96-97 motor swap info

[dohcfiend]

this is for any1 thinking of putting a 96-97 dohc into your 94-95(i have a 94 btw) using obd1. but a good portion of the info if not all of it can be used for a 91-93 as well.

1st thing i had to do was bypass the air. i cut the 2 tubes short squeezed them with a vice and welded them but i have heard they make plugs for that. dooh.

next thing is coilpack relocation alot simplier than i thought. 3 wires go to it on 1 side there is a 5pin connector(don't know exactly where it connects to) a 2 pin connector(connects to a sensor on the back side of the engine) and on the other side there is a 2 pin connector(1 wire is a ground and i don't know what the other is for)

all u really have to do is pull apart the main harness and seperate the 5 pin connector and the 2 pin connector where 1 of the wires is a ground, peel them back until they reach the coilpack, retape the main harness, reloom the main harness, loom your new wires and there u go. next the 2 pin connector that connects to the sensor on the back. just pull it out of it's original path and route it up to the coilpack.

next the heater core connections. one connection is blocked off on the waterpump as u might notice. just stick an 3/8 extension into it and unscrew the plug then use a 7/8 deepwell socket to unscrew the connector off of your original motor, reseal with some thread sealent and screw it in. as for the other side of the heater core just hook it to the connection that sticks out from the tb neck.

next is the tps sensor wiring. your wiring will be too short to reach the tps(at least mine was) so i spliced and soldered in 6 xtra inches.

next are sensors in general. they all look identical but i switched a large portion of them anyway. i switched the knock sensor, the fan switch(the one on the backside), the oil sending unit, the charcoal purge valve, and the o2 sensor. i left the following ones in place the sensor that screws into the lim, the sensor that screws into the cam bank, the sensor that screws into the front head, the crank position sensor, the tps, and the iac.
i will have updates on the sensor part after i finish hooking up the engine.

next is the egr the only hurdle i have ran into so far. i had a mock up of of adapting the old egr valve into the new system but after i put the engine into the car, the mock up doesn't work due to the egr valve sticking up too far so it is back to the drawing board on this. i will have updates on this too.

update i mocked it up a different way and it seems to fit(barely) so i am going to proceed with this design but if could do it over i would do it differently. cause the fitment is TIGHT!!! i will let u know if it works.

next is fuel lines, u will need the 96 lines that go from the rail to the quick connectors.

[dohcfiend]

note:i don't know if the obd1 o2 sensor wire connector is long enough cause mine was broken when i got the car and i soldered in a new 4 pin connector and hence it is longer than stock

[95dohcBlackZ34]

Hi DOHCfiend
Seen you on MyMonte...

I have a '96 dohc engine still waiting to replace my '95 dohc like you. I haven't had the time to get it done yet (my monte has been sitting for over a year)
The swap is not as easy as plug and play as a lot of people have said over time, there are multiple things to take into consideration. Can you let everyone know what steps you've taken to make the engine compatible? I'm going to change the computer along with the motor, and along with that comes wiring changes, etc. Aren't the pins different between the obd1 and 2 connectors? looking forward to your updates on your project. good luck.
Thanks

[dohcfiend]

which connectors are u referring to. all the sensors i have seen on the 96 motor will physically plug into the 94 obd1 harness but i changed the easy ones for 2 reasons 1. just in case they operate differently and 2 b/c i know mine work properly. the only risks i am taking are on a few sensors that are either hard to remove or might leak if i do remove/replace them like the temp sensor on the lim or the 1 wire sensor screwed into the front head and of course that hard to replace crank sensor i left in there. other than that i am using the 96 coil pack assy too for fitment reasons.

i do, however have a scanner so if for some reason i get a gremlin from the few remaining 96 sensors i will be able to pinpoint the problem alot easier than without one.

as far as the harness/ecm stuff goes i am using my 94 harness and ecm so everything plugs in. i think u might be referring to a 96 harness plugging into that large plug in the firewall? i don't know cause i am using the original.

but the reason i am going obd1 is the engine i bought didn't come with the harness or the ecm. if it did i would have considered upgrading to obd2(well at least until i realized it would cost about 200 bucks to upgrade my scanner too)

but as of now the little project has come to a halt b/c i am looking at my options for new sparkplug wires be4 i bolt the uim back on.

other than that in the next 2 days i plan on finishing my egr conversion.

ok, now i have everything cut to length and the adapter plate made, all i need to do now is get it all welded together and install it.

