Ok i got a 99 sunfire with the 2200 in it and auto i'm wanting to do a 2.4 swap in it. I grabbed a 2000 2.4 with the 5 speed, and axles for 400 bux'z. But the motor has 140,000 on it. It leaks a lil oil around the cam towers but other than that it runs pretty good. Now i plan on doing a compression check to see if it needs reringed or anything and if that checks out fine. Is there anything else i should do? Thought about just changing the gaskets, rod and main bearings and probably timing chain. Now i also have to other cavaliers a 95 with the 2.3 auto and a 96 cav that i parted out but i still got the motor, pedals, and shifter stuff. Both motors in the cav's have spun rods so i can use what ever on them. I know i need to switch out knock sensors and injectors( anything else between the 2.4's?). Also i on the 95 its got a full 2 1/4 exhuast will it bolt up to the 2.4? What abot the intake, throttle body should i use and of that. I plan on doing a full out build and boost it this winter but just need some more power for now. I also need a pcm and wiring harness. I can get a 2.4 harness for a auto but that's all i found will that work? Also i need a computer now i spoke with vince at trifecta and he said he can tune a 99 2.2 but is it possible to switch the programing to a 2.4 on my original computer since i belive i read if you do the secret cams you have to get a tune. Would that be a better route? I know how mail order tunes are also but vince tuned my trans am awhile back in which he gets the tunes from pcmforless out of lancaster, pa something like that. And i took it up there a few months ago and put down 510 on the rollers and was almost dead on with the mail tune but they played with it a lil more timing, and i needed bigger injectors after that i put 543 not sure one tourqe as i would have to find the sheet. But he vince and pcmforless did a heck of job so i though bout going that route. Also am i forgetting anthing besides mounts? thanks

first off... for the love of GOD you need to separate your major questions apart from each other so they are easier to understand. one giant paragraph got really annoying fast.

secondly... ive gotten a bad mail order tune and believe me, its a nightmare. 95% of it was fine, but that 5% created the nightmare for me. i would not recommend a mail order tune just because its damn hard to get things right. every car seems to be different and trying to tune for mods and not knowing what the car is doing is extremely hard.

as for the rest of your questions....

2.4 cam towers are common to leak like that, especially with that many miles. so when you re-build just get new gaskets and torque to proper spec (haynes manual) and they should be fine.

as for a rebuild, i would most definitely do that before you put this engine in the car if you have any doubts about its ability to function properly. plus, why not since its going to be out anyways...

as for your exhaust, yes the 2 1/4 will work, AFTER the exhaust manifold... you will need to get it hooked up at an exhaust shop or do it yourself. i recommend getting a header while your at it since they are so cheap nowadays. an exhaust shop will hook up your 2 1/4 piping to the header and it will be just fine. since you got a 2000 2.4, go ahead and get the header for the 2000-2002 cavalier so it does not have the provision for the EGR. that way you will not need to get an egr block off plate. you could also avoid having to get a block off plate if you simply use the 2000 exhaust manifold and gasket.

as for the computer, ive HEARD (yes, heard.. do not take this to heart) that an auto computer will work on a 5spd car just fine, but its going to be trying to find the tranny so you might get a check engine light.

sorry about the big paragraph. Also i do understand about different cars and mail orders thats why i took the t/a and got it dyno tuned.
I was just stating he didn't do bad for a mail order. As for rebuilding i was just going to do it this winter if i still have the funds so as long as the compression and all is ok i just planned on dropping it in for now.

I know the boy personally and the motor was maintained with nothing mechanically wrong. They reason i got the motor and all is because he only had liability and put it into a guard rail and backwards over a bank.

This is what i was going to to do to the motor for now, header, cold air intake( have alot of intercooler piping left over), Change all gaskets,timing set, p&p the head, port match the intake, secret cams or something around that, Turn the fly well and new clutch.
The cav has full 2 1/4 mandrel bent exhuast so there would be the exhuast and i could possibly do the exhuast work.

But as for using a auto 2.4 computer i wasn't going to i can a 2.4 5 speed computer but does it matter as for the year? or should i get one from a 99? I would use the 96 computer but don't have as i sold it with the 5 speed tranny. I'm mainly concerned about the harness for the fact no yards close to me has a manual harness only a auto one.

So could i use the auto harness? i have the harness out of the 96 but someone had installed an alarm system and it was all hacked into the harness but does have the 5 speed tranny plugs could i wire in the plugs to wires if they are the same? Wiring diagram possibly?

