2.0 upgrade opinions

[newbie914]

I have a '75 1.8L and have an option to buy a 2.0 of same year from a wrecked car.

Any opinions on gotchas and must-haves for me on my first engine-only purchase?

thx


Any tips and reasonably-ferocious flames accepted and encouraged.

[Bleyseng]

Get ALL the parts and pieces! MPS,ECU, wiring harnesses, air cleaner that kind of stuff as they are different between the two.
Geoff

[JWest]

Welcome!

As Geoff said, you want to get as many parts as you can. The fuel injection is a different type between the two engines so you need the harness, computer, etc. to match.

Is it worthwhile? Yes! The 1.8 had less output than the 1.7 due to lower compression. The 2.0 is definitely worth upgrading to.

Before you install the engine I would recommend replacing all the seals while they are easily accessed - removing the engine sheet metal and cleaning the cylinders and oil cooler of debris and gunk would be wise also.

[anthony]

Buy the whole car if you can. Do your engine swap, sell your 1.8 and the other parts off the wrecked car and you'll make money on the deal.

[mike mueller]

I've done this swap before.....I ended up using the L-Jet from the 1.8 on the 2.0 motor with no problems.

Other than that, follow the advise from the other guy's and get as much of the 2.0 parts you can
(the exhaust is the same so you don't have to worry about that)

The 2.0 will have smog injection ports in the heads, so you will have to deal with those. Is this a car for a State that requires smog?

[eric_ciampa]

If you do end up doing this i might be interested in your wiring harness from your 1.8L as i am in need of one. just a thought Other than that i agree with the others about getting as much as you can... Other than that i would think it would depend on the condition of the engin... if it is good and runs great then you just need to make sure that you have all the pieces to get it done. If you are looking for HP gains... other than just having a good tune up there is not much to do as there are not many if any bolt on HP gains available... all i can think of is a good exaust system and headers (but you lose heat with the headers) To really get more HP you need to open it up and do some real work good luck. sounds like a good project

[Dave at Pelican Parts]

The 75 L-jet harness is a little different from the 74 one. Check the wiring diagrams to see what those differences are. Mostly, as I recall, in the cold start valve system. Also, the air flow meter in the 75 has an extra wire going to it.

--DD

[Barry2]

Hi Newbie914 and Welcome!


Just a quick question, what was the initial asking price for the 2.0 engine?

thanks!
Barry

[newbie914]

He's asking $950. Includes all FI parts too.

Thanks all for the advice!

[Bleyseng]

Thats a good price even if it needs rebuilding.