Re: [tech]: engine swap q's

["Victor Farren" <vfarren@dis.cdie.org>]

>>> "Michael Abatzis" <abatzis2@hotmail.com> 07/18 3:38 PM >>>
1. just removed the head from the 2.0 L (real easy, i hope the rest of the
swap is like this!). lots of carbon on the head and pistons. how do i clean
it? should i? 

Yes, clean is good.  I used a razor blade to CAREFULLY scrape the carbon deposits off of the pistons, and then I cleaned further with rubbing alcohol.  I remeber someone suggesting using a wire wheel as well.

2. i think i can remove just the inner cv's from the transaxle w/o removing
the whole axle and dealing with ball joints and camber bolts and alignments,
but i've never tried. can i?

Yes.


3. anything i should do "while i'm in there"? this is my daily driver, and i
don't have a lot of time to do this, so we're talking "replace timing belt"
or "replace easily accessable seal X" rather than "replace valves and
guides".

Replace the timing belt and tensioner, water pump and any hoses that are old, oil pan seal if it is dripping (sheeit, do it anyways, replacing it with the engine in the car connected to the transaxle is a PITA - ask Mark Peele), oil pressure senders (cheap and kind of of PITA to replace when they go bad and start leaking oil out of the top).  This is a good time to put a new, low temp thermostat in your water pump.  Don't forget the low temp fan switch as well.  It's also a good time to replace your clutch if it has a lot of mile on it.

4. any hints or suggestions? 

Make sure the mating surfaces of the head on the block are CLEAN!  I took an entire can of carb cleaner and make sure the bottom of the head was squeeky clean.  Any oil or dirt on the mating surfaces keeps the headgasket from sealing well and can cause oil leaks.

On the 2L block, make sure there is no water in the head bolt holes.  Water doesn't compress and can cause you to crack the block when you torque down the head bolts.  Better than head bolts, use head studs from ARP.  You can re-use them and they provide more clamping force.  I had an issue of oil seeping out from the back of the block at the #1 cylinder when I used head bolts.  I re-removed the head and used head studs and it seems (keeping fingers crossed) to have solved that problem.

LABEL EVERYTHING!!  Put things is little baggies and label it.  Label all electrical connections.  Makes reassembly much easier.

And most importantly, remember, engine swaps really are FUN!

HTH,

Victor
2L 16v





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