiring, ecm, tank n pump, throttle cable will all need to be modified or swapped over. It's work, and time, but GM's already done the engineering for you. The pfi system requires higher fuel pressure so swapping to a Z24 pump or changing the tank to the 93 style is required. The fuel lines connect differently at the LH frame rail so you'll need to find a way to attach the PFI lines to the TBI car. Throttle cable and trans detent cable (if auto equipped) are different between tbi and pfi and should be swapped directly. If you do install the pfi system there are plenty of threads on the .org to help you improve power output. All you have to do is make sure you don't get accused of cheating.
-->Slow
Well, since you have the entire both cars, you can probably just swap the whole damn thing over it might just be easiest that way. Electronics and all. It's winter and you probably have some time til next season, and since you have both entire cars available I'd say go for it. slowolej seems to have it pretty well locked down on what all you'll need to do.