Is there anything else that i would need or am forgetting to do the swap? i know computer, axles,cables, harness, pedals, shifter, inejctors need changed to the 96 ones i have, knock sensor, and mounts anthing else? thanks

o i forgot two things since the 2000's don't have egr it shouldn't affect anything besides an annoying check engine light will it? And second i was thinking about reomving the balance shafts while i was changing the gaskets is it a good idea?

removing the balance shafts is a VERY good idea. ive heard its 12lbs off the rotating assembly, and right around 35lbs off the weight of the engine completely. yes, do this and while your at it your going to have to do the 2.3 oil pump swap. there are write up's floating around here and obviously you know how to search so just type in 2.3 oil pump swap and watch the mountain of threads appear.

trust me.. there are no adverse side effects. ive personally driven and ridden in two separate cav's with the 2.3 oil pump swap and removed balance shafts and their owners literally beat the piss out of them every day and both are fine. its a lot of tedious work but in the long run its so worth it IMO.

as long as you get a 2000-2002 harness you wont need to worry about a CEL with the EGR removal, and if all you can find is an older harness hp tuners can turn off the CEL for the egr so that it no longer comes on. i did this on my car and it works just fine.

First are you planning a complete motor build, or just replace a few gasket's etc..? Because to remove the balance shafts you need to have block work done to use the 2.3 oil pump.
If you are only looking to do a quick freshen up then, replace gaskets's, water pump, and maybe a new oil pump. There is a post somewhere on this site about a better stock style pump.
EGR is not to big of a issue, you can run the egr on the 99+ motor, or get a 99+ ECU and not run EGR. You can use a auto ECU to run a manual car, but ti will throw a check engine light because the tranny is not there, but will run fine. To run a 00+ ECU you need to do a body harness swap so you can have a BCM as well, so I would run a 97-99 ECU.



FU Tuning

Basically right now all i wanted to do to the motor if it all checke out fine was freshen it up. Then build it up this winter. Also i want to stay with a pre 99 computer because i really don't want to change everything out. I would also rather not have the egr( less junk on the motor and have no emissions). The 2000 model though don't have egr correct? As long as it won't affect performance i can deal with the light tell i can get it removed.

I was not aware of alot of block work to remove the shafts, but i must of missed that part or something. I just remebered reading about removing them to free up weight in which should help out. I'm basically wanting to do all the mods i can while the motor is out, with out or the least bit of machine work possible before being built up later on. I'll do a search on the shafts but if i don't find what i'm looking for would you care to post the link?

Now as for the harness thing. The boy i'm getting it from sold the harness but still has the computer for a 2000. I have a harness out of a 96 that has been hacked on and i don't have the computer. But my local yards do have a engine bay harness for 96-99 2.4 auto along with computers for the auto but no 5 speeds. I'm going to call around at others and see if they have what i need. What should be a good price for both the computer and harness?

If i can't find anything 5 speed related what would you recommend for the harness as you already said i could use the auto computer if i had too? one last thing should i just cut of the entire frame rail off the 2000 cav since i basically need all the mounts? Then cut them of the rail and put them on the fire?

Other than that i belive i'm good to go and will probably start on it this weekend.. thanks

With what you just said, I would do the following:
Replace water pump, oil pump (with a stock replacement), gaskets that need replaced (cam towers, front or rear main seal). That would be about it. This is all saying compression and leak down test come back good.

99+ 2.4's do not have EGR (but can run it if had to). You do not want a 2000+ ECU since your car is a 99. Get a 97-99 engien bay harness and ECU. If you can't find a manual harness you can make the auto harness work. A little bit of cutting and splicing will be needed.

As for mounts you could cut the ones out of a 2000+ car (since you have a 2000+ tranny), or you can buy the mounts. Gm sells the rear for about $30, and Turbo Tech Racing sells the front for about $75. They will need to be welded in.



FU Tuning

i knew i didn't want to use the 2000 ecu its to much work when it could easier. I'll just save a lil cash and cut the mounts off the boys 2000 and weld them up. Now i rember reading awhile back i belive somewhere about what all wires need to be cut/spliced on a auto harness. You wouldn't by perhaps no where the info would be would you?

My 3 last final ?'z . I've read so many wild goose chase story's on the 2.3 lo manifold is it worth it to use? I would need a adapater plate if i would use it right? And is a 95 tb the same size as the 2.4'z?

Thanks bud

o i noticed you didn't say anything about a average price for the harness and computer? The reason i asked is becuase some of my yards around here are big rip off. Two of the wanted 100bux'z for a gauge cluster!!!

hey man, check out www.car-part.com

i guarantee you will find multiple items of what you are looking for.

thanks i checked it out i wonder what the harness would fall under or would my best bet be to call some of the yards that come up for the computer?

yep, call em the yard for the computer.

actually, just type in 5spd cavalier with the year you want, odds are the harness is there.

alright will do then. Will any other vehicle harness work like one out of a grandam or something? If so i might know where one is and plus when i called all of my local yards i only said for a 96-99 cavailier/sunfire harness.

Trent Judy wrote:alright will do then. Will any other vehicle harness work like one out of a grandam or something? If so i might know where one is and plus when i called all of my local yards i only said for a 96-99 cavailier/sunfire harness.

I would not use a harness from another car, but only a J. Might run into some issues.



FU Tuning

ok i was just wondering because i think the one big yard i called said they didn't have any for a cav or fire but had one in a grand am. thanks