Major Problem 02 GP in a 00 Monte. HELP!

[mongo]

A friend blew the motor in their VERY nice 2000 Monte Carlo with a 3400 SFI. She found a complete 3400 out of a 2002 Grand Prix and sent the car and motor to a mechanic for a swap. The mechanic ran into a few problems but the biggest problem is a heat transfer tube of some sort between the heads on the original Monte motor that is not present on the Grand Prix motor. It apparently feeds several other tubes that contain some sensors for the emissions system. What is this? How can it be bypassed using the Monte harness and PCM and NOT swapping the heads?

[mongo]

No one?

[SappySE107]

Doesn't make any sense to me.

[mongo]

I didn't really think it made any sense either but.....

On at least one occasion (in a for sale ad for a motor on Craigs List) it has been mentioned that the 2000 Monte Carlo had a "one year only" motor. I never found anything to back this up so I thought it was a sales pitch to get rid of the motor. Now it looks like there may be something to it...

[IsaacHayes]

All the federal 2000 motors had AIR tube setup for JUST that year. The rest of the years only the California motors had AIR I believe. But yes if it's 2000 then it has AIR.

I would grab the ECM out of a 2001 Monte or whatever year is closest to that, have the ECM flashed to the VIN of the Monte and roll with the new motor. That way you don't have to use the AIR setup. Buying a replacement ECM could work, but usually the parts store asks for the VIN and it possibly could come flashed with the AIR stuff on it if they look closely at the VIN.

So basically you want a new ECM for a 01 monte (so it doesn't have the AIR controls) and have it flashed to the VIN so it works with the body control stuff etc. Maybe even the dealership could flash the current one to just remove the AIR stuff, say to an 01 setup, but they may not do that for laws on changing emissions etc.

I don't know why in just 2000 they put AIR on all the motors.

[mongo]

Thanks! That is the information I was looking for!

Any idea what to do about the sensors in the AIR tubes?

[IsaacHayes]

Remove the whole AIR setup since you'll be converting to a year that doesn't use it basically.

Since you are in MO, they just look to see if you have a catalytic converter in place for emissions if it's like it is here in my part of MO, so if you yank it and get an ECM to run without the AIR stuff in the code, you'll be good.

For now you should be able to yank the AIR stuff, and install the new motor. You should just get a check engine light for not having the AIR stuff connected. Then you can work on getting an ECM or re-flashing your's to a year that doesn't use it.

Like I said before to do that you'll need either 99 or 01 code whichever is closest to the car. Others might know as far as ECM setup. I'd lean towards 01, but I don't know for sure what your ECM and wiring harness setup is like. I don't know for sure when they switched to CAN setup from OBDII.

To do that then you could try several things, see if the dealership would flash 01 code on your car since that wouldn't have the AIR controller code in it so you wouldn't have a check engine light for the missing stuff. They may not do that and they might say that's tampering with the emissions system and illegal.

So then your other option is to get a replacement ECM from say a junk yard, and then have a dealership flash it over to your VIN (hopefully they don't ask/figure out the emissions thing). Or buy a replacement at an auto store and then put down your VIN but make SURE you get one that isn't for a 2000 car cause that would have the AIR setup on it in the code. And hope that when they get the VIN they just throw it on the ECM and don't read the VIN and say oh, it's 2000, better put AIR code in it.

You *may* not need to have the VIN programmed, depending on when they went to CAN and all that security stuff that won't let a car start without the ECM programmed to the VIN and all that crap. If that's the case a 99 ECM would probably be closer match.

Another option would be to find someone that has a DHP or HPT programmer that could re-flash your ECM to 01/99 code that doesn't have AIR or turn off the check engine reporting codes for it.

Another option is to pull the old heads and put them on the new motor. So you'd use the short block. That would work if jsut the bottom end blew up on the old motor. Yes costs more in gaskets.

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If the AIR system isn't there with the stock ECM I'm guessing it will just throw a code and check engine light will light up but you can drive fine I would think. You could just live with that too I suppose.

[mongo]

This much I do know, in the St.Louis area if your check engine light stays lit or does not light momentarily when the key is turned, that is an automatic fail....

[IsaacHayes]

yeah STL area might be more strict. Bummer.