94 Q45 Engine swap.... into a 92

[needhelpplz]

Hey guys!

I was just trying to find some info on doing an engine swap, I have a 92q45 159k, chain guides F'D up... but the engine ran find with a really loud ticking/knock so i put new metal guides on, got it retimed. and F*** 500 in parts and 900 in labor later sounds like a broken rod or possibly a hole in the piston?

anyways I decided to get another engine, instead of the 2k or so in labor in tearing the bottom end apart... I guess the hoses and such are so brittle that they allstarted breaking and cracking when my mechanic was working on them. so thats another ton of money replacing all that. i know the ones under the plenum need replacing.. P.S he found a hose cleaner brush that was broken off plugging the egr valve? I think he said... wonder how long thats been in there.

ANYWAY- I am acquiring a 94' q45 engine. for the swap. I was just curious what kind of time (hours) would it take for a mechanic to do the swap out/swap in, and also if anyone knows if the wiring harness is the same for both the 94 and the 92. both of them are the same traction control without active suspension, I am assuming they are relatively the same, + (metal guides)

If anyone has any suggestions on the swap, to help it go easier or help anything that might be encountered along the way please let me know it would be much appreciated!

Thanks-Aaron

[Q45tech]

AT MINIMUM you will need to redesign the harness that attaches the Crank Angle Sensor as 90-93 [has 2 connectors] and 94-96 [has one] are very very different...........there may be some other differences............we have never done such a swap and never even contemplated doing such a mix match.

The precats have a different internal substrate to match the different cats.

Good luck.

[96Qowner]

The swap can be a problem - harnesses don't match up. The couple posters who tried it were sorry they did. But it can be done. Here's an old thread about it:

zerothread?id=246269

And as odd as it sounds, that brush is supposed to be in that hose! heheh. Many old posts about it.

[qship96]

Cheaper and way less headache to just buy a good running example 94-96Q instead of a proper junker engine rehab and install and then troubleshoot job-part out the old 92 carcas to the voltures looming here.

[elwesso]

its not as hard as people say it is...

Only thing you have to do is get connector from a 94 harness for the CAS and splice it in.. Check and see if the place you're getting your engine could at least cut that part of the harness off...

From that everything else is the same, there may some other things you have to swap over from the other motor ( the coil packs or harness, i dont recall the difference)..

[qship96]

Problem is,by the time you source a suitable donor engine,the costs of motor and all hard parts rehab,then R & R will run 4-5K minimum,and for that investment you can acquire a newer 94-96Q and part out the old....all with Zero downtime

[elwesso]

but then you have to factor in that said 94-96 will probably need all the same hoses and possibly other things...

I think that if your 92 has a solid body AND interior, and a good trans then its probably worth the swap... Clean 90-93s are getting really hard to find.

Thing is now engines are becoming super cheap compared to yesteryear... You can pick up a nice motor for $1000, drop a 1200 or so in parts to fix it up nice, save a bunch of money on labor for doing thigns that take forever in the car (like valve covers, spark plugs, front and rear main seals, etc)...

Its probably a $3000 investment, you'd be lucky to get 1500 out of parting it out not to mention the HUGE hassle of parting a car out...

By now all original hoses are going to be dry rotted in any G50.

[needhelpplz]

OK...

So... very good information.

I found a 93 motor with 30k less miles on it for 300 bucks more, would it be better to go that route?!? save me in the labor game?!? I have the metal guides to go on it,

as for the 94 motor, as long as I can get a wiring harness for it, everything should go smoothly correct?!? is it necessary to swap the coils off of the old engine onto the new one?!?

sorry im a bit of a n00b when it comes to engine swaps .

I already owe my mechanic 900 for the car which has literally had nothing done to it I really want it back. I love my 45.

Yes the car is in fairly good shape, no dents or dings really, a little bit of rust starting at the rear wheel wells, the transmission was rebuilt less than 30k ago and shifts amazing! I would love to get her repainted in the spring or summer if this project doesnt make me (too) broke!.

If someone who knows what their doing could post exactly how to overcome the issues of going from 92 engine to 94, that would be extremely helpful!!

Would a 93 engine be a direct fit otherwise?!? I have my pick at the two engines, i'm going to pick 1 up on wednesday. any info I can get by then would really help me out alot!

I appreciate the fast responses! you guys are the best!Thanks -Aaron

[elwesso]

The extra labor really isnt that big of a deal while you're "in there".. If it were my car, between the 2 motors id pick the one that was cleanest under the valve cover...

The 93 vs 94 motor doesnt have any inherent pros/cons, just pick the cleaner motor...