[dohcfiend]

exhaust bolted up, no problem.

[dohcfiend]

UPDATE: i decided to just use the stock plug wires for now until i get word from taylor. The 94 power steering lines interfere with the coilpack and bracket.

Word to any1 else install the 96 power steering lines BEFORE U PUT THE MOTOR IN.

i am going to attampt modifying the 94 coilpacks but if it gives me too much trouble i will have to buy the complete 96 power steering setup.

also i have all the vacuum hoses covered now.

the egr conversion is almost done it has a leak so i have t get one of the welds patched.

i think i will have to end up lengthening the egr connector too. but i won't be sure until i install the conversion.

[dykz34]

You have to grind off one of the corners--it won't affect them in any way. The lines still won't fit perfectly, but they are close enough to work. They are kind of tight.

[dohcfiend]

i got the coilpack bracket/mount cut down as u said but i couldn't install it due to rain.

[dohcfiend]

UPDATE: I slacked off this weekend so i didn't get anything done but i have finished the egr conversion today and since i had to modify the coilpack bracket, i decided to switched the ignition module as well.

i see what u mean dykz34, not only is it tight on the power steering lines but there is less than 4mm between the connectors and the hot coolant line. if i ever have to take the coilpacks off i will end up making a heatshield, but then again those bastards set right under the ex manifold be4 so it can't be that taxing.

i am almost finished just need to install the coolant hose that i got in fri, install the tb and egr, install the tb, install wires/vac lines and crank it up.

also i am thinking of doing a tb bypass too. actually it might be necessary since i used the old style heater core connection. i didn't anticipate the new coolant pipe having a heatercore connection on it. i will either do a tb bypass or plug up the connection on the pipe.

[dohcfiend]

UPDATE: i installed the egr conversion today(it is a very TIGHT fit, i have a pic too), i also installed the tb neck and blocked the most logical coolant port, unfortunately my progress is halted for today. the auto parts store is closed and i need 3 things and 1 of them be4 i can install the tb. i need brake booster hose, i was unaware there is a gasket that goes to that plastic brake booster connector on the tb neck until it flaked off and i need heater hose which has to be installed be4 i put the tb on.

the wire connector that goes to the egr valve is too short. It will have to be lengthened about 6-8 inches. i will do that later.

so all i have left is install tb, heater hose, vac hoses, wires and that's it. hopefully tomorrow i will be able to at least crank the car and see how it idles.

lastly due to the egr being in the way i couldn't install the bottom of the 3 bolts that hold on the tb neck u guys think that will be a problem?

[dykz34]

You should be able to get the bottom bolt on the intake arm by using a small swivel and reaching behind the arm (inbetween it and the firewall). That's how I've always pulled mine.

[dohcfiend]

i tried but to no avail. that is where my egr valve is located. i am going to try to go under the tb neck tomorrow.

also i goofed. during the lengthening process of the egr connector i cut the wires off realizing after i did it there are 2 brown wires!!!!!!!

Which goes where?

i have a meter but not a diagram. the pins are D&B(on the 94 connector) if i knew what to look for i could figure out what was what.

[dykz34]

Your EGR is BEHIND the arm? You didn't use the stock mounting area on the arm?

[dohcfiend]

now that i look back on it i should have used the stock location(too late now). i will use the other if i can get 2 more egr tubes to make it from or if i can get a chip one day and remove all that crap altogether.

[dohcfiend]

i made it to the point where i could crank it. it fires up, but can't hold an idle. 1 possible culprit is the firing order, i have the order set at 1-4-6-3-2-5. i can't remember which bank is which. right now i have the rear bank set as the odds and the front bank set as the evens, is that right?

i get no codes. any input? fires up, runs for about 5 sec and dies. i can keep it alive by opening the tb slightly.