I'm hoping to get some help and comments on an engine swap....

I'm pulling a tired, worn-out 1.8 liter SOHC engine out of my '90 Laser (auto trans). I have a nice, low-mileage 1992 Gallant 2-liter SOHC engine, and it looks like an easy swap since the 2.0 short block is the same as the 2-liter DOHC engine that was available in the Laser, and the 2.0 SOHC head is very similar to the current 1.8 SOHC head. Mechanically, it appears to be no problem (but I'm open for comments...)

Questions are:

I do not want to replace the entire ECM/system out of the Laser with the Gallant ECM (which I don't have). If I use the injectors and all airflow sensors/throttle body from the 1.8 on the 2.0, will I have any problems? I would think that the system components do not "know" what engine they're mounted on, and will meter correct air/fuel based on the ox sensor and airflow. Anyone know for sure?

Since I want to use the same ECM-interface systems from the 1.8 on the 2.0, I also want to swap the 1.8 distributor into the 2.0. The portion of the 1.8 distributor that sticks into the head is identical to the 2.0 distributor, except for the location of the lower (inner) oil seal: The 2.0 has the inner seal closer to the gear than the 1.8 due to an oiling hole in the head. Does anyone see any problem with simply lathe-turning a new oil ring seal groove into the 1.8 distributor so the oil seal ends up in the correct location for the 2.0 engine and using the modified 1.8 distributor in the 2.0?

Any other comments, suggestions or ideas for pulling off this swap with the least amount of pain and expense? Comments appreciated!

 

Still looking for some input and comments...

I just finished machining the 1.8 distributor body to re-locate the inner O-ring to the 2.0 location - came out great and looks like it'll work just fine. I noticed that the 2.0 distributor (which I can't use in the Laser ECM system) actually has both the 1.8 and the 2.0 O-ring groove machined into the body, so now my 1.8 unit matches it. Cool. I have the 2.0 engine all stripped down and ready to get the transplanted 1.8 sensors and injectors mounted into it, although I think I'll just pop the head off this 2.0 and check the cylinder wear and valve conditions. These little things are pretty simple... I'll post on progress and keep fishing for input and comments.

 

The engines come out of these cars very easy: I popped the old 1.8 out in 1 hour and 35 minutes working by myself. In spite of all the shop manual instructions stating to pull the engine with the tranny, I left the tranny in the chassis and split the engine from the bellhousing. No problem. Very easy and clean pull.

I now have the 2 engines on engine stands side-by-side. Looks like the accessories are going to be the only real trick in this swap: The accessory mounting positions and brackets are not interchangeable between the two engines, and the pulleys are different (and not interchangeable). Looks like I need to go with all of the Gallant 2.0 accessory brackets and accessory pulleys (I cannot use the pulleys on my Laser alternator and A/C compressor on the 2.0 engine). The engine mounts are also different: There is a 1/2" difference in the center-to-center mounting points on the forward and aft engine mounts on the 2 engines, so I need to figure out which mounts to use in order to get the engine brakets to align with the mounts in the chassis. I assume the width of the engine blocks at the mount locations are different, so this could be a challenge.

I pulled the 2.0 engine partially apart to replace all the major seals and gaskets. The head is very easy to work on, and I replaced all the valve stem seals in less than half an hour.

Still looking for tips and comments from anyone who has done this swap before.... I don't want to re-invent the wheel if I don't have to.

 

well, i don't have a whole lot of help for you i'm sorry but i just wanted to let you know that you aren't alone on this forum lol. you may get some more/better help if you tried posting in the Galant section of the forum. This section doesn't get a whole lot of attention.

 

Thanks for the tip - I'll give that a shot. I noticed things are a little slow on this section of the Forum.... I'm having trouble and need some help with engine mounts and accessories right now...

 

Is the engine block the same on this Gallant 2.0 SOHC as the Eclipse 2.0 DOHC? If so, can I use all the engine mount brackets and accessory brackets (along with the accessories) off of a 2.0 Turbo Eclipse to drop this SOHC 2.0 in the car? Junkyard shopping is a lot easier if you know what you're looking for....

 

I'm pulling all the engine mount brackets, accessories, accessory brackets and pulleys off of a 2.0 DOHC Eclipse and bolting it all onto my 2.0 SOHC, with the exception of the driver's side attach bracket, which I'm taking from a 2.0 SOHC Gallant to avoid the width of the DOHC bracket. I'm having to use the 2.0 alternator and the 2.0 A/C compressor, since even the accessories are different from the one engine to the other. With this entire "mounting and drive kit" I should be back on track with this swap again...

For those considering this: All these Mitsubishi engines look identical, but there is no parts interchage at all between the 1.8, 2.0 and the 2.4. Not a single bracket, engine mount, or accessory will interchange. Dumbest design I've ever seen....

 

come on guys, i know you 1g guys can give this man a hand, i'm not familiar w/ the Galant motors so i'm of no help here. but if i were to guess i'd say that it's prolly a 4g63block in which case would swap directly into the eclipse. you wont see a huge difference b/c you will stll only be a 1.8l but you can get 4g63dohc heads somewhat cheap thesse days on like ebay an dplaces like tht. good luck

 

I just finished installing all 2.0 DOHC brackets, engine mounts and accessories onto the 2.0 SOHC Gallant engine from a donating '92 Eclipse. Worst part of the process was pulling all this stuff off of the DOHC Eclipse in a junkyard with the engine still in the car... 3 hours of sweating in the sun getting all the mounts and brackets out of that tight area. Ever tried pulling all the engine mounts off one of these with no engine hoist or jack...? And the A/C compressor & bracket is a real joy to get out, too...

All of the 2.0 DOHC Eclipse parts bolted right onto the 2-liter Gallant, with the exception of the driver's side engine mounts and brackets, which I took from a '92 Gallant (the DOHC bracket is HUGE to clear the width of the twin cam head, so I used the SOHC Gallant bracket for a "stock" look). The 2.0 SOHC Gallant engine is exactly the same as the Eclipse 2.0 DOHC - the only difference between the two engines is the cylinder head. I now have all the accessories, belts, pulleys and engine mounts in the right place, and everything works. Just have some minor work to do with oil pressure sending units and installing a radiator fill neck/cap system into the upper radiator hose (since the Gallant engine does not have the radator cap feature on the engine, and the Eclipse thermostat housing/cap will not interchange... of course...). I have swapped my throttle body and all engine sensors (ox sensor, water temp, vacuum switches, etc) over, and everything is hooked up and fitting well. With luck, the engine is going back into the car tomorrow. I sure hope this thing runs...