Motor Swap Opinions?

[oakrai]

I have a 1990 Eagle Talon ES with the 2.0 NT motor with a 1990 Eclipse GST 5 speedtransmission in it. Car ran like a raped ape for a little 2.0 NT, as a matter of fact it ran right into the trees at 115mph. I have alot of time and money into this car and I don't think I can fix it. Here's my question... My friend has a 1993 Eagle Talon DL With a 1.8l motor in it with a bad automatic transmission. Is it possible for me to pull my motor/transmission along with the front strut/rotors to fit the drive axles and put it in his car. He is selling me it cheap. Please Keep in mind I do have another vehicle to drive and time is not a problem. I would also have a complete running 2.0 car to swap everything with. I know i'd need to change the pedal assembly, wire harness and stuff but other then that will the 2.0 Motor/Trans mounts bolt where the 1.8 mounts are and will I have any problems with my ECU in his car. Would I need to use a different Gauge cluster or will everything be ok with just a different ECU. Once Again Keep in mind I had a complete running 1990 eagle talon 2.0 nt.

I'd really appreciate any suggestions beings that I invested about 4,000 dollars into my car. The only reason im not just fixing mine is I bent/twisted the hell out of my rear torsion bar mount. It pushed my rear end almost 5 inches to the left. Now I started bending it back and I can't get it back in spec. Or if anyone knows where I can get a rear torsion bar mount without paying 100 dollars for it? Any Ideas?

Thanks for your time.

[ginsu417]

You need the ECU, wiring harness, motor mounts, complete engine (with accessories), flywheel, clutch assembly, transmission, clutch and brake pedal, clutch master cylinder, clutch slave cylinder, clutch line, shifter assembly with linkage, 2.0 gauge cluster and the hood with the bump on it. Converting from auto to 5-speed isn't easy, and converting from 1.8 to 2.0 at the same time is going to make the task even more difficult. Assuming you get the donor car for free, you may spend over $100 in misc parts to complete the swap anyway. Shifter bushings, CV boots, and whatever routine maintenence the donor car might need.

[1992eclipse]

exactly what ginsu417 said.... you have to replace it ALL.

Dennis

[oakrai]

Thanks for the Information. That's the thing though I have a complete running 2.0 With a Great drivetrain. I just messed up the rear end. The 1.8l runs but the transmission is blown. So I will have 2 complete cars plus where I live i can pay 10 dollars to go into a Junkyard and whatever I can carry out I can have. They have several T/E/L there so parts are nothing major for me.

[QuickOne]

Originally posted by 1992eclipse
exactly what ginsu417 said.... you have to replace it ALL.

Dennis

When he says ALL he meant ALL. I just went from 1.8 to 2.0T. It was a major pain and the donor car is bare. Only thing that wasn't used in it was the dash and the frame itself and the hood. All wiring and I mean ALL the wiring was used as well as the tranny (which I later found out was shot) and the engine. It was way too much work and $ but I don't regret it.

[oakrai]

When you say all the wires do you mean literally ALL the wires like brake lights etc or can I use some of the old wiring?

[QuickOne]

Originally posted by oakrai
When you say all the wires do you mean literally ALL the wires like brake lights etc or can I use some of the old wiring?

We had to do ALL the wiring since I went from a 91 Eclipse to a 90 Talon. There were a few connectors that were different so I decided to just change ALL of them to be on the safe side.

[oakrai]

Well, I am seriously thinking about trying it. It depends on whether or not I can sell my talon. If no one buys my talon I will get the 1.8 and swap the stuff. How bad is it if I leave my wire harness on my motor and just unplug it from the ecu and pull it through the firewall. I already have had all my interior out including the carpet so thats no big deal to me. I just don't wanna have to pull all my wiring off of the 2.0. Is it possible to just pull the wire harness through the firewall after the ecu is unplugged.

[1992eclipse]

If you have alot of time and the know-how to do such a project and you dont need a car right away then go for it. (damn that was alot of "and's" lol) If it were me, I would do the swap. Its just alot of work.

-dennis-

[QuickOne]

The biggest issue for me was that all the wiring started branching out to the tail lights and everything in between before the ECU. Just plan on spending a few days getting the wiring and interior in the right place.

[oakrai]

So u didn't actually cut any of the wires in the car. The plugs for like the taillights, cigerette lighter ac switch, headlights were the same?

[QuickOne]

All plugs were the same. There were a few plugs that the 1.8 didn't have so the entire thing was swapped over (just a few like relays and the plugs for the power windows, etc)

[Blackboost]

Ok...
You're swapping a 2.0 engine into a 1.8 engine bay. You need to swap the ECU harness in order to make it work correctly since the 2.0 engine uses different connectors for some sensors. Read the following faq for info on what must be done to swap the wiring harness correctly.

Note: The vfaq talks about swapping a 2.0 NT harness for a 2.o turbo harness. My point is that you should forget about the turbo stuff and just get an idea on how to swap a 1.8 harness for a 2.0 NT one.

http://www.dsmsource.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=77076

[oakrai]

Is the 91-93 2.0 harness close to the 1.8 harness? And are there differences with a 90?

I appreciate everyone's information on this stuff, because I know If i decide to do this it will be a major Pain in the ass.

[ginsu417]

YES. Very many. Colors, connectors - lots of differences. 90s are what we call "bitch child DSMs", because they have so many differences to the 91-94s.

[QuickOne]

Originally posted by ginsu417
YES. Very many. Colors, connectors - lots of differences. 90s are what we call "bitch child DSMs", because they have so many differences to the 91-94s.

Boy you are telling me. LOL but it was all worth it!