If you swap the 94 motor into your car, you MAY have to do something with the coils. Its a swap thing, i cant remember if the coils are different or the harness or what... Thats an easy move when your in there...

Swapping in a complete engine wiring harness isnt worth it theres not that many differences, just in the CAS. Probably an hour to swap a wiring harness in vs 15 mins to splice in a connector. Either way, drop in the bucket for an 8-10 hour job.

Basically to outline it bluntly, the only differences that need corrective action is the CAS... you CANNOT interchange a 90-93 and 94-95 CAS even though they work exactly the same. theyre basically the same unit but they have different connectors and fit in the head differently...

Everything else that isnt identical will swap in.

[3Q Jay]

choices, choicesi would suggest you find one where the seller is williing to pull (let you pull) a valve cover off as part of your pre-buy inspection.if you are not scared by what you see, then i would get an oil sample from same (engine) lab analysed before purchase.

as for the 94 into the 92, you already know about the harness for CAS (side note: in 95, the CAS became a single harness design--learned that from Mr. DAEDALUS). while it can be done, you are going to pay for it many times over since you are paying someone who is not intimately familiar to 'learn' on your car.

suggest you keep your old exhaust manifolds assuming they are not cracked for compatibility as Dennis stated. the exhaust manifold will physically bolt to either the 90-93 or the 94-96 head.

[3Q Jay]

darn that Stinson....beat me to the punch

[needhelpplz]

Awesome... Thanks... so, it would be a pretty simple thing for a mechanic to fabricate a connector for the harness or would he need a special part do you think?!?!? I originally told my mechanic that i though it would be a clean swap (I'm providing the engine for him) so probably just let him know that the CAS has to be spliced? is there a certain way he has to do it? or is it pretty elementary?

also, tried locating that 93 engine again and no luck. must have sold .. also the 94 just arrived at the shop less than a month ago. so it hasn't been sitting long

so CAS, possible coil packs... the exhaust manifolds work,... anything else we might have overlooked??? It doesnt seem as complicated as it seemed in the first few posts, you guys had me scared! think I should go ahead and get that 94 then??? the guy I talked to said it was running and tested out good, pulled 185 compression (impressive I thought) plus its got a 90 day warranty for whatever thats worth.

Thanks!

[96Qowner]

Have you checked bladeQ45's email from the thread I linked, to see if it still works? He actually did it.

"if any one needs to know how to do this, too hard to tell you all on here. so heres my e-mail ****************** and i will tell you how to do this."

[elwesso]

Awesome... Thanks... so, it would be a pretty simple thing for a mechanic to fabricate a connector for the harness or would he need a special part do you think?!?!? I originally told my mechanic that i though it would be a clean swap (I'm providing the engine for him) so probably just let him know that the CAS has to be spliced? is there a certain way he has to do it? or is it pretty elementary?

also, tried locating that 93 engine again and no luck. must have sold .. also the 94 just arrived at the shop less than a month ago. so it hasn't been sitting long

so CAS, possible coil packs... the exhaust manifolds work,... anything else we might have overlooked??? It doesnt seem as complicated as it seemed in the first few posts, you guys had me scared! think I should go ahead and get that 94 then??? the guy I talked to said it was running and tested out good, pulled 185 compression (impressive I thought) plus its got a 90 day warranty for whatever thats worth.

Thanks!

All you have to do is splice in the new connector. All you need is the FSM from a 94 and a 92 and match the wires up.. If he's decent with electronic stuff (VERY BASIC stuff like reading diagrams) he'll be fine....

Be sure to go the extra mile now and do things that suck to do when the motor isout of the car, like valve covers and so on...

Since you dont need new chain guides, you could probably flip them on here and make some money back.

[needhelpplz]

Thanks!

Will get some basic stuff done while engine is out,

Does anyone have a link or know of a thread where their are pictures from the FSM of the wiring harnesses from a 92 and 94???

that would be amazing, you guys are a big help!

[mtcookson]

You can actually find the FSM's here (though I don't think we have a 90-93 Q FSM yet): http://www.nicoclub.com/FSM/Q45/

[needhelpplz]

Cool!

would anyone have ANY IDEA where I could find one for a 92?!??!? im sure theres one around somewhere! thanks!

[Q45denver]

Manuals come up on Ebay quite a bit.

Any year from 1990 to 1995 engine should work. Just don't get a 1996 unless you want to deal with OBD 2.

Make sure you verify condition before installing. Best to verify while still in donor vehicle!!
Modified by Q45denver at 1:43 AM 12/12/2007

[goody90q45]

.....would anyone have ANY IDEA where I could find one for a 92?!??!? im sure theres one around somewhere! thanks!

In mint condition shipped to your door:

zerothread/277076